Everything from My Identity, Major, Dream and Aspirations, Thoughts and Emotions
My Family: From left to right- Dad, Mom, Myself and Sister
If someone were to ask me what is part of my identity the one thing that comes to mind is my family. Everything I am, how I think, my beliefs, and who I am loyal too is my family. They play such a big role in my life and helping me pursue my dreams and aspirations. Without them I cannot say that I would not be be where I am it might have just taken me longer to get here or other methods. I have been very lucky to have a stable upbringing. Not perfect but perfect enough. I have been raised with the value of education instilled in me from a very young age and the importance it holds. My dad always told me "You shouldn't get good grades for the fear of what I will think but for yourself". My parents always told my sister and me that if we did not want to get an education and work two or three jobs it was our life. This did not mean they let us do what we wanted and get away with things. At the age of 22, I am thankful for every time my parents grounded me or lectured me. Before I thought they were being mean or unfair but it was their way of showing they cared about my sister and me.
My sister and I
I see so many other people my age, or friends or even family who have no clue where they are going, who they are or where they are. They contributed greatly to me finding how to live a self authored lifestyle where I have been able to reflect and analyze my experiences with them to form my own meanings. My parents and family have been very supportive of my dreams and aspirations and never did anything to hinder my dream of being a teacher.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I have always wanted to be a teacher but there was a time in my life were I started to doubt myself. This was around 18 were I thought my life's aspirations were a home, husband and a nice house. I felt that being a teacher was not going to get me those things in life so when I applied applied to college I did not chose teaching as my intended major but business. In my mind a business degree meant more opportunities which equal more money. Reflecting on it now I have no clue what I was thinking as I was raised better than to think money equal happiness. My mom left her nice comfortable life for a middle class life she loved while she had siblings who were way better off but divorced or unhappy. With the path I was going down I would have never known what it would have been like to live a self authored life as I did not let experiences guide my future but greed.
My parents were upset because they knew I was making a mistake but they sat and let me learn. After a year and a half as a business major I was absolutely miserable. As I talked about in the well-being competency my anxiety was out of control. I was constantly stressed and felt so unhappy. My parents saw this and decided to have a talk with me. My dad was very straight forward and pretty much said if I was this stressed about business classes imagine how stressed I would be having that as my career. This was very eye opening for me and the next day I dropped my classes that were business related and switched my major back to education...I choice I will never regret. While I always had these aspirations and goals they did shift for a while but I am glad that I was able to learn from my mistakes. I know my mistakes taught me a lot about myself and how to handle my anxieties better, all in the quest for living a self authored life. My aspirations and goals currently are to finish school, live happily and healthy, and contribute to my community. This gives me great satisfaction and joy knowing that this is how I am able to make a difference for those around my life and my community. Recently I have been doing an internship with a Level 1 school in Fairfax that has reiterated even more why I want to be a teacher. I was very nervous when I started as I was not going in to be a substitute or do a field experience but to tutor 1st and 2nd grader. I felt such a big responsibility with the task given to me. Not in a way where I was not sure what I was doing but more one out of excitement and joy of being able to help.
Second Grade Class- Pictured Authorized
I am with a group of kids that are in a lower level that they need to be when it comes to their readings list. I have a set amount of time with every student which can be frustrating but one of the challenges presented to every teacher across the world. After working for several weeks with the students I am tutoring they are starting to catch up. My proudest moment and most rewarding was when one of my students I am tutoring said to me "Ms. Velez I finally get how to read a work out if I do not get it". Now she used the strategy I taught her to use for all her other words she is learning and is picking up fast.
