Think back to your pre-college self. What connections have you made since, between academic disciplines, self, and world, that you couldn't have anticipated?
Pre-college me only cared about academic success. She took extra honors and AP courses to raise her GPA, did every extra credit opportunity to ensure straight A's, and joined far too many clubs. She didn't take care of herself, but she did have a killer resume.
My mindset, unfortunately, didn't change until I was a junior in college. Freshman year, I became an honors student, division 1 track and field athlete, marching band flutist, research assistant, and student teacher all at once. While I found academic and athletic success due to my ambition and drive, I ran myself into the ground, ending in a major physical injury that destroyed my ability to hurdle. When I was injured and was forced to rest, I was also forced to sit with my thoughts for more than 2 minutes between class and practice. I realized that I had spent so much time chasing success, I never defined what the actual goal was. I never thought about who I was or what I wanted my life to look like. For the first time, I felt like a failure.
As I crutched across campus to get lunch one day, my arms got tired so I took a break on a hammock under a tree. I looked up at that tree and noticed how beautiful it was and thought about how many years it had been there. I remembered a fact that I learned in ecology class; an adult tree can produce over 200 pounds of fresh oxygen per year. My exhausted, burnt-out brain managed to mumble a "thank you" to that tree. When I went to student teach next, I took all of my students outside and shared that fact alongside many other important jobs of various plants in the area. For the first time in a long time, I didn't worry about grades and state exams, I wanted students to establish care for their local ecosystem. I am now pursuing careers in informal education, and have a clear goal to connect people to our planet. If I had never been forced to rest, I may never have developed this passion.
My sense of self and purpose in the world occurred in the most unanticipated scenario: after a failure.
I now am an avid journalist, writing my thoughts and thinking about my emotions and mental health regularly. I still love to run, but now I know not to try and power clean 165 lbs in the gym after a 3 hour workout, and take time to rest! I started going to church again to rebuild a relationship with Christ that I didn't prioritize. I also realized who my real friends were. When you're injured and on the edge of losing your mind, they were there for me, and I am forever grateful. Pre-college me would have never admitted these things, but that's because she never took a break under a tree to think about them.
In response to the Etzioni and Gardner readings, which responsibilities to the common good do you especially share, which are a surprise, and which do you openly question?
After reading Etzioni and Gardner's contemplations, I find my biggest responsibility to the common good as protection to the environment. While we can all argue over public policies and welfare programs, the scientific evidence overwhelmingly proves that fresh air, clean water, and nutrient rich environments improve physical and mental health, which is good for everybody. In Etzioni's discussion of communitarian and liberal conception of good, he recognizes that "self-serving maximizers" would rather act quickly for results in their lifetime than fight climate change and global warming, where statistics and long-term timelines change unpredictably. I find myself motivated for positive change that can better the common good beyond my years.
I am, however, still questioning what community I am trying to serve to achieve common good. Would my efforts be best spent trying to better air quality in Cincinnati's urban neighborhoods, protecting the people living in my hometown, or should I be trying to serve on a grander scale to better the greater global community? In Etzioni's text, a community is defined in two ways: "a web of affect-laden relationships which often crisscross and rein-force one another" and "a core of shared values, norms, and meanings, as well as a collective history and identity." If I try and define my hometown as my community, I have a network of people across the city from club sports teams, jobs, church, and more that share many norms like cheering on the Bengals every Sunday and eating Skyline chili. If I try and define the world as my community, my core belief is that we are all people made in the image of God that have a collective history in a global search for peace on Earth. In midst of a community identity crisis, I have no sense of belongingness or obligation to one group, which can be used as an excuse to not work towards a common good. When dissecting the role of an ethical citizen as discussed by Gardner, how can I fully act with necessary "cosmopolitanism, empathy, and/or generosity" when I don't identify with citizenship for any one group. My license says I'm from a community in Ohio, my college says that I'm from a community in North Carolina, my job says that I'm from a community in Florida, and my God says that I'm in spiritual community with everyone. Until I define my community, progress to act as an ethical citizen cannot be made.
What does it mean (for you) to live in the way that JENNINGS ET AL. and ARRUPE describe? How does US culture encourage living this way and how does it create barriers against doing so?
To live a purposeful life in the way that Jennings and Arrupe describe means that I pursue a profession and lifestyle where I contribute to the common good, putting my community over my public interests. When considering what "ethical integrity of professional practitioners" means for my career, I feel as though education professionals have a clear vision in their ethical duties: create equal access to high quality education for all. By continuing to differentiate my instruction to meet the needs of my students and ensuring that all information I deliver is factual, I will be contributing to the common good. In addition, most educational professionals go beyond their job description to better the common good of their school community, often reaching into their own pockets to decorate an inspiring environment, obtaining new materials, or providing snacks to individual students in need. Even in my short time as a student teacher, I've felt a drive to provide extra resources to my students to give them the best educational experience possible.
While the United States is a world leader in many fields, our education system is falling in comparison to many others. After returning to school from the COVID-19 lockdowns, there has been decreased motivation from students with increased monitoring of schools and test scores. Educators are being held accountable for 2 years lost of learning with little direction from administrators and little grace from parents. In my hometown, there has been 0% raise in school funds coupled with 27% inflationary costs in the past 8 years, so schools are stretching resources thin to meet increased needs. When levies are presented to increase taxes to support schools, they have failed year after year. Personal interest in saving money has outweighed the common good's need for access to quality education. The US culture is not only laying barriers for future teachers to professionally contribute to the common good, it is discouraging many from the profession entirely. I, myself, have even pursued options in informal education at museums and zoos due to the current pressure on public education. While I intend to return to a formal classroom in the future, I am looking for more ways to connect public schools to the education resources available from private institutions.
