My favorite class on fall 2014 essay samples

During college and university periods, students take different classes in which they learn and acquire more knowledge about many important things. For my third semester at Valencia College which was in the fall of 2014, I have chosen a class without knowing how interesting it would be for me. Every professor around the world has different ways for teaching many things. My class Introduction to Humanity with doctor Jeffery Donley has been the best class that I have ever taken. During the entire semester, I have learned a lot about different cultural and historical significances but the most important for me were Cleopatra story and the performing arts of the greatest singers. Professor Donley is one of those professors who engage with students with his method of teaching. There are many reasons why I enjoyed and learned with doctor Jeffery Donley, the Cleopatra story, and the performing of greatest singers.
First, Doctor Donley knows how to tell a story which makes the learning process easier. Doctor Donley has a particular method of telling that made me understand every story he told in each class. His way of teaching is fascinating. For instance, he relates the story as if he had lived when the story took place. As many people know, Cleopatra was of Greek origin known by the prefix of Super woman of power. Many people think that Cleopatra was Egyptian because her father Ptolemy XII was a pharaoh who ruled Egypt after Alexander the Great’s death during the Hellenistic period. Cleopatra was born 69 BC. She became a new pharaoh of Egypt after her father’s death when she was eighteen years old, and she named Julius Caesar’s son Caesarion (Ptolemy XV). Doctor Donley told her story as if he was a family member of Ptolemaic dynasty or a close friend of Cleopatra. When he said that: “ Cleopatra was not as beautiful as Hollywood pretend the audience to think or that she was beautiful but not that much as she was a smart woman who knew nine languages and a very sensual women that had a great personality and a beautiful voice,” he made me believe and I got into the story as if I had known her well too. His method of explaining the story with his knowledge and without the usage of books makes him a great teacher because for a foreign student as I am, it is much easier to understand words in a form of telling it as a story than to understand words in the narrative of a history book. Moreover, the performing arts of greatest singers was a stupendous unit in which doctor Donley showed different musical genres and taught the students how to analyze with the elements of the greatest singers such as legato line, effortless, passagio, vibrato, etc. For instance, there were various performances of Andrea Bocelli who is my favorite opera singer where I learned how perfect vibrato, legato line, effortless, and timbre are. Nowadays, when I listen to any song, I think about these elements and consider it important to know who greatest singers are.
Second, sufficient knowledge engages more concentration on any topic. If the professor is well prepared for explanation of a topic, then it is much easier for the students to learn. Additionally, the advice to be well prepared for every class is important for the general understanding of the material presented at class. Doctor Donley’s knowledge makes it clear on how important is a good preparation before explaining or talking about something. For example, holding a class without a hand note or a book reveals how smart he is. In other words, he holds a lecture without the use of books or hand notes. When he explained the story of Cleopatra he mentioned every detail including significant dates and names. Enough knowledge made me understand the real story told by a sage of his profession. Cleopatra’s story is very important and it is considered to be a part of our general knowledge because it has a historical significance. In this way, my new knowledge about the story is very important for me because now I now know many things that I did not read before and have not been told. Apart from the stated reasons, watching and knowing different performances of greatest artist made me learn about the most important artists in the world that I have never heard about. For instance, I did not know the great quality singers exist such as Judy Garland, Sissel, Sarah Brightman, Marilyn McCoo, and many others. Now, I enjoy in the magnificent voices of those greatest singers who are big stars.
Third and the last reason for enjoying this class is the professor’s attitude towards explaining important things which arouse interest in students to know more about them. I think that the attitude reflects and describes everything about a person. Doctor Donley has always been a neutral person that brings enthusiasm for learning important culturally-historical topics that are significant. The way he describes every story or a topic with a movement or with acting a scene makes it much easier for a student to understand a story. Cleopatra’s story and the performing arts of greatest singers where described and showed by his actuation. For instance, when he was describing when Antony killed himself and Cleopatra’s reaction, I could feel how dramatic it was and absorbed the knowledge quickly. Additionally, he described and acted the scene of how Cleopatra got into the palace by a carpet in order to meet Julius Caesar. Those actuations and demonstrations gave me the opportunity to see how well the professor was for was this topic. On the other hand, in the performing arts he convinces the students on how greatest the singers are before watching a video and then he explains the excitement in the lecture notes.
Thanks for teaching me! You are a great person!