A500.3.4.RB_MedleyKim Hunt or Google

          How often do we hear someone answer a question with, “Just Google it”? Decades ago, my father gave similar advice. Whenever I would ask a question, often times I was told to, “Look it up in your Funk & Wagnalls”. Today, my children would raise an eyebrow and look at me as if I were speaking a foreign language if I gave the same advice. Technology has literally put the answers to our questions at our fingertips. The only problem with such instant gratification is we no longer question the answers. A Google search is conducted, the first entry that pops up is often chosen, we believe the answer because; after all, if it’s on the Internet; it must be true, right? Scholarly resources, such as the Hunt Library, provide the same technological access as Google; but the information originates from more credible sources and the search refinements allow more flexibility in refining a search. In order to understand the wonderment of online libraries, it’s important to understand how research was conducted when I attended high school.

          Funk & Wagnalls was a brand of encyclopedia. My parents purchased a set so I would have them for high school term papers. Like most sets, there were individual volumes, separate books that covered topics in an alphabetic manner. For instance, the subject of organizational leadership would be found in the volume marked as N - O. Sometimes, the entry would refer the reader to a broader topic, like leadership, and instruct the reader to “see leadership”. So, this meant the volume for topics from L – M had to be taken from the shelf, opened, the term leadership had to be located, and one prayed the information was sufficient for the research being conducted. More often than not, the material was limited. Additionally, the moment the printing process for encyclopedias was finished, the information was already obsolete. There was not any way to update the information other than to find more current print sources. This required a trip to the library. In 1978, that meant a bike ride from my home to the brick and mortar library. Armed with notebooks and pencils, the first stop was the card catalog. This was a physical cabinet with small drawers containing index cards with the names and authors of books housed in the library. Ever heard of the Dewey Decimal System? Today, the answer on Jeopardy would be, “a method for classifying and placing books on shelves” and the question would be, “what is the Dewey Decimal System”? If you did not know the name of the book, then you had to ask the librarian for help to find research material. I spent hours at the library for each term paper.

          Thanks to Al Gore and his invention, sarcasm intended, the Internet makes research easy. A library card is not required. One doesn’t have to understand how to use a card catalogue. In fact, traditional card catalogues are now online databases and a few key strokes returns searches that once took hours to complete. For demonstration purposes, I conducted a Google search. I types in “leadership concept” and the search engine returned 63,500,000 results (Google, 2014). In order to narrow the search, I entered “key concepts of leadership”. This time, 2,710,000 results were found. Can you imagine the amount of time I would need to expend to begin the process of reviewing the results to determine if the source is credible and if the information is accurate? An online library, like the Hunt Library, helps students, like me, use time in a more productive manner so more time can be devoted to writing of the paper, rather than finding acceptable sources.

          After following the link for the Hunt Library, I typed in “leadership concept” in the search bar. Rather than receiving more than sixty-three million results, my search returned 888,171 sources. The Hunt Library gives students the option to refine searches to those that provide complete online text and are peer reviewed. A search time frame can be defined which proves beneficial when researching to find either historic or recent items of information (Hunt Library, 2014). As I did with Google, I refined my search by limiting the search to “articles from peer-reviewed publications” and further enhanced the search to include “journal article” only results (Hunt Library, 2014). My initial research of 888,171 was reduced to 183,969. Had I chosen to enter a date range, the results would have been lower.

          An online library takes the convenience of Google or any search engine and applies it to a wealth of resources that may not be accessible from a simple Internet search. It also reduces the hunt and peck technique I use to determine if the article found on Google is credible, complete, viewable, and if full content is available without charge. The scholarly information housed in libraries, like the Hunt Library, has gone through a process many newspaper articles are not required to endure. Students, researchers, professors, and experts in the field have reviewed the material presented, tested theories and hypotheses presented, proffered opinions, and have consulted outside sources to either prove or disprove position(s). If an article about Miley Cyrus and how twerking has impacted her life in either positive or negative manner appeared in the Hunt Library, chances are the question has been looked at nine ways to Sunday and a reasonable conclusion has been drawn. Contrast this with a report from E! News, and you may find it lacks sufficient data from which to make a final assessment.

          During my undergraduate years, I took advantage of the school’s online library. That does not mean I discarded information found through a Google search. By using a resource like the Hunt Library, you gain a better understanding of credible sources and that can be used to identify credible sources from simple Internet searches. Like a brick and mortar library, a librarian is available. The online chat feature will give me the chance to ask for help when searching for resources. There are many databases contained within online libraries and sometimes a little guidance goes a long way in reducing frustration when trying to find books or articles. Although these electronic features are awesome, I must admit I still enjoy going to the local library, walking up and down the aisles, looking at the books on shelves, meeting the librarian face-to-face, and losing myself in the quiet that still epitomizes a library. Although the methodology has changed, the concept of looking it up in my Funk & Wagnalls still rings true and still brings a smile to my face. 

