Final Reflection Questions

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The following should also be expounded upon in
complete sentences

1. While writing your paper, what did you learn about the research process?
a. While I was writing the Pride Paper, I was able to learn the proper method to
efficiently write a long paper. Up to that point I had been one of the all in one
writers, which is clearly not a reasonable plan to complete this project, so the
planning was an amazing plan and I still use that for papers outside of Pine Lake
projects. It was also really helpful because it had solid deadlines that I could meet
no matter what so I was really forced to manage my time very well during the
writing part of it. I also was taught how to find credible sources to work with on
my papers in order to strengthen my writing. Finally I learned how to chunk out a
paper in order to meet all requirements while still allowing it to flow properly.
2. How was the research related to your mentor hours?
a. My research was directly related to my mentor hours as I research teachers of
the Deaf and Blind, and thats exactly what my mentor was! So I got a good look
at everything I had been writing about in the paper, which only reinforced my
interest in the field. It also helped me get examples of the techniques I had
learned about in theory in my paper. We also got to talk about things I had
questions about, but couldnt really find answers for in my paper, which
addressed a lot of the concerns I had about joining the career. This was really
calming and helpful when it came to doing the rest of my project because it
reassured me that I was on the right track when I was doing my research.
3. Summarize the mentor hours that you completed.
a. I had two different experiences with my mentor, both of which I see as invaluable
time because it really gave me a full idea of what all she was asked to do, and
what I might be asked to do. I spent my first day at a school with children who
had compounding diagnoses so I learned how broad this topic really is. She had
to do everything from helping them stim and teaching them the most basic
recognition skills, to skills they would need to exist as a functional adult in life, all
while dealing with different levels of ability. She really showed me its not enough
 to just know how to treat children with one or two disabilities, but that this job
could involve taking on children with many, and you had to be prepared to
understand that and functionally instruct them. My second and third days were a
lot more of what I was expecting from my mentor experience, and that really
taught me what I needed to complete my product and my presentation, because
it fit snugly into the field I was discussing. However both played into what were
told is the true goal of the Pride Project, and prepared me for what my life my
look like if I decide to go into this career as an adult.
4. How did working with your mentor affect your understanding of the topic area and /or the
professional world?
a. My mentor experience really brought reality to the challenges of the job that had
previously only been something that was hypothetical to me. I spent an entire day
at the school with her, so I really did get to see all the things she has to do in a 6
hour period for these kids. It showed me the weight of going into the field which
would definitely help push my decision one way or another, and it was
challenging to even just shadow her because she had to move so quickly the
entire day. I learned that even though you have a career and a team you work
with at any school, a lot of it is throwing yourself to the wolves with your
workload. Mrs. DeSart showed me just how much she has to do to support the
kids, even when she isnt in the classroom, and that kind of commitment is really
important to the job.
5. How did creating a product and completing the hours challenge you personally?
a. The product was a challenge because I had never written lesson plans before.
Ive never had to teach anything for real before now, and I knew I was handing
them to a panel of judges who had all written these before as teachers. So I had
to make sure it seemed legitimate and like I knew what I was doing, when really I
was always about 25 seconds from crying at any given moment. So I did what I
always do and I did extensive research, staying up all night and looking for how
to write the best lesson plan. Unfortunately I would soon discover that they dont
exactly make lesson plans on how to be confident. So I eventually calmed down
and figured out that I would do the best I could do and then tweak it some more
as I went along and found more information on how to teach these students. So
in the end it seemed like less of a challenge because I believed I could do it, but
 still emotionally, preparing myself was probably my biggest challenge the entire
time, because my confidence really did affect everything else.
6. Do you feel prepared academically and emotionally for the presentation?
a. Emotionally I felt prepared for the presentation, but academically I felt like I was
kind of left out to dry since junior year. I understand the point of the project, but it
seems kind of misleading to tell the juniors to pick something theyre interested
in, without having some kind of process to help them figure out how theyre going
to find a mentor, and if there is a viable product before theyre in senior year and
essentially told to sink or swim on their own at least in those respects. The
presentation itself and even the portfolio is guided really well though and I
personally love it because youre still independent because you are getting ready
for college, but if you need the help the teachers are there to give it to you,
although you do have to be willing to ask.
