Reflection Paper #1

Reflection paper #1: What insights have you gained from your reading of the prehistoric human use of fire, the invention of the wheel and the history of writing? Why as a pre-teaching intern are you being asked to read this kind of material?

In reading the referenced articles, the epiphany of understanding that everything has born an existence through necessity of that environment or society of that particular time or era was the driving force of many inventions. I believe it was Plato, the philosopher, student of Socrates that first coined the phrase “necessity is the mother of all inventions”. Although the phrase has been altered a bit since its original appearance, it still is an accurate and profound statement. The bible begins with “In the beginning…” which to me states that a thought or an idea must first take presence in the mind. Once a thought, idea, concept or theory is formulated, then you go about bringing the task to life. I can imagine the Homo erectus, millions of years ago wanting to get warm. Perhaps they wanted to be able to see at night so they can protect themselves better. Due to this line of thinking, someone came up with the finesse of how to start a fire. This must have appeared to be a major accomplishment for that time period. Learning to start a fire opened a whole new world of possibilities conducive to the evolution of their world. Who knew that food could be cooked until fire was introduced and harnessed. The Homo erectus received many beneficial comforts and conveniences from the development of fire that we still use today. Another useful invention was the wheel. This idea has propelled many inventions such as carts, wagons, chariots, bicycles, cars, roller skates and much more. If you can roll it, then thank the person that invented the wheel although no one knows who this genius is. The development of writing originated from the necessity of trading grains – being able to track and document growth and distribution. Writing began in Mesopotamia and was further exacted in Egypt. Writing began because of the need and desire to show and leave a record of events. Even the Homo erectus drew pictures to tell a story of their life. These early forms of writing has been perfected into what we use today. Symbols, pictures, sounds have evolved into full developed words, phrases, sentences and the like. Understanding the origin of any subject or thing is important to further use and growth. This may potentially lead to new innovative ideas and inventions that will revolutionize our world. I believe this is why these articles are very beneficial to a pre-intern teaching major because it opens up your mind to first capturing these concepts and somehow transport them into the minds of the students. Getting the students to realize the beginning of an idea can progress and transform our very existence to me is an epiphany.