#10 Reflection on my Research Paper

This paper has been one of the longest papers I can remember writing so far in my education. It's been a long process, but I'm glad it's over and that I pulled through with a successful paper. 

I think my favorite part of the writing process was interviewing my mother and aunt about their past experiences learning English. I will remember the conversation I had with my mother as a great and memorable experience. I got the chance to learn much about my mother's past and her life growing up. Details about her life that I knew in general or vaguely became more specific and concrete. I got to learn all about her school days, how good she was at English when she was a child, and how her skills came in handy when visitors from America came to visit and stay in her home while researching their family histories. I also learned that she went to junior college and studied English and French, something I never knew about my mother. She told me about a year she spent as a fifteen-year-old in an American High School in Utah, just to see what it was like. She and I had a great time talking about her past and learning from it. 

I was also glad to get the chance to call my Aunt who lives in Denmark, something I haven't made the time to do in quite a while. We had a great time catching up and learning about her history as well. It was nice to hear how she was doing and all about how her and her son are still learning English. I'm glad she still has excellent English and that we can still have great conversation. 

I think the idea behind this paper was interesting, to take a story from our family history and use it as a launch pad for research. At first I was confused and somewhat frustrated when my ideas weren't very concrete and I was struggling to find resources. I'm glad we had the chance to learn how to use the library's search engine to find academic sources, but the day in the library when we were supposed to find family history material was a bit frustrating and confusing, since my paper did not require those materials and only dealt with my mother's generation. Other than that, the pacing of due dates for sources, rough drafts, etc. was very helpful in keeping me on track and prevented me from trying to do it all the week before. Even though more due dates consistently stressed me out, it was worth it in the end.

The paper was great! I'm proud of it.

#9 Coordination between Classes

Being a college student means having to juggle many different responsibilities. Classes is one the many things we deal with alongside jobs, relationships, church activities/callings, family, etc. Sometimes, even classes within themselves can be difficult to manage, especially when topics and subjects within them differ greatly. 

Coordination between these classes seems to be something beyond the capacity of the huge, complex machinery that drives the curriculum of the different departments here. It can be frustrating when you find out on Monday that you have two tests this weekend from two separate professors. There can be periods of calm where your homework and study load is light one weekend, only to find out you have four papers due for four separate classes over the next couple of weeks. It gets pretty frustrating, but it seems that it would be too difficult with time limitations and the amount of material to cover for each course for each professor to coordinate when assignments/exams are due so that they prevent overlapping. Sometimes it ironically seems that the opposite happens, where all of one's classes make demands simultaneously and at the most inconvenient of times. 

I bring this up, not necessarily to complain, but to make mention of how much greater of a learning experience I have when classes do sync up and work in unison; not necessarily with the workload, but with the material being taught. Sometimes it can be difficult to switch gears and maintain five separate trains of thought, so when class lectures cover similar material from different perspectives, my ability to learn enhances. For example, I'm currently enrolled in Art History 202 and Intro to Music 101. In both classes, we're covering material from separate art forms, but in similar time periods. It seems very well synced up, as each class moves forward in time covering the same eras and places. It's nice to learn about different painters and sculptors in the Baroque era, then in 15 minutes, jump over to a different class to learn about Baroque era musicians from the same times and places. My understanding of the ideas and driving themes is more solidified when this phenomena occurs. It feels nice to know a bit of something about a person (i.e. Louis XIV) and answer a question about them because you just heard about it from class an hour before. 

 Picking up on this, rather than stuffing away everything I learned from the last hour of class and instead carrying it with me has helped a lot. I recommend trying it out with other subjects, because the more connections you make trying to learn something, the better you'll learn it. 

#8 Sunday's Regional Conference

Today's church meetings were great! This past Sunday, I had the chance to attend a Regional Conference held at the Marriott Center for my stake and a few others around here. We had the chance to hear from a few speakers who came out to teach us, such as Elder and Sister Suarez and M. Russell Ballard. I wanted to share a few of the highlights from their talks:

-"The Gospel isn't a big umbrella that will keep us dry from the storms and rain we experience in life. The Gospel is the rock that we stand on and are founded on when we're soaked from the rain and pelted by the hail." I thought this was a great image to keep in mind, especially in relation to Helaman 5:12, because living the Gospel won't protect us and keep us from having trials, but instead will keep us grounded and firm in resisting the current and being swept away. 

