The Apocryphal Ideal Student

At the beginning of this semester we were asked to write a blog post on what we believe an ideal student is.  Originally I wrote about how it is someone who, despite their circumstances, perseveres until they achieve what they want, whether it be to get an A in a class or get their desired degree.  I formerly believed that if someone would take the time needed to study and were willing to ask for help then they could achieve this.  However, after a semester of college my views have changed.

Dictionary.com defines ideal as a standard of perfection or excellence and student as any person who studies, investigates, or examines thoughtfully.  So, if you were to put those two definitions together an ideal student would be something along the lines of the perfect person who studies thoughtfully. This definition doesn’t sit well with me, because I personally believe it is impossible for someone to be perfect.  Someone may strive to be perfect their entire life and just when they think they are there, someone else comes along who is smarter, better, or just more favored.

Also, I have learned through personal experiences that sometimes your best effort isn’t enough.  Each teacher has their individual preferences and you won’t always fit the mold.  You can study your hardest in the most “thoughtful” way and never reach perfection.  You can do all the assignments to the best of your abilities and fulfill all the requirements and more and it still may not be good enough.  This has further increased my belief that perfection is not attainable.

So, to sum this up, I believe that the ideal student depends on what their teacher is looking for.  The work the student may do, despite them giving their best effort, may not be enough to get the A.  So, is there really such a thing as an ideal student if it can be a different thing to every person?  I personally have started to believe that there is no set in stone ideal student.  I’ve learned that you must just be who you are.  Even though your best may not be enough for what one teacher wants, it may be exactly what another is searching for.  You just have to keep trudging on and don’t let one bad grade get to you.  Eventually things will turn around and you will find that class that you will be exceptional at.

Stem Cell Research: The Communication Edition

                Without our thinking domain, no one would hear about stem cell research.  Our domain deals with oral, written, and visual communication.  Any time someone discusses stem cell research, our domain is being used.  Through our thinking domain, millions of people can be reached and informed on the topic.  President Obama giving a speech on the policies on stem cell research is a form of oral communication, as well as someone having a debate on whether stem cell research is moral or not.  A form of written communication used to present information on stem cell research can range from an article in a scientific journal that presents the facts to an opinion based article in a newspaper or magazine stating what someone’s personal views are on the subject to a forwarded email about the pros or cons.  Advertisements on television and the Internet are forms of the visual aspect of this domain.  This form is used the most often because it can reach millions of people at once.  In most cases the advertisements are run more than once, so people are more likely to remember what is being shown to them.  Also, in today’s day and age, we can find virtually anything we may see on television on the Internet.  So, if someone sees an advertisement about stem cell research on the television, but may not have caught the entire thing, they can look it up online and watch it again.  This will also lead them to other links and videos, which will provide them with more information on the topic.

                In order for any information to be presented on stem cell research, our thinking domain must be used.  Communication is an essential part of human life and no one can learn or go forward in without it.  If people want to inform the public about what is going on with stem cell research, they must use communication.  So, in short, without our domain of thinking no one would be able to progress in the world, let alone make a decision on rather stem cell research is in the country’s best interest or not.

Against Gender-Divided Classroom Preliminary Argument

If schools were to become segregated and have classes for just boys and just girls, it would have a couple adverse effects. The social skills between the two sexes would drastically drop. Boys would no longer know how to act appropriately around girls, while girls would not know how to act around boys. The opposite sex would become foreign to them. When they would come in contact with each other, they may act completely shy towards them or take the opposite stance and be too open with them. Either result would be detrimental to society. Also a room full of boys or a room full of girls, just seems to have fight written all over it. Boys are known to be more rowdy and usually deal with their problems with each other through fights. In other words, they "duke it out", then forget about it. Girls on the other hand, are known for being talkers and tend to bicker and verbally fight when they have a problem.

            In either situation, it is unlikely that much will be accomplished when you have either a room full of wrestling boys or a room full of gossiping girls. As stated in an article in Child & Adolescent Mental Health “Children and adolescents exposed to violence may develop mental health problems, impacting their ability to develop appropriate social-emotional skills.  Limited development of social-emotional skills has been associated with poor performance in school,” (Aviles, 2006).  This shows that not only would putting students in such an environment that increases the likelihood of being around various forms of violence be detrimental to their social skills, but it would also affect their academic performance.  This would achieve the opposite of the effect that is desired from gender divided classes.  If separating boys and girls would result in poor social skills and lower academic levels, then why would you do it?

            If you were to keep the classes mixed, I believe a lot more would be accomplished because the boys and girls would equal each other out and they would grow up around each other, so they would know how to act towards the opposite sex.  Also, this would lower the amount of violent situations they would encounter compared to if they were in gender divided classes.  So by increasing the social interactions between the genders and lowering the chances of violent situations arising by keeping classes mixed, it will result in a better learning experience for all.

Aviles, A., Anderson, T., & Davila, E. (2006). Child and Adolescent Social-Emotional Development Within the Context of School. Child & Adolescent Mental Health, 11(1), 32-39. doi:10.1111/j.1475-3588.2005.00365.x.