Ashley Davies' CO300 sections

If you are Ashley Davies' student, reply to this post with the final version of your "This I Believe" essay. Please make sure to include your name and section number in your post.

Katie Hoffman's CO300 Sections

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Darin Andrew CO - 300

Darin Andrew

September 4, 2012

Comp 300-003

This I Believe

            Walking into a class for the first time; seeing the professor do that dramatic turn to glare at who just entered their domain. Making a path to the seat of choice you know what they are thinking, “how is this student going to do in my class?” It’s written all over their face. The instructors that stop there with their judgment don’t make any head way with their students. Teachers that make an extra effort in understanding and connecting with me make influential changes to lead me rightly.

            We have all had those instructors that made our lives a living hell. Every day sitting there in class hoping since they’re late they accidently got hit by a bus. Then they show up and your insides scream bloody murder. This is not how I felt sitting in my British literature class taught by a black skirt and white blouse, straight up a classy woman, named Mrs. Hamann. This master degree earner taught me to not criticize your work but understand why you did it that way and show you the way that would be better. During our 10+ page controversial paper (I chose healthcare or during that time it was obamacare) I would go in after school almost every day trying to get an understanding of what I’m trying to accomplish throughout my paper. I would show her my work and she would sit there and say “hmm” while scratching her head. She would always be polite while saying, “are you sure you want to say this” or “put this here because it would definitely make more sense in this paragraph.” Without her expertise and connection with me I would have had some real struggles.

            Unlike British literature chemistry/physics is where my home is. On a daily basis strolling in a classroom seeing a fat 5’9” Einstein looking guy sitting on a stool behind the black lab counter with a grin that could make you laugh anytime of the day. He was the scholar known for doing shenanigans. Mr. Weiss being the humble man that he was would always give everything to his students so they would understand the data presented throughout his class. He was the only professor I had in high school that would actually give us time during class to work on problems. Why he did this is because he wanted to be there if you were struggling instead of doing it all wrong. You could go up to his black countertop lab table and sit on one of his famous stools and work as many problems as you want with him in respect with the other students in the class. While working on problems with him he would connect your issue with daily life that you would put into perspective, like with me it was farming.

            In conclusion, teachers that put forth an extra effort in understanding and connecting with me make influential changes to lead me rightly. Typical description of educators is they are hard asses. Ever thought those are the ones that are pushing you to knock some sense in that 3 pound pink solid of yours.

Lessons from Felix

Felix was a brown stuffed rabbit who traveled the world with a plaid suitcase and matching bowtie. During my first year of school, Felix taught me about many of the cultures of the world, from France, to Egypt, to Australia. Felix taught me that coral from Hawaii was an actual living organism! Imagine that! A cold hard lump that resembled a rock was actually a living thing. Incredible!

 I was introduced to Felix on my first day of kindergarten, and since then I have never ceased to have a feeling of wonder and awe when walking into a classroom. Each and every day of my 15 years of education has brought me at least one incredible new discovery, and it all started with that brown stuffed rabbit.

Since Felix, I have learned a great deal, and my curiosity has flourished. I learned about the worlds of Ernest Hemmingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Mark Twain and Toni Morrison who taught me how to express the inexpressible. I learned how Van Gogh turned his torments into sorrowful beauty, with spectacular whirls of color and rage. I learned that trees created the oxygen that we breathe and was forced to question the reason as to why we cut so many of them down. I learned that only women could give birth to babies (which was a shame because I was going to force my future husband to carry a baby for 9 months in his belly).  I learned that the human heart beats and average of 3 billion times over the course of a lifetime.

3 billion moments in a single human life. 3 billion- a number so large that the human mind physically cannot comprehend its magnitude. In the span of 3 billion fleeting moments are millions of opportunities to be amazed, to marvel at and to admire. Getting an education is how we take full advantage of these 3 billion moments.

 I believe that an education is the only easily accessible place left for us to explore our curiosities and then flourish from them. Through my education I have learned to have awe. Through my education I have learned to constantly question, and to reflect on all aspects of my life. I have learned to look beneath the surface and consider multiple perspectives. I have learned to appreciate the beautiful because it is beautiful and the ugly because it allows us to see the beautiful.

It seems to me that the institutions that used to bring us awe, inspiration and wonder are slowly dying. Museums, operas, art galleries, libraries- all seem antiquated and therefore not worthy of our precious and limited time. However, we have 3 billion moments on this earth to feel the pleasure of curiosity and to grow from it.  School is where we can take full advantage of those 3 billion fleeting moments. School is the only place where we can grow from the lessons of a brown stuffed rabbit with a plaid suitcase and a matching bowtie. 
By Ashley LeSage

Learning to Apply My Senses

There is a difference in the stiff chairs arranged in grids underneath the humming fluorescent lighting, surrounded by stale air and the droning tones of a lecturer. There is a difference in my countenance that clearly expresses self-doubt as I stare at an exam covered in red ink. Remembering my first school experiences, that was the way of it; year after year with almost average results and an almost average GPA. I feel the difference in my awareness, my participation, and my confidence. This difference leads me to believe that field experience methods are a critical component of my learning.

This belief was a tiny kernel when I was bouncing atop a D9 bulldozer for the Navy, learning to be a heavy equipment operator. Physically doing an inspection or adjusting levers to control various moving parts of a 14 ton grader solidified the classroom instruction for me. I would listen to the trainers go through each new step before I slammed my hardhat on and set out to perform the tasks myself.  It was my first confidence building experience, very different from my performance in school. I completed my training at the top of my class with a 96%. At the time, I merely thought my success stemmed from my familiarity with farm equipment. All I knew was that I liked working with my hands and translating what I was told into an action.

At age 32, that tiny kernel blossomed, through an easily excitable, yet patient instructor during my first terrifying semester back at school. There were no fluorescent lights or stiff chairs, just the warm sun glinting off the lush grass outside the brick buildings.  The spirited instructor spread the class across the lawn and assigned one peer to be ‘food’, the next ‘water’, then ‘shelter’, another as a ‘deer’, and some a ‘predator’. On her mark, the ‘deer’ were supposed to run and find a sustaining component of their habitat without getting caught by the predators. A child’s game similar to tag, she said, assigning each a role to play, all while relaying her lesson about wildlife management. Silly, but so effective! I felt the stress and anxiety melt away with each passing class. I could participate in juvenile games, and still become a successful and upstanding professional in natural resources.

The significance of being able to physically and intellectually immerse myself into coursework finally took on literal meaning. Whether I was measuring trees or snowshoeing through the forest to collect data for a lynx study, I was amazed by my own ability to learn. The difference is obvious in my grades and newly found enthusiasm for learning. I graduated community college with high honors and three certificates. I have come to value the diligence of instructors who find ways to reach students, like myself, who struggle with singular teaching methodology. I believe that the field experiences and hands on teaching methods have allowed me to discover my own passion and appreciation for my journey of successful learning.