Fall of 2018

Blog Post #9: Choose *two* discipline realities from table 5.3 (pgs. 98-100 in your textbook) and talk about how they may inform your future ideas. You should read Chapter 5 to have the full context on this issue, but essentially, you’re forming the bigger idea – you degree path, your course schedules, what you might do with this degree while you’re in school and/or out of school – and so I want to know how these disciplines will shape your future academic actions.

 

Main Idea – Constructing a student centered classroom.

Education + Philosophy

The main idea of my thesis paper will be constructing a classroom based on the educational needs of students’ and providing a student centered approach to learning. The idea is based upon the constructivist learning theory by Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist who specialized in child development. The discipline of education will provide a view on pedagogy and what core concepts a child should learn while the discipline of philosophy will influence the view of how to go about teaching those concepts. Together they will provide a more meaningful experience that molds the classroom to the needs of the child rather than molding the child to the expectations of the classroom. This thesis paper will be something I carry with me into my career as I design the layout of my very own classroom, and the methods through which I will teach. I will incorporate the philosophical ideas that promote student centered learning and will base my own pedagogy upon it. I am excited to use this research and these ideas in real life and to revisit in a year how this thesis has helped in the first year of my career.

1. Give me a sample interview Q & A with the STAR technique; do this three times (pick from the Qs in the article).

• Tell me about a time you had to complete a task under a tight deadline.
  • I recently had to take photos of different homes that we have designed and built and was asked to have them prepared for the new launch of our website. Between the finishing of the builds and the launch of the new website I would only have about a week to shoot & edit these homes to have the pictures ready in time. This would typically take 2-3 weeks to coordinate and produce. However, I contacted three different home owners and arranged to take all the photo sessions for one day to maximize efficiency. I prepared my gear and successfully took approximately 400 photos. I was then able to quickly edit and prepared over 100 photos to be used on our website for products and designs in only five days.
• Have you ever gone above and beyond the call of duty?
  • Last week I had one of our regular customers come into the store looking very upset and concerned. I asked if I could help her find anything she needed and she politely said she was just browsing. I could tell as she looked around that she was still clearly upset and knowing that the holidays can be hard for a lot of people I then just asked how she was doing. She then shared some personal concerns about her son and how hard thanksgiving had been for her and her family. I was able to provide a listening ear and shared some words of encouragement with her. It impacted her so much she later wrote my boss about how she felt at peace and was able to see some joy after leaving the store that day because of our conversation.
• What do you do when a team member refuses to complete his or her portion of the work?
  • Luckily I have never had an experience where a team member did not complete work but if a team member was refusing to do their work my first instinct would be to find out why. If it was something they were struggling with or a matter they could not handle on their own I would offer my assistance or instruction if I could. If the team member is refusing simply out of laziness I would be sure to get the task done or as much of is it possible and then I would take the matter to my supervisor to handle.

2. What kind of emotional EQ (read: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/emotional-health/emotional-intelligence-eq.htm) do you have, do you think?

If I had to choose one emotional intelligence I would most closely identify with social awareness. In situations I often pick up on very slight body language without even having to pay strict attention and my focus is naturally on the feelings of others. In group setting I can often predict the social dynamic. This is a great skill for reading customers and finding products that are both personal and meaningful for them.

5. Talk to someone (pick your victim! just kidding) about your job. Keep it light, conversational, but stay on your game. Have them ask you questions like those mentioned in the initial/first article – what did they think of your mad interviewing skills, however informal?

My “victim” thought that I was very well spoken and fully answered the questions provided. They also used the attributes engaging, bright, and genuine. 🙂

What would be a good professional development activity for you to do in order to reach some or one of your career goals? Going to a furniture design expo? Going to a charity event? A professional conference? Traveling to another country? Talking to law enforcement in another state or country? Simply put: Talk about what you’d like to do and why!

One thing that I think would provide helpful professional development would be going to one of the Google expos. At these conferences you get to hear from a wide arrange of technological gurus, see the latest advancements in technology, and hear how other professionals are using new technology in cool ways. There is an old saying that says “you don’t know what you don’t know.” I know that there are many cool and innovative new ways to use technology in the classroom, in the small business, and in the gym that I don’t even know about! I plan on going to the next Google conference in the spring of 2019!

Prompt: Do you prefer the working world to school? What courses or projects will you undertake in the Spring 2017 semester that your job may have influenced? Has your internship changed you (for better or worse) regarding your career ambitions?

