Have Fun, Learn Something

 

With the start of another school year at hand, many universities and professors are grappling with how to manage the amazing AI tools that are available to students.   AI tools are amazing.  They can generate PowerPoint slides, essays, solve math and science problems, write code, generate videos, translate passages and documents… the list seems endless. 

I don’t know about most professors, but I believe I have a sense of when AI has been copy-pasted into a writing assignment.  This is especially true, if I have gotten to know the student.  Simply, the writing does not sound at all like them or there are glaring differences in writing sophistication in different sections of the paper.

I tell the students; they should use AI.  They should use it to generate reference lists.  If the topic at hand is not totally arcane, AI is perfect for this.  They should use it to outline or draft their paper.  AI is perfect for taking a finished paper and providing a PowerPoint deck to present the paper.  It can find graphics or examples to enhance the paper or PowerPoint slides.  Lastly, I emphasize if they do any of these things, they need to provide a reference entry or citation so I know how they used AI.   I go so far as to tell students if they use AI for a first draft of the paper, they should actually copy/paste the draft as an addendum to their paper.  In that way I can see how they revised the AI draft to make the paper their own. 

This seemed like a good idea.  In a year and a half with close to 300 hundred students writing two papers each, only one student actually attached an AI draft of one paper to his final paper.  There were perhaps a quarter to a third of the students who I strongly suspected used AI for their entire paper. 

Here in lies a problem.  We emphasize one metric:  grades or points.  The students are motivated by that metric and like to get the highest grade, the most amount of points, with the least effort.  AI is most certainly an amazing ‘least-effort’ tool that can generate a high grade.  This has made grades a poor indication of learning and subject matter mastery.

I have begun asking students ”why are you here?” Why are you are in college?  What are your objectives?  Do you really want to learn?  Gain knowledge?  Learn to communicate effectively?  Be able to think critically?  Master some skill?  “Or do they just want a degree with a high GPA where learning is ancillary benefit if it happens at all?”

This kind of questioning is to get students to understand that one of the main purposes of college is for them to shift from doing things because of extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation.  Extrinsic motivation is that provided by teachers and parents to ensure that students do their homework and study for exams.  Extrinsic motivation is critical in K-12 and, of course, dependent on the intrinsic motivation of parents and teachers.  Intrinsic motivation comes from the individuals own drive to get something done or achieve some goal.  Of course, the quality and voracity of both kinds of motivation varies person to person.

In many of my assignments, I add this to the last line of the assignment online: “Have fun, learn something.”  If the objective is to learn something, the grade will follow.

This may be my objective this academic year, to emphasize learning and intrinsic motivation to truly maximize the return on the students’ tuition investment.  If I can do, I might truly be a teacher.

The Merton Prayer

 

The other day, I was feeling a bit out of sorts, floundering a little, basically somewhat empty.  It was far from an existential crisis or a depression requiring any sort of intervention.  It was more the ebb and flow of emotions, motivation, self-esteem, and a wee bit of ‘what’s it all about’ angst.  Needless to say, I was also feeling a tad lethargic.

I was scrolling around in Facebook which, admittedly, might not have been the wisest thing to be doing.  Social media is generally thought to create more angst than it dissipates.   Well, in this case it helped.  A friend, Shant, posted The Merton Prayer without any explanation or commentary.  I read and  immediately felt much better, more centered, and purposeful.

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road,

though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore will I trust you always though
I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me,
and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Thomas Merton (1915-1968) was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, and mystic. Born in France and educated in the United States, Merton entered the Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky in 1941, where he lived most of his life. He is best known for his autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948), which became a spiritual classic and brought him international fame. Merton wrote extensively on spirituality, social justice, and interfaith dialogue, particularly between Christianity and Eastern religions. His writings continue to inspire those interested in contemplative life and social activism.  He was very popular with several philosophy majors in my circle of friends when I was an undergraduate.  They all, went, to the premier Jesuit High School in Detroit.

I never did get around reading anything by Merton even though I recall they suggested Thoughts in Solitude.  Had I taken their advice and read that book back then, I would have been aware of The Merton Prayer fifty years ago.  I am almost certain The Merton Prayer would not have had nearly the same impact back then as my reading it a few days ago.

