Thursday, September 10, 2009
Community
Today in class we talked a lot about community and neighborhoods. Which made me think. What does community mean to me? When I used to think of community I didn't really relate it to myself. Maybe because of the generic definition of community, but that isn't what I think community is. Community is made up of experiences. I'm still trying to understand what community means to me, but here's what I've got ... Community is saying hi to everyone of my neighbors, community is my responsibility to the kids that live across the street, and right next door, it is recognizing what needs to be done in the area you live and not just allowing someone else to do or just ignoring it. when the neighbor walks over to grab a beer with my parents or when the whole neighborhood is out helping with a project to build a ramp or box. When I walk out to play basketball and know I'm not going to be shooting alone. When people want to catch up on what's new cause I haven't been out in a while. When I hear about some younger neighbors spray painting the bench cause they think it's cool. A community to me is a group of people who care about each other and are willing to help one another out. I think community isn't just the neighborhood, I think it goes a lot deeper than that. I hope that one day I will be able to expand mine a lot further. I hope that my community will expand so it does't just include my house or street, or even my town or city but maybe one day the world. I don't know if I have done my share in the community I sure want to give it a try.
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I really like what you said about a community. Today in class I thought about almost the same exact thing. I just compared my new community which is Salt Lake and Westminster to my old one. Back home I could go to places and people would know who I was based on the impact that I had made and I would know them based on their impact on me. Overall I feel like my home will always be more comfortable to live just to the fact that i know so many people that are willing to help me and i know that I helped so many people there. Here at Westminster I am gonna try and do what you said and make it my new community not by location but by my relationship to the people at westminster. A real community I can call my new home.
ReplyDeleteCommunities come in many sizes. It's just not the neighborhood you live in. A community is a group of people that help each other on whatever we can. Although we still don't know all the people in the classroom we are still a community. We learn together and we cooperate to help each other learn. Our whole college is another cumminity. Sometimes we do things for our college that will benefit other people we don't even know still we do it because we care about our community. The best communities are the ones where everyone knows eachother because personally knowing someone makes it easier for us to help and interact with them. I believe that by the end of the semester we will be a true community because we should get to know all the people in our class by then. At least that's what I hope.
ReplyDeleteThe death of the community is a tragedy I have experienced. I have never been part of a community until now. Both neighborhoods I've lived in lacked sidewalks, I never walked around my community, or had friends in my neighborhood. I have lived largely in isolation as an internet junkie. Until now I've been in dead communities, but I have never seen one dying. Even in high school I never joined any clubs or did extra-curricular activities. It's hard for me to talk about because I have experienced the death of the community, but I have never know anything else.
ReplyDeleteThank you for choosing this topic Curtis - I too have given it much thought following our classes last week.
ReplyDeleteI must say I am very happy and impressed with how well our learning community has come together. This blog provides a perfect example of how a group of people , interested in the same topics and looking to achieve the same goals, can come together to learn and grow as well as teach each other.
I agree with Hunter - our LC has given me a new community, a new group of friends, and essentially a new place to call home. I commend Westminster as well as Leslie and Barbara for creating such a great environment in which to make a smooth transition into college life.
Thank you again Curtis - this is very well thought out and written. Good job.
- Erin Grieve
I agree with all of these comments and the post. I thought about some of the same things the other day when I was sitting in class with everyone.
ReplyDeleteThis class has become one of my favorites because I realize that it is in fact a community. Not just because of the title of the course itself, but the fact that everyone is already a friendly face to me. I feel like I can be myself in the class and speak my mind without the worry of judgement from anyone.
I have learned so much and felt so accepted already, and we are only a few weeks in to school. Im very excited to see how our community grows and comes together even more.
I hope to gain lifelong friendships and strong bonds with the people in this class. I must admit that before the class began I was not too pleased with this class choice purely based on the name of the subjects. But after being in the classes, and experiencing not only great teaching but a group of people I enjoy, I am very happy with my choice to be a part of this community.
I agree with what has been said in this post and the thoughts that everyone has had on the idea of community. I don't know about everyone else, but I was really nervous to start school this year and begin my first college courses. As a shy person, I often have a hard time talking in class and sharing ideas even when I feel that I have something important to say. I was afraid that my college courses would be too intimidating for me to voice my opinions or get to know anyone in my classes. In this learning community I have found that I have nothing to fear, and that it really is a place to slow down for a few hours in my hectic days. Our learning community truly is a place where I feel that all my ideas are respected and I feel encouraged to talk and share. Like Pete, this learning community has become my favorite class because I feel accepted by my professors as well as my peers. This class is a small community inside the larger one at Westminster College. I feel comfortable with all my new friends and I hope to get to know everyone and form long lasting friendships. Good job on your post Curtis, I really like all of your ideas.
ReplyDelete