Throughout the Spring '12 semester at SUNY Farmingdale, our English Literature class was full of exciting lectures, insightful discussions and it was just an amazing atmosphere in which everybody participated. Each individual contributed something to the class that made the students think, and also helped bounce ideas around to keep discussions going sometimes extending throughout the entire class period.
There are two class activities that I really enjoyed and felt was an extraordinary way for a teacher to portray her love for what she does, resulting in the students to strive for excellence and going the extra mile. After all, that is the responsibility that many teachers in this country fail to recognize, and fail to achieve.
The first motivating experience in Professor Brady’s class was not necessarily a lecture, or a class lesson. It consisted of her passion for not outside literature, but work presented to her by the students themselves. As “Millenial’s” in the post-modern world, we as a whole strive off our own accomplishments, and being recognized for it. Professor Brady took time out of her day to highlight what she was inspired by in her students work. I never once as a student seen a teacher point out each individual student, and tell the class why they are astonishing in their own way. When she read my paper, I felt like I just won the lifetime achievement award, and set my mind in overdrive to push harder and strive for my absolute best future assignments to come. It made me want to succeed.
The second example was when Brady asked us to all close our eyes, as she anonymously handed out lyrics to songs, and asked all the students to close their eyes while we took in the words of poetry. This class taught us that although people think, “oh, I read poetry all the time, whatever,” you really can’t enjoy it as much as letting down your guard and letting the words absorb into your soul. It offers so much more to not spend your energy and focus reading words off a page, compared to saving that energy to really take in what is being said.
Coming to Farmingdale was a last minute decision for me. I juggled ideas around in the summer of 2011 between joining the U.S. Army, moving to Virginia or staying here in Long Island becoming an Iron Worker. I chose moving to Virginia. After saying my goodbyes to all my friends and relatives I packed up all my things, and was days away from starting my new life. The day before I left I had received a phone call from my mother, who a week before had taken my father to the Cancer Treatment Center of Philadelphia to get a second opinion for the Cancerous cells that came back in his lungs. That phone call is something I will never forget. The urgency suggested me and my sister needed to come there as soon as possible. Not even thinking that I was scheduled to move the next day, I took one of my packed bags and took the trip to Philadelphia. There’s no need for detail but after one week of sleeping aside my father, hand in hand, he was gone. From that moment on I bottled my emotions and never mentioned it to anybody, I never talked about it; I just stayed strong for my mother and sister. Knowing well my father wanted me to earn my Bachelors in Construction Management and Engineering I didn’t think twice about what direction to head in now. I applied to SUNY Farmingdale, and as fate would have it I met Professor Brady, who has been the only person I have been able to talk to about what I have kept bottled up for the past 6 months. Now I know this necessarily isn’t a lecture, or class activity. But I would like to use my third, most fond moments involving this class, on my discussions with Professor Brady about our similar situations, and the motivation it has given me along with my fathers will, to become an A student. People don’t believe in many things we are told, but I am certain that everything happens for a reason!
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