Bring on the Heat!

Everyone has differing opinions, that much is true. However, whether one decides to respect others' opinion; therein lies the rub. Today's class was probably the most heated and interesting discussion that we have had all semester, in my opinion.


Students were expressing how they felt about certain organizations and their motives, and I was thoroughly shocked, to be frank. We are just not a lively group 8 out of 10 times, and I enjoyed listening to what everyone had to say. For example, some really enjoyed CASA, while others thought that Youth Homes would be a better fit, and I thought it was cool to have the input and to observe those were and were not speaking.


However, as class proceeded, I could see that people were starting to become agitated. Some students' points were being misconstrued, others were not able to push their point across, and I thought an actual argument was going to erupt. But Greg was able to mediate and keep the tension at a tolerable level.


Next, as we debated, I noticed that there were only a few select that actually spoke their minds; I realized that it was the people who usually talk during class. I am not saying that's a bad thing, it was just an observation. Lastly, during the debate, when students tried to defend their organizations, I noticed that they were not really explaining what the group actually does. For example, when we were talking about CASA it was hard to discuss it because I did not really know what they wanted the money for, or how the organization runs. All I knew about CASA was that they are an organization for children who don't have a voice in court. I did not know how they went about helping a child in need, or how they help the kid in the court case, or anything along those lines, which was quite interesting. Now, with Red Willow, the students who did a site visit explained what Red Willow is using the money for, how they are addressing and helping the community need, what they are doing to benefit the veterans and their families, along with police officers and firefighters, and how they make the atmosphere for veterans more comfortable.


All in all I felt like it was a very productive class, those who spoke were able to put their opinions out there, while those who just observed were able to take all those opinions into consideration. It was a great discussion, and I was glad to be a part of it.


- Catherine Roland, student