The Blog Returns with Brianna

Vol. 3 No. 16

Hello, friends.  This blog has been quiet for a bit as we work out how to launch a somewhat new approach to the blog.  We are going to start trying to have more and more students share their experiences with Honors and the work they are doing in their Honors classes.  If you want to share some thoughts, please email me at honorsstudies@flcc.edu.

This week, our blog comes from Brianna Smith ('19) who is an AA Liberal Arts and Sciences : Literature major who is graduating this May.  She is heading up north to SUNY Potsdam to continue studying Literature and would like to someday be a professor.  Perhaps at a fine community college like this one!

Honor’s Blog.

When I started my search for transfer schools, the second question (after: do they have my major?) that I asked was: do they have an Honor’s program? If the answer was no, they were automatically shifted down my list of potentials. But if the answer was yes, I began to delve deeper, needing to know if transfer students could be accepted and what the program looked like. I settled at last on SUNY Potsdam, who offer an Honor’s program for which transfer students are eligible, a program which, like Honors Studies at FLCC, promise smaller class sizes and an enhanced learning experienced. This search however was not unprompted nor the result of errant curiosity.

Since I began my collegiate journey I have found that my experiences as an Honors student have been among the most formative of my time at FLCC. Though I stumbled into Honors quite on accident I became immediately smitten and soon designated myself an Honors Studies scholar. The Honors courses at FLCC have allowed me to realize a more complete image of myself and for the first time craft a vision of my future which feels both satisfying and achievable. During my time in the program, I have completed thus far twenty-four honors credits, have attended dinners and convocations, and have been invited to speak to faculty about what the program means from a student perspective. Yet I’m not unique in this.

The gift of Honors is that it opens students up to a world of possibility they often never knew existed before. By fostering curiosity and the academic tradition through conversational avenues, Honors Studies gives students the gift of exploration – both of various topics, and of themselves. Honors also gifts to students a chance to share their unique experiences regaining their Honors events and courses and fosters an environment where student voices are highly valued and variant perspectives seen as equitable in what they bring to discussion. The reason so many students come back to Honors semester after semester is that it gives a chance to find and share one’s voice, and oftentimes a platform to do so beyond even the walls of the classroom. Through Honors, students build deep and lasting relationships with one another and rapport with professors and staff, bonds that last far beyond the walls of the Honors House.

This is my last semester at FLCC, and though a stringent schedule has prevented me from adding to my Honors class-list I still consider myself deeply entrenched in Honors Studies. Perhaps this gets at the most beautiful, most poignant lesson I have yet learned through Honors: that it never leaves you. Honors is not a spring flower which withers away, but rather is a bud which, when properly nourished, plants roots deep inside of your heart. The lessons which have strengthened me as a learner and an individual, the unforgettable nights spent in three hour seminars, the friendships I have built through the program – they will all remain with me long after I have last looked upon those hallowed halls. I want too, to believe like that though I shall soon be whisked away from the smell of brewing tea and the soft whispering of carpeted footsteps, some semblance of me will remain with the house and with Honors. Because Honors’ greatest gift is its people, the students and staff who make it possible, who give Honors a life all its own. We are all a part of that life, whether a student earns three credits or thirty. I’d like to image that when I am in a new Honors program, even three hours from this place which has become home, I will carry Honors with me with the certainty that it now carries some of me in exchange. 

My Honors Journey - Student Words

Vol 2 No 28

Below is the transcript of the speech given by graduating Honors Studies Scholar Tyler Deskins, class of 2018.  A graduate of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Mathematics track, Tyler is heading on to SUNY Potsdam in the fall to study math with the hopes of getting into their BA/MA concurrent program in the spring.  We wish Tyler all the best as he moves on.  Also, student guest bloggers are  my favorite posts to make and I hope that you enjoy it as well...

My name is Tyler Deskins and I am a mathematics major here at FLCC. (I hope that doesn’t scare anyone away) Today I’ve been asked to reflect a little on what the honors program has meant to me in my journey at FLCC.  I honestly don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that without my involvement in this honors program, I would not be the type of learner that I am today.  At the very least, I would not be striving for academics in the way I am right now, nor would I have that drive that keeps me going.  A great deal of my development as a learner has occurred in these honors classes.  I’ve experienced some of my greatest challenges in them, I’ve celebrated some of my greatest triumphs in them with my fellow students, and perhaps most importantly, my college career started in the honors program as well.

