Learning Expands When Students Serve Others
“Actions speak louder than words” reminds us that effort and achievement reveal more about our character than verbal claims.The same can be said about education. Learning with action can be as effective, or even more effective, than learning from words. To tell the truth, I like lectures; great teachers inspire me with great lectures. Yet practical experiences are what enabled me to understand and apply the ideas behind the words.
As a student at Concordia, I learned Biblical Greek by listening to Professor Pavel, but understanding the language and its message occurred by plunging in and reading what God had inspired. Sometimes experience even challenges theory. I remember Dr. Peter teaching us in physics class that starting friction is greater than sliding friction. During Christmas vacation, when my cousin got his pickup stuck in the snow, I applied my newly learned principles to the situation and observed that he’d never get out by “gunning” it so much. “OK,” he commented, “use your starting friction!” After I failed, he roared out of the snow with racing motor and spinning wheels and said, “This old truck really doesn’t care about the laws of physics.” I still trust Dr. Peter’s theory, but how to convert that old truck to the scientific age remains a problem!
Even in testing theories, experiences teach us much. As one example, as president of Concordia University, I have learned again and again that joy in life comes from seeing and interpreting things from different perspectives. I had already learned that in college when refereeing sports.
My classmate, Howard Patten, and I often refereed basketball games together; I think we worked well as a team, usually officiating high school or church basketball. Once, some friends asked us to substitute for them and referee an industrial league game. It was a nightmare. Anger greeted every call we made. As Howard and I sat in the referees’ dressing room after the game, we wondered if it was safe to leave the building. Then came a knock on the door, and the two opposing team coaches entered. Our hearts sank! How much anger was left? To our amazement they asked, “Would you guys transfer to this league? This was the best refereed game we had all year.”
I like to share that story with students because I think the experience applied important life lessons about things I learned in psychology, sociology, history, literature, art, science and even theology. For one thing, reason and emotions influence the way we think and act. By the way, with reason and emotion, Howard and I declined transferring to the league.
I celebrate the fact Concordia students today have more opportunities for guided learning through experiences on- and off-campus than most of us in the past. They have opportunity to supplement classroom learning with active learning through extracurricular involvement - everything from mission trips, tutoring neighborhood children, leading youth and Sunday school programs in congregations; feeding the homeless at the Dorothy Day Center, participating in athletics and other activities that all support and promote learning outside of the classroom.
A Concordia University education is truly enhanced when students have the opportunity to get involved, develop leadership skills, expand their minds and serve others. A Concordia University education is truly enhanced when professors mentor and monitor such activities using theory, data, discipline and critical evaluation.
As always, thank you for your interest and support of our students. May this edition of Concordia St. Paul magazine inspire you to celebrate how students learn by listening and by doing.
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Robert Holst
President
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