It is the little things like that that make me want to continue to pursue my dreams of teaching. Often teaching does not seem like the most rewarding job and truly it is not a glamorous life. When I have students who tell me they have "never had a Spanish teacher" like me I know I am being a role model for them, even if it is only one person. Like I had my teacher, Coach Pond inspire me over 15 years ago I hope to make a contribution to their education like she did to mine. The more I learn about my career the more I value all my teachers and professors who truly ever showed they cared about my success. I have had teacher who I could tell were only there for the paycheck and it makes me really sad to think about how they were allowed to educate. My time in New Century College I have embraced the meaning of integrative studies and experiential learning. As a future educator I plan to use the method of experiential learning with my future students as it gives the best results for students actually coming out with something learned. I have taken away from NCC is that if an experience does not lead to something meaningful what is the point? Many times as a student I never had any meaningful experiences when I was taught something. This is something I would like to give my student through activities like I have done in NCC that allowed me to use my competencies and cooperative learning. This helped connect to a deeper level with what my task at hand was. I can honestly say since incorporating EL and cooperative learning I have enjoyed my classes and gotten meaning out of them. These are skills that I will take with my even when I handle other experiences as I have learned the world is my classroom.
Beyond teaching I do have other aspirations, one of them is traveling. I have been thinking of doing a study abroad program even thought it would delay my graduation. Even though my counselors say it is not a good idea I think the experience would be one I would never forget. I have never lived anywhere else but Northern Virginia for a long period of time so I would love to have that experience. I have also considered doing a week long trip to one of the many places George Mason offers during breaks. To me it is very important I travel and get to experience first hand other cultures and customs. I feel I am so fortunate to live in America where I am exposed to so many different people. They inspire me to want to get to know their cultures and customs and learn their ways. This really resonates with me as a students at GMU that is full of diversity.
Currently as the semester ends my thoughts and emotions are very positive. I have recently learned I got accepted to be a Teacher Assistant for Kindergarten for Fairfax County Schools which gives me great joy as it is one step closer to my dream of teaching. I hope I can truly enjoy this opportunity and convey my passion to the students I will be with. As the semester ends, I reflect upon my classes and see that I truly enjoyed all of them. I was able to use most if not all the competencies and actually learned and retained all the information given to me. This is probably the first time in my college career where I was given the opportunity to collaboratively learn with my peers and form meanings to my experiences. I am feeling thankful for the opportunities presenting themselves and for all those who have helped me along the way. I am especially thankful for having such a wonderful semester.
This has all contributed to me currently feeling like I am living the definition of a self authored life. I know who I am, I know where I am, and I know where I going. Most importantly I know who to turn to and what to turn to when I ever feel doubt. All aspects of my life are circling smoothly and I am very thankful for this. The one class that has greatly contributed to this has been my Integrative Studies class. This class has had the most benefit for me as it allowed me to question and push myself in way that only helped me improve. It is great to have a professor who has high expectation of you not because he is trying to be mean. He pushed us because he knows we are capable of doing quality work. This was sometimes stressful but like at the end of the day with my parents who I thanked for pushing me, I can say I am thankful my professor, Al pushed us and wanted us to actually find meaning to his class.
I hope to revisit this blog at the end of my undergraduate degree and throughout my college education when I need to refocus or remind myself where I have been and my aspirations and goals. Hopefully someone will stumble upon this blog one day if they ever feel they are lost and realize it is okay to question yourself or "take" the wrong turn. As long as we learn from our experiences and use them to improve on our lives and those of others. Katerine Velez
Everyone
has experiences that influenced their lives. For me, there are some very special people and events that made a
significant contribution to my college education and my commitment to help make
the world a better place. I consider these people and events a blessing, as it
has shaped my view on education and the world. One major event that shifted my
concept regarding the difference education plays on people was, when I had the
privilege of traveling to the Amazonian forest of Ecuador. This trip would have
not been possible without the persistence of my grandmother, a teacher, who has
contributed immensely to my education. Thirdly, Coach Pond, my fifth grade
teacher, has taught me why teachers greatly impact the world and how their work
can change a life.
My
life was changed at the age of eighteen, right after I finished graduating from high
school. At this point, I was not entirely convinced teaching was a profession I
wanted to pursue even though when I was little that was all I wanted to be. My grandmother and parents advised that I go on holiday, as I
was not working. I decided to go to Ecuador, as my parents are from there and I
haven’t seen my family in two years. After my first week there, my grandmother
asked me if I wanted to see where she worked when she started student teaching,
as she has just retired. When my grandmother told me we were going to the
amazon forest, I was completely shocked. I never imagined that a city gal like
my grandmother once taught in the amazon for four years. I was nervous as what
I was going to find when I arrived, as I have only heard horrible stories of
people dying of malaria or being eaten by wild animals. The tour guide assured
me that this was the least of my worries. I was confused by his comment, as
I did not think I would see anything worse than a big lion trying to eat me.
