As a young man, I had a very strong belief
that education was the slow way to mental growth. To me, education
meant endless bureaucracies and misdirected learning
experiences.
Of course, I hadn't known much more than public schools to that point. I couldn't stand my own high school's cage like atmosphere; it's politics and inefficiency. High school was no incentive for me to continue on with college which I felt would just be more of the same.
Instead of planning to continue my education, I formed a plan for my life that would exclude it. The plan would eventually consist of travel, tennis, skiing, art and a Volkswagen camper at some point. Finally, my life might conclude with my owning a musty bookstore and spending evenings philosophizing with friends and young people.
I was fairly disciplined and applied myself to reading everything I could find on my first category, the subject of tennis. After awhile, it became harder and harder to find new information. Most of my research became repetitious. We didn't have the internet back then!
Eventually, I would apply the knowledge to becoming a tennis professional. However, against my nature, I decided to take a certification course first. To me, the course meant that within two weeks I would receive a piece of paper that would convince some potential employer that I could handle the job as one of their instructors or it would convince students that I was credible should I choose to be independent. I figured that since I had read so much, that passing such an exam would be a breeze!
The name of the private school was Vic Braden's Tennis College in Cote dé Casa, California. At twenty years old, I decided to enter the program after the sun melted away my lift operator position at Alpine Meadows ski resort.
I was shocked by my first day in class. This Vic Braden was a funny guy! However, when it came to research, he had done some very serious work. He showed me things I had never dreamed of. Using slow motion video capture, he studied the "physiology" of tennis and drew some very innovative conclusions, all of which was news to me. I was in awe of the new information and the style with which it was presented. Heck! I was being educated!
Indeed, in this instance, education had redeemed itself. Every moment seemed precious. I was sorry when it was over and I had to leave. Braden's tennis academy was far more expensive than high school and hour for hour, more expensive than a four-year college, but knowing what I know now, I would have gladly paid ten times as much.
I went on through life appreciating the fact that not all education is like my experiences with public education. I found myself more willing to accept help and more open to diverse opinions that may seem to be the exact opposite of my own. Still, for years I looked at public education as a "killer" of young people's minds, where children learned to "accept" the world around them, and to lose their natural abilities to think outside the box.
Eventually, my own natural evolution through my original high school plan for my life, which incidentally did include the Volkswagen camper, led me to the formation of the world's first independent aerobics instructor training center. Today, it has members in 33 states and in more than 35 countries.
Finally, I learned that education can be an extremely enlightening experience. I am glad that I could tell from my own students appraisals that I was able to pass that discovery on to others.
Michael P. Murphy 2/6/01
Author - The Greens
Watch for the upcoming novel - The Corporation
Send comments to the author: mmurphy@smallbusinessman.com