7. How did the entire process stretch you as a learner and as an individual?
a. As a learner the process was incredibly intense for me. I learned how to research
a paper, how to organize my portfolio, how to make contacts on my own, how to
plan lessons and be an educator in general, and I began learning an entirely
different language. ASL was always something I wanted to learn but had often
dismissed as being irrelevant to my personal life, and this project really pushed
me to start and now that I have, Im really excited to continue learning it. But the
project as a whole was a stretch for me because start to finish it was just one
new thing after another. Id never written a paper that long, never done any kind
of mentorship, and Id never ever thought about teaching a lesson. It was
probably one of the most beneficial things Ive ever done because it really helped
me stretch even just beyond a typical high school experience because I was
trying to balance all these tasks that were fairly adult compared to the
experiences Ive had before. No one was really walking you through the product
when it gets down to it, and I needed that kind of pressure on me in order to learn
how I was going to handle being on my own in college and beyond.
8. Other than time management, describe an obstacle you encountered and how you
overcame it.
a. I couldnt get a mentor for the longest time, because either they were no longer in
the field that I was looking for, or they needed me to sign something that would
 keep me from disclosing any information about who they are or where they
worked. There was also a distance factor because a lot of people who could help
me lived several hours away, and I couldnt afford the gas to get there, and by
the time I could, it would have been too late for me to actually experience any
part of their day. However I solved this by finally emailing representatives in all
three school districts I live close to and laying out the situation. CMS responded
the fastest, and thats how I found a mentor finally, which was a huge relief. Even
after I was accepted though, it took a long time to get responses back and forth
through the representative from CMS who was looking to help link me to my
mentor.
9. What life skills did you acquire and how will they help you in the future?
a. I learned how to reach out to people when I needed help. I also learned how to
budget my time even when if feels like theres nothing else I can do to help
advance my project, I know how to find things I can work on. The most important
skill I learned though, is essentially how to be pushy until you get what you need,
without actually looking really rude. It sounds really weird to say but I did a lot of
research on how to write emails to urge someone to help you without whining
and without seeming like youre trying to blame someone. And this is really
helpful for the future because no matter what I do, Im going to need help at some
point, and people are much more willing to help you if you can contact them in a
responsible and mature method. It also pushed me out of my comfort zone, in
that I can push send on an email immediately after I look it over instead of sitting
there for twenty minutes trying to work up the nerve.
10. If you had to go back and do parts of the project again, what would you do differently?
a. I would probably choose a different career because this was really challenging for
me to complete the project with. Number one because I couldnt find a mentor
very easily, and number two because it was very hard to come up with a viable
product for the the topic. Had I known that it would have taken this long to
process, I probably would have signed up with CMS volunteering the second
after I turned in my Pride Paper, and crossed my fingers that it got approved. As
for the product, this isnt necessarily a very tangible subject, and it feels weird just
turning in 5 sheets of paper and calling it a product. Not to mention they asked for
me to give them a taste of my lessons in my presentation, and I wasnt sure how I
 was to teach people who were not Deaf or Blind, and certainly didnt have the
experience a 5th grade student who i s Deaf and Blind would have, a lesson built
for those children.
11. Based on the entire Pride Project experience, do you plan to pursue this field as a career
or college area of study? If so, why? If not, why?
a. I do intend to pursue this field as a major I believe, because I learned teachers of
the deaf and blind are less accessible for children with those specific needs. I
also had a lot fun working with the kids on their reading skills and even though it
was challenging, the success felt really good, even though I wasnt really their
teacher. And I loved learning the techniques and ASL because it was so creative
and thats the kind of challenge I genuinely enjoy having. I guess its partially due
to the Pride Project, but I feel like I would have found this out at some point on
my own though.