The moment we drove into the first village we were visiting, I understood his
comment.
Amazonian Communities
Being
raised in Northern Virginia, I was used to building, cars, and a lot of noise.
Now, I am not ignorant to the conditions other people live around the world, to
see it first hand was another thing. The first image I have in my head and one
I will always take with me is children who were carrying a child. In America,
while teen pregnancy is still somewhat looked down on, in the forest of Ecuador
it somehow seemed to be a “trend”.Later I found out, that the younger you have a child the more value you
hold to your family. We were only in this particular area for about two hours,
but in those two hours I made the connection that no education means continuing
a cycle of poverty. This is found to be true all over the
world if you really think about it. While they did have an educational system
it was falling apart. This was due to the lack of importance they put on
education. This was because they did not see an immediate reward to it. Boys
were needed on the fields to help with harvest not in a classroom for six
hours. Girl needed to bare children and do house work, not aspire to take on a man’s
role or know more than him. Lack of supplies was another big factor on why
education was not seen as important. It is very costly to build multiple buildings
with electricity that allows for an effective learning environment. It is as simple
as girls not always having proper sanitary supplies for their menstruation.
Preventing them from going to school for up to two weeks and falling behind. There were so many other factors that
contributed to why education was not made a priority that it really made me
what to change all that. I left that place feeling helpless at first, then
realizing that if only they had someone to look up too or fought to change
their situation would they have a different life. This inspired me to commit to
wanting to be a teacher, significantly changing my college education. I was mad
that not everyone was given the educational opportunities I was. Due to mostly
their gender and the role they played in their community. I immediately told my
grandmother that this was such an emotional experience for me. She in return
told me, that this is a battle she has been fighting as an educator for the
past forty years.
My grandmother, my sister (left) and me (top right)
My
grandmother was the reason why I was able to experience going to such an
underprivileged part of Ecuador. If I would have not taken such a life
impacting trip, I would not be in this class. After our trip, I still had about
two weeks left of my holiday. Those two weeks reinforced even more my
commitment to make a change, even if it only impacted one person. For two weeks
I asked her everything about her experience as an educator. I had no idea the amount of work my
grandmother did outside of her city when it came to trying to establish an
educational system throughout her country. She strongly believed everyone
needed to be educated and worked with non-profit organizations to get funding
for school to have basic needs. I was able to see that being a teacher was not
only a job that stayed in your classroom, but one should transcend outside your
classroom walls. She was committed to making the world a better place by going
out of her way and doing all she could, even if this meant working long hours.
She told stories on how she would tutor students on weekends if they were
falling behind. Even my mother recalls meeting her best friend through my
grandmothers as she was tutoring her on a Sunday at their home. It amazes me
that she would go through such length to make sure she was being the best
teacher she could be. To this day, her passion lives through me.It has contributed significantly to my
college education in that I do not just see this as a “degree” or a job.
My Grandmother graduating College
Another
teacher who greatly influences my life including my college education and my
commitment to the make the world a better place is, my fifth grade teacher,
Coach Pond. When I think of Coach Pond, I think of encouraging, happy, loving,
and caring. There is a reason why she has been Teacher of the Year, and this is
because she cares. It is very hard to find someone who is so invested in the
success of the people around them and will truly bend their back to make sure
that you are doing the best you can. She made learning encouraging and inviting
and never did she make me feel intimidated or afraid. Her motto was that she
was there to coach us along not to teach us. It amazes me that I can still
remember the feelings I had around her, even so many years later. I think the
key to her success in reaching her students and impacting their lives revolved
around her wanting to know you as an individual. This is a feeling I hope to
one day transmit to my students and those I teach. She encouraged me to contribute my gifts and knowledge so
that other may also benefit from them. What is the point of having a gift, if
we do not share it? We need to use our abilities, gifts, and talents to help
contribute to make the world a better place.
