The Definition of Confidence

Anxiety:
An internal reaction to stressors.
But what am I stressed about?
Life?

Life:
A chance to change the world.
But what am I doing to change it?
Nothing?

Nothing:
An absolute zero; emptiness.
But why do I feel this way?
Time?

Time:
An opportunity to make the most of.
But what if I don’t?
Loss?

Loss:
No chance to change the past.
So how do I move forward?
Resilience?

Resilience:
An ability to overcome.
But where do I go?
Future?

Future:
Something that has yet to take place.
But how do I plan it?
Dream?

Dream:
An ideal outcome in one’s eyes.
But how do I make it come true?
Confidence?

Confidence:
The ability to Dream of the Future and to show Resilience during Lost Time, so that Nothing will let Life be controlled by Anxiety.

What are we forgetting about STEM education?

Careers in STEM fields have become a growing importance throughout the world, and this has been reflected in education. The push towards STEM can be seen very clearly at Purdue University. As a graduate student in education at Purdue, a university traditionally known for its strong Engineering program, I have become particularly interested in STEM education from K-12 all the way through undergraduate studies. The United States has made a strong push towards STEM, and rightly so. Careers in these fields occupy a majority of job vacancies in this country. However, there is something I worry about. One of the keys to being successful in these fields is innovation. We seem to be looking only at the surface of the problem. Yes, encouraging to students to pursue careers in these fields is great, but how do we encourage students to think outside the box?

The term “thinking outside the box” is typically associated with creativity, and innovation is a direct result of creativity. However, highly structural classes often seem to forget this. We pump information into students. All of this information is important, but can it be transferred to innovation? Unfortunately, I don’t think STEM is providing enough opportunities for creative thinking that is needed. A friend in computer science recently said to me, “Anyone can learn the material, but being able to write code and being able to write algorithms separate the boys from the men in computer science.” Neither task is easy, but there is a level of innovative thinking needed to do the latter; and technology seems to do a better job at focusing on some level of creativity than the other three.

In science, engineering, and math it seems like pumping information into students brains is more important than applying it to “outside the box thinking”. Students are encouraged to learn exactly what they are told. A lot of students I know in these fields graduate college without one creative thought in their head. Students shut down there right brain to try to make room for more information. If students fail, there are exiled instead of encouraged to keep trying. This encourages students to do exactly what they are told, and to fear being judged for “outside the box” thinking. Innovation will not happen if individuals are afraid to suggest new ideas. A lot of tech companies encourage brainstorming and coming up with new ideas, but that is not the case in many corporations today.

So what are we forgetting about STEM education? Could it be that a healthy and innovative person could benefit from classes that encourage creative thinking? I would think so, but we keep cutting classes that are typically thought of as creative. Most K-12 programs are cutting art, music, and drama programs as they lose funding. Most college students in STEM fields go through all of undergrad without taking any of these classes as well. How can we discourage creativity and the arts but encourage innovation? It doesn’t seem to make sense. As a recruiter, I would love to see a Mechanical Engineering student with a minor in art and design, or a Chemistry student with minor in music, but we do not encourage this as a country. I just hope the push for STEM is not pushing out creativity. Let’s fight for our arts, and turn STEM programs into STEAM programs before students completely lose their originality and uniqueness. Now that could make a huge difference!

Overly Neurotic with a fear of Life

What’s wrong with today’s society
Girls got their wedding planned by the time their 16
We all like to sit down in front of the T.V.
And idolize kids knocked up in their teens

But what we don’t realize, is what we don’t see
Life’s not free when your raising babies
Parents with grand kids before seeing degrees
Diapers more important than college money
and were not  all famous from pregnancy.

Kids growing up too fast
Thinking ’bout life, thinking ’bout cash
Making the decision to give up youth is rash
‘Cause once you grow up, there’s no going back.

Welcome to the world of technology
Quick answers, quick friends, quick enemies
Facebook made stalking legal for everybody
and drama between friends increases exponentially

No wonder new generations are the “Me” and the “I”
No wonder psych problems are at an all time high
I-pads, I-phones, I cannot hide
Connected to the world with no friends in sight
Overly neurotic with a fear of life.

Kids growing up too fast
Thinking ’bout life, thinking ’bout cash
Making the decision to give up youth is rash
‘Cause once you grow up, there’s no going back.

On a train to nowhere

Sitting on a train to nowhere.Waiting for my stop to come. The train is crowded as no one leaves. Sitting is only for the elders. Some have been here for years. Not phased by the everyday routine. Acting as if they have no control over their lives. The nuances of each day acting as their only sense of joy. Newer faces still have hope, waiting for their stop to come. But as time moves on, glimmers fade into monotony. Hoping that one day a seat will open up. Most have given up on reaching their stop, but those who get off look relieved. No more path to follow. No one to push out of the way. I can only wonder, why wait?

Creativity and Expression

Never thought that I would start my own blog, but here I am. As a recent graduate from the university level, I have finally got a taste of the real world. It is quite shocking, in both good and bad ways. I would love to share my experiences with others, and of course express my thoughts and emotions.

While I am not a writer by trade, expression through writing has been an outlet for thoughts and emotions for ages, and I would like to be a part of it. There is something ever so soothing about writing to me, and while I might not be the next Shakespeare, I am using the same methods of expression as he did (minus the computer of course).

This brings me to the topic of expression. Why do we live in a world where expression and emotion are frowned upon? As a child we are born with energy and imagination.We are told to be ourselves, but as we age there is a certain kind of person the world molds us into. Emotion and expression are forgotten and instincts and knowledge become our primary indicators for decision making. Acting instinctual makes us no different than any other species on the earth. It turns us back into cavemen, yet we somehow think we are special. Solely using knowledge turns us into robots. I am sitting in front of a computer that can answer almost any question in the world, as long as I know how to use it. I don’t need to know everything.

I refuse to be a caveman, and I do not want to become a robot, therefore I must be human. I have been given the ability to express myself. I am not on autopilot, and that is a blessing. As the human race continues to mature, we have become more and more independent of each other, but interactions with others is not bad. It is great that we can do everything ourselves, but the fear of loneliness seems to be greater than ever. I want to connect with people on an intellectual and emotional level. I want to be proud of who I am, and I can do this through expression.

My outlet I have decided to use today (and hopefully in the future) is writing, but it is not the only way. Everyone should have a way of expressing themselves, whether it be through art, dance, music, or literature. I truly believe that these forms of expression encourage creativity, which in turn will help our species evolve for the better.

However, these are the areas being cut from education. Encouraging our children to be uncreative, and use their brains and not their hearts. How can we let this happen? There is more need in our workforce for employees in science, and technology, and engineering, and mathematics; but why should we kill creativity and expression? All employers say that they look for employees who can make a difference. Without creativity and expression, I believe that a difference will not be made.