I remember the first time I learned that I could control what I learned. It was a sudden burst of freedom unlike anything I had experienced. In first and second grades, my school limited the library to a small section of books that were deemed appropriate. I was bored with the selection of books. I wanted access to the rest of this seemingly huge library.
On the first day of third grade, my teacher actually took us to the library. On the first day! I was elated. I thought she was the best teacher ever. And when she and the librarian told us that the library was now open to us, I think I actually cheered. Books were rare in my house. To suddenly have access to this repository was joyous. I remember checking out 3 of the toughest books I could find. I just wanted to see if I could read them.
I was free. Sure, I had to do well in school. But now I could learn what I wanted, not just what the teacher taught me. I was going down the rabbit hole, and I have never looked back.