Wright, James 7929 wrote:
> <RANT BACK ON>
>>Doh! I'm scared now!
No need to be, the real-time consequences of a rant are negligible (until
several science-fiction dreams become realities, at least!)
<Snip!>
>Good words, all of them. Question: have you read "Zen and the Art of
>Motorcycle Maintence" by Robert Persig? It's not about Zen. And it's
>not really about motorcycles either. It's about /Quality/ and /reason/
>and God. I cannot reccomend this book highly enough. I read it /three/
>times in a row... and I'm going to have to get it back out of the
>library again to read it all over.<
Not yet; my reading list has spilled over the top of the printer and is
winding down past the second-story landing now. Since joining CofV, it's
growth rate has gone exponential; I foresee an eventual conflict between
the amount of paper consumed printing out the list and the available
paper to print books, so it may be a self-solving problem. <VBG!>
<Snip!>
>This is the benifit that all Co-op programs claim. And it is a damn
>good one.
It is indeed.
<Snip!>
>One of the things that I've been most surprised at is the attitude of
>the students at university. For so long in high school I was surrounded
>by people who frankly did not care. Just putting in their time so they
>can graduate. I figured that when I got to university the "atmosphere"
>would be different, you know... people would be paying for the
>knowledge, and _hot damn_ they'd want to learn.
My parents sent me to school, so I didn't have to pay for it either - but
then, I've always had a different attitude toward learning to begin with.
I went to school with people like those you describe as well - and I
suspect some persist all the way through graduate school, as well.
> It is better than high
>school. But it could be better. I met lots of people who said "I'm
>just doing this for the marks"... putting in the time, waiting to get a
>"good" job. What they fail to realize is that, like we've been ranting
>about here, the Quality of a job depends on the things you bring to it.
>If you enjoy the work and dedicate yourself to it, it will be a good
>job. But if they bring the same apathy to work that they are now
>bringing to class, they will /all/ be bad jobs. You only get out what
>you put in.<
Very true - sometimes not even that much; but then again, sometimes YOUR
students get more out of it than you ever imagine they would or could.
Children I taught swimming to over fifteen years back still remember me
in some cases - now they have children of their own. It makes you feel -
- - really OLD.
> >Carpe diem, troglodytes.
>>
>> And non-illegitimi carborundum!
>> james
>I'll have to admit my knowledge of latin sucks... I know carpe diem
>(seize the day!) because it's so famous, and I think that the addition
>of "troglodytes" (basement dwelling downlooking creatures) really drives
>the point home...
>But what does your's mean?<
Latin from a pig, perhaps, but meant as "Don't Let the Bastards Wear You
Down."
>ERiC
>Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs.
>Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do
>the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.
> Dale Carnegie
Good words!
james