    The Merton Prayer is a deeply reflective and honest expression of spiritual humility and trust in God. The prayer acknowledges the uncertainty and confusion often felt in the journey of faith, where one may not always know if they are following the right path or any path at all for that matter. Despite this uncertainty, Merton expresses a profound trust in God's guidance, believing that the desire to please God is itself a sign of being on the right path. The prayer's value lies in its affirmation that sincere intention and trust in God are what ultimately guide a person's spiritual journey, even when the way forward seems unclear. It resonates with many for its honesty and its emphasis on faith amid doubt.  It allows for communities of faith but also personalizes one’s journey and relationship with God.

To me, religion and faith was always a bridge from we empirically know in this world, actually it is more like what we think we know, and what happens to us after we die.  Faith is the only solace to that question that no living person knows the answer to.  The nature and axioms of one's faith also guidance in how to live our lives.

This is a very comforting prayer.  Thank you Shant.

Death of an Enemy

We are all aware that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has demanded that Armenians cease using the image of Ararat and the word “enemy” in our national anthem. As humiliating as this is and as idiotic as it sounds, it is but a lesser offense in the history of subjugation and atrocities by the Turks against our people. While Erdogan would, no doubt, rather see the word “master” or “conqueror” (actually he would prefer we not have a national anthem at all), the word “enemy” fits best from our perspective. Erdogan is just another in a long line of Turks who are enemies of the Armenian people.

There was another enemy of the Armenians. His name was Kiazim Karabekir. In the February 26, 1948 issue of the Hairenik Weekly there was a front page article titled, “His Death Came Not Too Soon’: TURK KARABEKIR DIES OF A HEART CONDITION.” The article was written by “a Staff Writer of the Hairenik Weekly.”

Who was Kiazim Karabekir? 

At the time of his death he was president of the Turkish National Assembly. He was a pasha, a general, a military man from a military family. Born in 1882, Karabekir was the son of a general, Mehmet Emin Pasha. He fought in Gallipoli against the French and in Iraq against the British. In 1916, he was appointed to the command of the II Corps stationed in Diyarbakır and the acting commander of the Second Army. In 1918, he captured Erzerum and Erzincan from the Armenians and Russians. He also fought in Azerbaijan against the British, and that same year he was made a general.

As a general, he pledged his loyalty to Mustafa Kemal, who made him chief of staff. In 1919, he was made commander of the Turkish Third Army section. Though he didn’t always agree with Kemal, Karabekir served the Republic of Turkey throughout the remainder of his life.

Karabekir led an attack against the fledgling Armenian Republic in 1920. Per the Weekly article:

The Turk attack started on September 20, 1920. Karabekir first struck Olti and Bardiz; his forces then fanned out all over the Kars-Ardahan sector against the valiant opposition of a vastly outnumbered Armenian army. The Turks drove on to Alexandropol, where Karabekir ordered the wholesale murder of more than 15,000 Armenians. For this he has been hailed by his Turkish eulogists as ‘the guardian of the Caucasus.’

Alexandropol (soon to be Leninakan and now Gyumri) was the largest city in Armenia at the time. Karabekir met with an Armenian delegation there to negotiate a treaty. Negotiation was hardly the word, though, as Karabekir had the upper hand. The Armenian delegation, led by Alexander Khatisian, had no leverage. As a result, the Treaty of Alexandropol, signed on the eve of the Soviet takeover of the Armenian Republic, was not favorable at all to the Armenians.  Kars and Ardahan went back to Turkey. 

Karabekir did not want to stop there.  As Vahakn Dadrian wrote in his 2003 book The History of the Armenian Genocide: Ethnic Conflict from the Balkans to Anatolia to the Caucasus:

In his massive two volume book ‘Our War for Independence,’ Karabekir reiterates again and again the theme that Armenia is both a threat and obstacle for Turkey’s paramount need to establish contiguous frontiers with Azerbaijan and other Turkic countries in the Caucasus… He berates Halil Kut, the commander of the Army Groups East at the time, for hindering his plan to capture Zankezour at the end of World War I and to establish a link with Azerbaijan.

In Volume II of his book, Karabekir wrote:

The aim of all Turks is to unite with the Turkic borders. History is affording us today the last opportunity. In order for the Muslim world not to be forever fragmented it is necessary that the campaign against Karabagh be not allowed to abate. As a matter of fact, drive the point home in Azeri circles that the campaign should be pursued with greater determination and severity.