A500.2.3.RB_MedleyKim_My Story

            My story begins with my parents, in particular, my mother. This is an especially difficult tale to tell; however, it does provide a glimpse into one of the many circumstances that led to the foundation of my critical thinking process. At the age of forty-five, my mother was able to set my feet on a path that would lead me to a few critical and non-critical thinking standards, such as: clearness, accuracy, loving, and popular (Nosich, 2012). Although her gift to me was not readily visible that day; as I added years to my life, married, and gave birth; her endowment became clearer and has increased in value with each passing season. So, how did my mother give such a gift to her daughter? She lost her fight with depression and took the only action she felt she had to end her pain; she took her own life. To this day, just thinking those words, much less typing them, triggers painful memories. Nonetheless, her loss of life formed the basis as to how I approach my life and apply both critical and non-critical thinking standards.

            It was 1974. I was fourteen years old; and, I was the one who found my mother that morning. It was a school day; so, I found it odd that she had not yet began the morning by waking my brother and me for the morning ritual that took place with each school year. I will never know all of the reasons that led my mother to her final conclusion, a final assumption that caused her to believe she was completely alone and did not have any one person on whom she could rely. Forty years later, the very thought of how alone she must have felt is painfully sad. I lost her at a time when young girls need their mother for a host of reasons. School events, first dates, school dances, proms, first broken heart, marriage, grandchildren, and conversations about nothing are affairs that take place every day with mothers and daughters; often times they are taken for granted. Yet, future scrapbooks that would later hold snapshots and mementos of those family milestones remain empty. It is often said that things happen for a reason. As a teenager, it is one of the dumbest statements one would ever want to hear; as an adult, with time to reflect, my mother’s death, along with all of the stolen moments we would never share, was the trigger that impacted my way(s) of thinking.

            According to Nosich (2012), “Depression thrives on unclearness”. Had my mother not been clear in her thinking? Was she able to communicate with others; and, if so, did they understand her? I will never know the answers to these questions; but, what I was able to gain from the experience is that I made a conscious decision, at a young age, to never put myself in a position to have this event unfold in front of my husband or my children. I wanted to be able to have my husband, children, other family members, and friends ask me questions and know that I would say what I mean and that there would be little room for misunderstandings. It took years to first make sure my own thinking was clear. My husband and children often joke when I talk to myself. However, I find this therapeutic, especially when I am thinking things through. Sometimes I even answer myself. Many times, I find myself having quiet conversations with my mom while trying to remember certain circumstances and wondering what she would do. It is how most of my process begins. Once a concept is clear in my own mind, I then think about the person to whom I will be expressing myself. Is the person an adult, a child, a boss? As Nosich (2012) explains, the audience determines words chosen to express thoughts. Additionally, what I am thinking about impacts how I will present my thoughts so they can be understood by others. I research. Sometimes to the point of ad nauseam; but, I tend to store knowledge and information for future use. This process has served to help build better relationships with both my husband and children; and, evidently being able to speak clearly and anticipate what others will ask is welcomed by my family. Both my husband and children easily tell stories and caution their friends when asking questions of me. They warn them of my propensity for being blunt; and, if the friend does not want to hear what I have to say, they are told to not ask. Once thoughts are clear, I endeavor to make sure my thoughts are accurate.

            A fond; yet, sad memory, directly related to the loss of my mother, is that of my best friend from school, Anna. She was brought up in a devoutly Catholic home, with parents who did not mention the word, S-E-X. It wasn’t just her parents. It was quite common, even in the early 70s, for parents to dread having “the talk”. Anna and I had been close; but, became closer after my mom’s death. We could ask each other the questions we wanted to ask our mothers. Now, in order to find answers, we often searched for answers in a set of encyclopedias known as Funk & Wagnalls. To this day, I can still hear my father telling me to “go look it up in your Funk & Wagnalls”; and, I still laugh. One particular day found us researching S-E-X. We looked up reproduction and read a very clinical presentation about the topic. This was our “sex talk”. Funny, you never see “the talk” portrayed this way in any sitcoms. Even though the clinical information was accurate, and described “the way things are”; it lacked the loving standard so often seen in television scenes (Nosich, 2012). My own wishful thinking of imagining the “sex talk” with my mother would be just like the talks I had seen in television and films, along with the reality of how Anna and I learned, impacted the way I would later approach this with my own children. I never wanted them to have to learn about sex from people they did not know. Uninformed friends and embarrassed gym coaches, posing as health instructors, in my opinion, lead to the formation of inaccurate beliefs, which can become difficult to cast aside and change later in life. To this day, when my children come to me with questions, I am cautious to give quick responses. I enjoy thinking things through, reading other sources, and being reasonable in my thought process. When I do discuss issues with family and friends, I measure success by how many clarifying questions are asked and the independent research results shared with me by family and friends. It is a wonderful experience to see your children not only research; but, knowing they feel comfortable in coming to me to discuss any topic is priceless.

