Background:
My earliest memory is from three-year-old daycare. It was run by the school district that employed my mother, and the daycare was actually held in one of the school buildings. Interestingly enough, and I wouldn’t learn this until many years later, that building doubled as the district’s high school for troubled students, teen moms and students that could not learn in traditional learning environments. I only have a small handful of memories of little three-year-old me bumbling around in daycare, and I cannot be sure exactly which of the memories technically came first, but this is my most vivid memory from that time.
It was Toy Time, and while other kids played with cars or absentmindedly stared at the pages of a book they couldn’t read, I played with the animal toys. In particular, I liked the plastic giraffe. Much to the annoyance of the daycare workers, I played with the toy giraffe by throwing it into the sink, which I could not reach into, and then running to get one of the workers to save the giraffe from drowning in the sink. The worker would rescue the giraffe, return it to me, and then I would promptly throw the giraffe right back into the sink. The worker would retrieve the giraffe a few times and then refuse to do so unless I agreed not to throw it again. I, of course, promised not to throw the giraffe again, got the giraffe back, and then threw the toy elephant in the sink.
I think this memory says a lot about me; I’ve always been just a little too ‘clever’ for my own good. I like to stir the pot just enough to keep life interesting while never really getting in trouble or causing problems. However, if one looks a little deeper at the memory, I think one might see other aspects of me; critical thinking and a slight predisposition to challenging authority.
Now, one might say that I wasn’t really showing any sort of critical thinking by frustrating the daycare workers, but I disagree. I only liked the giraffe; the other animal toys were essentially meaningless to me. The elephant toy was little more than a means to an end. I recognized that I would not get the giraffe back if I threw it in the sink again, but I also wanted to continue my ‘game’ of throwing toys in the sink, so I had to reconcile the goal of keeping the giraffe with the goal of continuing the game. I realized I could achieve both goals; by throwing the elephant, I got to keep playing the game for at least one more throw, and I got to keep playing with the giraffe.
I think the slight predisposition to challenging authority is obvious enough from the memory. It’s still something that I deal with today, but I think I’ve figured out the root of the issue. It’s not so much that I dislike authority, in fact, at college, a number of ‘authority figures’ have become great mentors and helped me through times of hardship. So, it’s really not a problem of being rebellious, it’s more of an issue of liking to be in control of my own schedule and I dislike being told to do something ‘because someone said to do it.’ That second part might not be clearly different than just being rebellious, so let me explain. I am completely okay with doing as I’m told, however, when no reasons are given or there is clearly a faster/more efficient way of completing a task, I ‘challenge’ authority by asking ‘why’ or pointing out the better way of doing something. After working a lot of minimum wage jobs throughout high school and college, I have a few examples to shed some light on these qualities.
For instance, as a high school senior, I worked at CiCi’s Pizza. The owner and managers were nice, the co-workers were nice, and I generally got along with everyone, but I utterly lacked control over my schedule. That seems understandable; I was a high school kid, so I shouldn’t really get to dictate my own hours, but why bother hiring a high school student if you plan on scheduling him during school hours? See why I might be dissatisfied with authority figures? I continued working into the summer and the problems continued, but in a different manner. I would show up to work, work for about 20 minutes, and then the manager would claim that the restaurant wasn’t busy enough to justify paying me to be there, so I would be sent home. It was never a disciplinary situation; the restaurant really would be empty and the manager had to meet certain profit/payroll ratios. However, I loathed being unable to control this. I had no control over my own time. I would plan my week around working 30+ hours, only to end up working less than 7. The situation and lack of money was frustrating, sure, but the aspect I truly hated was that I was completely unable to do anything that would give me more control over my own time. I still struggle with this aspect today, but it manifests in different ways and I have much more patience, so it’s less of an issue now.
Let’s jump forward in time a bit, to summer 2014. I was working at Sport’s Authority after walking out of my job at Academy. The head manager at Academy had falsely accused me of corporate fraud and defrauding the store, both of which seem awfully difficult to do as the mere cashier that I was. Long story short, the manager had come up with a store promotion to give away a $50 giftcard whenever someone bought certain sunglasses, no strings attached. I pointed out that people were abusing the promotion and in a long, confusing string of events, I ended up walking out of the store feeling betrayed and disgusted. I had been trying to help the store, but it blew up in my face because the manager tried to pin the store’s losses from his flawed promotion on me. The next day, I got a job at the Sports Authority across the street.