-Elder and Sister Suarez talked about charting our own course to eternal life and different things we should be doing to achieve that, such as regular scripture study, putting our relationship with God first, attending the temple, and keeping the Sabbath holy. Sister Suarez shared an example of how her and her husband would attend the temple every Saturday morning while they were dating. 

-M. Russell Ballard did a great job of addressing different issues and helping each member of the congregation find areas to fix in their life. He encouraged everyone to find time to disconnect from the world, to separate oneself from all the clutter, and to conduct a self interview. He exhorted us to ask ourselves questions about various areas of worthiness and growth, and then to make goals to overcome challenges in our lives. He told us to set a reasonable amount of goals (not too many, not too few) and with reasonable expectations (not too high, not too low). We were also encouraged to be true disciples of Christ by reaching out to the lonely. Finally, he elaborated more on his topic this past General Conference, the "Old Ship Zion," and to make sure we, "stay in the boat, keep your life jacket on, and hold on with both hands." 

I felt the message of hope and to not give up, even when we feel like our best isn't enough. God knows us so well that he knows exactly how much is our best and will accept our efforts. Great messages of hope and encouragement, I'll be carrying them with me throughout the week!

#7 Future Careers

So, I'm taking Psych 101 this semester, it's an introductory course to the Psychology major. In this class we're learning about what sort of expectations we can have for the major, what the classes are like, activities to participate in, and what to do post-graduation. It's funny, but the professor told us on Day 1 that his goal was to dissuade as many of us as he could from taking further classes if it was, in fact, not the major for any of us and help us find a better fit. So, sometimes it can be discouraging to hear about the massive course load or how much it'll take to get into a solid, well-paying career, but it's nice to have this information now.

It can be frustrating to hear about how hard it is to complete a degree, knowing that any high-level job I would want to have requires further education and getting a Master's or PhD, but the idea of being a Clinical Psychologist is still something I feel good about pursuing. 

There are actually many routes, I found out, that I can take with Psychology. The study of human behavior is fairly broad and has many different applications. Many different fields of study and work can be assisted by a student of Psychology, such as business HR, so I don't feel as trapped or claustrophobic in my major. I'm also learning more about what actually goes on in the career of a Psychologist; there's a lot of research to conduct and publish. As a student, I need to find internships and chances to work alongside professors on their research so I can try things out and attempt to get published. 

We watched a video in class that illustrated how going into a program such as this with naivety will be your downfall and how much of a strenuous and expensive commitment it is. After the main character of this video tried persistently to justify her desire to her college counselor, just so she could be called "Doctor" by her family and friends, the class laughed and people around me joked, "Man, why would anyone want to go into clinical psychology? So dumb..." Not gonna lie, but it shook my resolve a bit. Later on, as I read more on the requirements and where I could go with this degree, I felt better and set in my course a little more. 

Grad school and college in general seems like it'd be a lot and cost even more, but my teacher, Prof. Chapman, told us that the only thing more expensive than a college education is actually NOT going to college. The idea is that your net gain, from paying for college but making more later on, is greater than what you would get working a 9-5 dead-end job for the rest of your life and never paying for a higher-level education. So, just that fact alone will help me in the future when I have to start applications for Grad school. 

#6 The Book of Remembrance

This past Wednesday I attended Institute at the Multi-Stake Building near my apartment. It'd been a few weeks since I had the chance to go, so it was nice to be back in the Book of Mormon class I regularly attend. We had a really nice, well thought-out lesson from the teacher, a girl in my stake I've never met. The lesson was on chapters 20-24 of 3 Nephi and we talked about the idea of a "Book of Remembrance" and what exactly that means. 

Our teacher related the part of history we were discussing, when Jesus Christ visited the people of the Americas at the temple following His death and resurrection. As he visits with them, blesses and heals their sick, and ministers to them, he asks Nephi, the prophet in that area, if they had record of an account of a visit by Samuel the Lamanite 30+ years prior. Christ then has the people record the event and proceeds to expound the scriptures and the words of Malachi. 

We then discussed what a Book of Remembrance is and what role God intends for it to play in our lives. We talked about how Adam kept a record of the doings of the people: not just for themselves, but for their future progeny as well. We talked about journals and what they're supposed to be and why we are commanded to keep them. I thought it was important to understand that we keep these records, not just for ourselves, but for others to read in the future, to strengthen and help them. Accounts of our daily lives are important, but the records of our testimony, trials, and acknowledgements of the hand of the Lord seen in our lives are all excellent material to be treasured up and saved for future generations to draw upon. Sometimes we are even given experiences that are not necessarily just for our benefit and growth, but for the additional growth and testimony of others who will read it. 

