#co150

Summary Outline -Publication info Author: Karen Thompson Article Title: Contingent Faculty and Student Learning: Welcome to the Strativersity Publication: New Directions for Higher Education Date of pub: September 2003

In the video above J. K. Rowling answered questions about the 7th Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, prior to its release. It was the mark of the beginning of the end of a journey, much as this post is the same. While we haven’t been through as much with this writing experience as Mrs. Rowling had with hers, it has still been nearly half a year of writing and reading these things. It’s hard for some things to end, but it does become an unfortunate consequence of everything. Everything has to end at some point, and that includes amazing book series or even awesome classes.

  J.K. Rowling accomplished so much, and at the end of the video she gets to hear fans from across the U.K., including their Prime Minister, praising her work and everything that she has done. She was able to accomplish so much thanks to writing, and she has earned the praise that is given to her. I would like to do the same for this composition class as my farewell through these blog posts.

  Those of us in the 10 a.m. CO150 class have been going through the semester learning about how to improve our writing, all with the help of our awesome teacher Whitney Orth. She fostered the idea for us to use these blogs as a tool to improve our writing skills, give us a medium that we could actually use to present ourselves, our opinions, our skills, our thoughts, and so much more in a meaningful way. Instead of just some writing assignment that would be stuck on a piece of paper that would be immediately thrown away at the end of the semester, we had the opportunity to present this writing to everyone in the class, and to some degrees beyond the class.

In the articles about teacher ideology in the classroom, I couldn't help but notice the general trend of accusing someone of racism. One teacher called the republicans racist, another teacher was accused of being a racist herself. In a country where the poisonous ideology of racism is claimed to be overcome, I find it interesting that it is still an issue. Why is racism linked to a political party for being conservative? Why is racism being brought up in a Mass Communication class? Part of the reason why this issue in particular interests me is because I grew up in a mixed race family. My father is white and my mother is both black and asian. It was hard for me to understand racism growing up because it was difficult to figure out what "side" I was on. I've never felt white because no white person outside of my family had ever treated me like a white person. And its the same with black and asian people as well. I've always been accepted as just being mixed. However, growing up this way has helped me to understand that racism is still very much alive in the U.S. I can recall a time when a white man once said to me,"at least you're half white." 

In the case of Shannon Gibney, I sympathize with both the offended students and the accused teacher. It's true that the professor should not have singled out the students in her class for being white. There is no need for relating white students to other people who have or are doing bad things just because they both happen to be white. Their skin color is not something that they have chosen, and it is certainly something they should not feel judged for or ashamed of, because that is what racism is. In the professor's defense, she probably did not want these boys to feel discriminated against. She probably viewed these boys as the future of white males who have never known the struggles that minorities face. The problem that both parties seem to not understand is that they are maintaining what I call an "us versus them" mentality that appears to be just as dangerous as racism but more widely accepted. They both are both assuming that they are different from one another because of their differences in skin pigment. It seems rather silly when put that way, right?

When I first heard about logging sports, I could hardly believe it was a real sport. Early on in the year it came up in conversation with a friend. I had never heard of it before so when he said he was in logging sports I asked about it. My friend described to me a sport where I could play with chainsaws and throw axes immediately sparking my interests. After attending one practice, I knew that it was something I wanted to get involved with.

            Logging sports originally evolved from normal logging activities that lumber jacks eventually started to use for competitions. As a result, all events relate to some practical logging activity. I’ve always viewed it like track but with a lumberjack twist. There are a variety of events that one can compete in that test for strength, speed, balance, precision, and endurance. There is really no ideal type of athlete for the sport because everyone is bound to be better at one event than another. My favorite events are the obstacle pole and pole climbing though I’m far from mastering either of them. Obstacle pole involves racing up an inclined pole with a chainsaw then balancing to cut off the end. I like this event because it is dynamic and exciting. Pole climbing is a race to the top of a tall wooden pole that looks like a telephone pole.