Being in the working world this past semester has opened my eyes to the many opportunities I will have after I graduate. After taking five years to get my undergraduate degree I am SO excited to get into the real world. I can confidently say I prefer it to schooling. Thankfully this is the last semester of my undergraduate career, and I am set to graduate this month! (!!!!!) So for the purpose of this blog I will talk about courses I wish I could/would have taken. Two courses that I think could directly apply to my career currently would have been Marketing & Business Communications. I am currently the sole marketer and PR rep for Crossfit Port Royal Sound and it often times feel like I am charging forward with no real sense of direction or experience. I think that a marketing course would help me to understand how major businesses target a specific group of people in ways that are not so obvious. The marketing course would also cover what consumers are looking for both in products and services. A business communications course would help me to understand how a marketing team operates not only internally but externally as well. With the new age of digital and social media marketing, these courses could offer the outline for creating meaningful content and the best time and place to share it. Using the knowledge of these two courses it would help me to understand how to further my audience and reach people in a meaningful way without having to have a face to face interaction.

This internship has shown me that if I pursue education I don’t have to have the typical classroom. I have explored my options as an RTI or Literacy Coach rather than having my own classroom. This internship has also shown me that I may even have a shot at a business oriented job. I got to try my hand at marketing and absolutely loved it. Im thankful I had this opportunity to explore and learn, now its time for the hard choices!

Blog Post #7 – Taking a break from the grind: what is something you must do to for yourself in order to do your job effectively?

In order for me to do my job effectively I must be given the freedom to complete the job how I see fit. With most of my working experiences I am given the freedom of choosing I how I execute different tasks. However if I am given a task for instance, organizing the back room, along with a general idea of how someone else wants it done I will ultimately get frustrated, worry about meeting their thoughts and expectations, and ultimately lose a certain personal gain from doing it. I find that when I’m given a specific project like that along with the creativity of executing it how I see fit I find a great deal of pride in my work and in the final product.

Another need that I have noticed I yearn for is a time to decompress. After a day where I have a high number of social interactions I find that my brain and my body both become very exhausted and sluggish. In order to be my best self I often take 20-30minutes to just reflect on how the day went, the things I did right, the things I did wrong, and what I will improve next time. If I do not take this crucial time I often become snappy and agitated over small and insignificant details.

Sapon-Shevin, Mara. Widening the Circle: the Power of Inclusive Classrooms. Beacon        Press, 2007. In Widening the circle: the power of inclusive classrooms the audience is given first hand account of what it is like to be a student with learning disabilities or a parent of a student with learning disabilities. Sapon-Shevin also provides real solutions on how to address different needs of an inclusive classroom. The purpose of this book is to shift and reshape the perspective many teachers have on students who enter the classroom with learning disabilities or special needs. As the reader learns about the different characteristics of an inclusive classroom they are often challenged with their own beliefs about what is appropriate or inappropriate behavior of school-age children.

Prompt: Of the several concerns about specialization discussed, which ones seem most applicable today?

One idea that really stuck out to me in chapter five was this idea of “compartmentalization of knowledge.” The idea that the different disciplines are more segregated than they are integrated. This is highly concerning to think that we pay for this higher education to gain a wealth of knowledge for our future career but if we have a compartmentalization of knowledge our career path in turn is very limited. Our skill sets are more narrow. It is a problem that I see all too much in my own mother’s life. My mom did not have the chance to go to college but she started in a call center at a big corporation. She worked her way up the chain and now makes an incredible salary and with commission, six figures. Even though that money pays the bills she is incredibly unhappy with her job. She feels stuck and now has a very limited set of skills and no educational back board to take with her to a new career. It is very likely she won’t start a new career until she is able to retire. Given the opportunity to go to college is not something I take for granted and I want to be able to take as much knowledge in as many disciplines as I can from it.

Prompt: What are two courses that you’d like to take next semester – even if you can’t fit them into your schedule, what would you ideally be taking and why? What are two courses that you’re going to sign up for? Why? How will they put your further toward the career goals and ideas you’ve been formulating so far this semester? What about these courses – title, description, professor – appeal to you?

Thankfully this is the last semester of my undergraduate career, and I am set to graduate this upcoming December. So for the purpose of this blog I will talk about courses I wish I could/would have taken. Two courses that I think could directly apply to my career currently would have been Marketing & Business Communications. I am currently the sole marketer and PR rep for Crossfit Port Royal Sound and it often times feel like I am charging forward with no real sense of direction or experience. I think that a marketing course would help me to understand how major businesses target a specific group of people in ways that are not so obvious. The marketing course would also cover what consumers are looking for both in products and services. A business communications course would help me to understand how a marketing team operates not only internally but externally as well. With the new age of digital and social media marketing, these courses could offer the outline for creating meaningful content and the best time and place to share it. Using the knowledge of these two courses it would help me to understand how to further my audience and reach people in a meaningful way without having to have a face to face interaction.

