By: Taylor Schwalbach
I can really credit a lot of how I’ve grown as a person to what we have done throughout this course. Although out high school, I was never the one to be actively participating. While I got average grades and spoke every now and then to the class, I was not someone who you would consider to be very outgoing.
This class has really helped me get out of my comfort zone. I will admit to being a bit shy in the classroom, but I was even more hesitant to do anything in the community. As a result of this, I tended to be very involved in anything that was not school related. I appreciate the things that we did outside of class and can truly say that they have helped me grow as a member of the community rather than just as a student.
In my first few entries of my journals, I described how I was not very outgoing in very many things that I have done. Now, at the end of the semester as I look back on my journals, I think that I have grown a lot. In the classroom, I was never one to ever volunteer for anything. I hated reading out loud with th class or sharing my overall thoughts. This class has made me more confident in both myself and what I want to say. Talking in small groups really helped me understand what was going on in the discussions that we had as a class If I was ever lost. Small groups also gave me confidence when sharing with them to then share my opinion to the class. Because of these things, I think the overall set up of this course really helped with my skills in the classroom.
Next semester, I am looking forward to applying all the things we have learned in and outside the classroom to our services project. This class in particular has made me want to help the underserved and give back to those who need it. Before this class, I took very little notice of the things around me if they did not affect me directly. I can see now why we should pay attention to things that seem to be “small problems” that people view as not worth fixing. If everyone goes around with the attitude that someone else will do it, then it will never get done. Looking into ways to give back to my community has helped me realize that even though things are not making an impact on me in amy way, my help (no matter how much or how little) will always make a huge impact on another person’s life.
Overall, this course has helped mold me into both the student and citizen that I would like to be. While I don’t feel like I am quite there yet, the steps that we have taken in class have put my foot in the door for future opportunities that I feel will get me to where I would like to be.