Part One
I believe the humanities offer valuable perspectives and creations. Without them, society loses helpful insight into our own species. How we think, what we think of, and shared experiences would be lost in their meaningful, literary way. The humanities also make up a large portion of “leisure” for the general population, and I do not mean to say that the humanities are merely for leisure or are lazy at all, because they are not. What they create is challenging work, but the product, in today’s society, is often for leisure. Books are a good example of this, as there are countless readers worldwide. Without the humanities, where would Stephen King be? Lisa See? Their fictional contributions are not unnoticed.
In her piece, Small captures an opinion that I had not considered. Small pens, “Some (not all) of them held that the objectives of education should include the formation of good citizens. None of them thought that the arts and humanities had a privileged… role to play in training people for civic responsibility” (10). Being in education, I knew the first part of this to be true. I have heard countless times that educators are meant to produce good citizens. However, I had never considered how the humanities also contribute to this task. Since I am studying education and English, I believe I have the two fields intertwined in this responsibility. Still, I believe both education and the humanities create good citizens, as Small discusses. I feel that, through studying the humanities, I understand other perspectives, which aids me in becoming a good citizen, as deep listening skills are vital in modern society.
For me, studying the humanities is obtaining a clearer understanding of people. I mainly take literature courses, so this is the perspective I am coming from. Texts are referred to as either windows or mirrors. A window allows us to view another perspective, another life we have not lived. Mirrors reflect aspects of our lives and may display new meaning or a renewed look at ourselves. Without the humanities, could we understand each other in this way? I doubt it to any meaningful level. The humanities have provided me with deeper insights into the inner workings of others’ minds. Personally, I believe my sense of empathy has grown since studying the humanities due to the introduction to others’ experiences. Deep listening and close analysis of texts fosters empathy in the humanities, which leads to the creation of good citizens.
Part Two
My career goal is to become a Middle School English teacher. The purpose of this job is to teach new generations about English language arts, but also to be active citizens in today’s society. As discussed earlier with Small, both education and the humanities contribute to this goal. Tasks include lesson planning, curriculum development and planning, scheduling/ time management, grading, organization, communication with families, students, and other faculty, grading, accommodation and modifications, and more. All of the fieldwork from my education classes (and the classes themselves) and my internship at the Telling Room have provided me with the skills required to become a classroom teacher. Many of my literature classes have helped me, too, because I recognize many of the texts from my courses in the school curriculum at my student teaching placement. After reviewing past projects, I still see many of the skills/techniques that I first used or observed in a classroom in my presence as a teacher now. The same type of analysis and structures I use in my academic essays are reflected in the classrooms I have observed. My undergraduate studies in the humanities have greatly prepared me for my intended career. I learned how to critique and analyze pieces of literature, understand varying perspectives, engage in discussions that furthered my understanding, and more.
Word Count: 629