One of the many activities Coach Pond had us do. In this case we were learning about Greece. So instead of just learning about Greece she transported us into their world, Greek Wars...Experiential Learning at its finest. I still remember most of Greek history!
People I have met, events and personal
experiences have shaped truly shaped me. This was all due to some experiences that influenced my life that included having the
privilege of traveling to an underprivileged part of Ecuador with my
grandmother. Whose dedication to making sure she did all she could to making
sure people had the resources needed to have an education and her passion for
teaching. As the same for Coach Pond, who made me want to learn and follow her
example on how simply caring makes me want to go out in the world and do the
same. Even if that means only making a significant contribution to one’s person
college education and their commitment to help make the world a better place through their experiences.
A Competency-Based Education: Global Perspective, Critical Thinking, Aesthetic Response
"New Century College believes that a successful undergraduate education requires more than an ability to master complex bodies of knowledge.
Throughout my years as an undergraduate, I will pursue excellence in eight competencies, each one essential to the transfer of knowledge from classroom practice to real-life problems. Learning communities and courses in New Century College incorporate several competencies imaginatively into the curriculum. I will learn to demonstrate my growing mastery of the competencies through assignments, projects, reflection, self-assessment and the creation of portfolios."
How I Have Applied Them To My Life...
COMMUNICATION
Communication is the process of creating and sharing meaning through human interaction.
Since starting my college education at George Mason through New Century College I have had to learn how to communicate. I thought I knew how to speak, read, write, and listen effectively. This means giving attention to your audience, the purpose and the context. What I found out about myself is that I knew how to do none of these thing...EFFECTIVELY.
Communication is essential in Mediation if everything in the model above
wants to be accomplished.
One class that has really made me an effective communicator is my Mediation class. When I first signed up for this class I thought it was going to be a class that was going to teach me about helping people find solutions for their problems. As I started to delve more into my class and started to understand what was needed of me as a mediator the one key factor that stood out was COMMUNICATION. As a mediator, if I am not able to effectively communicate how to guide those in mediation I will not lead them to finding a solution. As a mediator I am not allowed to tell them solution but help guide them so they themselves find the solution that would help them. If I do not communicate effectively they will not trust me and this is key in mediation....trust between the mediator and parties. Communication is key is mediation from the beginning when I need to read them the 4 legals correctly, to communicating that I understand both side so no one feels like I am favoring a party, to the end where I need to make sure I communicate correctly what the final outcome is either to them or to a judge.
I have learned through this class that I was never really an effective communicator. I would just say what I needed to stay hoping what I wanted to get across came across. I never assured that what I was saying had ACTUAL MEANING, literally and figuratively.
How many times through my life did I just speak without truly weighing the weight of my words? In college how many time did I present information to my professor and fellow students when I myself learned absolutely nothing about what I was trying to communicate? Did I take into consideration others learning styles or my diverse audience?
These are all questions I have asked myself since starting New Century College...for the first time in my college career I have been actually encouraged to CRITICALLY THINK when communicating.
CRITICAL THINKING
Critical thinking is a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating a judgment or conclusion.
As a good critical thinker during my time at New Century College I have learned that I need to explore the issues and identify any problems to be solved. Critical thinking is key to expanding ones knowledge and being able to summarize and synthesis key issues. The ability to think critically is important whatever we choose to do. Especially for those who wants to have a career in education, like myself then critical thinking is obviously important. Being able to think well and solve problems systematically is an asset for any career, not just to those who will work in Education.
Since taking NCC classes and understanding the meaning of experiential learning I have started to explore the realms of thinking with a purpose. Critical thinking is key to language, creativity and self reflection. Since entering NCC I have been able to really start to think clearly and systematically. I have seen how I have improve the way I express my ideas and am getting better at analyzing what is presented to me. With critical thinking I also see that my comprehension abilities have improved.
Critical thinking also really improved how one thinks creatively. I have learned that coming up with a solution to a problem does not just involve good ideas but making sure that our good and new ideas are RELEVANT to the task presented to us at hand. Critical thinking is key to identifying and evaluating relevant, valid information and evidence, and in some cases modifying them.