My first semester attending FLCC was in the spring of 2015.  I was 16 years old at the time and this was meant to be an introductory semester for me.  Since the fourth grade up until that point in my life, I was homeschooled, and I had been away from a classroom for such a long period that I was just trying to get myself acclimated to the academic environment again.  I started by taking two classes that semester.  Loving mathematics, it was natural for me to take an introductory statistics class.  Not so natural, however, was my decision to enroll in an honors English 101 course.  At the time (I apologize Dr. Merrill) I detested English. * Dr. Merrill interjects “We’ve been doing this back and forth forever.” *  In part because I didn’t really know what the subject was.  I thought that English was learning information just to regurgitate it back to the professors.  Merely paraphrasing information, not the critical thinking I now know it to be.  Additionally, at the time I was quite nervous about my competency.  Without a high school education, I believed I would not be able to excel at the English course.  However, despite my anxiety over the subject (and with a bit of prodding from my parents), I enrolled.

The peak of my anxiety in that class occurred during our third class meeting.  I don’t recall why the subject was introduced, but we were having a class discussion about what we’ve learned in high school about English.  Part way though, Professor Margaret Gillio began her side of the discussion by saying “So we all know these ‘rules of English’ that we learned in high school…” and she began listing things such as paragraph structure, how to format a sentence properly, etc.  My heart sank.  Never had I formally learnd those rules.  I could understand them – after all, I had passed the placement exam to get into English 101 – but I was terrified that I would now be failing this class because I did not have these rules memorized.  And then I heard her say (I’m paraphrasing a little, but not much) “Now you know that list of rules you learned in high school?  Take it, crumple it up, throw it out the window.  It does not belong in a collegiate level English classroom. Part of what you will be doing in this class, and what may be a great challenge for some of you, is unlearning these supposed ‘rules.’”  That little speech gave me a great deal of encouragement because, for what seemed like the first time, I realized I was ahead of the curb because I didn’t have a high school education; which was awesome!!  As a result, I attacked the rest of the work in that semester.  Instead of just trying to pass the class I actively engaged with the material and gave it thought.  It was still very challenging for me, but I enjoyed every minute of it.  It was such an amazing learning experience for me. 

            My next semester – again, I was attending part time so I only took two classes that semester as well – I didn’t enroll in any honors classes.  In part because I didn’t know what the difference between honors and non-honors classes were.  The two classes I took were Interpersonal Communications and another English class; Composition II.  Surprisingly, that Composition II class is probably one of my favorite classes I’ve ever taken, largely because the instructor ran it much like an honors class.  The Interpersonal Communications class felt very… different; and not in a good way.  I disliked the class’s lecture style as well as the expectation of just assimilating information – like what I thought English was the year before – just to regurgitate it on an exam or paper.  I didn’t at the time, but I now understand what sets the Honors Classes apart.  In an Honors Class, the goal is to foster and develop critical thought.  They use the course curriculum as an opportunity to practice critical thinking in a supportive environment.  In traditional classes, you get the most out of them if you have that ability to think critically but a lot can be missed without it.  In them, critical thought is a prerequisite for true understanding but not a learning outcome.

            The following semester I relapsed and found myself taking three honors classes; a Psychology class, an Introduction to Literature class, and a chemistry class (while not typically an Honors Class it was made one through an honors contract).  The first two subjects I never expected to engage in, much less enjoy.  But to my surprise I loved both of them and became really immersed in the material.  The chemistry class was much more challenging.  What an honors contract means is that I am essentially the only one in my class doing the critical thought that is the hallmark of an Honors Class.  It was very difficult without the community of Honors Students to help support my inquiry and development.  But I found this to be a very helpful learning experience as well.  This Semester I did an independent study– not an honors independent study but one in advanced mathematics – and the chemistry course from that semester helped prepare me for the inquiry that I would have to do on my own in order to understand the material.  This was my first step in doing such major inquiry on my own; something that I will certainly need to do again if I choose to pursue a graduate degree down the line.

            The following semester I took two of the hardest class I’ve ever taken; both Honors Classes.  One was Dr. Merrill’s perspectives on J. R. R. Tolkien – the author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy – and the other was a Philosophy of Ethics class by Dr. Worrell.  While I already enjoyed both subjects, these two classes forced me to engage with the material far deeper than I ever intended to.  To merely create work considered passable for both, I needed to sink a great deal of effort into each thought I put on paper.  They pushed the limits of my writing ability; they shattered the preconceived notion that I would never have to nor be able to write at such a level.  I struggled in each assignment but never gave up.  They make the education ahead of me look easy, and I am grateful for that.

