Why St. Norbert?

Reflect on the unique nature of SNC as a learning environment.  How do these two documents and our discussion inform your thinking about the values of this place and what they can contribute to your growth as a person?

The question I received quite often this summer was why. The typical question of what plans you have after high school tends to bombard you from those around you; strangers at work, classmates, grandparents, your parents’ friends, everyone. “What are your plans for college?” “Where will you be studying?” I quickly learned how different my response was from those around me. Living where I do, I would watch my friends share their answers, often stating that a public school like UW Madison or UW Lacrosse was their next step. I would always be the one to break up the conversation with my response: “I am attending St. Norbert!” This often led to a bit of surprise in those I was conversing with, leading them to ask that big question: Why St. Norbert? At first, I would explain that their education plan was incredible, which was often a satisfactory enough answer. But the more I answered that question, the more I wondered if that was the only reason. Yes, their education program is amazing, but why? Why is it so much better than any other college program?

The answer revolves in the values we have been discussing in class. The principles that were present in both of the articles we read. To me, education is not just about learning the information needed to graduate with your degree. Education is complex and includes more than just learning the basics. From the moment I visited St. Norbert, I felt as if it was a place that I could succeed. I watched my sister take different courses of college education. One attends UW Madison, while one graduated from the education program at Edgewood College. Though both amazing schools, neither gave them the skills St. Norbert prides themselves on. 

When looking at St. Norbert, one word specifically stood out to me: communio. Communio is the word used on and off campus to describe the community present at St. Norbert. To me, community is essential and a large driving force in my life. I have heard from my sisters, friends, and previous classmates the struggles they are facing already in the first week or so of classes. It is easy to feel like a number, an anonymous name on a roster that the teacher calls and never mutters again. At St. Norbert, people greeted me by name. Advisors and mentors asked questions about me, interested in knowing my background and previous experiences. This personability that is common on campus is just one glowing example of why I chose to go to school here. I am not just a number, but a person with value and worth – a principle that will be important to instill in my classroom one day as an educator. As stated by Cronan, “They nurture and empower the people around them.” St. Norbert fosters relationships that transcend into the classroom setting.

Another big aspect of St. Norbert that made me decide this was my home for the next four years was the view of education itself. Multiple Norbertine Precepts and Goals of Liberal Education fall into this category: learning is a work in progress, failure is key to success, learning is dynamic, they respect rigor not so much for its own sake but as a way of seeking truth. From the moment I first applied, St. Norbert assigned a group of people to my education plan. From that moment on I heard the same comments and phrases, all of which emphasized the importance of failure and struggle in the learning process. You are not defined by your GPA, your scores, your grades; but rather the rigor and respect you put forth into your learning. Here, education is not linear. Mistakes and challenges are not only accepted, but encouraged. This is another belief that will not only help my education process, but that of the students I will teach. Education, again, is about the community you build, the people you are able to connect with. Education is more than a score on a test, but rather a hard working human being behind that score.

“How can we grow in this time and space we share together?”