I haven't updated in forever.
Sorry. Life is a bit busy. And overwhelming at times.
But on Friday, Reed and I will be leaving to spend the week with my family....and not working or studying or doing much of anything except hanging out. This break couldn't come sooner.
ANYWAYS.....
I don't have time to write (naturally...I mean the break hasn't started YET), but I'm hoping to blog over my 2 week break so that I can let you all know about life and what's been going on :)
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
School can be a wonderful thing
Reed here.
It is in moments like these that I am truly appreciative of good professors; professors who dont merely give us the material they are required to, and then have us regurgitate it on a quiz or exam.
I am not going to lie, I really was dreading having to take freshman english composition this year. For a little background... I have to take this class as a 25 year old because when I was a freshman at the University of Richmond, I didn't have to. They had a policy where if you got a score of 30 or better on the ACT, you were exempt from having to take freshman writing. The catch was that I wasn't given credit for it, I was only exempt at Richmond. Now that I am an English major at UNT, I cannot KLEP out of it. I have to take it. I will admit that I haven't gained that much from this class so far this year. The papers have been REALLY easy, as I have gotten a 97 or better on all of them, but we have read a very thought-provoking book by Alain de Botton entitled The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. Not a bad read if you want to pick it up.
I mention all of that to say that my professor for that class assinged us to read an essay for today titled "Shop Class as Soulcraft", by Matthew B. Crawford. I dont think that I have ever read something in an academic setting that was nearly as challenging, illuminating, thought-provoking, and applicable to modern life. I will admit that the premise of the article naturally appealed to me becuase of my proclivity, or tendency, to be rebellious towards the general framework of the modern workplace. To steal a phrase from the article, I have a "contrarian streak". But, taking my affinity for such topics away from the discussion, this was still a brilliantly written essay that had a beautiful and natural flow, an ease of communication not typical from an academic, as well as appropriate and precise supporting evidence.
More than anything else it made me think. Not just think about something in a passing manner, but deliberate and dwell upon what I want to do with my life, vocationally speaking, and why so many people are dissatisfied with their professions, and why this is symptomatic of values imbedded in our culture. I'll give you a link to the essay so you can read it if you like.
For me, this is why a real education matters. I dont want to merely be a cog in a machine, I want to be able to use my mind and the things that God has blessed me with to make a real difference in some capacity. It also makes me thankful to my father for continuing to support me in this endeavor. In a way I feel like the prodigal son after he has returned home.
http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/shop-class-as-soulcraft
It is in moments like these that I am truly appreciative of good professors; professors who dont merely give us the material they are required to, and then have us regurgitate it on a quiz or exam.
I am not going to lie, I really was dreading having to take freshman english composition this year. For a little background... I have to take this class as a 25 year old because when I was a freshman at the University of Richmond, I didn't have to. They had a policy where if you got a score of 30 or better on the ACT, you were exempt from having to take freshman writing. The catch was that I wasn't given credit for it, I was only exempt at Richmond. Now that I am an English major at UNT, I cannot KLEP out of it. I have to take it. I will admit that I haven't gained that much from this class so far this year. The papers have been REALLY easy, as I have gotten a 97 or better on all of them, but we have read a very thought-provoking book by Alain de Botton entitled The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. Not a bad read if you want to pick it up.
I mention all of that to say that my professor for that class assinged us to read an essay for today titled "Shop Class as Soulcraft", by Matthew B. Crawford. I dont think that I have ever read something in an academic setting that was nearly as challenging, illuminating, thought-provoking, and applicable to modern life. I will admit that the premise of the article naturally appealed to me becuase of my proclivity, or tendency, to be rebellious towards the general framework of the modern workplace. To steal a phrase from the article, I have a "contrarian streak". But, taking my affinity for such topics away from the discussion, this was still a brilliantly written essay that had a beautiful and natural flow, an ease of communication not typical from an academic, as well as appropriate and precise supporting evidence.
More than anything else it made me think. Not just think about something in a passing manner, but deliberate and dwell upon what I want to do with my life, vocationally speaking, and why so many people are dissatisfied with their professions, and why this is symptomatic of values imbedded in our culture. I'll give you a link to the essay so you can read it if you like.
For me, this is why a real education matters. I dont want to merely be a cog in a machine, I want to be able to use my mind and the things that God has blessed me with to make a real difference in some capacity. It also makes me thankful to my father for continuing to support me in this endeavor. In a way I feel like the prodigal son after he has returned home.
http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/shop-class-as-soulcraft
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