            Unfortunately, that was my last semester taking an Honors Class.  For the past three semesters I’ve desperately tried to work some into my schedule but have had no success.  Regardless, I am thankful for just how well my Honors Classes have prepared me for traditional classes as I now have a firm grasp on the critical thought that is required to get the most I can out of them.  For instance, History was another subject I absolutely dreaded at the age of 16.  Similar to English, I thought it was simply repeating back to your professor the material that both you and they already knew.  I now know that assumption was completely false.  The two History classes I took at this college were amazing because I could look at them through a critical lens.  I could interact with the people in these classes who were also looking to critically engage with the material.  We tried to learn as much as we could about the causes and influences of major events and we didn’t just do that by passively listening to lectures.  We asked the professors, we challenged each other’s ideas, we found information on our own, and we had a blast doing it.

            Perhaps the most important thing my Honors Classes have taught me is to look at the interdisciplinary nature of subjects; that no subject exists in isolation.  This is especially true, believe it or not, for different topics in mathematics.  Mathematical topics are typically taught segregated.  Calculus I-III and Differential Equations are treated separate from Linear and Abstract Algebra, which in turn are treated separate from Geometry and Topology, etc.  If you’re just trying to take these classes and assimilate as much information as you can, you are certain to miss the big picture.  But when you start looking for and seeing all the connections between topics, in my opinion, that’s where the true beauty of mathematics can be found.  I mean, for goodness sake, I did a mathematics presentation this semester on forms of non-standard mathematical logic and their connections to Buddhist philosophy!  Treating the subjects as separate entities, such a natural connection may never have been made.  And this certainly isn’t a property exclusive to mathematics.

This constant curiosity is how I have developed myself as a learner and how I will continue to develop myself as a learner as I move on from FLCC.  Without this foundation that my Honors Classes have provided me with, I would not be the learner I am today.  Looking at my journey up ahead, it is very important to me that I have such a foundation.  For all the Honors instructors and students I’ve met in and out of Honors Classes –and for all people who have supported me throughout my journey as a student – I really want to thank you for creating such an amazing environment.  One where people who truly want to learn, to engage more with the material and dig deeper, can find this community and help each other grow in meaningful ways.  I hope that one day all of us accepting our honors diplomas will make you proud to have been the people who helped make us who we are.  Thank you.

Opportunities Galore

Vol 2 No 26

I cannot believe how close we are to the end of the semester!  I hope you will consider joining us at this semester’s Honors Studies Convocation!  We will have posters (still time to make one!) set up outside Stage 14 from 10:00 – 4:00 on Friday, May 4th (the same day as May Day!) and then, at 4:00, four Honors Studies students will share the work they’ve been doing this semester in one of their Honors courses.  Please join us!

And then on May 16^th, at 5:30 in Room 200 of the Honors House, we have the Honors Studies Awards Ceremony and Graduation.  Come support your fellow Honors students as they are recognized for their achievements!

These events of recognition and celebration are becoming so important to me - and, quite frankly, they give me energy as I, too, am wallowing in end-of-the-semester exhaustion.  There is something about gathering together and taking an hour or so here and there to celebrate the work being done.  To really step back and see what it is we are really doing.  It's so easy to forget that in the whirlwind of the work you are doing, your classmates and fellow students are also doing amazing work.  All of you need to be reminded that the sleepless nights, the stress and pressure, the anxiousness and obstacles are all worth it.  You are likely your own worst critic and not enough of us know what the rest of the Honors community is doing.  We have Facebook, we have Twitter (see below!), we have Honors events and we even have an Honors Club.  But let's also read the names of those who have excelled above and beyond and remind them that what they are doing matters beyond the confines of their classroom walls.  And take the time to showcase your OWN work in a poster.  Celebrate yourself.  Celebrate Honors.  Take a bow.  You've earned it and you deserve it.

In fun news, the bulletin board outside my office (Canandaigua Wing Rm 4285)  is now looking a bit more festive!  Come check it out.

Looking ahead, I am hoping to encourage more folks to look into Lori Vail’s class this fall.  We have an interesting relationship with food in today’s culture – from Instagramming pictures of our meals to trying out gastro pubs and exploring what we can do with kale.  It seems like that for every one who is desperately watching what they eat, there’s another ridiculous food choice that can be made somewhere else.  And those Girl Scout cookies!  Don’t even get me started!  J

Seriously, though, this class will explore so many ideas with food at their center that it is bound to change how you interact with this very basic human need.  I am reminded of a poem by William Carlos Williams called “This is Just to Say”:

This is Just To Say

I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox

and which

you were probably

saving

for breakfast

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet

and so cold

It has always fascinated me as a poem – centered on food and yet laced with meaning that is heavily determined by the reader.  So much of the world around us depends on our perception of things and yet there is so much truth to be discovered as well.  I hope that you will consider joining Lori Vail this fall as she takes on the exploration of food – something else that seems so simple and yet is laced with meaning that is heavily determined by the ….eater.