            Aside from having fun, I have found my new hobby to be very beneficial. Practice can be as strenuous as you make it so getting regular exercise and participating don’t conflict. Practice 3 times a week also keeps things exciting for me. It is nice to leave campus for a bit and go spend time outside. The large variety of activities to practice gives me options for each day preventing boredom from routine. Competitions are often held out of state giving me time to travel to new places and check out the area. Out of the many benefits of being in logging sports, being a part of the team community is one of the best. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Starting out, many members took time to show me the proper way to do things and to give me advice. I couldn’t have felt more supported.

            Like all sports, a lot of time and effort is required to get anywhere. This means less free time to do other things from homework to watching television. In my opinion, this is a worthy trade off. The other draw back is that all the travel and membership fees can add up. It can be quit costly though it is only a fraction of the cost for other club sports.

When I was a senior in high school, college was all anyone was talking about. Choosing a university seemed as if it was the most important decision of my life. At the time, getting into college was my main goal. My peers all trended on choosing the most prestigious, selective, and expensive colleges they could. The debt didn’t seem to matter to them. It didn’t matter to me either. To us, all that mattered was that we made it in and the other factors never crossed our minds. Wasn’t getting into college supposed to be the end goal of high school?

            Now that I’ve started my college career and have a clearer view on what it takes to earn a degree and the benefits a degree has to offer, I wonder why I was pushed so hard to be here. A degree will not get me as far as it did in the 1950s yet it will cost me triple the amount. The price of a degree is rising yet the value of a degree is dropping. Don’t get me wrong. I love the experiences that college has given me so far but is it really for everyone? Over the course of my college experience, I have seen many friends drop out after paying thousands because they felt like college wasn’t worth it. My friends are among a large population of college students who pay up to years in tuition only to find out that this isn’t what they wanted. This decision initially struck me as stupid but after a little research I started to think I was the stupid one. My friends’ college alternative plans struck me as a much more practical way to get started in the U.S. After questioning myself for reasons to stay, I decided that college is only worth it if it is valued greatly enough by the individual attending. Attending college because it is what society, parents, teachers, and peers push for is a terrible idea. The problem that seems to be causing high college dropout rates is that many students simply don’t want it bad enough. A college education is much too expensive and time consuming to simply be the next step after high school. Our society needs to stop pushing people to keep piling on debt for something that they don’t value.

I am a Forestry major with a concentration in Fire Science. I chose this major for several reasons. I love the outdoors and almost every job that can be attained with a forestry degree involves spending a significant amount of time outside. I couldn't imagine working a job at a desk and most forestry positions would often present opportunities to leave the office. Forestry positions are also physically demanding and perfect for hands-on people like me. I chose the Fire science concentration because I have been in the fire community since I was 16 and love the excitement and brotherhood of it. Fire management techniques and fire as an ecological process also interest me. 

A forestry degree will allow me to choose from a variety of jobs. Most graduates pursue traditional paths as foresters, park rangers, biologists, scientists, and managers for government agencies or private firms. I like that this degree doesn't limit me to only a few options. I'm hoping to acquire a job as a firefighter for a government or private land management agency directing and participating in forest fire suppression but its nice to know that I have many back up plans. Firefighting can be dangerous and an injury could be career ending. If anything were to happen I know that I am still qualified for less physically demanding jobs. 

A forestry major will not make me rich. Foresters start out making 33k and average around 50k. Firefighter's average salary falls at 45k. Job prospects for forestry majors aren't bad but are growing slower than average. The majority are government jobs in the western states. Recent fire damage and current fire suppression efforts have caused demand for forest managers who can implement better fire mitigation techniques. Foresters will also be employed to restore damaged lands. Increased elderly population and fire activity will also increase demand for firefighters. Many firefighter volunteer positions will be converted to full time jobs. Firefighting jobs are notoriously competitive and often receive hundreds of applications per position. I hope that by obtaining a degree and getting involved early I will make myself a more competitive applicant.