Reflection Paper

Over the years, writing has been my safe place. It has been a security blanket of sorts; an outlet that I can use knowing I will not receive criticism in the same was I do when I speak. Although my writing experience has not consisted of much, I have been able to grow steadily and learn how to engage with an audience. I can identify my strengths, take advantage of them, and work on the areas I find to be the weakest. It has fueled my passion for world change, even though I am still unaware of how it will tie in with my future career path. Writing has given me a voice that I do not have the courage to speak from my mouth.

If there is one thing in life I have learned, it is that I value the idea of staying true to myself through anything. Although life has a tendency of throwing you some curve balls you can’t let them define you. I often ask myself questions about how I am going to spend the day. I hear my many-sided mind reply “however you want” or “I don’t know but make it count.” The reason I label my thoughts as many sided is because I find myself being pulled back towards things I have been seeking to get away from for some time, as well as letting negative times in my life pull me in another direction. I view my mind as a movie scene in which you see the good and the bad sitting on your shoulder and your sitting trying to figure out which direction to follow, of course the right direction is ideal but that is easier said than done.

There once was a time where I had no outlook on my life. Whenever I attempted to think about my future, I couldn’t; I didn’t know my future career goals or any of my hobbies. Fortunately, the summer of 2014 changed everything for me. It was the summer I first volunteered to help with Vacation Bible School at my church. From that moment on, I had a new mindset and new goals. I finally found an activity I enjoyed and that I loved doing. Following that summer, I volunteered with VBS for the summers of 2015, 2016, and 2017. I also ventured into teaching second and third graders on Wednesday nights. Throughout this journey, I changed. Volunteering with children through my church has transformed me into a better and different person.

Growing up, my vision appeared to get worse and worse every year. Until I was in first grade I never thought to told my mom, considering it never caused any problems. It was until I would find myself squinting at the board everyday did my teacher wonder if something was wrong. Shortly after, I found out I needed glasses. From first grade to tenth grade, I went through multiple pairs of glasses, and my vision continued to deplete. I never complained about having glasses because they rarely got in my way. That was until high school, when I started running. Trying to sprint with glasses on can be extremely challenging. It took me two years to finally get the courage to get contacts. As someone who struggled with getting contacts in everyday over the summer and struggles now, I want to help those who go through the same conflict.

About one month ago, I made an appointment with the writing center in order take notes for this paper and also to get some more feedback on major paper 2. Before my appointment date, I took some notes on what I expected from the writing center and how I felt about going to see a tutor. It helps to write these kinds of things out because it really makes you reflect on how you think and feel.

Language. A big part of everyone's life since birth, and for me one of the biggest adjustments I had to face at the age of six. Until the age of six I lived in the Dominican Republic, my homeland. I cherished this country like the holy grail and I could never Imagine leaving it behind. Until then, the only language I would speak was Spanish, the language I was raised on. I was very shy as a young kid, I didn't talk as much as I would now, I didn't really interact with a lot of people besides my close friends, which I did everything with at the time. It was great that I could easily communicate with them through Spanish, this would all change when I had to move to the United States. I had to learn English in order to be a successful as a young kid here. Some kids would take years to learn English, some kids weren't even interested at all, but I knew that I needed to learn it as efficiently as I could, I was not all that excited to learn a new language. I was already used to my first language and was afraid of failure when it came to learning english. However, just one teacher changed the way I viewed learning English and helped me enjoy the learning curves of a new language.

While entering my Entrepreneurship and Innovation class, I did not know what to expect considering I have never been registered for a business class before. However, just like any other class, I was going into it with an open mind and ready to learn. Overall, this has given me the opportunity to learn some of the skills and techniques that are required to be a successful entrepreneur such as thinking outside the box, reaching out to customers, accepting failure, and so much more. Having little experience in business, I feel as if this class has prepared me enough to have a general understand of the process and steps it takes to generate a product and potential bring it to the market. Although the process is much more complex it all starts with an idea that can benefit other in a positive way and than going out there and asking people about your idea and getting feedback and from there the sky is the limit. A part of this course required each student to get out there and engage with events on or off campus that are relating to entrepreneurship. With that being said I went to three events: Dream Girl, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Assembly, and the Idea Challenge Final.

Back in high school, I was considered one of the best writers in my class. Obviously, high school does not have the same standards as a college classroom would. After running through the course, I’ve noticed that my papers required many adjustments that would’ve been uncalled for last year. Uncharacteristically for my stubborn personality, I forced myself to accept that I am at fault, rather than the very tempting anchor to praise, and looked back at my errors to improve. Through this course, I have learned the importance of using peer review and revisions, bettering the transitions between ideas and paragraphs, staying consistent with my topic, and many other issues that would may my writing better.