In the Weekly article from 1948 on Karabekir’s passing, the Staff Writer wrote:

Newspapers of the nation, in reporting the demise of this violent man, failed to establish fully his place in history.  But had the gentlemen of the press done any honest research into the life of this man, they would have been constrained to observe that his death came not to soon, and that his heart attack probably followed upon the growing poison fed into his body by an irritated conscience… that is if we may imagine that Turks have consciences.

The Staff Writer (James Mandalian? James Tashjian?) was pretty gentle on “this violent man.”  There is no other word to describe Karabekir. He was an enemy of the Armenian people. Erdogan and Aliyev are his political heirs, working to fulfill the goal Karabekir shared with Enver Pasha. These are the people we faced then and did not take seriously enough after the end of the first Artsakh war in 1994. These are the people we are “negotiating” with today. When it comes to the Armenians, I cannot imagine either of them having a conscience.

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First published in The Armenian Weekly, July 30, 2024

 

Chidem Inch: Not those Olympics…

Gomidas Statue in Detroit

The calendar just flipped to August, and I am feeling the growing excitement for the Olympics.  No, not those Olympics. I am watching those Olympics on TV. If you are Armenian and an AYF member or alumnus, you know I am not talking about Paris. I am talking about Detroit…the Motor City…Motown. I am talking about the 90th AYF Olympic Games.

There is something that happens to many of us around the time of the AYF Olympics. It happens more often every fourth year. In the course of general conversation, people ask me about my summer vacation and travel plans. My answer always ends with, “and then we’re off to the Olympics.” I forget, way too often, that I am not talking to an Armenian, and they, of course, think I mean the international Olympics. In the off years, often the response is, “What? There is no Olympics this year!” In years like this one, responses are similar to one I got today: “Cool!  Wait…shouldn’t you already be there?” To which I say, “Not those Olympics. I am talking about the Armenian Olympics,” and proceed to explain what the AYF is all about.

The other Olympics, the bigger budget one, like this year’s Summer Olympics, is held every four years. Ours? We can’t possibly wait four years to see our friends and family, so we have an Olympics every year. Our Olympics take place over a three-day period on Labor Day Weekend. The other Olympics is about two weeks. The 33rd international Olympics is being held in the famed French city…the City of Love, the City of Lights, the City of Arts and Food. Paris was founded in 259 BC and became known as Paris in the fourth century AD. The AYF Olympics will be held in Detroit, which started off, coincidentally, as a French city with its distinctive French name. Detroit was founded by Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac on July 24, 1701. It was a British city between 1760-1796, when it became part of the U.S.

Speaking of Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac, his name, Cadillac, is a big deal in Detroit. Cadillac, of course, is the luxury brand of Generals Motors. There is the Book Cadillac Hotel downtown, which is a few blocks from Cadillac Square (was it ever an AYF Olympic hotel?). Yours truly went to Cadillac Junior High School, which I just heard is being torn down. There is a statue of Cadillac on the façade of Detroit City Hall and another in Hart Plaza. 

Speaking of statues, there is actually a statue of Gomidas Vartabed in downtown Detroit. It is located on Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. It is also adjacent to Hart Plaza and Cobo. The Arto Chakmakian sculpture was installed in 1980 by a committee led by Michael M. Assarian. The inscription reads, “We Detroit Armenians dedicate this monument to the memory of our 1,500,000 Armenian martyrs massacred during the 1915 Genocide.” It is a great photo op for those attending the Olympics this year. By the way, 29 years after the Detroit statue was installed, Paris put up a statue of Gomidas Vartabed in 2009.

Gomidas Statue in Paris

For me, going to the Olympics in Detroit is extra special. It is a return home. The Detroit “Kopernik Tandourjian” Chapter is the only AYF chapter I was ever a part of. Not surprisingly, the AYF and Olympics were a central part of our family life growing up. It became even more important when my father, Sonny, became the track coach for the Detroit AYF Juniors and Seniors back in the 1970s. It will be awesome to be in a downtown hotel again in the revitalized city. 

I have never really thought about going to the other Olympics. I enjoy watching them on TV with enthusiasm, as I am right now while typing this little article. But for me, it is a prelude to the AYF Olympics. When the Olympics in Paris ends on Sunday, August 11, the world will have to wait four years for the next Olympics. We Armenians will only have to wait two and a half weeks for ours.

I can’t wait…tebi Detroit.

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Originally published in the Armenian Weekly August 6, 2024