Even though I have no “real” experience in doing this I have to give myself a little credit, the leading fitness model giant, Crossfit Inc (and self proclaimed media company by founder Greg Glassman), has recently reposted 4 pieces of my content from the Crossfit Port Royal Sound pages within just the past two weeks. Meaning that the content I have put out has literally gone viral to millions around the world and has even been translated into several different languages. It is incredibly humbling and inspiring to know that the words I have typed could have the potential to save thousands of lives through fitness and health. Seeing this side of marketing and public relations definitely gives me a lot to think about when deciding what my future career might look like and makes me wish I could have added another minor to my degree!

 

Prompt: Write an intellectual autobiography then take a (condensed) version of the Myers-Briggs personality test (https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test). And make note of your results. Do you agree or disagree with them? Does this test offer you any insight into your own personal preferences, processes, and necessities?

My earliest memories of doing an intellectually stimulating activity was when I was five years old and would read Aseop’s Fables with my mother. I recall trying to understand the moral that my mom would explain that would ultimately be about being kind, nurturing, smart, and humble. I had a love for reading from a very early age but my love for education really skyrocketed in the 2nd grade. I had a first year teacher that absolutely loved her job and her students. She let us explore with using hand on materials and responsibilities within the class. Throughout elementary, intermediate, and jr. high I always scored at the top of the class and held a great pride in doing so. In high school I was humbled a bit by the addition of “college level courses” but still maintained the top 5% of my class. I constantly pushed myself to achieve more academically by being a part of the National Honor Society, National Science Honor Society and by leading peer tutoring.

ENFJ – Extroverted Intuitive Feeling Judging

The results of this Myers- Briggs test come as no surprise to me. I have taken this test twice before over the span of the last 5 years and the results have always been the same. People who know me for any length of time know that I absolutely thrive off of social interaction. I find that my cup is most filled when I get to have deep meaningful connections both with people who I care about deeply and those who I might have just met. This is often why I thrive in jobs that have 1:1 customer interaction.

As for intuitive I have always had a keen “gut feeling.” I often find that I listen to my conscience when I have tough or difficult choices to make and it often serves me really well. Just this past week while I was at a gas station I found $100 bill on the ground outside the front door. Without hesitation I immediately went in and asked the cashier if any one had lost any money. This story isn’t to brag about being a good person but to say that this characteristic of my personality is absolutely my default. I often over calculate exactly how circumstances can play out on any given decision I make and ultimately go with my first instinct.

When it comes to empathetic feeling it is often one of my biggest downfalls. I am highly sensitive to any kind of feedback from people. Working in retail it is not uncommon to see rude or unhappy customers and I often took a lot of these matters to be personal. Even in my own marriage it is often hard for me to separate a bad mood or attitude my husband might have after a long day from work from myself. I often find that I embody the feelings that he brings home and have a hard time separating his attitude from work with feelings of self doubt about my own actions as if they were the problem. On the flip side I believe this empathetic nature also deeply helps when connecting with others. I am often a great judge of what people might need when they are suffering or if someone is needing a hug or word of encouragement. This empathy allows me to be a good listener and friend to those who need it.

Judging. Working hand in hand with my intuitive side I often find that I weigh out several outcomes of every decision I make. For instance I base my outfit choices on the weather, physical activity, possible social interaction and looks every single day. While this may seem logical and normal for most it is a checklist that I will run through with every individual item in my closet that I would potentially wear that day. When it comes to things that are practical I often judge them based upon the value they could potentially add to my life. I would say that this characteristic is also very accurate.

While most of my categories are not too far tipped in one direction there is one that has a stark difference between the two. I scored 88% extroverted which does not come as a surprise to me at all. My form of literal hell would be eternal isolation. Knowing this about myself I would never want a career that required me to be isolated or have limited social interaction because I know I would not flourish. Overall I believe this assessment is pretty accurate and somewhat describes how I operate as a whole. When looking up a break down of ENFJ’s the first line of an article was “(ENFJs) are natural teachers, often found organizing people to take part in some educational activity” which would explain why I feel called to teach.

 

Prompt: Develop your personal definition of interdisciplinary studies as it relates to the field you’re in or interested in. You make the call – are you bridge building or boundary crossing? A smoothie or a bowl of fruit? How would you describe what interdisciplinary studies is to friends, family, or a potential boss?

 

Interdisciplinary studies is a blend of several different studies. The neat thing about most careers is that they almost always require more than just one subject area. The beauty of interdisciplinary studies is that we get to focus on multiple areas of subjects that could correlate to our future careers. I see it as taking skills that I already have and getting explore the opportunities that arise from them instead of trying to guess what I might like and trying to mold myself to that. To a potential employer or boss I would tell them that interdisciplinary studies allowed me to become proficient in a multitude of areas that makes me a multifaceted candidate. Ultimately it is a blending of several studies that make for a unique and refreshing college experience.