The Joys and Irritations of History

The readings for Monday ran the gamut in terms of the emotions they elicited from me.   Rolvaag's essay, while it did not draw upon nearly as much research or proof as I would have liked for making a convincing argument about Norwegian spirit and the inadequacy of American schools in relation to other countries, was pleasant to read.  He embodied a love for both St. Olaf, Norwegian heritage, and being American that I think well reflects what I consider the "St. Olaf Spirit"  I was struck in my own research how much the "Norwegian Spirit" and love of freedom relates to the American spirit.  No wonder Norwegian immigrants did so well here, and no wonder St. Olaf continues to operate to this day.   He also nicely addressed the issue of moving forward and raising the bar on education, an issue which constantly presents itself to educators.  Boe, on the other hand, I found to be completely insensitive and rude.   His letter to Macalaster assumed a Norwegian superiority over the Scottish (and being equally Scottish and Norwegian in my heritage, I found this annoying.)  His letter to the student was really the worst offense, however,  While he came from a more traditonal time, during a war nonetheless, He refused to even consider the opinions of the student and told him he was stupid and should go to a different school.  That is not particularily modern or encouraging of learning, or innovative.  He could have at least been civil in his letter.   It makes me have very little respect for him.   The final two news-clippings were sweet, and I thought showed the positive aspects of a culturally-based college in creating a lasting community as well as the difficulties of homogeny in an increasingly diverse world and student body.