Surfing

So it has been a while since I posted anything here. I usually like to write more when I blog but it doesn't look like I have much time. We live on campus now and school is keeping us really busy.

I posted this video on facebook and it is in our slideshow at the bottom of the page but I have a feeling that most people don't look at our slideshow even though I update it with new pics every time I take the pictures off our camera.

Purpose of Education: to learn or to jump through hoops?

In my experience in education I have often been perplexed by the ultimate goal that some professors have in mind. There are many different examples of the motives behind assignments that I have noticed. While studying at Folsom Lake College I believed that it would be profitable to study spanish and sharpen my speaking skills.So I enrolled in the most advanced spanish class they offered which was intermediate. During this spanish course I participated, earned high grades on tests, and spoke often with his professor in spanish. I proved that he understood the topic. Unfortunately the point of the class was not to learn, the point of this particular class was to jump through stupid hoops devised by professors. A workbook with mindless repetition of activities designed to help one learn the concepts of the class was also a requirement in this course. In a particularly busy week I failed to do some of the workbook assignments. When the test arrived I was still capable of getting an A on the material from the workbook. During the semester the spanish Professor even asked if I would become a spanish tutor because he understood that I had a decent understanding of the topic. To my dismay at the end of the class I found out that I had earned, according to the professor, a B+. When I asked the professor why it was that I received a B+ he noted that I had failed to complete some of the workbook assignments. It was extremely frustrating that the point of the class was not to learn spanish and prove it through tests but to do the pointless assignments.

Because my current goal in my education is to become a college professor I am trying to gain as much knowledge as possible about teaching and education. When classes focus more on jumping through hoops just to satisfy requirements instead of learning I feel they have fallen away from the true purpose of education. I have become a prolific BS'er because of page number assignments. To get your point across in a clear and concise manner within a page of writing is more difficult, in my mind, than filling page after page with empty writing just to satisfy a page requirement. There are instances when I understand the importance of having page requirements but instead of putting a minimum there should be a maximum and if a person is able to fulfill the assignment in less than the maximum more power to them.

My goal as an educator will be to increase the knowledge of my students and help them learn. Not to make them jump through mindless hoops after proving their knowledge through tests or essays.


This picture has nothing to do with the post but Amber and I went on a hike to this waterfall yesterday and I thought it was a cool picture. I love hawaii!!

No, I don't just surf all the time.

Contrary to popular belief, I am not at the beach all the time. Most of my days are spent at school and reading for school. Currently I am enrolled in 5 classes including three upper division history courses. I have a Book of Mormon class that is extremely easy because all I have to do is read and go to class to get an A. My second class is an Early Modern Europe. My third class of the day is an eternal marriage class that also requires very little effort. The next class is a class on the History of Buddhism that is taught by a professor who is a well known scholar on Buddhism. Finally, I end my day in a class that discusses the way Christ is viewed by Christians (Non-LDS) throughout history in art, literature, and music. We just finished reading Mere Christianity.
I don't go to the beach everyday and the days that I do go usually include at least 4 hours of reading and writing. Right now I am reading 7 different books. Who'd a thunk a History major would have to read so much.
Studying at this University has been quite enjoyable so far and I look forward to the future classes. I have already registered for my spring term classes which include a class on modern Nationalism and Globalization and the class that I am most excited about, History of Surfing.
It is much more fun to post things about what I know not many people get to experience, mainly living 2 minutes from the beach in Hawaii. As my good friend Alec wrote on his blog list about our blog, "WARNING: Only visit if you are ready to be jealous because they live it Hawaii."

Body Surfing

So this past week I have been able to go body surfing quite a few times. For those of you who have never gone body surfing I will first say I'm sorry, it is one of the most amazing feelings you can ever experience. There is a beach that is located about a mile and a half away that is called pounders beach. The wave crashes right up on the shore and comes in with a lot of power. It usually just closes out and you get a short lived drop then a nice little pounding into the sand if you aren't able to sneak out the back before it crashes on you.
The beauty about body surfing is that you can do it without having to buy any equipment. I do recommend getting some fins to help you catch the wave but you can usually get those for pretty cheap (or just have a best friend who is a beach lifeguard here in hawaii and can get nice ones for free). I just run down to pounders then body surf for about an hour and run home. I have been trying to get to the beach everyday this past week even though it has been pretty overcast. It was so cold that I wore pants a few days in a row, and a long sleeve shirt.
Anyways, body surfing rocks and it is easily learned. There is a competition at the famous Banzai Pipeline at the end of this month and I am thinking of entering it just for the free t-shirt. If anyone wants to sponsor me there is a $20.00 entry fee.
(I am just kidding about the sponsorship.)