On Tuesday September 13th during a weekly meeting, our PAF Faculty Advisor Kathy Newcomer talked to us about an article titled “How We Think About Evaluation” by Ernest R. House. In preparation for this discussion, she asked us to read the article and also to come up with a metaphor regarding our experiences as PAFs/what PAF represents to us.
The content of the article was about how metaphors infiltrate our everyday life, often subconsciously, and even more than we realize. Such metaphors unknowingly shape our viewpoints, beliefs, and global perspectives, or as the author states: “we experience one thing in terms of another.”
Even though the article focused on evaluation, it spurred a larger discussion about how pervasive metaphors are in structuring our thinking and verbal expression. The PAFs and the PAT came up with many creative metaphors of what a “PAF is” to them:
PAF is being in a juggling troupe at the circus
PAF is a firework
PAF is a never-ending relay race
PAFs are a shadow on the wall of time
PAF is an extreme makeover home edition episode
PAF is a reality TV show on an island
PAF is a choice to make a journey on a rocket ship
PAF is family
Thank you Kathy for engaging us in this very interesting discussion! PAF alumni, what metaphor would you choose to describe your PAF experience? We would love to know and highlight it in an upcoming newsletter. Email us your metaphor at [email protected].