Integrative Studies EDGE Experience
One example where critical thinking was key was during an activity called EDGE that was presented to me through New Century College. We had many group activities we did with EDGE but one where CRITICAL THINKING really stood out to me was where we had to build a story from beginning to end. While group collaboration was key we had to really design and implement good problem solving skills. Since we all had a card that went in some type of order we had to understand the context that was being presented to us and make assumptions to where we thought we would be places in the line and see if the information was valid. Using all these tools of good critical thinking and communication (another NCC Competency) we were able to build our story.
Critical thinking also goes hand in hand with living a self authored life. In order to live a meaningful life and to structure our lives accordingly, we need to justify and reflect on our values and decisions. Critical thinking provides the tools for this process of self-evaluation. Through self reflection and analyzing our experience we are able establish our own conception of what truth means.
Group collaboration is the process of working toward a shared agenda and/or common purpose while capitalizing on the diversity within the group.
Group collaboration allows you to create shared experience with a common purpose. At least this is how it should be. What I have learned in NCC is that it is essential in group collaboration for everyone involved to understand their roles and tasks. This allows for everyone involved to make decisions and track the groups progress collaboratively. With in New Century College I have had exposure to working in groups a lot. Now I truly understand why every team member in a group is essential. With group we are able to integrate individual talents and strength towards accomplishing our goals and tasks.
From group collaboration before I never was able to truly value every team member. Honestly, I can say that before understanding COLLABORATIVE LEARNING I saw people in my group as one less thing to do. Now through New Century College and projects I have had to do I value the diversity of my "team mates" in the group.
A recent project where GROUP COLLABORATION was essential to being successful was a "research" project for my Integrative Studies class. Before we started the project I thought it was going to be like any other research project where everyone was assigned a role and we just combined our information, finito! We had one lesson in my Integrative Studies class where we learned what P.A.R. was, Participatory, Action, Research. After I was able to go back and really reflect what P.A.R. meant I saw the duty we had as a group to WORK TOGETHER to not research but mindfully engage and share the knowledge we acquired. It was key that as a group we understood our purpose (and build re pour ) so we could reflect and analyze what we learned AS A GROUP.
If as a group we did not collaborative as the same wave length we would not have been able to engage at the level we did and produce qualitative research. For our group collaboration to be successful everyone in our team had to engage, compromise, go into the field, be hand on, collaborate, be flexible to new experiences, and participate. We really value the "diversity" of our group even though we were all hispanic, 20 something year old woman. We all came from different families, lived different lives, have been through different experiences, have knowledge of different things, and have our own minds. While to some this could be a hinderance we embraced that everyone thought differently and make it a good quality. This allowed us to think of different way of doing research, how to present our facts, and help each other out in our weaknesses.
GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING
Global Understanding is the respect for and appreciation of the interconnections among biocultural systems.
For someone to say the are Global Understanding they must be able to appreciate and apply diverse perspectives, ways of knowing and others values. This also includes being able to analyze interconnectedness of local and global communities politically, economically, socially, and culturally. I have learned that people must feel we understand and respect various life forms and the environment. This can be done be recognizing and addressing the global implication of human, environmental and economical exploitation.
One experience in my life that really make me appreciate I have "GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING" is when I went to Panama.
My second grade DIVERSE class. Left is my Spanish Teacher from Columbia and Right is my English Teacher from Ohio .
Growing up in Northern Virginia, I was exposed to diversity from a small child. I always remember having friends who were black, white, asian, latino with different customs. In elementary school, (as I went to a Two Language Immersion school we had diversity day twice a year were at night we had family member bring foods native to their home and presentations that reflected their culture. I always enjoyed it and thought it was normal. I remember when I went to Panama when I was 10 for a family vacation. This is the first time I felt "discriminated". I have always had fair skin but have always identified myself as hispanic. I am very proud of being hispanic as I am proud of being an American. I love that I grew in Arlington were in most cases diversity was accepted and my friends thought it was "cool" that I could speak Spanish and English.
