We've had a lot of sad material in this class, so here's something different:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/education/edlife/how-to-live-wisely.html?WT.mc_id=2015-KWP-AUD_DEV&WT.mc_ev=click&ad-keywords=AUDDEVREMARK&kwp_0=32881&kwp_4=189412&kwp_1=174176&_r=0
also, Thursday 19 November is World Philosophy Day! Woo hoo!
please discuss!
I think having a seminar at the college would be beneficial. Sometimes there are students here who are having trouble deciding what they want to do with their future, so this could be a way to help students get a jump start on picking a major and making a plan to be successful throughout college. I wish I had the opportunity to do a seminar like this my freshman year so I could identify the goals I wanted to achieve and to connect with what I actually do at college.
ReplyDeleteI agree this would be an amazing FYS and i think it could help many students with deciding on a major and how to carry out their future goals for college and life. It could only benefit students to start out their first year in college with questioning life and arguing their reasoning. Students should understand why they chose the major they did and how it will help them live out the purpose in their lives.
DeleteDefinitely agree that this would be an awesome FYS. I thought my FYS was kind of pointless to be honest. I did not really enjoy the subject and it was pretty much just show up and get an A, which was kind of a waste. I think a class like this would benefit young college students who are just starting out their college experience. Then, before they graduate, it would be interesting for the students to go back and assess if they accomplished the goals they made during their freshman year and how things have changed.
DeleteI completely agree, this would be a great FYS seminar at the college. My FYS had nothing to do with pointing me in a career path or what to do with my future, it was basically a history class and it really didnt teach me much. This seminar would be great for freshman or somebody just trying to figure out what they wanted to do.
DeleteI agree, I definitely feel that I would have benefited greatly from a seminar like this. I also like how it is voluntary because it makes us have to choose to want to think seriously about our life and discover the pathway that we should choose. Sometimes I feel like when we discuss serious topics in class, things aren't taken all that serious and it loses its purpose and those that are willing to deeply think and talk about their thoughts don't get to do so because of the people that take the discussion as a joke.
DeleteWow. This is awesome. Maybe something like this could be integrated into the First Year Seminar program? The one thing that stuck out to me was the issue of choosing a major. I think it's ridiculous to think that every 18 year old, fresh out of high school, is able to determine what they want to do for the rest of their life. It's so stressful to chose, knowing you're limiting yourself career wise by what major you chose. All why paying thousands of dollars a year! I think some sort of "soul searching" discussion like this would be extremely beneficial for college students, especially freshmen, to get the most out of their college experience.
ReplyDeleteI have had two classes this semester that has involved some "soul searching" in a way. Death and Dying has played a part of it as well as my English class which is enduring happiness. It seems that all my classes have connected in a way that allows me to think deeper into who I am and how I want to have an impact on others lives.
DeleteHaving just read the first exercise has me thinking. Questions such as "What matters to you?" and "How well do your commitments actually match your goals?" makes me think of my own commitments and goals as a college student. I feel that time goes by so fast that I cannot achieve everything in such a short span of time. My past three years at Thomas More have basically been all academics and sports. I want to change the routine up a bit and add some volunteering or just going out of my way to help others.
ReplyDeleteI agree Marisa, I would like to change up my routine as well but sometimes it is very hard to find the time during college. We get so caught up with school work, our job, our loved ones that it becomes hard to find time for other things that have our interest. I hope that this year I can make time for more important things rather than silly little things, like going out on the weekend.
DeleteThis is a seminar i would definitely be interested in taking at Thomas More. Even if giving our opinions doesn't shape the college exactly how we want it then at least we got to express how we feel about certain college issues and what we would change to make our experience better. Maybe after thinking through changes then we could change aspects of our own college experience ourselves without having to change the school. Really we are reflecting on what we want and how we can go about improving our college experience. Since this class is for freshmen it allows them to get a taste of how to discuss their opinions and and back up their opinions with reasoning rather than just saying "because that's what i believe." Questioning ourselves in college is part of what makes us grow and gain the knowledge to question aspects of more than just college experience, but also so that we question aspects our lives. Understanding ourselves bared a lot of weight on how we want to carry out our future.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting article. I believe all college students need and eye opening experience to finally realize if they're on the right track in life. Coming into freshmen year not knowing which major to chose isn't such a bad idea. Coming in to college and learning from your classes, doing some soul searching, and asking questions to further determine what it is one really wants. A career is a big change in someones life and it shouldn't be made on a whim without any prior knowledge. We look to mentors and people who had experienced the things we are going through so that we don't feel all alone.
ReplyDeleteThe question that really caught my attention from this class was: If you could become extraordinarily good at one thing versus being pretty good at many things, which approach would you choose? That question really stumped me and especially made me think about my future career as a nurse. You have to obtain many skills being a nurse and it would be beneficial to be pretty good at many things. However, if I wanted to specialize, I would want to be extraordinary in that specialty. It’s a really hard decision as to what I would choose. If it came down to picking one, I would have to go with being extraordinarily good at one particular thing. I think this because I could truly help those people that I specialize with and give them the best of myself. I really enjoyed reading this article because it brought a smile to my face and it also made me think on a deeper level. I am used to reading sad and devastating articles in this class, so it was nice to read something a little different.