Honors Gets the Works

Vol. 2 No. 1

Welcome! Or…welcome back!

Over the summer, Honors Studies implemented some changes.  Here’s the rundown of what you need to know and why changes were made.

One of the most important things we tried to do was simplify the language and detach it from language that was constantly being confused with other areas of the college.  No longer will you hear about the Honors PROGRAM or Honors DEGREES, DIPLOMAS, CERTIFICATES, or CREDITS.  None of these things REALLY applied in the traditional way anyway, so it was time to make a change.  We also wanted to make it easier for students to achieve Honors status upon leaving FLCC.  So many of our programs have gotten tighter and more restrictive, and so many students are transferring to four-year schools (both SUNY and private) that it was time for us to make some changes to help you take Honors with you when you did that. 

So…what do you need to know?  In a nutshell....

• We are now officially called Honors Studies.
• If you earn 15 points of Honors Studies Experience and have a 3.25 GPA when you graduate or transfer from FLCC, you will be designated an Honors Studies Scholar on your transcript, with supporting documentation.
• There are four ways to earn Honors Studies points – three of them have not changed: Honors Studies Seminars (HON classes), Honors Studies in the Disciplines (courses with Honors in the title), and Honors Studies contracts (making a non-Honors course into Honors once you’ve taken at least one Honors course). The fourth way is by attending and reflecting on Honors Studies Events.
•  Honors Studies Events are events hosted or approved by Honors that encompass our learning outcomes and mission through the content of their offering. By attending these events, and then writing a journal and an Honors Reflective Essay about your experience, you will earn at least one point.
•  All Honors Studies Experiences will have the same basic prompt for their reflective essays – where you will be challenged to think about where you have been, where you are, and where you are going in the context of the class or event of which you were a part.

Our goals in Honors remain what they always have been – to celebrate who you are as a learner and to help you hone those qualities that will support you being a lifelong learner.  We’ve crafted a new mission statement to reflect this:

Self-reflective learning meets innovative teaching within and between the disciplines in Honors Studies at FLCC.  Our seminars and activities foster an atmosphere of interconnection, inquiry, and curiosity where students become lifelong learners.  Honors students develop the confidence to contribute to their local and global communities.

There’s lots to talk about this semester, but I don’t want to overwhelm you as you start the Fall 2017 semester, so we will keep this short.  Just remember… all you have to be is curious!  We look forward to working with you this semester and hope that you have a fantastic learning experience.

SAVE THE DATE:  October 18 – the Honors Studies Dinner!  Open to all students!

The Path of Honors

Vol. 1 No. 21

The following is the speech given by Denise Button at the Honors Graduation and Awards Ceremony held on May 10, 2017.  Denise has graduated (with 21 credits of Honors) and will be attending the University of Buffalo in the fall to study Business Administration with a focus on International Business.  Her words, as you will see, are powerful.

To all our graduates, congratulations.

First, I would like to start off by congratulating each of the honors students for all of the hard work that we have done to get to this point. 

I think that especially at a community college, it is a struggle sometimes to get through the semester between work, school, and figuring out our new place in this world.  College is a place where you get to decide who you want to be and how you want to get there.  And we all made the choice to be here, not just in college, but in honors.  When you started school and the honors program, you made a promise to yourself to work hard and earn not just an associate’s degree, but either an honors diploma or certificate. 

Once that promise was made, that meant that we had to commit to that promise and everything that it entailed – which meant going into the unknown.

Trying something new, whether it be in college, honors, or life in general means taking a risk.  And it takes courage to take risks, to be brave enough to embrace who each one of us are, and to share that with the world.  I know that when I first started attending FLCC that I was scared.  I was scared of the normal things that most people are, such as: how to afford school, how to juggle all of my many responsibilities while making new friends, and figuring out how to fit in all the other thing that I’m passionate about.  But I was also scared that I wouldn’t do as well in college as I had in high school and that maybe, just maybe, I would discover that college just wasn’t for me.   

