My education sculpted me

The title is an obvious statement. Who's education doesn't sculpt them. I went back to St. Mary's last week when I made it back to the bay area. I was walking through one of the buildings full of classrooms. On all of the walls there were quotes from Dante, Socrates, Plato, etc. St. Mary's is a Christian Brothers school and probably one of the reasons I am who I am today.
I learned at St. Mary's the importance of asking questions, and listening to others opinions. I learned that even though you think you are always right, there are other people who feel the same way and you have to listen in order to understand. I remember being in seminar class (a required and invaluable part of a Christian Brothers education) and being forced to listen. It wasn't just about the smartest, nerdiest kids taking over with a 1:1 discussion with the professor. It was a professor who wanted EVERYONE to share their opinion.
There is something to be said for silence and listening and as I walked down the hallway and drank in all the quotes on the walls, it made me think, and I relished the silence and my thoughts. I felt alive, I felt challenged, I felt lucky. As I was 1/2 way down the hallway a lone professor came out of her office and said "that's exactly what we intended, people to drink in the quotes and think." And that's just one more reason I loved St. Mary's. People get it, they understand the value in thoughts, active participation, and listening to yourself and to others.
I fell in love with the Christian Brothers style of education my junior year in high school, and I am so grateful that I was able to attend La Salle High School, which drove me to choose St. Mary's, another Christian Brothers school, for college. It's not just about sitting through lectures and turning out machines that will help the economy. It's about producing real people, who will give, listen, continue to learn and act to make the world better.