College

Since I have returned to college (BYU-I) and part of the experience to really help make the learning stick is to teach it to others, I have decided that I will start using this blog to post some of my summaries and reflections. I welcome your comments and questions!

Here is a copy of my Free Write from Week 1:

Summary of principles:
The objective of the lesson this week is to become familiar with the course structure and environment and to reflect on the purposes and value of a college education.

Peer to peer instruction helps us learn by also teaching. That teaching allows action and helps us accept responsibility for our own education. By taking that action we are inviting the Holy Ghost into the process and that helps accelerate the learning and helps us reach beyond our own capabilities. Participation also helps us recognize the spiritual guidance we are being given. Our willingness to act or exercise our agency gives the Holy Ghost the opportunity to influence both our lives and the lives of those we with whom we interact. Preparation with those goals in mind is a big part of the process.

From the Major Decisions readings: We learn that although college doesn't always insure job readiness and good grades do not guarantee real learning or preparation for life, it can open our eyes and our heart to the world and the possibilities. Higher education is essential to a successful, secure career. It can help us with our people skills and analytical skills. It gives us an opportunity to be influenced by others and learn by both their insights and mistakes. We need to take responsibility for our own learning. We need to consider the costs, not just financial, but also the opportunity costs and the time value of money. The more we can develop our vision and our ability to make high-stakes judgments the greater our value becomes. Hard working students who are a little older and more mature can perform well in college. College gives us an opportunity to have a more secure and intellectually rewarding career.

What I learned:
When I attended Ricks college in the past, I loved the spirit that I felt there. I didn't think I would ever experience anything like that again. I realized as I was listening to the videos and clips and interacting with my fellow classmates that spirit was present. The Spirit of Ricks or now BYU-I is here even in this online learning opportunity. I love it!
Another thing that really stood out to me is the importance in the learning process of teaching others. I am looking for opportunities when I am teaching to also encourage those in the class to teach others the things they are learning.
It has taken me a long time to learn how to really recognize the guidance of the Holy Ghost in my everyday life and I still fall short of it all the time. I look for opportunities to teach others the process so they can recognize the Spirit in their own lives. This gave me some good clues in that direction. In addition to prayer and preparation, taking that action to step up and participate and teach each other authorizes the Holy Ghost to influence us. I know in the past as I have been teaching or just participating in a discussion, when someone asks a question and I ponder and respond, it is many times in my own speaking up and responding that things become clearer. It is in attempting to put it into words so someone else can understand.
I think rather than worrying about what I can't do or am scared to do, it is more important for me to just step up and do what I can and trust that the Spirit will guide the process.

The key process: Prepare > Teach > Reflect> Put into action (not necessarily in that order)

I have learned many things over the years on my own but it is not nearly as powerful as the learning that takes place with the interaction with others thoughts and ideas. I love the intellectual stimulation that this college opportunity provides!

Food - How to get Fat without really trying

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Value and Power of Faith

(also from the book Seven Faith Tribes)

Intellectuals tell us that faith will fade away as people awake to the frivolous nature of belief in a higher power but too many have had it proven too real to them.
Faith continues to be an unassailable source of reasonable hope in an unreasonably hopeless world.
What are the alternatives?
Rely on politicians and bureaucrats, and in the systems they offer.
Trust the business world and the marketplace to solve life's deepest issues.
Live for pleasure and allow the entertainment industry to rule.
Believe the theories and spin that the educational system offers as "truth" until new discoveries or revelations shatter those pronouncements.

Faith provides meaning, hope, health, and a cohesive narrative to make sense of one's life and give it direction.

12 commitments of great followers

More thoughts from the book Seven Faith Tribes:

Leaders need to have followers in order to lead. Some of us may be leaders, but we are ALL followers in some way. If we want those we choose to follow to be great leaders, we need to do less compromising and expect more of what we really want. Specifically this applies politically, but it also applies at home, in our communities, in our faith groups, and in business.

With that thought in mind, look at this list of what it means to be a great follower:
Know what you are looking for in a leader
Live and die for the vision
Refuse to settle for anything but the best
Provide constructive feedback
Hold leaders to the highest reasonable standards,
      and expect them to do the same for you
Always place community interest above self interest
Be proud of your leaders
Become a great team player
Perform your duties with excellence
Add value all the time
Focus on the future
Keep growing personally
(For more details, read the book)

And while we are on the subject of leaders here are a few more thoughts:

Great leaders
appreciate the past
live in the present
and think in the future

Leadership is an act of service,
not an exercise of power.

Never stop increasing in wisdom and knowledge.

When you think you know it all,
you have just lost the heartbeat of life.

Seven Faith Tribes by George Barna

 I highly recommend reading this book. It is well researched and enlightening in that research. It is a call to action and a vision on how to bring America back to greatness. America has gone through many National Identities including: Revolutionaries- rebelling against religious restrictions and heavy taxes, Pioneer- exploration and entrepreneurialism, Superpower- economic and military, Vast Consumers- everything from entertainment to food. Now our primary focus seems to be  Individualism and Entitlement.

Individualism may feel good in the moment but it detracts from the strength of society and is very divisive.

This book takes a look at the worldviews of those living in America and then divides us into seven faith groups including: Casual Christians(68%) Captive Christians(16%) Jews(2%) Mormons(1.3%) Panthiests(1.4%) Muslims(0.4%) Skeptics(11%)
He has chapters on each of the faith groups full of data that tells what by our own perceptions we believe and how we view the world, then he also includes by the data what we do and how we live(how those beliefs translate into action)

From this data he has pulled 20 values that we all share in varying degrees.
Those are:
represent the truth well
develop inner peace and purity
seek peace with others
demonstrate wisdom
be forgiving
practice self-restraint
get yourself together before criticizing
invest in young people
respect life
treat others how you want to be treated
be a good citizen
justify people's respect
avoid harmful behavior
honor the elderly
be generous
do not judge or condemn others
be mutually respectful of human rights
cultivate civility
belong to a caring community
facilitate basic skills

He asks the question "Who do we want to be?" (national identity)
and proposes: expand our experience as world leader in becoming a peacemaker, compassionate ambassadors of justice, sensitive to the basic needs of others around the world. Basically a global servant
We need to model: respect , love, generosity, & care for the less fortunate

There are other things from this book that I will address in additional blog posts such as:
different worldviews
12 commitments of great followers
7 components of unity
value of faith and responsibility of the faith tribe in achieving the national identity

Time

All time is Now. It is only the limitations of mortality that make it difficult to comprehend.

Our perception of the present is limited by our ability to observe and our perceived position in existence.

Our comprehension of the future is limited by our incomplete knowledge of the consequences of every choice. For each choice that we know the consequence we can see (or foresee) the future.

Our view of the past is limited by our ability to remember. The more perfectly we remember, the more we can view or perceive the past in the present.

Twisted Words

twisted words
distorting truth
deceiving innocent
destroying good

increasing sorrows

accelerating bondage
freedom lost
deception reigns

Awaken Courageous!
stand fast in Truth
Highlight Joy
break through darkness

Awaken Wisdom!
replace sorrow
comfort (the) suppressed
Let Truth Reign!