In the blog post titled “Message to my Freshman Students” by (Mr. Keith Parsons) Mr. Parsons’ plan of explaining exactly what was expected of his students removed any confusion of what they must do. He clearly demonstrated that he was the professor in charge of his freshman class. Mr. Parsons goes on to detail the differences between teachers and professors by arguing that teachers are evaluated on the performance of their students, while professors are not responsible for a student failing. He is not required by any law to spoon feed knowledge to any student, only to provide said knowledge and the remainder is left to the student themselves. He emphasizes that universities are ancient and tend to be old fashioned, and that he has “absorbed deeply the norms and values” (Parsons 2015). He insists that high school is test preparation while university is about education. Critical listening is one of Mr. Parsons’ key points. He describes critical listening as being mentally engaged in what is being said, questioning and evaluating concepts and themes. Citation is sacred to Mr. Parsons and compares them to a tribute for all of the hard work involved by the author.
Imagine you have finally worked long enough in your chosen profession to retire. All of the things you have wanted to do during those years of hard work can finally happen. Travel, explore the world, pick up new hobbies and revisit old ones. You have all the time you could ever want to accomplish whatever you put your mind too. My chosen goal, go back and finish school.
Why on earth would I want to subject myself to such a monumental task? Fame and fortune or the challenge of expanding ones knowledge, or maybe the sense of accomplishment. No, to be totally honest, being retired is boring! You can't sleep in, after so many years of getting up at O-dark-thirty, you just wake up. You can't stay up late because your body clock is too firmly set in the past. One day tends to blur into the next and before you know it you’re asking someone what day it is. So adventure awaits, for me that is what this is all about. I’ve watched my daughter go through the trials of college and I'm jealous. Yes, she has had tough courses and difficult timelines to complete. She has had to give up personal time and pull her hair out over complex problems. But I have watched her push herself and succeed, so I know it can be done. This blog will more than likely be the ramblings of whatever strikes my fancy at the time, or whatever is assigned. Who knows where this will lead and that my friends is the adventure. |
Archives
October 2015
Categories |