The Sport’s Authority store was struggling; it was regularly the least profitable in the region and corporate was getting frustrated with the store, particularly because the store was not meeting the required dollar amount of online sales. When I got there, the established ‘way’ of getting customers to buy online from the store was clearly created by someone that hadn’t grown up using the internet. So, I ignored the ‘script’ and did it my own way; I worked there for a month, and in that month, I doubled the online sales made by all other employees for the entire year. It was easy because I wasn’t using the ridiculous script. However, when the manager listened to me describe the online ordering to a customer, he got mad that I wasn’t using the script. After explaining how my own ‘script’ worked, he still failed to accept that I had come up with a better way of doing things that obviously worked; I had generated $28,000 in online sales for the store in a month when all other employees combined didn’t even break $12,000 in a year.
I use this example to show why I ‘challenge’ authority. It’s not rebellious. I ‘challenge’ authority by rationally explaining and considering other options that might be better than the chosen course of action. Why in the world would someone, in this case the Sport’s Authority manager, not realize that there was proven to be a better/more efficient way of doing something? It was mindboggling. Perhaps this example comes across as vain on my part, but that is not my intention. I use this particular example to show a case in which there was clearly a better method, and an authority figure ignored that method in favor of something that didn’t work.
Now, one might ask how this information relates at all to my life as a whole. It shows a pattern of action in my life and a basis for the way I operate; I want to know why I do things, and I want to do them in the best method possible.
BIC and Baylor:
I wish I could say that I joined BIC because I knew exactly what I was getting into, but truth be told, I joined BIC because a guy in my high school youth group was bragging that he applied. I applied and got accepted before him. It was a matter of personal pride; we were regularly in competition on various things and I ‘got the better of him’ in this instance. He still got accepted, but I got accepted first and faster. I had, of course, done a little research on BIC and understood that I would be taking different classes than other students, which I thought would be neat. I love reading and writing, and the BIC had that in spades, so I figured it would be a better fit than ‘regular’ classes, so I decided to follow through and join the BIC.
While my reason for joining BIC might seem underwhelming, my reasons for staying have defined my entire being and set me on a path that will shape the rest of my life.
I came to Baylor as a Chemistry major. I had been highly encouraged to become a Physician’s Assistant, which requires less school than being a doctor, but pays quite a bit. I was told that money would make me much happier. While it might make life easier, I’m not convinced it inherently makes a person happier. On my first Monday of class at Baylor, I knew that chemistry was not my calling. From the moment my chemistry professor started speaking, I knew that I was never meant to become a physician’s assistant or work in the sciences. In a panic, I called Dr. Nogalski and scheduled an appointment; I scheduled it during the Wednesday meeting of the chemistry class because I knew I was never going back.
The decision was highly influenced by the very first reading for Examined Life. It came from Parker Palmer’s “Let Your Life Speak” and encouraged readers to find their vocation in life. I wanted to do more than ‘have a job;’ I wanted to thrive. The text resonated with me and contributed to my decision to drop my chemistry major. I became an Undecided major for the entirety of my freshman year. I knew that I loved my BIC courses more than anything else, but you couldn’t major in BIC, so what could I do? I took a few courses in different areas of the Humanities until I found one that felt like the right path: philosophy.
I had encountered philosophical concepts in my BIC classes, but after taking a philosophy class on C.S. Lewis and another on Logic, I was absolutely enthralled with the field. I wanted to learn everything there was to know; I laid awake at night wrestling with concepts that I just couldn’t completely wrap my brain around.
As I delved deeper into the major, I was awed by how well the philosophy classes helped me in the BIC classes. I was able to grasp abstract concepts and interpret texts that classmates struggled with. My reading and writing skills were honed in both classes and I was able to excel in the BIC and in my major. It also helped when class content overlapped; at first, I was a little frustrated that I would have to read the same texts multiple times, but with each reading, I learned more and getting the different perspectives of multiple professors helped me gained a more complete understanding of the texts.
