Over
the course of this semester I have had the privilege of being taught by a
professor who genuinely cares about her students. Coming all the way from New
York, adjusting to college was an even larger transformation than the average
student undergoes. Being over 1,000 miles away from home and leaving the
comfortable relationships that have been built with your high school teachers
can be rough. Yet from the moment I walked into Melissa
Soldani-Lemon’s classroom I felt not only at home, but I felt welcomed and a
direct sense of pride via the orchestration of the class. From the start of the
semester to now, I have been instilled with useful ways to elaborate my
learning not only in her class, but in all of my classes. The research projects
I completed this semester have highlighted a new base of knowledge, and the
better understanding I now have on American history.
Over the course of this past semester, I have researched
several “casefiles” and had the opportunity to dig deeper into what was on the
surface of these documents. Professor Soldani classifies a casefile as
documents in history that can have more meaning then the words blatantly
written on them. These casefile investigations allowed me to make connections I
didn’t think I could do prior to these projects. I was
able to turn class lectures into narratives, as the lessons were not “cookie
cut outs” of what a textbook claims history is. Professor Soldani displayed a
genuine love for the material she taught and was able to garner the interests
of the
class by making the course material relatable to the
students. The lessons taught, and the research shown through this course was
far more effective than a grade could ever prove.
The casefile investigations were a vital
part of this class, as it captured a part of
American history that lectures simply couldn’t. For
examples, when given a document like a State Prison file on a random man from
the early 20th century, it can seem pointless or
hopeless as to anything productive coming out of it. Yet, that statement could
not be falser. I was able to take a record of conviction on one man, and figure
out his whole family, where he’s from, his conviction, and why he carried out
the crime. By researching through ancestry.com and other trustworthy resources,
I composed a detailed explanation as to what was lying under the documents I
investigated with no prior information other than the initial document given.
Over the course of this semester, the
lectures were brought to life by the passion of Professor Soldani and allowed
me to leave every session of class knowing that I have a teacher who cares and
implements fundamentals of life into history and our school work. When peer
reviewing classmate’s casefile investigation’s, I was able to see the thought
process of others and how they made connections during their own
investigations. Feedback is a vital aspect of mental growth, so being able to
give and receive feedback from a variety of students implemented the
opportunity to seek more opinions than just the one that a singular professor
would provide. Every time I would start my research with a task of turning
virtually nothing into something, I always would finish with thorough research,
and a sense of pride on the connections I did not even know I could make.
The research that this course consisted of allowed me to
develop my connection making skills, which is a critical learning strength
throughout school, and life in general. The rather
cliché (and true) quote, “History repeats itself,” is
supported by the fundamentals I have gained in my research, and in this class.
To put my thought into simpler terms, historical education is built on making
connections, and so is life. As the course progressed I noticed a pattern that
everything taught or researched in the class, would somehow makes its way back
into historical context sooner or later in the class.
Professor Soldani managed to make this course loaded with
detail, yet manageable and intriguing for the students. I have gained valuable
analytical skills needed for research in this day and age of the 21st century, thanks to this course. In a rapidly growing
society, being able to break things down and apply your knowledge to a task is
an invaluable skill that can’t be bought. After taking this course, I can
easily say this course – but more importantly this teacher
– is more than I could have asked for in my first
semester in college, and I am forever grateful for that. Professor Melissa
Soldani-Lemon has shown me the future standard of what a productive
college course should look like, and I am a more confident student thanks to
the skills that she has helped me garner.
