¶ … Upward Bound program. I learned much about myself and others throughout this time period as I was put in a new situation that required personal adjustment and flexibility. I will express my thoughts in the "three what" model that will first, recollect my events and observations, next I will interpret these events and how they relate to my own personal education, and finally I will suggest ways in which this adventure will help me in my professional career in the near future.
I remember the students as being the most important part of this particular experience. Many of the children attending these classes were from extremely diverse backgrounds. Many of these children had problems beyond the scope of a normalcy. I felt blessed and sad at the same time due to the conflicting ideas swirling in my head. I knew that many of these children were not going to have an easy road through the educational system, and while I was contributing to their needs, I felt I needed to do more for them.
The instructors working were all very polite and proficient, while each one bringing their own particular style to the table. I learned that many of the teachers also had diverse or challenging backgrounds. Ms. Milazzo's story was of particular interest to me due to here history with family dependency issues,...
On a more sad note, I noticed some of the children had emotional problems and did not get along with each other at times. Often, strong language was used we shocked me a little a first, but by setting the example and spot correcting I was able to achieve some level of control of the situation.
Meeting some of the parents showed to me that there are many lifestyles that people may choose to live. It was hard for me not to negatively judge people at times due to some of their unfortunate circumstances, but I could not help but think how they found themselves in this situation and that failure was a way of life. It was very eye opening and intense at times, but I was content and pleased about the situation as a whole.
After having time to reflect on the whole experience I could now begin to put my thoughts together and answer the question "so what?" The strong and sometimes disturbing feelings I had towards the…