Going back to read our own experiences can help us to remember our own lives and where we've been, where we've come from. I have a pretty poor short-term memory when it comes to events in my life, sometimes it can be frustrating to not be able to remember what I've done the past few days without having to stop and think about it. On my mission, I had a very up-to-date daily planner and a well-kept journal that never failed me there. Nowadays, my journal keeping is poor and needs work. In the business of life, journal-keeping has become a lower priority. 

From what we discussed in Institute, I realize I REALLY need to have a solid journal so that I won't forget all the experiences I have now and be able to share them to future generations.

#5 Learning Languages

Language is such an amazing tool. With it we can take complex thoughts and feelings and package them into communicable messages with words of many different sizes and forms. It's an amazing thing to watch people speak to each other in languages, understood or not, and to see how different people take their own ideas and express them in their own tongue. Language is such a complex tool, so how is it that we as humans learn languages? English is a second language to my mother's side of my family, so how did she pick it up, and how did she become so fluent, almost as if she's a native?

Comments:

-Great questions!

-How does this affect you? How has your mother's use of language changed your life? 

-Is it easier to learn English or other languages?  What are the language barriers that prevent some people from learning quickly?  Do you learn more effectively with natives or in a classroom setting?

-Ammon Boone:

What is a specific area you can research? 


On further consideration of my topic, research, and the above comments, I sought to understand better the process and growth that come from immigrants learning English as a second language and then becoming proficient in Engish. After going over my sources in further depth, my thesis is as follows:

Despite the idea that learning English as a second language is nothing more than rote memorization of vocabulary and grammar principles, immigrating to an English-speaking country and learning English is a deep and probing experience that involves an emotional connection to the language and culture, yet still maintaining a solid grasp on one's own language and culture. Immersion in both is the most efficient and metamorphosing experience.



What do you guys think?

#4 A Quick Look at, "Approaching the Throne of God with Confidence" by Elder Jörg Klebingat

In a recent talk given at General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints this October, Elder Jörg Klebingat admonished his audience to make changes in their life so that they may gain confidence in returning to God's presence when the time comes. He uses deep personal questions and structures his advice well to help the listeners to know what they need to do and how to act.I liked his opening statements and how he asked the audience to ask themselves questions to gauge how confident and guiltless they felt at the time they were listening and if they felt prepared to meet God at His throne, just as Alma did in the Book of Mormon. Then, with the audience willing to know what to do, he gives six points on what each individual can do for themselves (and in turn, others) to help them feel free of guilt and well-prepared for the future. He advises the audience to take responsibility for their physical and spiritual well-being, to accept obedience wholeheartedly, to get really good at repenting and forgiving quickly, and then to accept trials and setbacks as a normal part of life here on Earth. His advice structured in a list format made the points simple to follow and to understand clearly where each thought began and ended, giving way to the next point. Although simple, each point makes a strong impact on the conduct and quality of life for the person following the advice. If I could be really good at even just one of these things, I feel like I would be a completely different person. Each point, if followed, would remove guilt we all carry in various aspects of our lives, even ones we don't take into much consideration. If someone always felt guilty about not exercising or praying very often, simple steps could be taken to remove the burden of guilt and feel more free, and thereby gain confidence in life.I plan to study out these steps and to follow them to gain confidence, not just in everyday life, but in the future to come as well.

#3 Reflections on JFK's Civil Rights Address

I really enjoyed reading President John F. Kennedy's speech on the Civil Rights Movement. It was a very trying time for America and brought about a lot of change, so it was interesting to hear about it from President Kennedy. 

Normally when I thought about the Civil Rights Movement, I only thought about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and all the speeches and rallies he held to bring about equal rights for citizens of all color, but never heard much about what President Kennedy did to help. To hear the same desire and drive for equality out of more than one group changed my perspective on it how it wasn't so much as the Civil Rights Movement versus the Government, but more of the Civil Rights Movement and the Government versus the problem. 

President Kennedy's rhetoric also impressed me; the way he went about drawing his audience into the issue and holding them responsible, then urging reform with his own actions and calling upon the American people themselves was quite powerful. President Kennedy was very smart about how he handled things and how he gave his stance on the matter. 

I hope to read more of his speeches in the future; I begin to see why people hold him in such high regard.