12/1/10-Dumb Dumbs for Smart Smarts

Personally, I believe that brighter students are in fact very desirous of grades. However, I will agree with Phaedrus' belief that the lazy students desire them too. The way I see it, the desire of grades is more like an inverse bell curve. Smart students want to consistently be validated on their brilliance and lazy students want to be kept accountable for passing the class. The students in the middle, though, probably don't care about knowing their grades because they recognize the quality of their work and are content with not being reminded of their mediocre stance. I will however say that there are two different kinds of "good students" that would prove Phaedrus' point. The first group is the group that desires good grades for the sake of having good grades and allowing that part of their personality to define who they are as people. The second group of brilliant students are the ones who don't neccessarily care if they are brilliant or not. They are passionate about learning; being good at it is just a perk, a coincidence if you will. Thus, they don't really care about knowing their grade because they recognize the information that they have gained and are content. In this way, both Phaedrus and the inquirer are correct in their assumptions.

11/17/10

Rotisseries and sculpture, while bearing no similarities on the surface level, deeply unite in an unexpected foundation. Sculpture hinges on passion and creativity and an intricate understanding of both the material being used as well as the tools being used upon it. Rotisserie assembly can be the same. The rhythm and understanding that your hands and mind experience as they knit together the seemingly dissociated parts into one united whole can be exhilarating in a similar fashion as the rhythm and understanding of a piece of sculpture coming together. The roots that they have in common are the basic understanding of a creation of sorts: taking dissimilar pieces or nothingness and turning it into something beautiful or functional. You see it's not about the sculpting or about the assembly of a silly tool, it's about beauty and oneness with your personal sense of inspiration and transferring that inspiration into a tangible form. We ought to care because without that oneness or passion, we as a people group are nothing. We have nothing and we are nothing if we have not this innate sense of self-awareness and creativity.

11/10/10-Phaedrus Schmaedrus

The "real" university knows no bounds. Like God, it transcends all and its omniscience arouses all mankind to a certain level of scholarship. Reason and rationale pass down through the generations, gaining momentum and souls. JBU doesn't escape from this all encompassing wealth of understanding. Those that profess to be "poor students" may in fact prove themselves to be harborers of vast seas of knowledge in the right setting. Similarly, some "students" in classroom settings appear to have all the right answers, but their useless garbage means nothing to the world of thought. Look and learn in the hidden corners of the University; a "Where's Waldo" of sorts. Theological discussions with friends, enamored listening to an impassioned professor, private discoveries in books; the realm of possibilities extends through all regions of thought, relationship, and tangibility.

11/4/10-Switch

"How Should Colleges Prepare Students to Succeed in Today's Global Economy."

Deeper level thinking plays a vital role in both preparing students to succeed in a global economy and is one of the Nine Holistic Outcomes discussed in class. Thinking ought to be done for the sake of learning and thinking and not for any type of end result. Businesses, according to this article, look for some basic communication skills, analytical skills, and critical thinking. Although college GPA is important in the initial interviewing process, it is not the the major deciding factor in the end of the hiring process. You see, big companies have figured out that they can teach their employees the skills necessary to do their job, but they need to at least have the inherent skills necessary to achieve this future knowledge. I agree with this. I honestly don't think that I can "prove" how I've made progress in these areas. The only way that I know how to gage my growth is by asking people that have been around me for an extended period of time. This would help me understand who I was and who I have become as well as my strengths and weaknesses.

10/27/10-Solomon Style

Wisdom, as an entity, cannot be "given" nor can it be quickly gained or learned; it is a continual process. Thus, colleges cannot bestow upon their students this virtue. Even if they could, colleges wouldn't choose to teach their students to recognize or practice wisdom. Copious reasons could exist for this, but my thoughts about it are rather simple in form. When students learn wisdom for themselves, they become less reliant upon authority for guidance and wisdom. While not a negative quality in and of itself, they become more difficult to "brainwash" to the opinions and worldviews of professors. Some professors pride themselves on their ability to rock their students' minds. When a student becomes wise, however, they learn to take in others' opinions, but only for the measure that they are worth. The honors program can learn to teach their students wisdom in a variety of ways. Because wisdom, like leadership abilities, is gained primarily through experience, more opportunities for wisdom growing ought to occur. Mentoring is an excellent start to this as it forces students to interact with each other on a deeper level. Service within the community could also serve as a useful device for gaining wisdom as compassion and humility are intrinsic qualities of service and servant leadership. There aren't too many ways that I can pinpoint as "things that the program should add to help their students gain wisdom," but I also believe that the simple act of "forcing" us out of our comfort zones and into the arms of people that are different from us is something that could definitely make us grow as wise individuals. However, wisdom is a choice. It is something that every person has to strive for at an individual level, in the heart. It cannot be thrust upon you through a program or through an activity. Wisdom must be sought after and worked for.

10/13/10-alternatives

St. Johns approach differs from John Brown in that it has a strong focus on studying great books as opposed to studying actual textbooks. Their education involves a great deal of "classical thinking" and urges students into deep, philosophical discussions and plunges them into great written works throughout the ages. JBU endeavors to "create" students that can indeed think for themselves, but also form students into well-rounded human beings with a general knowledge of many subjects as well as a focus in a certain area. Personally, I would probably respond very well to this type of schooling. As a literature major, books and I understand each other extremely well and I would, therefore, respond beautifully to a school that focuses solely upon this type of learning. Great authors throughout the ages have done an incredible job of dissecting human nature and presenting it in a way that helps others understand the plight of the subconscious. Cultural themes and era distinctions are hidden within the expansive labyrinth that is literature. This combination of people and culture could not make for a more perfect fit of my majors: Psychology and Literature. Thus, this type of education would grow me in a way that is fitting for my calling and utilizes my gifts and my passions. On that note, I also do not believe that JBU ought to adopt this approach to education. It takes a very...different sort of person to respond well to it. We can't all be book nerds. Liberal arts and JBU go well together; well-rounded students are much more socially accepted than classically trained students. St. Johns certainly has one unique curriculum that a select group of individuals across the nation would be lucky to be a part of.

10/6/10-titles

Education has disintegrated to a constant game of cat-and-mouse. By this, I mean to say that teachers lay "traps" for students to "figure out" and through this process of continual chasing, students pass through the education process unscathed and sneaky. That is a very roundabout way of saying that learning has become less of a process of continual discovery to an ignorant following of the statements of others, and then regurgitating the right answers back to them. In the case of Jack and Jill, Jack was the ideal student; he answered correctly, participated in class, and stayed in school. Jill, on the other hand, ditched the whole entity. However, Jill became consumed by the studies from her flunked course. The book she started in class revolutionized her way of thinking, and consequently, her life. Jack, though, following the class, flushed all the "knowledge" gained down the drain. His learning was quantity, her learning is quality. The difference between the two is key. In my personal education, I define quality as gleaning as much knowledge as possible from any particular subject and putting all the energy that I can muster into mastering that topic. Overall, the different parts of my education create a quality whole because they address all facets of learning: not only am I learning how to absorb information, but I am learning how to listen, discuss, communicate, and process information. My answers may not always be right, but they are mine. That is the difference.