Modern Day Robin Hoods

In my early days of matriculation at Boise State, I was a spectator in a conversation in which a student argued that we were at Boise State, not Harvard, “it's not like we were getting a great education.” The professor retorted, “Do you think they have secret books at ivy league schools that you can't get here?”

I believe that this is when I realized what an egalitarian thing education was. One can argue that the connections and reputation that Harvard provides will give a graduate a leg up, but, as everyone knows, you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes, after that, you better know something.

I've thought about this as an evolving concept since those freshman days, and I've realized that even the way we tell stories marks the importance of knowledge. As a child, I was taught that Columbus was convinced the earth was round, and that's why he sailed West to go East. His ground-breaking feat was not one of cultural subjugation, but of the proliferation of knowledge. True? Not true? It doesn't really matter. Columbus becomes a cultural hero because he's disseminating information. He's breaking through barriers. He's stealing information known only to the higher-ups and sharing it with all us plebeians.

I don't know what happened or when this changed, honestly it was probably some time around Scopes, but teachers became this thing to be ridiculed and criticized and not honored as the modern day Robin Hoods that they are.

Any steady-handed thief can steal from the rich and give to the poor, but only the best can learn, and without diminishing their own understanding, share that knowledge with others. I spent some time over the last few years trying to share what I know with others. It's difficult, exhausting, and often thankless, and I was teaching college students who were “choosing” to be in my classroom.

The Robin Hoods that I admire most are the men and women who chose, and continue to choose, sharing their knowledge with children. A Robin Hood that I admire and love most is my friend Kara. Kara Hood not only teaches with abandon (something I feel that many more teachers should do everyday), but she also does everything in her life with the same wild abandon. Her love for knowledge is so strong, that some days, I know there are new worlds to discover, and going West to get East was the smartest move ever made.