While in Panama, we were visiting a near by city and stopped to explore. We were sitting down in a restaurant and there was an area for children to play. I went over there with my sister (who is tanner than me) and started playing with the other kids. I am guessing now that one of the kids I was playing with was a native but I thought nothing of it. All of a sudden an adult (probably his mom) goes to him and says to him " Do not play with the "gringa" her parents probably do not want you too" but was okay with him playing with my sister. Gringa is a word use in Spanish to describe a "white" girl. I did not understand then but later on my parents explained to me that they heard her telling an employee of the restaurant that she did not want her son playing with someone who will look down on him one day. My mom assured me that she knew I had a big heart and did not think that way. My 10 year old self took it very hard because I just wanted to play with my "new" friend. Now I can reflect that this lady probably only had negative experiences with "white" Panamanians.
Now, this really makes me appreciate that I was raised around diversity and respect that everyone comes form different cultures and has different viewpoints, regardless of how they look or where they are from. Whenever I am able to sympathize for people and communities when I see injustice due to factors that are out of their control. We are all one big melting pot and as New Century College motto goes we are all somehow connected and that is through education. It is our duty to educate those around us of the interconnectedness of local and global communities politically, economically, socially and culturally.
CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Civic engagement is practice based on an informed understanding of communities and the roles and responsibilities of individuals within those communities.
I have seen that New Century College is really about living their motto...as students we are challanged in our classes to spread our knowledge. If we cannot form meanings to what we are learning and educate the world, what is the point of going to school? NCC offers classes that allows us as students to spread awareness and advocate social issues. I did this in my Integrative Studies class when my group presented the issue of Gender Inequality but I will talk about another issue.
Through CIVIL ENGAGEMENT we should be able to develop the ability to examine contemporary issues and their historical context. This goes with recognizing and valuing multiple perspectives in civil life. This allows us to understand how actions are shaped by multiple forces, including values, and economic and social inequality. We can then make informed choices regarding personal community involvement, social justice issues and leadership roles. Together we work collaboratively with diverse partners to solve problems for a common good. One way that NCC has recently brought awareness to my life is by presenting how I can be civilly engaged in my community.
VIDEO: A21 Campaign
About a year ago I met my now friend at church. Little did I know her back story. My church is actively involved with a campaign called A21, human trafficking. I always donate to the campaigned when it was asked and was aware of the issue but I was never "worked collaboratively with diverse partners to solve problems for a common good" as one of the competencies states. Around beginning of August my friend trusted me to tell me she was a survivor of Human Trafficking. To make this story short, I now felt an obligation to work life time proactively with my church to help spread awareness on human trafficking. We do this through campaigns, talking to those in high power, helping survivors rebuild emotionally and economically, fundraisers, to name a few.
In the last six months, I have learned so much about this horrible issue and how I can be proactive. I questioned how can a 22 year old college student from Virginia make a difference? This is where NCC came in and helped me understand that I can make a difference. The simple fact that I understand that there is a social issue is the first step. I was able to see the SOCIAL INEQUALITIES that were presented to millions of woman and men every day around the world. Most importantly, I was able to put my self in HER SHOES. I have learned what results in human trafficking like factors of poverty to name one. The most important thing I learned from working with A21 campaign is that anyone can be victim. It is very easy to desensitize oneself when the issue is nameless or just a number but through CIVIL ENGAGEMENT it is my role to bring awareness to my community.
TheA21Campaign.org
When you start to identify with someone who has gone through something as horrible as human trafficking, it becomes your problem too. It now becomes your fight and your cause...no matter how much or little progress I make. I heard a video where someone said "is it even worth my time?"...when you know someone who has been through something like this the simple questions becomes offensive. That made me realize that I do not care how many times I fail or if I do not make progress. One thing you do is never stop fighting for your own...and this issue is now my "own".
DIGITAL LITERACY
As information and communication technologies permeate more and more aspects of personal, professional and civic life, students need to be able to apply and critique existing and emerging technologies.
Something NCC has open the door for me is to expand my use of digital literacy through my classes. I have had to learn a lot of programs that I never knew existed but now I will use to better my education. Through digital literacy I have been able to use other platform as a research tool.
