It is a thoughtless proposal by our state lawmakers to recommend cuts to liberal arts in our universities.
My first philosophy class at the University of Utah “blew my mind” and opened infinite new ways of seeing and thinking.
I got a teaching degree at the U. paid for in full by the state of Utah due to grades in high school. My first two years at the U. were liberal arts classes, which I loved and which challenged me way beyond any classes I had experienced before. My last two years in my major classes were boring beyond belief, with outdated textbooks and ideas. (My mom saved me time by doing the busywork for the teaching classes … new teaching models come and go depending on how much money a company can make state legislatures cough up to train better teachers!)
It was the liberal arts classes that taught me how to open the minds of my students. It was my philosophy, music, poetry, history and writing classes that taught me way more humanity (humanness) than any of my teaching core classes — except for one!
My last “how to teach” teacher taught me in a real classroom with real kids, and said, “Forget what you’ve learned about teaching … listen carefully to your students and to your deepest humanity. They will all learn to read with your skills, but more importantly, you must help them become more human.”
Beverly Terry, Salt Lake City