I think my predisposition to challenge authority manifested in my philosophy major. I was finally given room to question things and wrestle with complex issues in hopes of finding a way to resolve an argument. I could ask ‘why’ as many times as I desired. Majoring in philosophy showed me that I shouldn’t just accept things at face-value; I should attempt to understand everything about an issue before trying to move toward a solution. In particular, one has to look at unspoken aspects of arguments and sift through rhetoric in order to really examine whatever it is that is being presented. Further, I liked working with arguments to see if there were ways to better refine them; some of my best papers have involved reworking arguments to make them stronger or posing counter-arguments to imprecisely written arguments that leave themselves vulnerable because the premises are not properly defined.
BIC fostered my love for learning. I love thinking about things and figuring out what an author is trying to impart on readers. BIC made me want to become a professor, and until this past summer, that was my goal. I wanted to go to graduate school in philosophy and maybe even come back to teach in the BIC. However, those plans have changed slightly, but BIC had a significant role in that, too.
After realizing that becoming a philosophy professor is incredibly unlikely and being unsure of whether or not I could make it, I came to the conclusion that it would be better for me to go to graduate school in something else. For a while, I debated going into law. My skills in reading and writing would certainly help, but my heart wasn’t truly into it. I was at a loss, and I went to discuss my situation with Mr. Moore. We were talking, and I asked how he got involved with the BIC. He said that he got a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs, a degree that opens doors into college administration. Interested, I asked about the program and after learning a little more, I was hooked. It sounded great. If I had never been in BIC, I would have never known Mr. Moore and might not have ever been exposed to the existence of graduate programs in college administration. Not only that, but Mr. Moore personally knows the director of Baylor’s Higher Education and Student Affairs program and was able to get me a meeting with him. I’m now on track to get into a program and become a college administrator.
BIC has taught me to inherently value other people. Regardless of their background, opinions or religion, I can find common ground with someone because we are both humans. More than that, I value the chance to learn about other people and get to know them. BIC has given me to opportunity to forge relationships with people in a fairly unique way, even for a BIC student.
I was hired as a Peer Instructor for my junior year at Baylor and I was overjoyed. My own peer instructors had been very uninterested in the classes and never really got involved other than grading quizzes, but one of the other peer instructors made up for that. His name is Brent, and he was really invested in all of the BIC students that he encountered. I attended his review session and from then on, he would say hello if he saw me on campus, remembered my name and talked to me before World Cultures lectures. My PIs had never really done that. I’ve strived to really invest in my students and I’ve found it extremely rewarding. My first students are now going into their second semester of sophomore year and I still check in with them from time to time. After a little help and guidance about college, students that struggled at the beginning of the semester are now exceling in their classes. It’s been great to help with these transformations and it’s solidified my desire to work in college administration. If I could do the same level of mentoring on a larger scale by going into administration, it would be an amazing career.
I am incredibly thankful that BIC freshmen are placed in Welcome Week groups with their Examined Life class. I met some of the people that would become my best friends throughout college because they were in my Welcome Week group. Not only did I meet BIC students that would become life-long friends, I met the girl I’m going to marry. I met Katie on the first day of Welcome Week. We talked a little over the course of the day, but everyone in the group talked to each other. However, on the second day of Welcome Week, she mentioned that she was having difficulties getting her laptop and printer working on the Baylor Wi-Fi and asked if anyone knew what to do. Now, I’ve always been a technophile and can work pretty much any sort of technology with little instruction, so I knew that I could set up the equipment for her, but I didn’t want to immediately say that. I waited a few moments as everyone sort of looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, then I said I wouldn’t mind coming to take a look at it. I got everything working in a few minutes and Katie was very grateful. As classes started, I was happy to find out that she was in my Examined Life class and also in my Rhetoric class. We talked for a few weeks and spent time together outside of class; in particular, I remember climbing the trees outside the SUB with her and her roommate. I ended up cutting my forearms on the tree bark, and Katie cleaned up all my cuts and gave me some bandages. About a month after meeting during Welcome Week, we went to dinner and officially started dating. We’ve been together since then. Without BIC, it’s incredibly unlikely that I would have ever met Katie. I don’t know where I’d be without her.