Digital Literacy allows us to research, evaluate and apply the digital information and communication tools and platforms appropriate to each activity I undertake. I can demonstrate my readiness to learn new information communication technology confidently an independently in the creation of original digital work. Like this project, the ability to integrate existing personal and information and communication technology with emerging tools and platforms. Also, understand and ethically resolve the privacy, security, accessibility and identity management issued associated with the integration of digital literacy into everyday life.
As a NCC students I already do this on a daily basis. If I am not reading or researching material for school, I am reading a blog about personal health or watching a DIY video. I really used digital literacy when I had to do a project for a class about battles with heath disorder. I thought I was going to have to do article research but my professor wanted us to have a personal perspective for this project. We were only able to use personal blogs or video diaries to gather information for the question impose on us. This really added another light to my education because I had to become knowledegable on how to look for creditable blogs and videos with detail information. It felt very private reading people blogs and watching their video vlogs but this let me understand where those suffering from eating disorders came from.
( one of the blogs I used : http://fitting-it-all-in.com )
Beyond statistics and facts I was able to apply this way of digital literacy into my everyday life and identify with these people even though I have never suffered from a eating disorder. It allowed me to really see my own life and how I have control of what I feed my brain and how I handle my insecurities. I made me connect on a person level with these survivors and appreciate my healthy metal state.
AESTHETIC AWARENESS
Aesthetic awareness encourages individual to develop intellectual and emotional responses to nature or human creativity.
Through New Century College I have learned that being Aesthetically Aware means being able to understand the historical, social, political, environmental or gendered context of specific created works. Appreciating the complex processes of creative expression in multiple forms and media and recognizing and exploring the transformative potential of creativity in effecting societal change. It is about valuing creative expressions and the natural world to enrich everyday life.
One way I think I understand aesthetic awareness is through Art. I took an art class my second year into college which I though was going to be boring as many of my other art history classes were. I knew the class was going to be an easy A except for having to go into D.C. to visit some art museums. Little did I know that my experience there would make me realize how little aesthetic awareness I had. I had to visit an exhibition by Roy Lichtenstein and write a paper about my observations. I can truly say that I was lost until an older gentleman approached me and started telling me about the history of these paintings and the meaning behind them. I soon found myself engrossed in all this man wanted to tell me and listen all day long. After our talk, I found myself wanting to know more and more about this exhibition. There were actually stories and meanings behind these pictures. They were people, places and things not just paint on a canvas.
Roy Lichtenstein
This lead for me to become very fascinated with Art History. The whole class I found myself actually reading the whole textbook and going to museum on my own time to see these portraits and pictures first hand now that I knew the history, depth and the meaning of the author, or painter was trying to tell its audience. Once I learned that they truly understand what aesthetic awareness is they have to put it into "action" and use it to really understand what they are looking at. Being aesthetically aware of my surrounding has made me feel not just see and enjoying it. It has changed my perception of everything because is makes you appreciate the world around you.
WELL-BEING
Well-being is the life-long experience of life satisfaction, happiness, and purpose.
( http://www.griffith.edu.au )
"Diseases of the soul are more dangerous and more numerous than those of the body" -Cicero
Well-being goes hand in hand with living a self authored life. It is a great way to end this post. All the competencies above, if understood and implemented correctly should help one life a self authored life (along with some other aspects).
Understanding well-being means that I am able to develop insights and habits of regularly assessing the quality of my own life. It means having self-efficacy and control over my own life. Being able to self-manage my stress and anxiety and finding equanimity, peacefulness, and resiliency in the face of adversity. Developing imaginative and inclusive ways I can solve problems and creating/sustaining positive relationship and social support. Lastly, being able to demonstrate prosocial behaviors and emotions like compassion and joy.
Years ago I use to deal with really bad anxiety. It was so bad that for a while I let it run my life. This was me not living a self authored life as I was not being the designer of my own life but letting my anxiety control it. After being fed up with letting anxiety control my life I turned to two things: Meditation and Religion. Both of these combined together allowed me to get out of my anxiety and now live a self authored life that is good for my well being. I regularly meditate to help guide me back to my center or if I have anxious thoughts or feeling it helps stop them. Religion had allowed me to find a greater purpose in life and that is love.
