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Reflection Three
Elaborate on one or more of the positive influences outside of school during your young adolescence. This paper should be two pages each, double spaced, and should be submitted to the class blog in the comments section below.
Reflection Three
ReplyDeleteExtracurricular activities were an essential part of my early adolescent years. Throughout middle school, the most important activity that I participated in was soccer. Alongside soccer however, I was an active member in my church youth group and Greek Dance troupe. Nevertheless, as a young adolescent I identified as an athlete. I took tremendous pride in my soccer team, and the connections I had with my teammates who attended other schools. Many important traits were learned, as I quickly had to learn how to balance my busy middle school life.
When I went to middle school, after school sports were cut due to a lack of funding. However, I was a part of a competitive soccer team outside of school. When I was in school I looked forward to the opportunities that I could show off my skills and athletic ability. This activity was a positive influence in my early adolescent years. The confidence this sport instilled in me during middle school was evident and lead me to make friends that had similar interests. Although there were moments where I had to miss middle school events for soccer, those were the times looking back that taught me the importance of commitment. Time management, and responsibility were also traits that I developed rather quickly while in middle school. Having to balance school work, friendships and extracurricular activities was overwhelming but I quickly learned how to balance it all.
The friendships I made with my teammates were often times stronger than my friendships in school. This was due to the fact that I spent so much time with my teammates, and we were always in contact with one another. I was very proud anytime I was recognized for soccer, and that pride built the more I played soccer. As a middle schooler I always wore my team's jerseys and sweatshirts, and enjoyed when any person asked me about my team or made a point to compliment my ability. I fondly remember another teacher talking to me in the lunchroom about my team, and stating how good I was when I played against his daughter. Being recognized in front of my peers was something I remember to this day, and definitely displayed why I continued to participate in a sport.
My church youth group and Greek dance troupe were activities that I also participated in outside of school. As a middle schooler dancing in my church’s festival was exciting, but was also embarrassing because my friends saw my traditional costume as funny. At the time I did not recognize that I took pride in my culture, and that the relationships I built with the people in my church would extend throughout my life. My church created a positive impact, and contributed to the connections that I have with my family and other people that attend my church.
It was unfortunate that my middle school did not have sports. I felt it decreased the opportunities I had to connect with others within my school, and lowered the level of pride I took in my school. I was not very involved, and I felt that sports would have been a good way to have myself and other students come together for a common interest. Activities outside of school allowed me to develop into the person I am today. Soccer and my church helped me to develop confidence in myself, and impacted who I chose to be friends with. Who I identified as when I was an early adolescent, was impacted by what I did outside of school.
Here is a link to my reflection:
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Here is the link to my reflection:
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/10VWichXw_v-YP4VyUjwoqRlzsg5wyBgPsVl-Ga055iQ/edit?usp=sharing
Here's the link to my reflection:
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When I was a young teenager, I did not have a large amount of self confidence or self esteem. I was very shy and introverted, mostly due to the fact that I was bullied for my weight and did not have very many friends. My mother worked for a community action group, and one thing they did was outreach to the community, specifically to the elderly. One of the programs that they had created was an after school glee club that visited nursing homes and senior centers to entertain residents and people visiting for the day.
ReplyDeleteBecause I enjoyed singing, and with quite the push from my mom, I joined this club. This was a way for me to come out of my shell and be surrounded by other teenagers that were very similar to me - I guess you would call us the outcasts, because none of us were part of the popular crowds. We got together a few times a week and practiced different songs and skits to perform for others. We worked together to overcome our fears of getting up in front of groups of people, which is quite the challenge when you are very used to blending into the background and do you best NOT to be noticed! This experience really contributed to me losing my fear of being in front of a large group of people.
Not only was this something to do after school to keep us out of trouble, but we had the opportunity to travel around the state and visit a very diverse group of people that we would not otherwise have the opportunity to get to know. The people we performed for did not get out much, so these friendly, fresh faces that were happy to put on a show for them was very refreshing. After our performances, we got to mingle with the audience, because this was also part of the outreach program. They also had amazing stories, and we learned early that volunteering your time to make someone else’s day a little brighter was a pretty good thing, and a good feeling.
Reflection #3
ReplyDeleteDuring my adolescent days, I was actively involved in extracurricular activities both school lead as well as outside of school. I was always involved in more than more sport during the year, such as basketball, cheerleading, and dance. I was also involved in many “clubs.” For example, junior choir at my church, yearbook committee, and other school organizations. As an adolescent, I struggled in many aspects of schooling, so my comfort zone was those extracurricular activities.
It was in those clubs and groups that I felt I shined as an individual. While in class, it was another feeling. I struggled with reading and was often put in the lower level reading groups. This brought my self-esteem down during my elementary and middle school days. Although my parents hired tutors, I never excelled to the higher-level reading groups. In contrast, I was always placed on varsity level sport teams as well as constantly advancing in levels of dance classes. This was my most positive influence during my adolescent years.
Within school lead activities, I was able to come “out of my shell” and make friends with classmates of all grades. This might not have occurred within the classroom, because I tended to be shy or embarrassed with my struggles. Outside of school, dance helped me to pride in my abilities in front of others I’ve never met before. I faced challenges through these activities, but those challenges also built me up and made me stronger in each activity.
As I got older and moved up in middle school, these extracurricular activities also developed and increased in complexity. New techniques were learned, bigger responsibilities were developed, and higher expectations were asked of by coaches, leaders, and teachers. I took pride in these new requirements. I knew I was getting older and what was being asked from me was only expected. This gave me and my teammates a chance to step up and become “young adults.”
It is evident that these activities help many adolescents. They can build confidence, friendships, and courage. The activities I was involved in allowed for me to meet new people, develop strong bonds that carried into my young adult years, and expand my knowledge. I thoroughly enjoyed my adolescent years, and I believe it was due to my parents signing me up for all these clubs. They each helped me to develop into the person I am today and I always encourage other to be a part of an outside activity.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14FpbmC75u8uAf3oIejv8Isz-yON4UJ_leaMqI-GJuf0/edit?usp=sharing
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ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest influences for me outside of school has always been sports, specifically softball. My whole family plays softball, but I was always the one who excelled at it and took it seriously. I started at the age of 5, and my dad has always been my coach. Once I reached adolescence he started being more hard on me and instilling life lessons that I will never forget. One of his phrases that I think about the most often is “leaders lead, and followers follow. You’re a born leader so don’t think about it, just do it”. He taught me that, while being competitive is very important, it is also important to help others and pass on knowledge to people who know less. While helping me to develop into an overall positive person, softball also helped me make new friends. It was helpful seeing familiar faces on the first day of school to lessen the shock of so many new people. While softball helped with my social life at school and on the field, I also believe that it improved my family life. Playing the same sport gave my sisters and something in common and it was an activity we could always go out and enjoy together to build our bond. On a similar note, my two older sisters and older brother were typically a positive influence on me. Of course they weren’t perfect and did some things that they probably shouldn’t have, but they still helped shape me into the person I am today. Plus, when they did mess up it was a learning experience for me on what not to do once I was older. My brother is eight years older than me, but would try to incorporate me into activities with him and his friends, and I believe this helped me to become mature at an early age. I'm grateful to have a family that supports me in everything I do and that helps me to be a better person every day.
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