IDEA

The objective that really stuck out for me was 10:  “Developing a clearer understanding of, and commitment to, personal values." One of the idea purposes of a bachelor's degree education is to educate the whole person, not just in the skills needed for a specific job, but in the understanding, experiences, and critical thinking skills needed to participate actively in adult life. To be wholly education, then, a student must define, understand, refine and commit to personal values that will serve that person in the future. All three assignments have elements of this objective, but the "This I Believe" essay is built solidly around this objective. I have never really noticed until now that most of my class have done just this. The were not solely interested in what grades I got or what it meant to them. The teachers that I have had were more interested in getting me to understand why I needed to know this information and how it would help me be a better person; not only in my professional life but in my personal life as well. I also do not know how much I agree with Objective 8. It seems that for this class only being two credit hours I have wrote more than any of my other classes; even when you combine all of them. I also feel like after a while you simply get burnt out on writing everything down and start to turn in crappy work.

This I believe...

        Before I knew it I had spent 45 minutes reading different stories on the This I believe website. I think that means that I am officially hooked. I have never been one for sappy stories or even stories about good works, but this site offered something different. Not only are those real people who are just like me but they are putting their deepest secrets out there for the whole world to share. I imagine as easy as this assignment looks it is going to be the hardest one I have to do in this class. After going through about 20 This I believe essay's I found one that spoke to me on a personal level. It is called, "Always go to the Funeral". I was immediately drawn to this title because I have not gone to funeral since my dad died. It has been this idea that I have had since I was 16 and attending my fathers' funeral. It was the longest, most exhausting day of my life and I never realized what it meant to be truly tired until then. I read This I Believe story and while it made sense to me it did not change how I feel about going to funerals. I do, however, have the utmost respect and thanks for the people who came to my fathers' funeral. I do not blame the ones who did not because I think if I had to do it over again I would have stayed home to be alone with his memory.
http://thisibelieve.org/essay/8/

Math or English?

I have often had the conversation with people about whether or not they would rather be good at English or Math. I have come to discover that the answer can vary from person to person. Of course people who are good at Math always pick Math and people who are good at English always picks English. This week went over sentence structures in class which most people find tedious and worthless. I am one of those people who always say that I would rather be good at English instead of Math, which I am. The reason I would chose English is because you use it everyday in every interaction that you have with every person you meet. English is important in your verbal interaction that you have everyday including job interviews. If you do not have a good background in grammar and proper English you will never make it through the interview process. I also think it is important when it comes to any type of correspondence. Whether you are filling out an application, writing an informational email, filling out an questionnaire, or writing an evaluation English is important. When you turn a resume to a perspective employer if you have even one item misspelled or a missed punctuation they immediately throw it away. While you need Math as well it is not needed everyday in every situation.

Week 4: How do I work with Others

This week in class we were put into groups according to how our personality tests turned out. I was interested in who I was going to be paired up with  because I generally like to work alone instead of in groups. I was relieved to find out that I was only compatible with one other person, Kristen. I had never worked with her on anything before and did not really know her at all. She is not only someone I did not know but she is graduating this quarter in Fashion. It was interesting to listen to what she had to say and to learn how she thought the personality test affected her. We got along really well which was nice because we both had the same ideas about how we wanted to present our poster. She wanted to draw out a sketch piece before we actually put our final ideas on the big board....I loved this idea! We are both OCD when it comes to how items look and what we want other people to see. I was really glad we go to work together and hope to be able to work with her again.

Who Am I?

I love taking personality test like the one on InsightGame.org. They help me to understand why I act the way that I do. I really liked this particular game because it asked questions I have never been asked before. In the end I had to ultimately decide between two personalities that both fit who I am in different ways: ESFJ or ISFJ. I ended up picking a ESFJ because the other was supposed to go into the ministry for work and that definitely is not me! So ESFJ:

ESFJs are outgoing, sociable, practical and organized. They pride themselves on their reflexive skills to harmonize, entertain and nurture others. Duty, personal service, manners and social order come second-nature to this type. Warm, friendly and naturally talented at working with others and organizing people and events, ESFJs make excellent salespeople, health care providers, teachers, homemakers and hosts. They work well as club and committee members, and their type numbers conspicuously among volunteer, church, charitable, social and civic organizations. Traditional, conservative and loyal, ESFJs work hard, devoting their time and energy to family and friends. This caring type has little tolerance for those whose actions or omissions hurt others’ feelings, and they may let the offender know! Although ESFJs derive personal satisfaction from helping others, they need verbal and tangible strokes of appreciation for their good work. When they do not receive the kind of recognition and reciprocation they feel is due, ESFJs may suffer attacks of righteous indignation.

There were other statements that the site made about SJ's that really struck home for me like:

• My energy level is boosted by meeting new people in a party like setting
• I prefer to work on projects by myself or with one other person
• People with no common sense are hard for me to understand
• My heart rules my head
• Organize as much as possible, all about schedules and planning
• Stickler for schedules, commitments, someone who always finishes what they start, on time
• Works hard for good grades, formal recognition, and approval for teacher's and administration
• Sensible, demanding, LOYAL, neat, clean, hardworking, and constructive