REMERON CEE CECRRES 442 2.4 6.F UM CFR 86.06 5h tt: ae tinge aaa i Oy Roe ni get ag hag oa EE PE EEE ECE EEE EAE PEL PEEL ttt OBI RA ATE ETS EC EERE EEA SSCL ER ES SEE MEAS DD Dp Se TS Sw Ah eR Ow Oe SS ete ae rem eat Oe wee ES TES OEE SD EDO SS EEE EE SHEET ERE SEEDS KOO REE EDREAMS ORY VES TERS HSER TD TERRE CEE EREE REE ERIE ETE TERRES WERE E SOOT EES TEED EASD SS LOST AEE DS ee ee ee ee ee RS 2 OLE eS eee EEE KY ee eae —Reflections é& Alumnews ........... eee Crs ce 10-11 Greece....... ee 6-7 Homecoming............. dns J. Willard Marriott................3 . by Sherwin Howard, Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities Sv weeks remarkable ago, I enjoyed conversations one that of those parents occasionally have with their children about life, education, o. and the world in general. My Youngest son was in the kitchen, spooning large globs ot ice cream into the blender; and while he spooned, he talked: “She's really mean," he said, digging at the frozen white bucket. : "Who is?” I asked. ‘My math teacher. Today she gave us a ten minute lecture on wasting time, and then she gave us an extra homework assignment." WSC President Stephen D. Nadauld’s formal inauguration is scheduled for' 7, 1985. puagete eee soe sen : Nov. ‘Were you wasting time?’ I responded. He ignored my question except for a brief, eleven-year old look of exasperation. “And yesterday, three kids were tardy and she locked them out of class and wouldn't let them in until they got a note from the office." "She sounds like my kind of teacher,” I suggested. My | son's look of exasperation turned to despair at his father’s ignorance, and he punched the blender with a force intended to liquify over-zealous instructors, homework and vanilla ice cream. oe : While he drank his milk shake, our conversation continued. His math teacher was obviously determined to make a group of sixth grade students work hard ina controlled environment with the goal of achieving mastery over a subject sometimes rumored to be difficult. My son's response to this healthy dose of interesting. He did not strongly dislike the math teacher was not nearly as fun" as some least in his young mind, school was supposed father had told him that. oe In subsequent weeks, he has continued to discipline was class, yet the others; and at to be fun. His report on lec- tures, assignments, punishments, and rewards administered to his classmates by this “mean” math teacher. My experience with my son raises a simple yet profound question. Is education supposed to be fun or is it meant to be painful, hard work? Can it be both? Several years ago, a theatre colleague talked to me with concern that he might be assigning too much work to his students in one course, dramatic criticism. The student assignments had developed over several years to include one in-class presentation, nine weekly critiques (3-5 pages each), one 15-20 page final paper, mandatory viewing of 10 plays or movies, and 2000+ pages of required reading, some of which was in a good but highly obscure aesthetics text. I suggested thatthe total collection of assignments might be a little on the heavy side. As a result, my friend added a Dr. Sherwin Howard question to the standard . student evaluation forms he ad ministered at the end of the quarter, Compared to oth courses, do you think there was too much homewor associated with this class?” He was surprised by the response. Every studen answered the question no.’ One went so far as to write, " didn't even think about it being work, I was having to much fun learning.” | My son continues to complain about his “mean” math teacher. He has more homework from that class than from all his other classes combined. (He also is earning 98's and 100’'s on his math papers.) But I have noticed that his “com plaints” are gaining a kind of enthusiasm. He likes to talk about this particular teacher; and last night, for the first time, he even begrudgingly admitted that math was starting to be, “kind of OK." Whether they teach elementary, students, I thank all mean" secondary, or college teachers, especially those who are capable of making learning fun. Philosophical thought vs. materialism by Craig V. Nelson WSC News Bureau Goonetiee during He added, “Ultimately an understanding of the universe presupposes an understanding of the mind.” The Greeks are noted for beginning philosophical thought with such the last century philosphical thought was left behind for a more materialistic approach and the result is a shift in socie- philosophers as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates. They taught that knowledge ty’s perception of right and wrong. “Philosophy causes us to be more was concerned with moral attitudes. It’s a to an end. study of ethics that makes you justify your actions on a higher plane. Now people are more concerned with what for knowledge’s ‘| The professor said others provided the that these foundation an of they can get away with,” said Dr. Jock C. Glidden, associate professor of many of today’s sciences, but did so} out of trying to understand how the universe fit in man, not the other way philosophy. around. He said that universities and colleges were once viewed as places where students became great thinkers. Now they are more “Learn-how-to-do places” where people study specific tasks in order to get jobs. That, he Dr. Glidden said, “There’s a} philosophical part in every person. My job is to show what it is when it emerges and enhance the ability.” And if that philosophical part is} said, helps build a technologically based society, but it also leads to a lack of vision. “It takes a person with vision to see where we're going and how to apply technology. Philosophy gives the ability to rise above,” he said. The whole notion of philosophy is. Weber State College Comment, important sake—that it was the end, not a means October 1985, page 2 Dr. Jock C. Glidden the “art of reflection” and is the beginning of understanding of all things, he said. “Until we understand what's inside, we can’t understand the universe,” Dr. Glidden said. small, Dr. Glidden said, a love off things and of getting has a tendency to overshadow the ability to wonder why. ; He said, “If society had kept up the} philosophical approach there probably wouldn’t be as many planes and) washing machines, but we might be aj more moral society.” |