            Both loving and popular, non-critical thinking standards, have also contributed to my overall process. With my children, I often found myself in the position of making unpopular decisions while having to break the news in a loving manner. In the early 90s, Reeboks were the popular brand of shoes. Their purchase price was around $100.00 per pair. My daughter desperately wanted a pair; but, being a single-mom at the time placed constraints on the family budget. Had I given in to what was popular, an accurate and clear decision to not purchase for a pair of shoes for a child with growing feet would have been cast aside, and in less than a year’s time, she would have outgrown the shoes. I was able to find a loving answer to the problem. She and I made an agreement that once her feet stopped growing, we would scour the store circulars to find a pair on sale. Although she was disappointed at first, by the time she turned sixteen, her feet had stopped growing and we were able to fine a pair of Reeboks, on sale. It was a mother-daughter day; definitely one for the scrapbooks. Being able to use critical thinking skills in order confront the popular item of the day or decade, and being able to say no, or at least develop a compromise, has served me well with my family and friends. I often find myself using the adage, “if your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?” to demonstrate points. Not exactly critical thinking; but, it does help to avoid choosing popularity over accuracy (Nosich, 2012). It also leads to many loving conversations.

            Of the standards listed by Nosich (2012), the one that guides me and allows for change, is that of loving. I loved my mother very much; though, I often question her love for me if her thinking led her to take her own life. Learning to think in a critical manner is not easy and does not happen overnight. For me, the process began as a way to insure my loved ones would never find me as I had found my mother. By first questioning my own thoughts, and then making sure I was clear with my own thinking, I could then turn to being accurate. Each of these is important. Being clear and accurate with my husband has led to twenty years of happy married life. I have been able to answer questions for my children that I was never able to ask of my own mother. Likewise, when my children asked questions or presented statements to me, I could dig a little deeper to find out if the information was accurate or a rouse. Since 1974, I have read, for pleasure and for research, and this has only added to my critical thinking skills. Reading allows me to question long held beliefs and to be open to new ideas. I also watch numerous documentaries and historical accounts covering a diverse range of topics. I try to learn something new every day. This simple challenge has allowed me to question long held beliefs and open the door to new concepts. Often times, I share my findings with my family and amazing conversations take place. Some of my thinking has changed over the past four decades; but, the standards have not. Whether I am considering allowing my son to sign-up for a Facebook account, or choosing a topic to research for school, I first have to be clear in my own thinking and accurate with what I present. Many times, critical thinking leads to unpopular decisions; but, I hold fast in a loving way that I never knew with my own mother. 

A500.1.5.RB_MedleyKim_Intellectual Perseverance

          According to Valuable Intellectual Virtues (1996) and Nosich (2012), intellectual perseverance is defined as a willingness to overcome “difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations” in an effort to “reach a reasonable conclusion”, while staying true to “rational principles”, regardless of opposition presented, in order to make sense of confusing, “unsettled questions” (p. 175). The Foundation for Critical Thinking provides a list of traits, as does Nosich (2012), that allow for improvement from all critical thinkers, both new and experienced (p. 175). Intellectual, used as an adjective to describe the noun with which it has been partnered, indicates a predisposition to learn, ponder, and wonder about humility, courage, empathy, integrity, reason, fair-mindedness, and perseverance (Valuable Intellectual Virtues, 1996). These traits, described as “part of a person’s character” are many of the same qualities expected from and found in a good leader (Nosich, 2012, p. 175).

          Progressing with leadership studies, so that a person eventually becomes a good leader, requires giving due consideration to being reflective, developing standards and criteria that measure accuracy, recognizing real problems, asking questions, and a willingness to pursue either more than one answer or keep asking questions (Nosich, 2012, p. 1-7). Often times an intellectual may be viewed as geeky or nerdy. I prefer terms such as thorough and curious. Likewise, those who persevere may be thought of as tenacious or dogged. Relentless and determined are the adjectives that offer guidance to me.

          While growing up, many phrases provided a willingness to pursue answers and keep asking questions. A gentle, “can’t never could do anything except stick in the mud, and holler for help”, was uttered quite often by my grandmother and father. It took me years to understand this; once understood, it was repeated to my children. It helped me to understand that this particular contraction could not be a part of my vocabulary if I hoped to be successful. Other words of encouragement included, “press on regardless”. Sadly I cannot remember who said this; but, those words added to the foundation of critical thinking and intellectual perseverance that has served me for many years. For me, intellectual perseverance is like the movie, The NeverEnding Story, except instead of being drawn into a fantasy world, I am drawn into a wonderful world of knowledge that in a sense is, never ending.

          As with critical thinking, intellectual perseverance is an evolutionary process. At first, it takes practice to develop a good temperament in order to be receptive to views and facts that contradict long held beliefs; however, with a willingness to commit, the process becomes easier overtime such that both critical thinking and intellectual perseverance become second nature. Similarly, becoming a good leader requires patience and dedication; and, with time, each becomes a part of one’s character. All of the traits require action from the person wishing to add intellectual perseverance and leader to their own list of attributes. A person needs to be willing to “figure things out”, admit shortcomings and mistakes, accept challenges, accept conflicting views, commit to follow the same standards set for others, become immersed, and stay on the road to knowledge, regardless of the time. For me, intellectual perseverance is going above and beyond, for as long as it takes, in search of a final answer to a well-deserved question, knowing the answer could either change or require revision.