Reflection Paper

I have struggled spiritually in the sense that I questioned myself. If I am doing right or wrong and if making the right or wrong decision. Life is about choices as God created us and gave us free will. In Galatians 5:13-14 tells us “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command; “Love your neighbor as yourself” Therefore, as I see it, it’s harder to carry with a heavy conscious knowing that I did not act in righteous. Though sometimes I feel that I am acting in righteous. For some it may not be the same. What is right for me might not be right for others. However, as I look back what is right in the God’s eyes, I redirect to his laws. In Romans 13:8-9 “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Though Jesus Christ coming to clean our sins, he also came to teach us how to live with righteousness by his simple golden rule. Even though, there are several versions in Bible Galatians 5:14 could not be simpler “Love your neighbor as yourself”

From the beginnings of my foray into the study of history during my formative years of education in elementary school, to the rigorous minutia of a Tennessee high school’s curriculum, the period from Pre-history to the Enlightenment age was briefly discussed in the younger years and very rarely toughed upon in the later ones. Oftentimes, it seemed as though only a week of classes was devoted to this period at the start of the semester, eschewed in favor of the more “relevant” modern history—the Industrial Revolution, or Reconstruction, or the World Wars. So, coming into this course, I can say I only had the faintest grasp on this time period, particularly the timeline of events and a hint of understanding about each civilization’s unique cultures. It was also at the start of this semester that I believed the most important information I would learn from this class would be the conflicts and downfalls of these long-gone societies. Instead, I have realized that while I understood a great deal about the rise and fall of these civilizations as they related to humanity’s timeline as a whole, I failed to recognize the significant role of philosophy throughout history and how it has shaped our world today, evolving through the ages from the founders of western thought, the Greeks, to the Middle Ages with the integration of religion and philosophy, and finally into Modern thought with the arrival of Machiavelli. I also learned how these schools of thought relate to Christianity and

A few weeks go I was standing awkwardly in the commons area of my church. Teenagers surrounded me all of which were avoiding eye contact, absorbed into their phones. “No worries,” I thought, “It’s all good.” Then, I heard a scream, “Mrs. Farmer!” One sweet young lady grabbed a hold of me so tight I could hardly breathe, but I was so grateful. Then, I realized it was one of my students from the first full year of teaching. This young lady came from the most difficult home life, and I could hardly imagine what she went through, but no matter what–every day she came to school with a bright smile on her face. She inspired me every day as a teacher that year, and seeing her again just brightened my day. What struck me the most about our conversation was that she remembered dancing in my class and how much she loved it, and it meant so much to her. It’s truly moments like that, moments we’ve all had, that remind us why we became teachers–why it’s such a gift.

A struggle that I had was being influenced/following others. It all started one happy winter morning it was Valentine’s Day, I had been getting ready to go to school. I had just finished writing all my Valentine's last night for my classmates. I was in a rush, so they all said the same exact thing. I believe it was something along the lines of have a great day, here’s a lollipop. It was a picture of me holding holding out my hand and a real lollipop that my mom had punched through the paper to give it that 3D vibe.

I have never been very passionate about writing and as a result, I have never really thought about the true meaning of writing. In high school, I just accepted the fact that I was not good at writing in comparison to my peers. I just assumed that good writing meant that there were no grammar or spelling errors, which is a common misconception most high school students have. Before reading Writing About Writing by Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs, my views on writing were very limited. One of the first ideas that jumped out at me as I was reading was the statement, “Writing is not just something that you do, but it is something that people study”(Wardle and Downs 7). The idea that writing is something we can actually learn more about, had never crossed my mind. As our views and perspectives on writing grow and expand, we can better understand the purpose of writing and know what good writing means.

Growing up, I considered school one of my safe places. However, this all changed in 8th grade when one of my classmates began sexually assaulting and harassing me. My sense of safety and security was replaced by an overwhelming sense of fear. Simple freedoms such as going to my locker became luxuries that I no longer enjoyed. The harassment both restricted my freedoms and affected me emotionally by inducing extreme anxiety. One classmate had the power to transform a place I had known and felt safe in for over six years into the place I feared the most. But even more disconcerting was both the lack of support and the inadequate concern to my safety and well being by the administration. The overwhelming decision to essentially push the entire case under the rug left me feeling ashamed and powerless. But, the abuse continued and it became clear I had no control over this situation.

The efforts of a group always seem to outshine the work of an individual due to the varying talents and contribution of each person. And while I have met and worked with some excellent people at Liberty I have never seen the level of interest and thoughtful argumentation that seems present over a cup of coffee and in person.

This past year has been a learning experience that has led me to where I am today, attending Citrus. I graduated from Glendora High School in May of two-thousand sixteen with the intention of moving away to school and attending the University of Arizona; however, within the week post-graduation I decided it would be in my best interest to take some time away from the books. I love education and every ounce of learning. My school work, grades, and attendance have always been a top priority, but I began to feel as if I was a car running out of gas, I knew that if I went into my freshman year at a university with the mindset I had and the drive I was lacking, I probably would not be very successful nor would I get very far. For me to figure out myself and where I desire to be a break was needed from not only school, but also this town. Unfortunately, my gap year wasn’t filled with any crazy stories of finding myself while lost backpacking or traveling, but it was filled with personal growth amidst new coworkers, a newer environment, and a boyfriend as well as some family. I moved to Arizona anyhow and that is where I did most of my recent growth. Now you’re probably wondering how I landed myself back in Glendora, a question I now have the confidence to answer. Arizona was great, I love it, and it holds such a large part of my heart however I could not muster up an ounce of motivation to go back to school. I felt too comfortable with what I had and feared going back with

At this moment there is currently 7,430,931,842 people in the world. Nearly 3 billion of those people are currently living in poverty. Today, 350,000 babies will be born. The world, continues to grow, to prosper, as I sit in my bedroom staring out the window waiting for creativity to strike and give me the words that so effortlessly describe me. There is currently only one person in the world with the name Gabrielle Vozzi, and right now she is attempting to describe something that is indescribable: herself.

