Monday, January 10, 2011
Our English Syllabus
This essay was very helpful in evaluating myself as a college student, as well as what I truly want out of my education. So far at Calvin everything has been about getting the best grades possible, because I need to get into the nursing program. Today in class I realized that not only was I missing so many opportunities but I was also thinking that the nursing program is something that I needed. I now realize that I cam to Calvin to become a better individual, to get everything that I possibly can out of this education. Of course I still want the nursing program, but my life will not cease to be if I do not get in. The lord closes one door in order to put me on the path that he desires. C.S. Lewis states that "Knowledge is the natural food of the human mind." We as human beings have that desire in us to learn, but so often we get distracted by what we think is important when in reality we need to be feeding our minds. As we discussed in class we chose to attend a liberal arts college because we desire a broader base for our education, but "our problem is to find which of theses we can neglect with least violence to the nature of the tree." We trust Calvin as well as our professors to guide us in learning the things that are important, and neglecting the things that may benefit us but will not be as necessary as others. Also, we are called to go out and discover for ourselves. We are not to be content with just the things that are given to us in the classroom. "Here's your gun, your spade, your fishing tackle: go and get yourself a dinner. Do not tell me that you would sooner have a nice composite menu of dishes from half the world drawn up for you. You are too old for that." We need to be hungry to learn for our own good.
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You make some great points here. I agree that it is really easy to get caught up in getting the best grades possible and focusing on a set career choice. I think that many of us were given a fresh perspective on learning from this reading. As you point out, we cannot always settle for what our professors say. We also need to go out and pursue knowledge ourselves. Thanks for sharing your personal example of how you were specifically impacted by today's discussion.
ReplyDeleteApril, I thought that you ended well with stating that "we need to be hungry to learn for our own good." How true that is. If we are hungry for knowledge, than that just opens up a whole new world for us to explore. I think what is hard for me though is to "be hungry." I had a hard time with this last semester with a history class and talking to my parents helped me realize that I need to always be in prayer about the classes that I am in and that I stay diligent in doing everythig for God's glory alone.
ReplyDeleteI understand where you're coming from when you talk about the need for good grades in order to get into the nursing program. I need to get into grad school... and if I don't, I don't know what's going to happen. Now I don't lose sleep over this because I trust that God has it all planned out already but like you said, we came here to get more than just an education, but to become better people. Great reminder :)
ReplyDeleteI, too, like how you apply what we learned in class to your life. I think it's great when you say,"my life will not cease to be if I do not get in" to the nursing program. That's such a great attitude to have. Often we think we know what we want, but God has something else in plan for us. I don't doubt you'd be a great nurse! But it's always good to not be too set in stone about our plans. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMy parents both went to Calvin and say that it's expensive but you get what you pay for. What they mean is that Calvin isn't just a place of education but a place to learn to grow closer to God and articulate your faith. Too often we get caught up in our studies and miss the big picture. We are all going to be nurses, architects, chemists...but more importantly we are people. We are Christians and even if we don't graduate we have that.
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