With my anxiety I would get frustrated very easily and everything would annoy me. Now because the person or incident was annoying but because it would cause me to have thoughts that would give my anxiety. Through Religion I have been personally able to learn the power of manifesting love to others, showing compassion and gratitude for getting rid of most of my anxiety and those around me.
This has allowed me to live a life were I am in control and I write my own scripts. It has made it easier for me to realize my own goals and dreams (another blog post) ! I now have control to evaluate my own life, start to develop a healthy behavior, want to take control over my physical and emotional health, and work environment...it is all about DEFINE, BETTER, AND TRANSFORM as one of my meditations goes.
* Pictures Linked are not might but from the credited owner. All other information was provided my New Century College website or my own knowledge
"Education is Synonymous To Freedom and Education"-My Grandfather
As a child, I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. Some of my first memories as a child were always stealing my parents bills and papers and making piles on a small, pink table I had that I pretended was my desk. I would line up my "students", in this case any teddy bears and dolls I could find and get them ready for "class to begin". During my class "sessions", I would read to my "students", sing and grade their papers. Something my parents were never to happy about as I was making marking all over their very important papers. The one person who also made me want to be a teacher was my grandmother. I will go deeper in another post why she was such a major contribution to my life and education.
Both my parents migrated to the United States from Ecuador. My dad came to Washington D.C. in late 1980 while my mom followed the next year. My dad and mom both came from very different socio-economic backgrounds. My dad came from very humble beginnings and never had the chance to have a real childhood, as he worked from a young age to help his family out. My mom was raised in a very privileged family, allowing her to travel, never truly knowing what it was to suffer when it came to knowing were your next meal would come and had the privilege of going to school and attending college. How did two people from different worlds collide? Fate (and Church).
Parents 1990, Washington D.C.
Despite my parents coming from different backgrounds it did not really matter to my maternal grandparents as most people would think. This was because my grandfather also came from very humble beginnings and worked hard for all he had. He managed to get his way through school and become a doctor. He wanted for my dad to better himself and also have the chance to get an education. When my mom came to the USA it was on a student visa. My dad could not get a visa and yes he came here illegally. Eventually my parents wed and when my mom got her residency so did my dad. My dad was able to go school and start his own business. Since I really never grew up with necessities, I knew I had to excuses for not succeeding. I was healthy, had supportive parents, had a roof and meal everyday and was given all the tools for success. I was taught by my parents especially my dad about appreciating everything I had since I had such an amazing story of how someone who was raised with so little could succeed.
When my dad found out I was going to school to be an educator he was thrilled. He told me that he would be proud with whatever career I chose as long as a aimed to make a difference. "What is worth making millions of dollars if on the inside you have no value" is what my dad always told my sister and me. He told me he would rather I be at home that be a hypocrite at my job pretending to know what it actually means to be an educator and the responsibility it entails.
He always told me of a teacher he had who would bring him candy on Fridays. That small act of kindness is something he still remember to this day. He said he really looked forward to going to school not for the candy its self but for the way the gesture made him feel. It is something I want to do for my students not for me but as a thank you to the teacher who gave my dad a small piece of his childhood he was robbed due to poverty. How could I be a teacher and not care about my students? It is not about showing up and teaching them the ABC's or 123's. A computer could do that job; it is about personal interacting beyond an academic level and make an impact on someones life.
Grandfather graduating from Medical School
If there was one thing my parents learned from my maternal grandparents, that was passed on to my mom was that, "Education is synonymous to FREEDOM and HAPPINESS". This is something that has been engraved in my head since the very beginning of my childhood. I may not have really understood what that saying meant when I was younger but as I started to delve into my career choice I finally started to grasp what the saying meant. Through many life experience which I plan to unfold in other postings, I was able to understand and learn why an education holds such significance. These were turning points and influences in my life that have made a significant contribution. I consider these people and events a blessing, as it has helped shape my view on education and the world. They also have helped me form meanings to my current position as a New Century College Student at George Mason University.
My Maternal Grandmother (Teacher) and Grandfather (Doctor)
