Challenging the Minds by Danie Weaver, Director, CAA School of Communications

College of Adaptive Arts is known for their dance classes, their art classes, theatre classes, and hip hop classes. However, some classes get less notoriety but are just as important. Did you know that every quarter, CAA offers eight classes that fall under the Communication department?

In these classes, students are challenged to use their minds and explore the world beyond their blinders. Let’s take the reading classes, for example. This quarter both the reading classes are reading works by C.S. Lewis. As the students are reading these fantastical novels, they are not only reading classics, but they are learning vocabulary, learning about themes, they exploring worlds that many may not have explored. Beyond learning about literary devices, students are learning the importance of loyalty, faith, how they learn to trust other people.

Speaking with Confidence, students learn the importance of good posture, eye contact, and vocal variety. Students are learning the significance of having a good handshake, how to carry on a conversation with others and how to be proud of the thing that they love and own it as part of who they are as a person.

In Grad writing, students learn how to approach difficult topics such as anxiety, loss, and even wishes and wants. The students also learn to stand up for their beliefs, explore who they would be in an alternate universe, and how to respond to life’s ups and downs. They learn how to express who they even when they are struggling.

In Poetry, students learn about alliteration, haikus, and rhyming. Students are learning the importance of connections in the world. Everything is connected, and those connections are beautiful, even poetic.

In Sign Language, Students are learning a new language through songs and lyrics. But more than that, they are learning about other cultures and discussing society’s norms and how they affect everyone.

C.S. Lewis said, “You never know what you can do unless you try, and very few try unless they have to.” In communication classes, students try and achieve because they have to. Because challenging the mind is akin to challenging the soul. Students flourish and become readers, writers, and successful human beings.

Thanks and Kind Regards,

Danie Weaver

College Of Adaptive Arts

Director, School of Communications

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” A.A Milne.