Reflection Paper

For me, that series was the Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Parks. Not only was the book funny, but also full of life lessons to learn from. Appreciating the “little things” in life is one of the ways this book has impacted me. Sometimes we constantly are looking at the larger picture of life and not taking the time to appreciate the small deeds people do for others. Junie B. Jones has also impacted me by always staying true to myself. No matter how many times she acted different or stood out in a crowd, she embraced herself, therefore; she was not going to change for anyone and that is a great quality to have in

Many governesses before Maria considered the von Trapp children to be incorrigible. They hated the children for the mischief that they do and the children hated the governesses in return. Hate begets hate.

No one begins their writing career level as the Hemingway of literature. We start from the bottom and work our way up. I began my writing career with poor organization and cringe-worthy grammar. In high school, my English grade would always sit on the risky border between an 89 and 90. I was also never one of those people who could write an essay in one sitting without having anyone look at my writing before the final submission. For the most part, I had to put in a good amount of effort to feel like I was on the same level as my peers. As we reach the end of the semester in Discourse 100, I have seen improvement with each paper due to the help of my peers, professor and awareness in the four kinds of knowledge: self, content, rhetorical and critical knowledge.

After reading so many books I have come to realize that the only time a character is sad or upset about something is because they aren’t able to share something that has happened in their life. For example, in the book Beastly the main character is popular and has everything he wants but isn’t able to share the fact that he won class president because his father isn’t ever there for him. But because he is so selfish he is turned into a beast and the only way to change back is to have someone fall in love with him not by looks but what is on the inside. He was always sad and depressed because he wasn’t able to find someone that would love him for who he really is, but when he finds someone he shares a connection with her and begins to express happiness. This book is a perfect example as to why human relationships equal happiness.

What I’ve come to enjoy most about the sky, after years and years of gazing up at it, is that there are no limitations or boundaries. Beyond this planet, there is a magnificent space of experiences; unopened and unrevealed. I know there are endless possibilities when I look up at the sky and when I sit down to write. Writing gives me the same opportunity too creatively think just as the sky does. When I write my essays, I try to stretch my mind too creatively think as far as it can go just like I would when I would look at the sky. However, sometimes my mind can’t stretch that far and I fall into the trap of giving up. I get frustrated because it is difficult for me to analyze instead of summarizing or make my thesis as thoughtful and organized as I would like. Luckily, over this semester in English 1102, I have learned some useful tips to overcome these barriers. The greatest obstacle that inhibits me from improving as a writer is my tendency to give up, which is due to the struggle to organize a thoughtful thesis and analyze properly.

For an organizational analysis of my current context, I decided to select Option A: Adizes: Focus on Organizational Lifecycle. Everything has a lifecycle, from geological formations to people, societies, and civilizations. Of course, organizations, too, go through different stages – they grow, change, and then, they disintegrate. Even though none of this comes as a surprise to anyone, yet some organizations and their leadership may not be ready to embrace the change and still be sustainable and efficient. As Ichak Adizes boldly suggests in his book, "The challenge of leadership on any level – individual, family, organization, and society – is to change continuously and, nevertheless, always remain together" (1999, 9). As organizations go through different stages, each time they are presented with the peculiar challenges. In many cases, new difficulties cannot be resolved with the old methods and attitudes. Without abandoning their old customs, organizations can be at risk to stagnate or even fall apart as they advancing through numerous transitions. The majority of organizations would encounter similar lifecycle stages; however, they would need to develop certain abilities in order to advance forward in the lifecycle.

Throughout the last four weeks, I have been educated on the importance of studying the Bible. As well as how to properly do so and how to apply scripture to my everyday life. There are many tools that can be used for deeper understanding when approaching the Bible. This essay will serve to demonstrate those tools as well as interpret a section in the book of James and apply it to everyday life.

As what happen in the supervision meeting every week, the students review their weekly activities and tasks at the beginning of the meeting. Thus, I reviewed my activities during the last week in the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh ICP which include contacting some clients to complete their applications, helping one family joining the Food Pantry Program and obtaining Sadaqah, and meeting with the practicum advisor.

My family, while never zealously religious, spends exactly the correct time in church to remain informed of community happenings and firmly out of the neighborhood gossip. This may, in part, result from our inability to remaining in place. Graduating this June, I will have graced the packed halls of seven schools. Seven institutions, seven communities to learn the social norms of, seven best friends who have forgotten me, and seven libraries. Thus, began my ascent into adulthood.

Every religion has different beliefs. I personally am Catholic, so we believe in some things that other people do not. Since I am Catholic we believe in having Godparents; it is almost like having a second set of parents, but they do not live under the same roof. Having Godparents is like having backup parents. If your parents pass away the Godparents would raise you and take care of you. Godparents are the ones who are supposed to help children understand things about God and their religion. They also make sure children are going down the right path in life. Sometimes I still question: What is the correct path in life? There are a variety of different paths that I could take, but sometimes I do not know which one is the perfect one; this is when my Godparents help me discover which path is the one for me.

When I was nine years old I learned a lesson that everyone should learn at some point. It was that I do not always know best. One sunny day as I was sitting in the backyard of my grandparent’s house, I watched as the neighbor’s daughter mowed their lawn. She was about my age at the time but I thought that that made her look much older. I decided that I wanted to try too and asked my grandfather if I could drive his lawn mower. He said that he thought I was too young and I would not be able to do it but I continued to beg and he hesitantly let me. I rushed inside, took the keys from the key holder on the wall, and sprinted back outside to the shed. As I sat on the lawn mower, I remember feeling grown up and proud. After I put the key in the ignition I could feel and hear the soft rumble underneath me. I pushed down the break, grabbed the gear shift, moved it to drive, and began driving. I started off slow at first just to make sure I had the feel of things. After a couple of minutes I felt comfortable enough to pick up speed and transition between the front and back yard. I did this a few times and I was feeling extremely sure of myself now. It was then that I decided to make the tragic turn.

Many people are usually shaped through the challenges and obstacles that they come across throughout their lifetime. I grew up with parents who immigrated here and knowing about their history helped me grow a lot throughout my childhood. I have grown to know about and going through struggles that my parents have gone through. I am now a hard worker and plan to use this characteristic to a good use when going to through college and pursuing my career path. I am also humble and thankful for everything that I have because my parents never had most of the things that my siblings and I have. Throughout my life, I have learned to grow through my parents and their history. Learning about my culture has also helped me grow as a person.

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.

Defeated, embarrassed, humbled… These are just a few of the emotions that I felt as I sat alone in the back corner of an empty restaurant on a Saturday night. The accumulation of recent failures was unfamiliar, and too much to handle. In front of two thousand people, I had just suffered a second-to-last finish, running a time that a year ago in high school would have earned a medal at the Area meet. I had run decently for myself, and still never had I experienced such defeat. On top of that, I was coming off of my first semester of college where I had received the first C of my life. Should I have gone to a smaller school to run? Had I underestimated the difficulty of the college engineering curriculum? Was this student-athlete life even for me? I poured over all of these questions. I came to the conclusion that I either had to quit, or I had to make a change.

I was 21 years old when I came to the United States and needed to work in order to help my father and relatives with the rent. Three months later, I found my first full-time job making pillow cases and mattress covers at the Navy Yard in Brooklyn, and attending evening ESL classes in a public school twice a week. Additionally, on Sundays, I went to the American Language Community Center (ALCC) in Queens. Since I came from the Dominican Republic, I was on a hiatus from college. Nevertheless, I knew that learning English was the only way back to it. Despite suffering from sleep deprivation during that time, I persevered until the day I received my admission letter.