I made a student cry today. It was not the first time, and it probably will not be the last.

The student in question is taking her second semester of astronomy with me. Last semester, she was an "A" student. On her exam last week, however, she earned a 36%. I'd seen her spiral down all semester, but she always said that she was just sick or tired. But I couldn't let a score like that go without comment, so I asked her to talk to me.

So, after class she spoke with me. I told her that I didn't need any details, but wanted to know what was going on. She started crying and talked about her lack of motivation this semester and how she's failing all her classes and doesn't know what she can do. I asked her why she was in school, and she explained that she needed to be a full-time student to be covered under her parents' health insurance. I asked her what she would prefer to be doing, and she replied that she wanted to travel or at least get away from Arizona, she misses water and trees, she hates the high temperatures... She's been feeling depressed because she's wasting her time and her parents' money, but just can't drum up the motivation to pick up a book to study.

She came back to my office with me, and we worked out a strategy for her so that she could pass her courses with me this semester. Her other classes, well, she hasn't even been showing up for those exams. I guess I should take it as a compliment that she's had good attendance in my classes this semester, when she's blown off the rest of her school work. She left my office feeling like she was more in control of her life, which was something she didn't feel earlier today. I hope she pulls through.

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Experiences like this make me curious as to what motivates people to go to college. Despite the fact that my livelihood depends on teaching college students, I don't think that everybody HAS to go to college. What disappoints me is unrealized potential, whether it be as a student or not. I've had many students who are only in school because their parents are forcing them, and the low GPAs will stick with them forever. Some of my best students have been those who have been in the workforce/military for awhile and have come back to school because they WANT to be there. They now have a dream, a goal which requires a college education. But not every goal requires a college education, and I think we do a disservice to many young people by making them feel like failures for not earning a Bachelor's degree by the age of 23.

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