Luther Presentation: Nick Flynn 4/13/07

Author and poet Nick Flynn visited Luther and with him he brought a new perspective of the world. Flynn is most well known at Luther for his entertaining, meaningful, and shocking book called Another Bullshit Night in Suck City. The book is mind opening. It is a memoir of Flynn's life. His mother committed suicide and his father was a homeless man for five years. Flynn himself was an alcoholic. While Flynn was at Luther he read some of his poetry. It approached uncomfortable issues and familiar issues. Most of all he was able to put the listener in a different part of the world; one of uncertainty and fear. Flynn also took questions and was very perceptive of his audience.

Nick Flynn was an extremely effective presenter. Having an author come read his work is the most intriguing presentation to listen to. There is no one better to present material than the person who wrote it. Inviting authors to visit and share their work is a great way to get students interested in reading and writing.

Flynn's writing continues to challenge the comfort zone of the reader. His writing brings a fresh new perspective to important issues like poverty, loneliness, and substance abuse. His words should be explored and discussed by anyone who wants there perspective of the world and the people in it to grow. Bringing author and poet Nick Flynn to Luther College was more effective than any lecture any Professor could give about Flynn's "bullshit nights in Suck City".

Luther Lecture: Paideia Text and Issues 4/12/07

This Paideia Text and Issues lecture was titled "Rights in Passage". It was all about how our rights as citizens of the United States are changing. As technology develops there are even more ways to obtain people's personal information. This new technology has the power to infringe on rights. An example is genetic material. Technology is now available to duplicate human genetic material. Does the duplicated genetic material still belong to the person it came from? Does that person have rights over their genetic material? Or does it become public property if given to a lab? Another example is the Internet. Should colleges be able to log into any student's account and see all the data they possess? Is that fair? Or does it violate college students' rights? Is high school a different case? Do they need more supervision? These are questions we are just now asking because of the technological advances we have in society. Twenty years ago these dilemmas did not exist. Now we have to decide what is private property and what belongs to the public.

This content is extremely relevant to my future teaching. The legal answers to these questions will effect the way I teach. Will the government give me permission to check an "at risk" student's account? Or is that breaking the privacy laws in this country? In the future Internet and other technological advances will bring up challenging situations for students and teachers.

This presentation topic was interesting and the discussion was interesting, but the actual lecture was BOOOOOOOORING! There were no visuals, no quotes, no stories, and no EXCITEMENT from the presenters. I nearly fell asleep. There needs to be more to a lecture than just speaking. For heaven's sake, write on the board or something! Jeez. I learned how NOT to present a lecture from this Paideia Texts and Issues lecture.

Luther Presentation: Ain't I A Woman 4/3/07

This presentation was very effective. The actress, Taylore Mahogany Scott, appealed to the emotions of the audience. She showed us what it was like to be a black woman thoughout history. Her stories were thought provoking and inspiring. It made me wonder why white privilege was so accepted during slavery, the '60s, and the present. How could all the people in society not see that white privilege is wrong and discriminatory? Scott inspired me to stand up for what I believe in. I believe people should be treated equal, and when they are not, the discriminatory matter should be approached. To advocate change in our world we need to recognize discrimination and confront it. Then people can begin to change, and all will be treated equal.

This connects very well with teaching in the classroom. Teachers need to be role models and set good examples for their students. If teachers show their students how to confront discrimination the society we live in will change. My school did a great job of showing the students how the discriminatory treatment of blacks throughout history was wrong and cannot continue. We studied this issue in textbooks and had discussions with each other. Another great way to open the eyes of students would be to show this presentation to them. I learned many things through Scott. She was entertaining, informative, and pulled at the heart strings. This presentation also included a cello, piano, and percussion section. It combined the art of music and drama while making a statement about a societal issue. It was very effective and I would encourage persentations like this to happen in my future classroom.

Luther Presentation: Vagina Monologues 2/23/07

In February I attended the Vagina Monologues. The presentation was very effective. It included personal stories that helped the audience relate to the subject. After listening to all the stories I had a new perspective on self respect for the mind, body, and soul. The content of the presentation promoted self-respect for women. The presentation also acknowledged sexuality and embraced it.


