Last night the honors class attended the Poehler Faith and Learning Lecture given by Dr. Carl J. Schoenbeck. The title of his lecture was "Teaching the Children Well: One Educator's Perspective on Integrating Faith and Learning." Obviously this topic applies very well to the Honors program because it is the basis for it. I agreed with everything he said about learning being a lifelong process and the importance of connections and applications. His speech really outlined and articulated my thoughts on Concordia University as a whole. When I am catching up with old family and friends, they often ask where I go to school and if I like it. I find myself saying I really love it but I can never quite place my finger on why. Many times I talk about the small class sizes and the fact that I know the professors here on a more personal level but Concordia means so much more to me than that.
Although I am not pursuing a career in education I thought a lot of his lecture could apply to any vocation. He spoke about how teaching does not always result in learning. I think this is very important for anyone in a management position to know as well as anyone who wants to one day be a parent. Dr. Schoenbeck outlined three important factors when helping others find a passion for learning and thus making teaching more effective. They are connections, applications and questions. I realize that Concordia is geared toward all three of these things. My two majors are sociology and psychology, which are two similar studies. However, I find that my professors often actively make connections between the two that I would have never thought of. This practice has helped me make connections from my schoolwork into my everyday life. I find myself thinking about a theory that I just learned and applying it to my environment at work. When connections are made applications can begin. Questions are the final step in this outline for learning. I grew up with a father who taught me that 'why' is the most important question you can ask and that there are no stupid questions. As a result I like to challenge people's ideas and I have found that Concordia provides a safe place to do that.
I now have a specific and logical answer to why I like Concordia so much. It's not just the class sizes (though they do provide a feeling of security when it comes to asking questions) or the fact that the professors know you by name, it's the fact that Concordia faculty are actively providing an environment for effecting learning and teaching. I felt like I could really connect to what Dr. Schoenbeck was saying last night because it's behavior that I see on campus every day.
