Heroic Ignorance

I have been rereading the Last Lecture.  Since I have graduated and been looking at grad schools, I've been looking at bettering myself to be ready.  I don't want to treat it like I did my undergraduate.  I need to focus and be more professional.  The past 4 years were an improvement, but I can still do better.

My boyfriend has caught on to my fear of ignorance in the past year.  He'll ask me about stuff I don't know and watch me uncomfortably pretend I've heard of it.  Sometimes I have, sometimes I'm not sure.  I'll ask about it, but I am very afraid of being wrong or ignorant.  This will only restrict me in the future.

Randy Pausch talked about his ideal grad student.  When "Captain Kirk" came to his office and asked questions for hours about virtual realities, Randy admired how heroic he was.  He wished all his grad students were like that.  NOTED.  I have less than a year to stop being scared of my ignorance.  Teachers don't mind someone being ignorant if they are willing to learn.  I've always told my students this, it's about time I believe it.