Hi all,
Again, I am Nicole Gremaud and am a chemistry major. This is my last semester here at SLU, as I will graduate in May with a BS! I couldn't be more excited! Last September, I became a proud mother to a beautiful little boy, who has changed me in so many unexplainable ways. With him, there is never a moment I do not have a smile on my face!
Anyway, enough about me. As a chemistry major, I wasn't to fond of the idea of taking a 300 level English class. Why? With some Humanities professors, I find them subjective and set in their own ways. Thus, being a science major, I prefer objectivity, where things exists independent of mind. However, I scrolled through the list and came across the title of English 327. After reading through the catalog entry and of course, finding ratings for the teacher, I thought this class might allow for more individual thought, rather than molding to what is already presumed by the teacher. So far, this is exactly what I have found. Therefore, in the class I hope to obviously receive a good grade, but most importantly, read instances of others' experiences with silence and speaking in rhetoric and literature and relate them with my own life. I also hope to learn from these particular pieces and become more of an individual by expressing myself through speaking and silence.
In addition, speaking has never been an issue for me. I am extremely outspoken and always tell it like I see it! My mother says I am exactly like my father and she is not a huge advocate of things we have to say most of the time. Therefore, silence has never seemed to come very easy. This was until I learned that listening is equally important as speaking. There can be no good speaking without good listening first. Also, I've come to realize that silence can be just as powerful at times as speaking, such as in protest and making a point. Thus, silence has become a major part of my being, especially now with a four month old! I must listen to realize his needs and respond accordingly. In conclusion, speaking and silence go hand-in-hand and it is near impossible to have one without the other. Thanks for listening to what I had to say! I look forward to listening to you!
Nicole Gremaud
Hey Nicole, Congratulations on becoming a mother and on being a soon-to-be graduate! I bet it feels amazing to see some light at the end of the long tunnel of schooling. Maybe this class came at the perfect time for you. You are on the road of constant speaking. I assume you will be looking for a job, interviewing, and parenting your child. These are all moments of presenting yourself and speaking for you and your family, but for the purposes of this class you can have moments of silence to listen to other’s experiences or to reflect on your own accomplishments and gifts. You said having a four month old has helped add silence in your life. I do not have a child, but my experience with children is that it is difficult to find silence. I hope your silence is as much enjoyable as spending time with your son.
ReplyDeleteI feel the exact same way about the class. At first, I was a little nervous when I found out that I needed to take a literature class since it is not really related to my major, but so far its not too bad. I like the idea of this class being based on individual thought, and it seems like there is going to be alot of chances to come up with our own work or develop our own opinions on stuff.
ReplyDeleteI share the same opinion you do on taking a Humanities class. I feel that the subjectiveness of the teacher could possibly undermine my hard work in the class and give me a bad grade.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you plan on doing after graduation? I'm a pre-med Biology major and I am always interested to see what other students are doing who aren't going to attend med school as it helps me learn more about what I could do with my degree.
Hi Nicole! First off, I want to congratulated you on receiving your BS! That's amazing! Also, I really admire the fact that you are successful even though you have a beautiful young boy. Most women can't do what you did. I agreed with you when you said that there can be no good speaking without good listening first, it is absolutely true! Another thing I agreed with was when you mentioned that silence was as gold as speaking, I never really thought of it that way so thanks for making me realize that! Great blog!
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