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem as you, where in Forensic Chemistry,I could be pretty good at many different fields of forensics, or I could specialize in just one expertise and become extraordinarily good. I have yet to decide what I want to do, but I know that what I am working towards is what I want to do as a career.
DeleteThe question that really caught my attention from this class was: If you could become extraordinarily good at one thing versus being pretty good at many things, which approach would you choose? That question really stumped me and especially made me think about my future career as a nurse. You have to obtain many skills being a nurse and it would be beneficial to be pretty good at many things. However, if I wanted to specialize, I would want to be extraordinary in that specialty. It’s a really hard decision as to what I would choose. If it came down to picking one, I would have to go with being extraordinarily good at one particular thing. I think this because I could truly help those people that I specialize with and give them the best of myself. I really enjoyed reading this article because it brought a smile to my face and it also made me think on a deeper level. I am used to reading sad and devastating articles in this class, so it was nice to read something a little different.
ReplyDeleteGoing into college not knowing what you want to do with your life is very common among college students. Luckily for myself I already had an idea for a career path in mind which made that process easy. I do believe a seminar like this would help a lot of students though. Because college is such a stressful time and you have to make a lot of huge life decisions without much certainty, this would be incredibly helpful to a lot of people
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting read. For first years, I can see this to be beneficial. I believe society pushes us way to much sometimes that we never stop to think and reflect these past years. I would like to see a similar program implemented at the high school level too. For those like me, that did not go to college right after graduating high school.
ReplyDeleteIf it was implemented in a high school, it would be easier for students to transition into college. If would give them a better chance to decide what they want to major in before they take all their classes.
DeleteI agree with this, having a program like this in high school would probably help students with their transition into college.
DeleteIt’s very interesting to think how simple of a task it was for the students to sit down and create the two lists of goals and what they are actually spending their time doing. Thinking about this makes me realize how important it is for me to write out my schedule for the week so that I know what I must accomplish and I can physically check off when I have completed it. I forget how much I get accomplished in a timely manner when I write out my goals and tasks for the week. What I have come to realize is that most often, some of the most difficult things have a simple fix.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the answer we are looking for is right in front of us. All we need is for someone to point out the obvious and we have our answer.
I certainly would want to use my talents and my abilities to help the rest of the world. We aren’t given opportunities, we make the opportunities and it’s our job to fulfill those realities by working hard and never giving up no matter where life takes us.
I think a seminar like this would be so valuable to college students, especially freshman. These questions really get to the core meaning and makes you think about more than picking a major and hoping we make the right choice at the young age of 18 or 19 years old. We are determining what we are going to do with the rest of our lives…shouldn’t we reflect on our life and get an opportunity like this seminar to dig deeper and really get to our core values and then decide what we want to do with our future. I love this idea and I think it would be so valuable to college students.
There are plenty of student who go to college without a major in mind. Some are luck to realize what they want to do after a semester or two, but others dont know what they want to do for a couple of years. I think a seminar like this would be really beneficial for these people because they can find out what would be best suited for them. Even people who think they know what they want to do should be required to take this class. I also know plenty of people who invested 2/3 years into a major and switched their major because it wasnt what they wanted anymore. I think this would be beneficial overall for everyone!
ReplyDeleteAfter the parable the article asks, "Is it more important to you to have little, accomplish little, yet be relaxed and happy and spend time with family? Or is it more important to you to work hard, use your talents, perhaps start a business, maybe even make the world a better place along the way?"
ReplyDeleteI am 100% with the second one. I want to use my art to educate and challenge my viewers rather than make work that's just "pretty". I'm working on a series right now that's intended to spread awareness on mental illness while also discussing the incredible power of the mind and body. People don't even know the true power our minds have over our bodies. I have 3 paintings that offer the viewer an opportunity to see the mentality of what it is like for someone who is suffering from Obsessive Compulsion, Depression, and Bulimia and 3 partner paintings that show the beauty within these souls and that these individuals surpass their diagnosis. I want those who suffer to see they are much larger than their mental illness while also educating those who don't understand mental illness. It's a lot of hard work with all the research and painting I have to do but it's already totally worth every stressing, emotional minute. I have already touched so many lives with the discussions I've had over my work and it's been so rewarding. I also plan to open my own art studio/gallery and teach painting lessons to all ages so I can choose my own hours and be my own boss. I've always wanted to be a teacher because I love helping people and I want to change and inspire lives.
This story really made me think because while I pretend not to care I am constantly stressed and worried about my grades and many other things that aren't school related. But it is hard for me to say that I would rather accomplish only a little because I hope that the stress and everything is worth it. I hope that someday I can have a positive impact on students lives and that will make everything I have spent moths worrying about with it.
ReplyDelete