Attending a liberal arts college has many benefits. By choosing to attend

Manchester College I have been exposed to new ideas and concepts that I would not have

been introduced to otherwise. “The purpose of a liberal arts curriculum is to help students

fulfill their responsibilities as citizens and grow into cultured and versatile individuals. A

liberal education is concerned with the development of moral, spiritual, and aesthetic

values as well as analytical abilities. Intellectually, a liberal arts education encourages

students to develop their curiosity, embrace uncertainty, and explore”

(www.manchester.edu). Graduates who attend a liberal arts college have a well

rounded education, and have experience with other subjects other then their own

expertise.

          A requirement of Attending Manchester is to take a religion course. I took

Christian Faith my freshman year, and my eyes were opened. I myself, am a Christian but

had no idea how the religion was started, and how it spread so quickly and became the

religion of the majority of the people in the world. By taking this class I learned

 the specifics of a very important aspect in people’s lives: their religion.

          I also was required to take an ethics course. I tool Ethical Decision Making, a

class in which I feel really broadened my horizons, and exposed me to a larger world,

and made me see things from a different perspective. I learned so much from other people

and their opinions in this class. I had no idea how small of a world I was living in!

By taking this course, my mind was opened to new ideas and concepts about

different moral, ethical, and spiritual issues I had never even thought of before. I feel this

class provided me with a “body of knowledge that can be applied to larger contexts”           

( www.manchester.edu).The moral issues I was introduced to in the class, and the

discussions afterwards have helped me become a more opened minded person. I feel I

have a greater respect for people’s differences and their opinions. I learned that

everyone’s opinion is important, and we can all learn from each other.

          Manchester also requires us to attend a Diversity Workshop. My sophomore year

I attended this workshop given by a professor at Manchester. During the workshop I

realized how big of impact prejudice still has on people today, and how I as an individual

can resist prejudice, and help others realize that everyone should be treated equally.

During the workshop we did role playing in which one person of the group was

discriminated against. Then the professor taught us ways to constructively

confront people about their prejudices. These conflict resolution ideas will help me a

great deal in the classroom. I will have ideas on ways to teach children to accept

one another, and embrace each others differences.

          Experiencing the Arts was another required class that I found very beneficial. I

remember going to the Institute of Art in Chicago before I had taken any class on the arts,

and thinking it was really boring. I did not recognize many of the paintings, and I did not

know at the time the significance they held, or the genre they were painted in. After

taking Experiencing the Arts, I learned about different artists and genres of painting. The

following January Tern I went back to the Institute of Art, and found it very

interesting, and amazing! I recognized many of the paintings from my class. This gave

each painting a new meaning for me.

In class I had a favorite painter, Matisse. The following spring, after taking

Experiencing the Arts, I was at the Institute. After being taught about Matisse’s

paintings, they held a great deal of significance because I knew the story behind them. I

felt like I understood the artist and where he was coming from. I actually could explain

how and why the painting was important, and why it was painted in the first place.

          When I become a teacher in the future, my liberal arts education, and the

knowledge I have required from the classes I took will be very beneficial. During the

Diversity Workshop I learned a lot about culture, and how important it is to people. This

will help me while teaching in a multicultural setting. The class Experiencing the Arts

has exposed me to the different types of  art and music. This will help me when planning

lessons on the arts. I learned how important the arts are to a balanced education, and I

feel comfortable teaching the different aspects of art after taking this course. Overall I

feel I will be a better educator, and more knowledgeable about the broad range of subject

areas required to teach at the elementary level because of attending Manchester College.

Attending a liberal arts college has forced me to open my eyes and mind and

think “outside the box.” I can look at things from a global perspective. I have learned to

question things in which I believe our wrong, and express my opinion in a constructive

way. A liberal arts education broadens horizons and opens one mind to a new way of

thinking.