Final Reflection Questions:

in complete sentences
The following should also be expounded upon

1. While writing your paper, what did you learn about the research process?
a. The research part of writing my paper was probably the hardest part of the
Pride Paper. The research was very extensive and had to be accurate.
Although, there was a lot that had to be achieved through this process, I also
learned many things that I may have never known. Using actual verified
sources instead of the first site that popped up was difficult. Also, navigating
Wise Owl and finding very specific sites or articles that connected to my
topic was tough. Through the research process, I learned that although it
may be hard to find accurate sources, the information on those is much more
extensive and informative. This process helped to prepare me for college and
only use reliable sources on my work.
2. How was the research related to your mentor hours?
a. The research that I had found paved the way for what I would learn about
and observe with my mentor. For my paper, I looked up what a teacher does,
how they achieve that career, and what their everyday is like. As I was with
my mentor, Mrs. Robertson, I was able to sit down with her and talk about
what she has to do to teach her class and what has to be achieved. We also
talked about the schooling that she went through to get to her level of career.
I was able to observe Mrs. Robertson teaching and her interactions with the
children, which was not something that I could easily research. My research
prepared me for the general career of teaching, but not how the teacher
interacts with children.
3. Summarize the mentor hours that you completed?
a. My mentor was Mrs. Robertson from Kannapolis Charter. She teaches 2nd
grade. I conquered my mentor hours in 3 visits, each one being different.
During my first visit, I was a bit nervous to meet her and all of the students,
but she ended up being very welcoming. The students did english, math, and
had recess. The next time that I went, Mrs. Robertson had the kids working
on adding and subtracting large numbers. After that, she held indoor recess
and the kids played around, then they did science. For my final visit of
achieving mentor hours, I taught the lesson plan that I created.
4. How did working with your mentor affect your understanding of the topic area and /or
the professional world?
a. If your mentor contributed to the development of the product, how were they
involved?
 i. Working with my mentor helped me to understand more about
teaching. Through Mrs. Robertson, I was able to gain the perspective
of her job and how some schools work. Through her, I learned that
there are many more guidelines that must be followed and the teacher
doesnt always have free reign on the students. A lot of times, they
have to very closely follow a curriculum. I was able to observe more in
depth what the everyday looks like for teachers. Mrs. Robertson also
told me stories about teaching and let me know what I may potentially
be getting into. My mentor was not involved in the development of
my product, but she is letting me teach it to her class.
5. How did creating a product and completing the hours challenge you personally?
a. Developing something so important and detrimental was a challenge and also
putting in many hours to achieve that goal. I knew that the product had to
be really great and be something that would push me. Having to think about
what I wanted to do and how to go about that was also hard. For the hours,
finding the time to go and do them was challenging. Since it was at a school,
the hours were almost always the same hours as our school, so finding a time
without missing any school was fairly hard. The product and hours challenge
me in different ways.
6. Do you feel prepared academically and emotionally for the presentation?
a. I feel fairly prepared for the presentation. Academically, I feel extremely
prepared. I also feel prepared emotionally, but am a bit stressed out. I have
been given all of the tools that I need to complete the project and the
presentation, but Im a bad procrastinator. I am only a little bit worried
about the public speaking, but I have always had a pretty easy time of
speaking in front of people. I am pretty worried about who I may get as
judges because some may be easy and others may grade hery hard. Overall, I
feel ready and prepared for the presentation.
7. How did the entire process stretch you as a learner and as an individual?
a. The process expanded me further than I thought it would. Throughout the
whole research and paper part, I thought that I may never finish. I had never
done research like this before and NC Wise Owl was hard to use and
navigate. Finding accurate sites and information stretched me as a learner
and made me be better for future papers. Also, when I have written in the
past, I just kind of get it done, but for this, I had to expand myself and go the
extra mile. For the project, I had to meet all of the deadlines, which helped
me be less of a procrastinator and actually get things done. This entire
process stretched me and made me be better for the future.
8. Other than time management, describe an obstacle you encountered and how you
overcame it.
a. A big obstacle that I had to overcome was researching and writing style. The
research had to all be very official and wasnt something that I could find
easily. Most of it was done through NC Wise Owl and was harder to find.
Also, I have never written a paper that long before, so just accomplishing
that was an obstacle. In order to get it all done, I had to pace myself and
write some of it everyday, so that it wouldnt pile up. Also, not using and
taking out to be verbs was hard. When it was all done though, it made my
paper much more official and sound more intelligent.
9. What life skills did you acquire and how will they help you in the future?
a. The main life skills that I acquired were learning how to write a solid paper
and expanding on my public speaking. With the Pride Paper, I was able to
research and continue to write a long-form paper. I was also able to improve
at speaking in front of adults and children. I learned to be professional and
what I need to act like around adults. I also acquired more patience because I
had to deal with kids and also not lose it while working on all of the
components. I acquired some good skills that will help me in college and then
on to my career.
10. If you had to go back and do parts of the project again, what would you do differently?
a. If I had to go back and do the project over again, I would not waste so much
time. I have procrastinated a lot, which has later piled up and made me stress
extremely. Also, due to procrastination, I have not shown the greatest work
that I could have. I would also be more thorough on the Pride Paper
components so that when I went to write my paper, I would have a lot more
information and more done. Lastly, if I had to do my project again, I would
complete my mentor hours quicker, so that I could finish the project faster
and not be as stressed.
11. Based on the entire Pride Project experience, do you plan to pursue this field as a career
or college area of study? If so, why? If not, why?
a. I plan to pursue education and make a career out of it. I would love the
chance to be a teacher and work with children everyday. I will also take the
courses in college that are required for an elementary education major. This
career is what I want to do when I am older because I love kids and helping
people. In teaching, you are around children all the time and help them learn
and understand new concept. The Pride Project helped me further my
knowledge and reassure myself that I want to become a teacher.