In the April 12th edition of the Bethel Beacon, there was an interesting article
by Professor Stump. He said that “here [at Bethel] it is all too easy to find
the path of least resistance leading to that piece of paper given at graduation.
Everyone knows which sections of a general studies course are the easiest and
which professors (or majors) to avoid if you don’t want to have to work hard to
get an A" (Stump 3). In one sense I agree with him, but in another I disagree. I
believe that it is all too easy to slide through college without any effort, and
not to learn anything. I also believe, however, that the amount of homework
produced by a student in a class does not necessarily determine how much they
learn from the class.
One example of homework not equaling learning is this course. I chose to write
only 7 papers, and be satisfied with a B+ grade. I made that decision not
because I think Philosophy is a worthless subject, or because I have not learned
anything from this class, but because I have many other things which occupy my
time. I have classes (i.e. Computer Programming) where one assignment can take 4
or more hours. I (unlike most college students) try to get at least 8 or more
hours of sleep each night. I try to be active in my church and in Christian
groups on campus. I work in the campus library 10 or more hours each week. All
of these activities are more important to me than getting an A in all of my
classes. To me, the important thing is that I learn something from a class, not
that I have the best grade in it. I think that I have learned a lot in
Philosophy this semester, but I do not think that the amount of papers I have
produced has anything to do with it. While I have learned things from the papers
I have written, I believe that I do not need to write 12 papers in order to
learn all that I can from Philosophy.
One exception to my point would be in math and science classes. In classes like
those, there is a direct correlation between the amount of homework that a
student is doing and how much they are learning from the course. Take my
aforementioned computer programming class for example. In that class, I have to
do the homework (and all of it!) in order to really understand the material the
class is covering. Sometimes that homework may take quite a while, and I get
frustrated and give up. But those are the sections that I still don’t
understand, since I never put them into practical application by completing the
homework.
Students must take both sides of this issue into account. They must determine
how much effort they are going to put into each of their classes. Hopefully,
they will determine this based on a desire for learning, not a desire to avoid
homework. I believe, along with Prof. Stump, that it is possible to get a great
education here at Bethel, but I do not believe that the amount a student learns
is necessarily based on the amount of homework they produce.
Works Cited
Stump, Jim. “’Stump Speeches’ returns: education requires work.” The Bethel
Beacon 12 April 200: 3.
Please Send All Comments Or Suggestions To: Ruth