Some may think that America is the best place for opportunities, but some people don’t know that equal opportunities are not given to everyone, even in places where opportunity is abundant. Latinos, as one of the largest minorities in the United States are people who have had to fight for their equality in the past but things are still not as equal as they may seem. You are fairly young and may not fully understand many things about the world and why things are the way they are. As you grow, your eyes will open up to other worlds which we do not belong in. As Latinos, it is true that some have it better than us. You may notice a difference in areas such as education, but you should never feel inferior to anyone and work hard to not let your our identity stop you from achieving whatever you want.

A colleague informs you that she has completed her science lesson plans for the following week. She agrees to share her lessons with you and leaves them in your mailbox. As you look through the materials, you quickly realize that most of the content does not coincide with your teaching style because the lessons consist primarily of lectures, tests, and worksheets.

I originally saw poetry as a gargantuan chore of literacy. The idea in my cranium about poetry was, every poem or piece of writing had to be all about love or disgusting topics. But, junior year, that all changed with one student teacher. Ms. Evans changed my entire view of poetry and literature as a whole, she taught me how creative you can be with writing and books. Ironically, I fell in love with writing poetry about anything but love. I had teachers that abased my creativity, but alas, I prevailed.

I learned a lot this semester in Introduction to Literature. I learned how to manage my time better through trial and error. I also learned that it is really difficult trying to read a whole book in a Sunday afternoon that needs to be finished the next day. I also learned to like reading again. I used to read a lot in elementary school and middle school, but ever since I started high school I have not been reading as much. Now, after this class I believe that I will start reading more often, and I truly believe that I will enjoy it much more. I also learned a ton about writing essays. Prior to this class, I didn’t really know what a thesis was let alone knowing how to create a successful thesis. I learned how to write great essays. The essays that I wrote in this class were the best essays that I have ever wrote in my life. My worst essay in this class would be my best essay in any other class I have ever taken. I also learned a new concept this semester. I learned what a socratic seminar is and how to successfully participate in one. I learned how to make relevant points that added to the depth of the discussion. I also feel like I learned how to keep, or at least try to keep, my classmates on topic. One of my favorite things that I learned about in this class was analyzing poetry. Before this class, I didn’t give poetry enough respect as it deserved. I honestly thought that poets just scribbled down some words that rhymed and they hoped people could relate. That however,

The collaborative inquiry project, "Using Triangulation of Learning and Assessment to Support Elementary English Language Learners," allowed us, as teachers, to reflect upon assessment at the elementary level. The Supporting English Language Learners (2008) document described how, "Through assessment, teachers gather information about their students' prior knowledge, language needs, and learning progress." Our project used the STEP: Steps to English Proficiency (2012) document to describe methods of planning and assessing for English Language Learners (ELL), and considered appropriate practices in doing so. The classroom teacher should use nontraditional strategies when working with ELL students, such as encouraging self-assessment, informally assessing students whenever they are reading in the classroom, and creating opportunities for students to feel comfortable to participate (Bailey, A. & Heritage, M., 2014). The following reflection will discuss how I will share this information with others, a reflection about myself as a learner, goals for the future, and a self-assessment of my learning.

I remember sitting in my first grade classroom and staring at the whiteboard while Mrs. Amen talked. “What if all this church stuff is a lie fooling the world?” I thought and would continue to for a while afterwards. Growing up, I had always assumed I became a Christian when I was 6 years old but now I’m convinced it wasn’t authentic. Everyone else in my church and school was one so I essentially thought, "Why not?" However, I was never convinced of its authenticity, having never felt the presence of the Holy Spirit or the Father’s perfect love. It was in no way my church’s fault but the Holy Spirit waited to show Himself to me. Until then I would tune out every time God being brought up and only saw the Bible as a resource for world history. However, when I was 12, God brought me to my knees and over the years has thoroughly convinced me logically, emotionally, and practically of His existence moreover the Bible.

It is extremely difficult to estimate the amount of knowledge in existence today. While knowledge is flowing in incredible pace, extraction and application of the relevant information from the bulk of knowledge is vital for many aspect of our lives. As an IMBA student in Florida International University, I have never thought that there was such a strict distinction between the information and the knowledge in today’s technology driven world. However, after taken this course, it is quite clear to me that gathering the beneficial information is not an easy task as it seems before. There are crucial elements to obtain valuable information for the businesses. Every business is unique so the strategies for them too.