I do not think this presentation would be appropriate for students in middle or high school. It has too many words that could be laughed at by students who are not mature enough to talk about sexuality. I do believe, however, that this presentation is extremely appropriate for college students of all genders. The Vagina Monologues gives women the confidence to be sexual and powerful. It also addresses global issues such as genital mutilation, rape, and abuse. it was an eye-opening presentation to watch.

Ed Psych 3/9/07

Does the internet and technology offer promise and hope for education...?
I am divided on this issue. I think technology can be very useful and efficient for teachers. The students are often more interested in something on the computer than in a book. Using technology can take modern entertainment and turn it into something students can learn from......
However, if the teacher is struggling with the technology then it is not efficient and the students are learning less. I also think all technology all the time is not enough variety for students. Even if something is entertaining using it all the time will get old. Simple technology should be used to spark interest, but technology crosses the line when it is so complicated that no one is learning anything from it.

Luther Lecture: Black History Month 2/17/07

One lecture I attended for black history month was about James Brown and his affect on the political and economical injustices of the 1960s. The lecture, which was given by Professor Jason Stonerook, was fascinating. Prof. Stonerook talked about the rhythm of the funk James Brown produced. In the 1960s many whites in the United States were listening to rock and roll. Many of the blacks were listening to funk. It was James Brown's funk that bridged the gap. Whites broadened their choice for music to include not only rock and roll but also Motown, and finally funk. The funk of James Brown, such as "Papa's got a Brand New Bag", "Get up Offa That Thing", and "Sex Machine" helped to unite listeners of all colors. James Brown had begun to bring people of different races together so well that his song "Play That Funky Music White Boy" was accepted not as racist but as inclusive.

That's not all James Brown did. He also created music that would last for decades. The way Brown used rhythm in his voice, guitar, and drum set can be found in popular compositions today. Listen to the basslines of R&B and hip hop. Those beats are Brown's ideas. Listen to the percussionistic beats of rap. Again, there is James Brown.

This lecture was very interesting because it used pop culture of the 1960s to teach the listeners. Brown himself was a great teacher who made a difference while entertaining his audience. Brown's music taught people of different races how to get along and agree on music. James Brown is one of the most creative and affective teachers I can think of.

Ed Psych 2/23/07

One controversial topic related to education that I can think of is saying the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. Over the years there has been a lot of controversy over allowing the pledge to continue with the phrase "One nation, under God". Some individuals believe the title of "God" should not be allowed in the United States school system where church and state are supposed to be separate. Using "God" in the pledge implies that there is one single diety that reigns over all of America. This offends the first amendment that gives each citizen freedom of religion, and also freedom from religion. The phrase in the pledge may offend citizens that worship more than one diety and citizens who are atheists. There is also the idea that one diety reigns over all of America. Our nation is "under God", meaning he has the power to control events in the United States. This idea of a diety controlling a country's actions offends many people also.
Not only are there religious issues about the phrase, but there are also gender issues. The pledge gives allegiance to one god, not one goddess, or one god and goddess, or many gods and goddesses. There is a feeling of male dominance in the pledge. This offends many individuals who do not believe the diety (or dieties) they worship are male or female.
I personally feel the pledge is not offensive. I believe most students say the pledge as part of their routine and they don't focus on the meaning of the words. I learned the pledge and had it memorized before I understood what many of the words mean. However, I also believe in one male God who I hope looks over the United States. The Pledge of Allegiance supports my beliefs and therefore does not offend me. Perhaps I would be offended if I believed in more than one diety or none at all.
I do understand how the phrase violates the first amendment and the idea of freedom that we pride ourselves on as Americans. I also understand that President Bush is a conservative republican who is a devout Christian. As a nation we are conservative, and the next one, possibly two, presidents will be conservative republicans. Therefore the Pledge of Allegiance will not be amended in the near future.... what is your opinion?