But when I applied to FLCC, one of the first people I talked to was Trista Merrill.  I had messaged her because I needed to take an ENG 101 class, but was confused because I had noticed that one of the classes was designated as “honors”.  I didn’t know what being in “honors” meant so, after emailing back and forth with Trista, she encouraged me to try honors.  So I did.  I didn’t just learn about English from Trista, but she got me excited to go to class, and to be in school.  We all think that school can be dull, boring, or monotonous, but this wasn’t my experience in the honors program.  The learning was involved and even fun.  Yes, I learned the material, but I also learned more about myself as a person.  Honestly, some of the best classes that I have taken here at FLCC, were honors.  Honors isn’t just about hard work, but connecting with others and investing in one’s self.

I’m sure that most of us are moving on from FLCC and either continuing our education or going out into the work force.  I think that each of us will soon be able to see just how much hard work pays off.  Because each of us has earned an honors distinction that will separate us from our peers in a way that says “Hey, I didn’t just go to college, but I was also willing and dedicated to take on extra work along the way.”  This experience in college and in the honors program is something that no one can take away from you.  You have made an investment in yourself and your future.

 

And I’m sure that if you’ve had any similar experiences as I have, sometimes you get stressed and overwhelmed.  I think that we have all gotten to a point in a semester when we realize that – “I’m not doing as well as I want to this semester”.  Once you get to this point and soon realize that if you want to continue on the path that you have set for yourself, the only choice you have is to push through this feeling.  And most importantly, that it’s okay to fail and to be disappointed.  Success is a terrific thing.  But how do you get there?  The moments that define you, your character, your strength, are the moments when all you want to do is cry and give up, but you don’t.  Those defining moments when you choose to not accept failure, but to move on and keep working at your success is why you are here today. 

Not only that, but your professors probably didn’t let you give up either.  I know that without my professors here at FLCC, I wouldn’t have been able to handle going to school and juggling all of my other responsibilities.  But I always went to my professors when I knew I needed help.  My professors were more than my teachers in academics, they were teachers in life.  When I needed help, I knew that I could always turn to my professors, especially to my honors professors because I knew that I would be met with understanding and a true concern for me as a student and an individual.  So I would like to congratulate each of you again for being here.  But I would also like to thank all of the honors professors and Trista for dedicating your time to teaching and helping each one of us and reach our true potential.  Without you, we wouldn’t be here today.     

      

More Student Words

Vol 1. No 21

The following comes from David Drake, who is graduating this semester with 18 credits of Honors and transferring on to SUNY Oswego to major in Creative Writing and Linguistics.

"When I saw that the Honors Studies program would be full of active classes centered around seminar discussions rather than around lectures, I was thrilled! I knew I would benefit from this learning environment--students taking charge of discussions, instructors participating in homework assignments with the students, the atmosphere of autonomous learning (especially when given the option to pursue my curiosity with an Honors contract for a non-Honors course)--it was, in a word, perfect! Classrooms were full of mutual respect, even during times of challenges. Students collectively overcame obstacles together, and because of that, the students learned from each other just as much--and sometimes more--from the professor. And I think it was the same way with the professors: Their learning experiences continued by facilitating these Honor Studies courses. I am, simply and sincerely, honored to have been a part of the Finger Lakes Community College Honors Studies program!"

We wish Dave, and all the Honors Graduates, the very best as they head onward in their journey.

Contracts Matter!

Vol. 1. No. 15

A guest blogger for this issue as we begin a new semester.  The following little blurb was written by FLCC student, Noel Scouten, (Human Services, '18).  I asked her to write a little bit about her experience with Honors, especially in regards to the Honors Contract option.  Here's what she has to say...

One of the most important things I have learned here at FLCC is that self-reflection is necessary for advancement and any form of success. I learned this from Dr. Trista Merrill’s honors program and I am sure it is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I am currently working on an honors diploma with the help of Trista and I genuinely believe it is a key ingredient in the confidence I have academically and for my future. She has tirelessly worked with my schedule and the many times I have changed my major. The preponderance and brobdingnagian help being the option of honors contracts. This allows you to transform an ordinary class into an honors class simply by keeping a journal and completing a self-reflection essay based on your betterment in that class. I have completed one of my two contracts I may utilize for my honors diploma and am looking forward to utilizing my second and final contract.

Noel did her contract for Introduction to Literature because she couldn't fit the Honors section into her schedule. Often, however, students convert courses for which we don't have HAVE Honors sections.  I've seen successful contracts completed for such wildly diverse courses as General Chemistry, Workshop in Creative Non Fiction, Western Civilization, Addiction Counseling, Contemporary Biology, and Foundation Drawing II.

Do you want to know more?  Email:  honorsstudies@flcc.edu