In terms of improving BIC, I think there are a few things that should at least be considered.
First, Examined Life. If I could go back in time to take this class again with the experiences that I have had since this class, I would work so much harder at getting to know my classmates. As a freshman, I only got to know about 7 people in the class of about 18 people. This is mostly my own fault, but perhaps encouraging the students to form groups to go to the required ‘outings’ would help. Most importantly, I think the issue of class discrepancy needs to be addressed. The professors vary wildly in what they expect from their classes, and not necessarily in a good way. When I took the course, I made 1000 out of 1000 points for the class, not because I worked particularly harder than anyone else, but because all assignments were essentially completion grades. However, my friends would constantly complain that Examined Life was difficult because their professors were harder graders than my professor. As a PI, I’ve heard from two years of freshmen that the same thing is still happening. Some professors make everything a completion grade, others grade harshly. I’m not advocating one approach over the other, but I tend to think the class is more about getting students to foster friendships and reflect on themselves instead of a class that should require nose-to-the-grindstone amounts of work. At the very least, it might be beneficial to put the classes on a more level playing field. It’s very frustrating – sometimes to the point of being divisive – to see other students being handed an A, which doesn’t really foster the comradery that Examined Life encourages.
This next potential criticism is something that older BIC students are almost assuredly unaware of: laptops are banned in World Cultures I and II Large Groups. This change is perhaps justified and studies show that one learns better by writing than typing, but the professors have not altered their presentation style to accommodate the change. Simply put, the Large Group lectures cover far too much content far too quickly to write down. A vast majority, if not everyone that is ~19 years old, can type much quicker than they can write, which meant that students could keep up with the professors. Now, once students get behind in large group, they visibly give up and stop paying attention. I’ve seen dozens of students just throw down their pen or pencil in frustration because they simply cannot keep up with the professors. This problem is compounded by two more issues; lecture materials (PowerPoints/etc.) are not put on Canvas and exams have become increasingly heavy on Large Group material. I think there are two solutions to this problem; either reduce the material covered in Large Group lectures so that it can all be covered at an appropriate pace or professors need to make lecture materials available to students outside of the Large Group lecture.
Other than that, I’m not sure that anything needs to be improved. Capstone and Cultures 5 have been two of my favorite BIC classes, and since a lot of students are not required to take them because of their major, I think those students are missing out. Sure, they have the option to take the courses, but most do not take them and they don’t really know what they’re missing out on. Making it a requirement would also mean that more classes would become available, allowing for an increased diversity of interesting classroom content. In the same line of Capstone/Cultures 5, having time slots in both semesters might also be beneficial. I had to take Cultures 5 as a summer class because I could never fit it into my schedule.
College made me more aware of the world around me. This is mostly thanks to BIC, but also to the general exposure to different people. BIC classes have been by far the most enriching and interesting classes of my college career. I’ll never forget the World Cultures trips; I’ve never had a bad experience with the trips and our hosts have always been incredible to us, which really helps to break down barriers between students and people of other cultures/religions. Like a lot of Baylor students, I came from a middle-class Christian suburban household with little exposure to other religions. One might think that attending the largest Baptist university in the world would be ‘more of the same,’ but really, the opposite is true, primarily because of BIC. I’ve met so many different people, from almost every conceivable religion, from all walks of life. I’d like to think I’ve learned something from everyone I’ve encountered, and I’m not sure there’s much more I could ask for in a college education.
As I move forward, I recognize the differences in people that make them unique. No one is ‘the other’ anymore; I see everyone as someone to get to know and value. BIC, coupled with my philosophy major, has sharpened my critical thinking ability to a razor-edge; I see things in a radically different way than I did before I entered college. As I said earlier, I’ve always liked to ‘stir the pot,’ but now I do so in a more appropriate manner, perhaps to shed light on a political issue or look at some particular issue from another perspective. Further, I can think more deeply about an issue and consider what contributed to its formation, see why one might agree or disagree with it, and realize that nothing is as simple as it first appears. This is an invaluable skill, especially as I look to move into college administration. While it might have contributed to an untold number of late nights and a lot of stress over the years, BIC has been more than a series of classes; it has been a formative experience that will shape the rest of my life.
butwhydoyouwantfrieswiththat 