Goals for the semester

I recently realized that while I had lists of things I wanted to do and see as well as a general idea of what I wanted to get out of the semester, I have not yet articulated exactly what I want to get out of it. So, in an effort to fulfill my educational requirements, I hope you will indulge me in a few minutes of my thinking.

First of all, I want to be my own information source. I’ve well enough taking in information in classes and in using advice from other people, but there’s a point where I want to be the gate keeper. This broad topic includes three specific areas:

1) News flow, in that, I want to seriously increase my dedication to reading the news and editorials from various sources every day. I’m living in a city that doesn’t let you forget that important things are constantly happening. I am finding that keeping up on my reading to be a lot easier with a hard copy than on the internet. So I just may have to buy a subscription when I’m back at college.

2) Understanding the reality of law making. And this is, in part related to my goal with the news. Now, I know I’ve heard my fair share of complaints about congress, and I know I’ve even had some of my own, but I want to really understand how the process works in reality, so that I can make a judgment for myself when I read a headline that says “So-and-so blocked this bill today”

3) Education policy. If I’m going to truly take advantage of my time at ED, I need to seriously wrestle with what I think to be effective means of educating youth. There are tons of information, research, and meetings on policy to be absorbed and taken in at ED.

Finally, I want to better develop my own understanding of how I think politics does and should work. I know that this is a lofty and challenging goal, and one that is not likely to be completed this semester. But I feel like I have been too complacent in accepting that the two are different. I think this is due in part to my personality, but also to classes that, while doing a great job of pushing kids to be idealistic in how they lead their own lives, don’t reconcile frequently enough the realities of dealing with society. Theories are fantastic and can provide a great framework, but they need to work within a society with real experiences.