With the help of STEP, transition to Mason is pretty manageable to control myself what to do and what not. I’m getting used to my daily schedule with classes, sleep hours, and social time with my friends. Sometimes it’s hard to push myself to go to class, but my friends are giving me motivation and I also give them motivation by forcing ourselves to reach our goals. One of our goals is to maintain or make a 4.0 of GPA because we know as we go up the grades, the harder to keep the good grades. It’s difficult to stay up at night and in the day to finish some assignments, but we learned that it will be all worth it and paid off at the end through STEP.

Throughout our discussion there were several intriguing and engaging questions that were asked and sparked a good conversation among our group. One moment where I believe I was most successful in the discussion, was throughout minutes six through sixteen. Throughout this time, we discussed how the Party’s control in 1984 can be seen in the world around us today such as in North Korea. This question was first prompted by Leo but what I feel made this our groups most engaging point was how everyone added to the question by rephrasing it, or adding additional information and perspectives, or incorporating it into aspects they are most passionate about in their lives. From this point, I related it to history and how history can be rewritten to correct ways a nation or person has morally failed. I used the example of slavery to show this point. Starting from about minute eight I discuss with my group how according to an article my English class read last year, Texas history textbooks teach slavery based on how it economically impacted the South rather than by teaching the dehumanizing and awful treatment of other people. This question and the points brought up by this question were what I found to be most engaging. Our group spent nearly ten minutes on this point, because this point took a personal side and everyone had something to discuss from it. I believe the passion developed from this point is what made this not only my most successful moment but one of our groups best

I have always known that slavery exists in the modern world, but to me it always seemed like something that happened far away in other countries. Growing up in rural Ohio, I was always under the impression that human trafficking didn’t occur in the various small towns in which I lived. It was not until I took a class in global public health which addressed issues of modern day slavery and human trafficking that I realized the extent of slavery in the United States, and especially in Ohio. I was shocked that I had gone for so long without knowing that so many people were suffering around me, in a country that is founded on freedoms that slavery directly violates. In panels and speaking events that I have attended I’ve heard advocates talk about the trafficking victims that they have encountered in Ashland, and in other areas of Ohio. From these community members I have learned that there is a need for advocates to fight human trafficking in all areas, business, healthcare, law enforcement, education, but especially in the legal sector. Legal professionals can advocate for victims by giving them a voice and by prosecuting traffickers. The scope of modern slavery in the world, in my home state of Ohio, and in my community is unacceptable to me and I decided that I would fill that need and dedicate my life to battling human trafficking and helping victims.

Students all attend school, for the same reason, and that is to learn. While most of the time we are being taught the same material, our school experiences vary from student to student and from school to school. Some countries schoolings are known far and wide for their academic performance and then there are some that don't even have basic schooling necessities. Some experiences are so wonderful, you never forget them. Others are so bad it's impossible to forget about them. I have had my own fair share of experiences be it domestic where I was shunned or foreign experiences which gave me a whole new perspective on education. It is these very experiences that have made me who I am today, a strong, critical-thinking and compassionate person.

Every student deserves the best chance at getting the highest level of education they can, however, some students need a little extra support that others may not. A student, Axel, who is currently in my classroom has had a hard time keeping his focus and is often avoidant when it comes to his work. It has become clear that his avoidance becomes a distraction to the whole class. His behaviors currently include but are not limited to: rolling around on the floor during rug lessons, yelling across the room, walking around the room talking to friends, sharpening his pencil five or more times throughout the day, asking to go to the bathroom at inappropriate times, spending fifteen to twenty minutes in the

From the early moments of my childhood, I remember seeing my parents go to Russian Orthodox Church a lot. They would explain to my younger brother and me what was right and what was wrong from the religious perspective. On my 4th birthday, my grandma gave me the Bible for kids as a present, and I remember my mom reading it to me before going to bed. Back then it was just another interesting story that happened somewhere very far away. And yet mom would always find a way to tell these stories in such a manner so they translated really well into the reality we were living in. The more I grew up the more I realized that there was something missing in the big picture of my understanding of the world. I saw a lot of suffering that was happening everywhere, death, natural disasters, and I thought there must be a reason for all of it. Otherwise, the God does not care about any of us. I started to look for the answers everywhere: in the philosophical and religious books, movies, wise counsel from the people who lived a long life. I could not find the truth in church because the whole purpose of its existence with all its rules and restrictions, its idea of God who is something or someone out there, separate from us, and the only being that knows all the answers, was totally alien to me; mainly so due to my unwillingness to accept the fact of transferring all the responsibility for everything one does to someone else. I believed it to be a weakness to acknowledge one’s bad thoughts and deeds as something natural, as an external influence of the evil spirits. For me, it sounded like people who agreed with this concept simply wanted to escape the punishment for what they had done, choose an easy way out.