So, this is the last and final blog of the semester. I am truly excited. Since I have evaluated myself and my project in the final blog, it is now my duty to evaluate the class as whole.

As far as the first goal is concerned, I have gained much knowledge in the biblical studies. It was interesting to learn about the Bible in a different arena than sitting in my own pew among the congregation at my church in Kansas City. I was told that was going to happen; I would learn new information about the Bible that I did not know. However, I enjoyed learning about the Bible in an academic context. It made me see the Bible in a different light, as a book of historical fiction. That was very interesting. While attending church meetings, one learns that the Bible should be taken for what it says without knowing or understanding any of the background information that may be needed to fully comprehend the story being told. This class allowed me to grasp aspects of the Bible that I was unable to learn before which made the class even more enjoyable. Thus, interpreting the Bible as a document of historical fiction, I was able to step away from the previous bias I had toward it. Therefore, this was one of the best things I experienced in this class.

Some of the other aspects I enjoyed about this class is the Bible for Dummies book. It was an easy read and it was quite enjoyable. In fact, when I would read the book in my dorm room and my roommate was there, she would hear me laughing and want to know what was so funny. She was surprised that I was laughing at a book for theology, but when I would read the passage of comedy to her, she would find it funny as well. I learned a lot from the book and from the discussions in class that correlated with the book.

In my previous blog, I mentioned my own personal measure of success. This measure was based on the project that I completed. Okay, so I did not have the opportunity to sure AIDS or cancer (I may in the future, however), but I feel as though my project was impacting enough to change a life. I am sure most people have heard of it, but one of my favorite lines from the poem Success by Ralph Waldo Emerson is, “To know that one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.” I am confident in the fact that I have done something to change Xavier’s campus in some form or fashion. I know that most of what I want to accomplish has not even come to pass yet. I have much to accomplish in these next few semesters. I enjoyed doing this project because it gave me something to think about. A lot of times, people complain about what they do not have, when it only takes a small effort to come up with some sort of suggestion to change the situation at hand. I simply looked at the problem, and attempted to solve it. Hopefully, I will be able to do so in the near future. One issue that I had with part of the class was not the project itself, but I did not fully understand the totality of the project when we were first given the assignment. The expectations for the project were given later in the duration of the semester, so when the class finally received all of the stipulations of the project, it was somewhat of a surprise because many steps of the project had to be completed before the end of the semester. I believe if the expectations had been given earlier, it would have been easier for me to implement a project and have it in full effect and possibly involving other college students to help them get involved with a project on campus. On the other hand, this made me think about a project in a short time span, so I know that I am able to get work done under pressure! All in all, I still had a good experience. I still cannot complain about this experience overall.

As I believe most people who have taken this class agree, the worst part about this class was not the blogs themselves, but the length of the blogs! It was difficult for me to write 1500 words per week, simply because it was too many words. Maybe if it was only between 750 and 1000 words, I would not have felt so burdened down. Well, this is the last blog, so this is the last time that I will have to type a blog of this length unless it’s with my consent! I did enjoy reading other student’s blogs, however. Many students had insight into issues that had not crossed my mind, which allowed me to observe problems differently.

I want to extend my sincere thanks to you, Dr. Homan, for believing in me in the duration of this class. I am thankful for spending the semester in this class. In fact, I have learned so much that I used many of the stories and lessons that I was exposed to in my African American Studies course as a theoretical model for my final exam.

I would just like to reiterate that this has been a long difficult road for me and through it all I have had my mother supporting me. I reflect on the poem she gave me when I first came to college as inspiration to move forward in life and also to get me through this class, called Don’t you quit. It reads,”
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit -
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

I hope that in this blog, I have demonstrated what it takes to not quit. Thank you Dr. Homan and Thank you God!

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 23rd, 2006 at 4:10 pm and is filed under Class Comments, Week 15: Reflection. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.