You're sitting in class. Your hand is pressed up against your cheek to hold your head up as you nod off. You snap out of your ten-second nap only to realize you haven't heard or understood a single word the professor has been saying. I know it has happened to just about everyone. The only reason students often take these unexpected-boredom naps is that they are not being taught anything they are passionate about. I know it seems pretty cliche to bring passion into the equation, but passion is the only way for kids to learn instead of sleep.

Every school or university has their own set of prerequisite courses that every student has to take in order to advance to the next level course, or even just to attend the university altogether. While these courses are necessary in order to educate students and get them on the right track to their intended major or area of study, these courses don't set off any sparks. They lack interest from the students and, in all honesty, take away from education. Modern education has become more of a game of memorization rather than actually learning and retaining information. As students, we are all taught to learn what is in front of us, take an exam, and then the info we studied for hours is no longer relevant because we took the exam so we push that info into the back of our minds until it no longer has any use. Where in that process do you actually enjoy learning? You don't. And that's a big reason as to why we just push info into the back of our minds and forget about it. If we were learning about things we actually cared about, we would pay more attention and actually absorb information. Students would be INTERESTED, rather than bored.

Now, I realize some people may be reading this and probably thinking, "Well school isn't fun no matter what," or "We're just taking the classes we have to take and getting them over with." While all of that may be understandable and true, it doesn't mean learning can't actually be fun or strike passion and no student will realize this until they take a class they enjoy and they'll realize everything they have been missing out on.

Do you want proof? Well, this semester, one of my writing classes I was scheduled to take got canceled mid-summer. While it was a class I did actually want to take, most of the motivation I had for taking the class all stemmed from the fact that the class was a prerequisite and I kept telling myself I had to take it because it was actually relevant to my major.

The class being canceled was more of a blessing than a curse because, although I was frustrated that I had to find another class and rearrange my entire schedule, I ended up taking a class that could not have been any more "me." The class I ended up taking is called "Intro to Horticulture," and for those of you who don't know what horticulture is, it is the art or practice of cultivating plants in a garden. In the class, we study various things about plants, like what affects their growth and how they grow throughout our environment. This may seem boring and pointless to some people, but to me, I was totally interested. As soon as I read the part of the syllabus that stated we will be going to many different botanical gardens and plant walls, as a plant lover, I was immediately hooked. And after just one class, I knew I made the right choice because an hour and 20 minutes passed, the class was over, and I had not napped once the whole class. Why? Because I was interested!

So, if you're struggling to find the right balance between classes you have to take and classes you want to take, just remember to always have something in your education that you are passionate about. Or, if you're stuck fulfilling requirements and craving some interesting content that is so "you," then don't be afraid to take that class, even if it doesn't have anything to do with your major. Education is an important weapon, so don't let the root of your education be solely made up of information that doesn't strike your passion. After all, you're not going to remember the things you learned in a class you really didn't care about anyway. You're more inclined to retain info you have a passion for. So, take a second and reflect on all those naps you've taken in those incredibly boring classes and understand that if passion were a factor, those naps would have never happened!