I Just Wasn't Ready

“I have learned that there is no point to give an answer to a question that hasn’t been asked yet. People are will hear only what they are ready to hear.” Those were the words (or something along those lines) of Russ Hunt in class yesterday. I have heard Russ say that before and I guess I just considered it to be academic ramble. Turns out, I was not able to understand what he was saying because I was not ready to hear what he was saying. This may sound so simple, but for me it served as a small turning point in my life and the way I perceive learning. Let’s just say it took me a while to reach this point! I have felt torn the past few weeks in Truth in Society class because there are students who are keeping an open mind to the professors, the teaching style, the topics we are researching, etc. And then there are those who are quite the opposite and seem to bash everything we do as soon as we leave the class. Some days I just feel like ripping my hair out. Personally, during high school I often questioned and wondered why we were ‘marked’ and assessed in certain ways and why the emphasis was put on a grade rather than how we reach certain points of understanding and interests. So, as soon as I heard about the Aquinas program I knew I had found my opportunity to learn in a less conservative way. I have had to force myself at many times to keep striving to learn and deepen my knowledge eve if it may seem ludicrous on the surface. There have been many people questioning the professors and how they are teaching us. I won’t lie; there are days when I have my doubts as well. But seriously, like think about it. This program has been running for almost twenty years and our profs are all very qualified. So, although many times I don’t understand the direction that we as a class are taking I trust that the professors are pointing us in the right direction and they are also giving us freedom to lead ourselves. I was glad that Justin spoke up yesterday; I was not feeling all of the things he was. However, I think it was important that someone finally just addressed concerns or questions that they had instead of just complaining outside of class. There were areas of the class such as marking, learning reflections, etc that were still unclear to me and now I finally have a better understanding of them. So thanks for speaking up Justin.

I am getting ticked at how some people continue to question everything we do. WE ARE NOT IN HIGH SCHOOL ANYMORE. We are at a liberal arts school so it is more than expected that classes, marking, teaching methods, etc will be different. And I say bring it on. Don’t you find it refreshing, I do! Finally, I have the chance to learn and be taught in a manner that is more ‘real life’. In four years or so we will be graduated and in the ‘real world’ we will hopefully be working and marks will no longer be our motivation for working. We will have other motivations; one of the most important will probably be how people respond to our work. Truth in Society is preparing me for that. Yeah, it is new and different, but it is real and we are benefiting in ways that we cannot understand yet.

I am gaining more appreciation for our professors and their patience with me and our whole class. I am a slow learner, so thanks for coming to my level and asking me to step up. Challenges are so healthy for me. I used to think I was a decent researcher. HAHAHAHAHA. Not so much! I am so thankful that we have and are being taught how to conduct more academic research. It makes a big difference to know to research a topic from beginning to end. I still have a long way to go. But I am glad that even something as simple as using the resources the library offers is becoming easier for me.