Reflection Paper

Everyone has a different way of living and a different personality, and a lot of it has to do with how a person was brought up and their background. The person that I am today has a lot to do with my family's impact, the people I hung out with, the type of home I lived in, and the community I was raised in. There was a lot of lessons to be learned, but I was able to stick through them, and carry on with my life to the point where I am now.

Michael Jordan said talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. This mentality is precisely the case with the compensation project. Individually, everyone could have finished the project however by working with others the project became more polished and finished quicker. In class, discussions with my group allowed me to gain exceptional insight on topics which previously I would have overlooked. Teamwork forced me to open up and look inwards to find how I was limiting the team and way to improve myself.

We all have different experiences with different things sometimes is just a difference from when you were younger to when you're older. My experience of church was different when I was younger compared to it now in the matters of Sunday school communion and church itself.

During this course, we have discussed the various ethnicities that make up the American culture and the effects that happen to each. I found the class to be refreshing considering how people view ethnicity and its interaction in the history of our country. My intent of this final essay is to cover what my views of the ethnic makeup and diversity that exists in America today. Next, I will cover how historical conditions that were covered in the class have influenced the current ethnic relations in the United States, and how my experiences guided me to these points in history. Finally, I will compare my own experiences with an individual with different experiences than myself.

Since 2011, I devoted my life to God, this happened when I get convert and be baptized to the church of Jesus Christ. I was still a babe spiritually. I learned many things in the Gospel and I felt the Love of my heavenly Father. I couldn't speak English back then when I joined the church, but through reading the scriptures daily, the Lord help me learn and understand the scriptures. Today, I can testify to you that I have read the bible many times from the start to the end. And most importantly, I teach the Gospel in English.

It’s always sad to watch the semester go. You get into this routine everyday and it becomes your life. When the semester ends you get a break which is great but then you’re thrown into a whole new routine with new people. I, myself, am a very awkward person and I’m never too keen on talking to people I don’t know. It makes it hard for me to be okay with new routines, I’d rather just keep everything the same. My best interpretation of my writing would be this: I don’t know how to change up my routine. This is seen very clearly through all my essays. However, I’d like to focus on my three essays The Youngest of Five, Band Practice, and Liar, Liar.

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.

Everyone has their own way they learn best. Some will say they are visual learners, while others say they identify as an auditory leaner. Like learning styles, the same goes for the academic reading, research, and writing process. My personal practices are the result of years practicing, trying to tailor what works best for me. I have discovered the strategies that work well for me through previous experiences which have allowed me to develop my individual method for assigned text readings, research, and writing papers.

I’m a very academically driven student and have several, quite lofty, goals for my time here at Texas A&M. I want to maintain a 4.0 GPA, or at least a minimum of a 3.5 in order to maintain my Cornerstone Honors status. My dream, and biggest goal, is to intern for a congressperson in Washington DC, and I also want to study abroad, hopefully in England.

Education begins before stepping foot into a classroom— it happens everywhere. I have been playing volleyball since I was in fourth grade, and I learn everyday from that sport. I was the little girl with braided pigtails and knee-high socks who loved the game so much. My parents supported me in my desire to stop playing for the YMCA and start playing club volleyball. I was full of raw potential, and I worked incredibly hard so that I could serve the ball in games. Finally, the time came for me to serve, and I missed. However, that missed serve wasn’t a missed opportunity. I could choose to dwell on that mistake, or I could learn from it and move on. One mistake doesn’t define me as an athlete, person, or student. When I relate this story to my academics, I think about the many mistakes I make in school, yet I strive to think positively while facing the obstacles in my path. I have been tested by the education system while on the journey of discovering and developing what is important to me as a student and as a person.

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.

I have learned several things throughout this class, things that will help me in the future and as I make my way through the University of South Alabama as well as help me grow as a person. One of the first things I learned was how to keep a calendar. The first assignment I did was to create a schedule. So, I made one and have stuck to it pretty closely. I do have a late assignment every now and then, but I am working on it and making sure to write everything down in my calendar. I do that for everything, my work schedules , fun events I would like to go to, exercising , sleeping and most importantly study time.

I have been playing soccer since I was five years old.  As a girl who didn’t have a lot of self-confidence, my ability to play this game well gave me a lot of positive attention.  I made friends and loved the feeling of being part of a team.  The soccer field became the one place I felt the most confident.

No one is exempt from turmoil during their lives, and I can honestly say that I am thankful for the adversities and encounters which have crossed my path because they have strengthened my character and brought forth certain virtues I might otherwise never have known. There are various personal issues with which I have struggled and I have no doubt as to where their foundations lie.

When I was in 8th grade at Niu Valley Middle School my English teacher assigned a poem project and we had to record ourself reciting a poem that we made about nature. We also had to make a slideshow with pictures that represented what we were saying. The teacher, Ms. Fujimoto, assigned students two weeks to complete the project. During the first week after the project was given, every English class was dedicated to working on the poem project. Throughout this time I decided not to do anything and just go on my phone because I thought the project was very simple and would take little to no time to complete. I was also very tired and the room was like a sauna and it was boiling me until I was soaking with sweat. I vividly remember staring