"This I Believe" 2nd draft

Jacob Johnson
Dr. Tinberg
ENG 101 - A07
9/20/10
“This I Believe”

I was an average 14 year boy, plucked out of my comfort zone, and seeing the world through new eyes. I was in Honduras to do short term mission work with a small team. Not only was it my first time doing this type of work, but also my first time out of the country. Tirelessly we did construction work for most of the week, helping to build a nursing home. On the last work day however, we bypassed the construction site for darker destination. We were going to the Tegucigalpa city dump. It is here that hundreds of homeless Hondurans lived day to day, endlessly searching the filth for anything of worth. Worst of all, I couldn’t do anything for these people other than to give them a simple meal.

As the bus pulled into the dump, the sight was as revolting as I could imagine. Vultures polluted the sky with a black cloud. Surrounded by mounds of filth, I was crippled with nausea . Those steps it took to get off the bus were some of the hardest steps of my life. “People cannot live here” I kept telling myself, but the poorly constructed cardboard shelters were there to prove me wrong. Mere yards away from me were desperate parents—starving children—hopeless lives. It was here that I witnessed the human spirit in a state of utter brokenness.

That night I sat outside, staring at the city in the distance. Tegucigalpa was illuminated with thousands of lights in the distance, as if the night sky had fallen in the valley below. I was alone with my thoughts in seemingly endless contemplation—calculating questions—coming to conclusions—consumed by this conviction. We always hear people say “Be thankful for what you have, because there are people in the world who have nothing”—that day, I didn’t hear the truth, I felt it. For the first time, I realized how good my life really was.

I believe that I am greatly blessed. I have a roof over my head, plenty of food, a healthy family and uncountable luxuries. They say that the shadow proves the sunlight. After seeing my fellowman, writhing in the darkest corner of the world, I know how bright the light truly is. For me, dissatisfaction would always come easily, but that has changed. In Honduras, I set out to give a week of work, but gained something much greater. Through these new eyes, I have a fresh perspective. I can see the light for what it is. Though my life may not be perfect, I know how much I truly have.

This I Believe

Jacob Johnson

Dr. Tinberg

ENG 101 - A07

9/20/10

“This I Believe”

　

Just over 5 years ago, my perspective on life was impacted in a deep way. Plucked out of my comfort zone, I saw the world through new eyes. I was part of a small team doing short term mission work in Honduras. Not only was it my first time doing this type of work, but it was my first time out of the country. For most of the week we did construction work, helping to build a nursing home. On the last work day however, we bypassed the construction site for a forlorn destination. It was this day, that I went to the Tegucigalpa city dump. It is here that hundreds of homeless Hondurans lived day to day, endlessly searching the filth for anything of worth. The mission of the team was clear. I knew that all I could do for these people was to feed them a simple meal.

As the bus pulled into the dump, the sight was as revolting as I had imagined. Vultures polluted the sky with a black cloud. Surrounded by mounds of filth, I felt nausea creeping in. Once I got off the bus, I was struck with the most putrid odor. “People cannot live here” I thought to myself, but the poorly constructed shelters—made from nothing more than cardboard boxes—were there to prove me wrong. Mere yards away from me we desperate parents—starving children—hopeless lives. It was here that I witness the human spirit in a state of utter brokenness.

That night I can remember sitting on the patio, starring at the city in the distance. Tegucigalpa was illuminated with thousands of lights, as if the night sky had fallen in the valley below. I sat alone with my thoughts in seemingly endless contemplation. Not a word was spoken amongst the team, but all were consumed by the same conviction. I have always heard people say “Be thankful for what you have, because there are people in the world who have nothing”—that day, I didn’t hear that truth, I felt it. That night, for the first time, I realized how good my life really was.

I believe that I am greatly blessed. I have a roof over my head, plenty of food, a healthy family and uncountable luxuries. For me, dissatisfaction would always come very easily, but that has changed. In Honduras, I set out to give a week of work, but gained a perspective for a lifetime. Through these new eyes, I have a fresh perspective. Though my life may not be perfect, I know how much I truly have.

Diagnostic Essay Response

Things are constantly changing—evolving—progressing. Out of all the ways man has progressed in the last century, the most apparent by far is that of technological progress. With the portability, speed and abilities of modern computers, we find a wealth of information at our fingertips. While modern technology has had great effects on us individually, it has also been posing serious questions to the field of education. Questions of how and when to integrate technology into academia are becoming increasing difficult and controversial. We will examine these questions by observing two factors which should considered in these decisions.

Firstly, the fundamentals are fundamental. This might sound like it is stating the obvious; this is because it is. However the obvious is all too often being overlooked. As was presented by Prof. Gelentner, basic skills such as reading, writing and mathematics are being grossly under addressed currently. While technology can offer many advantages to the field of education, it more of a distraction than aid when it comes to teaching basic skills. Essentially, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Fundamental skills have been and can continue to be taught without modern innovations.

A second principle to keep in mind is that embracing the future does not mean we must devalue the past. This issue was certainly highlighted by the case of Cushing Academy. With the ushering in of e-books they saw the exodus of thousands upon thousands of well-bound pages. Of course, it is always important to utilize modern technology, but we must also recognize the need to use older technology. While old fashion books may not have all the bells and whistles of e-books, they are certainly a tool which should be embraced. When integrating technology into education, it is crucially important to consider the worth of all means, whether recent or ancient.

With progress comes questions. These questions are hard and pose great difficulty on many accounts. With these tough decisions at hand, there is a dire need to establish standards to guide the process. When it comes to technological process, we have considered two principles which always warrant consideration. Firstly that the fundamentals must be priority and secondly that we can continue to benefit from our current resources while taking advantage of new innovations. These are key to progress in education.

First post

First post made. Something with more substance to come.