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Since we seem to have classified this course as “somewhat unstructured,” I’m questioning why I’ve been writing these responses in such a structured way, when my thoughts after class are anything but.  Am I just trying to add structure?  So – at least for this post I think it will be more useful to write out my thoughts in bullet form (although that in itself is a form of structure).

-Sometimes I feel like I must be the only person in this course who has had a formative or personality-building experience within the bounds of formal education.  When I think back about the classes I’ve taken and what I’ve learned, I actually do recall moments of true education and fun.  We’ve talked about how much of learning takes place outside of the classroom – but I’ve definitely had character-building experiences within the classroom.  Am I the only one who has had such positive experiences within a school setting? 

-The above point makes me think that there is very little distinction between “rewarding” and “fun,” and both are valid reasons to do something.  Fun may even encompass “rewarding” in its purest form.  However, sometimes people label things that they feel the need to justify as “rewarding” simply because they hope it will be in the future.  Often when people say something is rewarding, it’s a way to feel like they’re properly appreciating an opportunity.

-Someone made the comment, “structure doesn’t exist – I exist” when we were discussing how one can (if one can) know whether orders and structure are for a good purpose.  If we can trust ourselves to be able to think independently – why isn’t that enough of a check on structure to know when it is seriously inhibiting our well-being and education?  Also, other people create structure and the society we live in.  Since all of these things are human invention, why can’t we put trust or faith into these constructions?  If we can’t trust structure and society to help us, is this because these things have gained a momentum of their own and are no longer within human control – or do we just not trust those who have the power to set structure?