Critique and Reflection

It's been brought to our attention that Chabot College intends on instituting a passion oriented class in hopes of helping students discover and fuel their desire for success. In class, we were asked to share our opinions about this prospect with our professor and fellow students by first writing down our initial reactions. Through discussion we all slowly began to sharpen our  opinion of the passion class as we weighed the opinions of others against our own.

I have relatively mixed feelings about having a passion class. Much of its success depends on how well the class is executed. Part of me is convinced that turning part of our livelihood into a class that will evaluate the students runs the risk of diluting the concept of passion and sequestering it from it's original purpose. Classrooms are typically perceived as domains where the student is constantly judged based on their demonstration of knowledge and if a passion class succumbs to this categorization, it will become just another class students need to pass in order to progress. The passion class has the potential to fail if students perceive it in the same realm as another math or history class; just another seat they need to fill and be evaluated in the stepping stone of classes. That is why I believe a a large part of its success depends heavily on how well the course is designed and structured.

Conversely, the class also has great potential to invigorate the students should they participate. Passion, I believe, is something that needs to come naturally. It cannot be forced, but can be kindled by other means. If the class can be designed and led by qualified teachers, it can boost the productivity and enthusiasm of a student. I believe having Jeff Bliss, the student from a previous post who stood up for our right to learn, as part of the class would be an excellent opportunity to potentially inspire the silent majority of students. Whether or not this class should be mandatory is something I believe I will remain divided on. It is important for students to understand the importance of having a passion and goals in life to better themselves and society, but I am weary of having a class used to do so.

Should a student in a passion class be asked to look into themselves?

My response to this question is a resounding YES. Self-reflection and introspective analysis forces students to look deep within themselves. It helps them figure themselves out and uncover what they are deeply passionate about. Students have the opportunity to divide themselves up and categorize parts of their personality and figure out which part of them they value the most and find most interesting. This can lead to the student building upon these strengths and further accelerate the maturing process. Samira, a student interviewed by The Passion Project shares an all too familiar sentiment felt by many students regarding college, "I felt like I was fed to the wolves. I had no idea what was going on the outside world." It is extremely important to have the student discover the importance of their potential contribution to the world and show that they will not be sheltered forever. If they have not yet accepted these truths, pulling back the opaque veil shrouding the real world would be an excellent opportunity in this class. It will help students realize what needs to be done in order to succeed in their own right.

Introspection also forces students to address issues they have been avoiding and suppressing for a long time. Our inner quarrels need to be exposed and dealt with at the first opportunity rather then letting them fester away within us inevitably erupting spectacularly at the least convenient opportunity. By forcing students to look within themselves they can uncover and face these problems head on. Of course, not all inner conflicts can be immediately solved, but by exposing them the student can be aware of the issue and make conscious efforts at seeking a resolution. 

Self-reflection is a very powerful tool and skill. I said to my professor that people love nothing more than talking about themselves. Given the opportunity, students will willingly go on about their lives and share their opinions about many thing. By doing so, they may even uncover things they did not know about themselves and by achieving these epiphanies, they can begin to change themselves, for better or worse. I believe the most important question they must be posed with is: are they going to college for their parents or themselves? This is one of the most important questions my counselor presented me with that revolutionized the way I approached college. It also has the potential to change the lives of others, but is all up to how the class is managed.