A Learning Curve

 
REFLECTIVE WRITINGS

      Salt Lake Community College’s learning outcomes have provided me with an
understanding of General Education. In light of the fact that I consider myself a non-traditional student I have had to learn to embrace the necessity of General Eds.
I have wanted to return to school for some time but could not resigned myself to wasting several years on General Eds. Not being able to attend school full time (gotta work) it would take me forever to finish school. At my age I don’t have forever.
Then something changed in my professional life, I was transferred to a different location, employers and colleagues noticed my work and were telling me I needed to returned to school. The one thing they all kept saying “Carol you love learning, you love learning new things, even with boring useless trainings you always find something to learn. You never see learning as a waste of time.” It then became clear General Education is all about learning. Learning new and interesting things. I love history. I’ve taken a history class, I loved it. Communications another opportunity to learn why I talk so much
and how I can even do it better. Then my favorite topic of all Human development.
An Invitation to the Life Span, Even the title welcomes the student to bring their life questions and find understanding.
My ePortfolio is titled A Learning Curve I am looking forward to traveling along that learning curve. Aiding me on this learning curve are the SLCC’s learning outcomes.I guess with age comes wisdom. At first glance these outcomes look daunting. However; I have find these outcomes to be most helpful in putting my education in perspective.
Answering the questions not asked out loud. What are you learning, why did you chose that class over another, How did you make the best of a class that you did not find interesting. The outcomes help think through these questions and more. The outcomes help align my learning goals so that I can be a head of the learning curve. I can discover positive outcomes even in a class that didn’t measure up to my expectations.
Lucky for me that has not happened (yet).
I have find my first semester in college to be very successful.
One wonderful success was the online class for Family Human Studies. My only regret is that I would have loved to have taken this class in a classroom., with lots of discussion. The bonus in this class was the creation of An Individual Project This assignment also appeared to be daunting. From the assignment: Using a unique way to explain who they are through visual aids, performance, or other creative media. Will participate in a
creative endeavor to explain pivotal events in their lives that define where they come from where they are now where they want to go, connecting cultural, community and society. My first college class in thirty-five years and I have to do creative visual aid covering Fifty-Five years. Where do I start? I am not very creative, and completely technically challenged. My decision to created a Website, did not go well. I needed help!And it was on it’s way.
What was amazing was that I was also taking a Communications class. Learning about different communication styles, we needed to do a group presentation.
Our team used Power Point as a visual aid, each of us having to create a portion of the Power Point and present it. I have found my creative and technical method for my FHS individual project.I discovered that with enough time and effort I was able to create a very thoughtful and interesting Power Point Presentation. About me! This project allowed me the opportunity to do so much, to stretch my learning further, to do what needed to be done no matter how difficult it may have first appeared. To just jump right into the task and do it. I couldn’t quit now! I am so a head of my Learning Curve.
I found that I became a little more braver, a little more open, with myself and others, a little more secure in my abilities. Proud of my life and my accomplishments. The opportunity to do and be more. Even at fifty Five years old.

As the author of our text book shared “I hope that this “book” will enable all of us to be wiser, more compassion, more effective as we enjoy every year, even every moment, of life. (Berger 2010 ,xv) I HAVE!