Reflection 3: Now What?
Situation:
You have spent all evening in the coffee shop working on your capstone project. You notice that you are the last person in the shop and the baristas are beginning to prepare for closing. As you begin to pack up your things, the barista thanks you for indulging their curiosity and asks a few more questions before wishing you well on your journey.
How are you incorporating your previous learning in this project?
I am incorporating my previous learning into my Teaching Capstone by making a pro’s and con’s list of teaching styles that my previous professors have engaged in, and keeping what I like while discarding what didn’t resonate with me as well. For example, optional attendance with asynchronous options caused me to become lazy in the course and choose not to attend class, so I will not be offering this as an option to my students, unless they email me ahead of time with a valid excusable absence. Something that has helped cultivate my learning experience is in-class discussions of hypothetical scenarios because I could take the content from class and apply it to my own life. By analyzing the strategies of past professors, it is similar to learning content in a history class, because the biggest takeaway is not to repeat past mistakes and expect a different outcome.
How will this project prepare you for your future career?
This project will prepare me for my future career because as a Nurse Practitioner, I will be teaching people on a daily basis. While the content of what I am teaching will change, the skill of effectively conveying my ideas is the main takeaway from this project that will benefit me. By working closely with my Capstone Advisor, I am preparing myself to work with my higher-ups and people of authority in my future career. Through this practice, I will easily be able to communicate respectfully and effectively with hospital administration. I am growing through this project by learning more about myself and how my own life experiences have shaped who I am today, as well as gaining empathy and respect for the experiences of those around me. This will be essential in my future career because healthcare is dependent on providers having the character trait of empathy towards their patients.
What are some of the connections between your work and current events?
My work is closely related to current events because the Enneagram impacts all parts of life. The Enneagram is focused on broadening worldviews and enhancing understanding of the experiences of others, which leads to a life led with compassion. This is connected to the current climate of politics, where compassion is nowhere to be found. I have been researching the Enneagram types of Joe Biden and Donald Trump, to try to view them more holistically as people rather than just political figureheads. You can never truly know someone’s Enneagram type without actually being that person, but the idea of looking at how their life experiences have shaped their personalities can help both parties view the opponent from a much more moderate, empathetic lens. For example, I have found that Donald Trump is most likely a type 8, so some of his key motivations may be to prove his strength and resist weakness, to be important in his world, to dominate the environment, and to stay in control of his situation. Type 8 is an increasingly common type for the world of politics, because they are dominant personalities that know what they want and aren’t afraid of what it may take to get there. On the contrary, Joe Biden has tendencies of a Type 7, meaning that he may believe everyone should be given a chance to explore all that they possibly can and climb the corporate ladder relatively fast. A quote I really enjoyed on the subject from Abi Robins is, “If we are really concerned about the state of our country and the world, getting down into the real work the Enneagram provides us is the best way to move things in a more conscious and compassionate direction. If we want to see the Enneagram spread and be a catalyst for global transformation, we as a community need to treat it like that’s what it is!”.
How have the three words shaped your process, changed, or transformed your thinking this semester?
Self-discovery, compassion, and progress are the three words from Reflection 1 that I chose to relate to my project. These three simple words have shaped my creative process because I am continuing to hold progress as a top priority in the development of my project and consciously working towards progressing to the highest potential feasible. With this in mind, I have not allowed myself to become stagnant or complacent in the work towards my Capstone Teaching class, which is resulting in progress and new ideas that I had never anticipated coming into the project. In a broader view of this semester, the word “self-discovery” has transformed my way of thinking about myself and others. To begin, I have deepened my view of my own Enneagram type and sharpened my ability to adjust to unforeseen circumstances. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, self-discovery has taken a top-slot on my to-do list for the past 7 months. With online classes and unexpected alone time, I have had time to sit down with myself and figure out who I really am.