Scharmer describes the authentic Self as follows: “On the one hand, we are the person that we have become on our journey from the past to the present—the current self, On the other, there is the other, the dormant self, the one that is waiting within us to be born, to be brought into existence, to come into reality through our journey ahead.” When all the non-essential has been stripped away, what mission statement guides your authentic Self?
My current self is teaching people from all over the world about wildlife and conservation biology at the most magical place on Earth, taking 12 credits online to hopefully graduate on time, spending as much time visiting Disney World with her free tickets to make missing her senior year worth it, facetiming constantly to maintain long distance friendships, and attempting to make new friends along the way. My dormant self is still figuring out what she wants to be in the future and how she can make a lasting mark on the world so that her kids breathe clean air and explore amazing natural wonders with their own eyes, as well as thank Him for His sacrifice. Somewhere in between is my authentic self: a woman that loves her friends and family, enjoys spending time outdoors, and thanks God for every minute she gets to live in this world He created.
The mission that drives my authentic self is to find a way to connect others to this planet, be it the beautiful, diverse wildlife or the ways we can see His creation, so that we can preserve it for my kids and their kids and their kids' kids to see. I am both in awe of the beauty of various natural landscapes and the creatures that live in them, alongside seeing God's hand in the exactness and intricacies within ecological relationships and chemical structures. Not only is there intrinsic value in the beauty of nature, but there is also a quantifiable value of human health related to environmental health. That is why I am so authentically passionate about conserving what we have and helping others forming personal connections to the world around them. I dream of a fulfilling career that makes a mark on our planet, that can also provide a stable living to support an adventurous lifestyle for my family to explore national parks and global wonders.
Our authors have argued that deep reflection is essential to a thriving democracy, to removing blinders to new knowledge, and to turning professionals into experts. How and where have you done your best reflection over these past four years? Now, paint a picture of your future where reflection is a regular practice. What would you hope that would look like? Are there any obstacles in the way of you becoming a growingly reflective person?
Over the past 4 years, I have been assigned to reflect on my work many times. In honors classes, this typically looked like a reflection on my contributions to group work. This helped me identify my strengths within a team and distinguish workload divisions between other teammates. I, however, find that my best reflections were written in education courses, where I reflected on the organization and delivery of my lessons in a classroom, my instincts in management, and my interactions with students. There is a lot to work on as a new teacher, and reflection helped me work through tough times and remember the happy moments that come from helping students. In science classes, I can't recall any reflection on work or learning as most grades were tests and labs only.
I've always kept journals, so I intend to continue reflecting on professional choices and my personal growth through weekly journaling. I hope this looks like a quiet 15 minutes pen to paper in the morning when I'm drinking coffee. In the past, changes in schedule and lifestyle have led to gaps in journal entries and regularity, as well as sometimes I feel like I'm forcing myself to write something "just because." I disliked reflecting in classes where I felt like I didn't grow and I had to lie to get a good grade and get to the word count required. I think by taking away pressure on length of entry and needing certain content I will be better. There is still value in writing that you feel you've been stagnant, and work through a goal on how to grow or improve some aspect of work or life.
Your Manifesto on the value and meaning of your role as a liberal arts graduate, a professional, and a citizen, should both draw from your early mini-manifestos, but now substantively and stylistically respond to the values as identified in your audience analysis (500-700 words)
My biggest responsibility to the common good and my authentic self is to advocate for an improved natural science curriculum and more equitable resource distribution for schools in the United States.
As an education professional, I have a clear vision in my ethical duties for my community of science learners and teachers: create equal access to high quality and relevant education for all. While the United States is a world leader in many fields, our education system is falling in comparison to many others. After returning to school from the COVID-19 lockdowns, there has been decreased motivation from students with increased monitoring of schools and test scores. Educators are being held accountable for 2 years of lost learning with little direction from administrators and little grace from parents. In my hometown, there has been a 0% raise in school funding coupled with 27% inflationary cost in the past 8 years. Schools are stretching resources thin to meet increased needs, often cutting engaging programs and materials. When levies are presented to increase taxes to support schools, they have failed year after year. Personal interest in saving money has outweighed the common good's need for access to quality education. The US culture is not only laying barriers for future teachers to professionally contribute to the common good, it is discouraging many from the profession entirely. I, myself, have even pursued options in informal education at museums and zoos due to the current pressure on public education. While I intend to return to a formal classroom in the future, I am looking for more ways to connect public schools to the education resources available from private institutions. I will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Changing Education from the University of Helsinki to learn about innovative policies and curriculums bettering the state of science education around the world.
Beyond my profession, my authentic self is a woman that loves her friends and family, enjoys spending time outdoors, and thanks God for every minute she gets to live in this world He created. My authentic self is driven to find a way to connect others to this planet, be it the beautiful, diverse wildlife or the ways we can see His creation, so that we can preserve it for my kids and their kids and their kids' kids to see. I am both in awe of the beauty of various natural landscapes and the creatures that live in them, alongside seeing God's hand in the exactness and intricacies within ecological relationships and chemical structures. Not only is there intrinsic value in the beauty of nature, there is also a quantifiable value of human health related to environmental health. That is why I am so authentically passionate about conserving what we have and helping others forming personal connections to the world around them. I dream of a fulfilling career that makes a mark on our planet, that can also provide a stable living to support an adventurous lifestyle for my family to explore national parks and global wonders. Being a science education policy analyst for the US Department of Education would facilitate these goals perfectly.
Graduating with the content knowledge from my majors in biology and education studies alongside the research and communication skills gained from my liberal arts core curriculum, I am prepared to go out into the world to make meaningful impacts on our education system and our planet.