friday takeout

Julie Griep, Early Childhood Education faculty at Peosta, recently received the Influential Educator Award from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's School of Education. One of Julie's former students is enrolled at UW-P and, through discussions and classroom activities, shared how Julie has influenced her decision to continue pursuing a career in education.

Julie's award letter states that she was chosen for this award because of her “dedication to teaching, her enthusiasm for the career, and her caring and respectful relationship with her students.” Many thanks, Julie, for positively influencing your students and your dedication to the teaching profession!

Dave Redmond

Humanities Instructor | Peosta Campus

Which of the following aspects of your upbringing most contributed in shaping the person you came to be and why/how? (e.g., geography, physical environment (farm, city, housing), community, socio-economic status, religion, or individuals most responsible for your care.)

Although each of the items mentioned in the question have undoubtedly had an important impact on the person I’ve become, my religion outstrips the rest. To begin, I don’t often think of myself in terms of where I’ve come from or my socioeconomic status or my race or my gender or any of the other so-called “social identities.” I do, however, often think of myself in terms of my religion. Growing up, my father was (and still is) a pastor. So, religious activities and attitudes figured prominently in my childhood. I also attended a Christian school from second through twelfth grade. During high school, I began to really cultivate my relationship with God as I sought to know and obey him. It’s hard to deny, then, that my religious upbringing played a tremendous role in shaping my thinking about myself and the world around me. As I came to recognize and reflect on that fact, however, it really bothered me. I wondered whether I had any good reason to think that my religious beliefs were really true or whether they were simply a reflection of my immediate cultural environment. As a result, I decided to devote my studies to exploring the intellectual foundations for my religious beliefs, which is what I’ve been doing for the past 15 years. Although I have far more questions now than I did before, my studies have only strengthened and deepened my commitment to the faith of my youth.

Which of the six college values do you most identify with and why?

The College value that I most identify with is probably stewardship. My time with my students is very limited; my time with my children is limited; my time with my wife is limited; my time with my parents is limited. Like everyone else, I have many responsibilities that often compete with each other. A central concern of my life is to manage my responsibilities well.

What experience most prepared you for your current role at the College?

Before coming to work at Northeast Iowa Community College, I spent seven years teaching introductory level philosophy courses at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the University of Iowa while pursuing my graduate degrees. I also spent three years teaching mostly religion courses at Tri-State Christian School in Galena, Ill. In addition to benefitting from the philosophical training I’ve received, I’ve benefitted both from my experience in the classroom as well as from the insights, encouragement and support of my former colleagues.

Which famous person would you like to be BFFs with?

I’d be BFFs with Chip Gaines from the TV show, Fixer Upper. I think he’s hilarious.

What kind of songs get wedged in your head, like an "ear worm"?

The songs that tend to get wedged in my head are songs that invite you to slow down and reflect on your life. More than that, they induce a certain feeling that’s hard to describe. I’m tempted to use the word, “melancholic,” but that has too much of a negative connotation. Instead, I think it’s a kind of deep longing associated with what C. S. Lewis calls joy. Lewis defined joy as “an unsatisfied desire which itself is more desirable than any other satisfaction.” As for the content of the desire: the songs that stick in my head tend to be songs that cause me to have deep longing to live well and/or to be whole. Whatever it is, this feeling of joy is one that I suspect we are all well-familiar with – even if it’s hard to capture in words. Two of my favorite bands, Switchfoot and NeedtoBreathe, have many songs that produce this effect in me. Here are six of my favorite. Enjoy!

NeedtoBreathe: Stones Under Rushing Water and Be Here Long

Switchfoot: Live It Well, Restless, This is Home, and I Won't Let You Go.