Homework 9/7

In school, we are always taught to read books, write papers, find the solution to x, or even research historical events. But what about what happens outside? We assume education is about going to school, doing classwork, and then going home and practicing even more to absorb that knowledge but that isn’t always the case. We don’t go to school to learn how to drive, cook, or game… We learn those tasks outside of school when we are exposed to environments that we benefit from picking up that knowledge and storing it in our brains. Communication was hard for me, at least that’s what I had been struggling with ever since I had experienced those parent/teacher meetings back in middle school – all the criticism and poor comments that emphasized what could have served as words of improvement or encouragement, it only fed my insecurities. However, like any other student 1^st day of High School was indeed nerve-wracking [Sweaty palms, rapid breathing, and racing thoughts]. Sitting in a chair for 7 hours every day and catching what the teacher had taught was a challenging habit to adapt to — speaking about remote learning, personally, I thought I was more successful at it rather than being in person. But when that switch was off, everything was normalized once again, however, this time it felt weird since teachers expected a lot from us after a 2-year gap of in-person instruction. This time the pressure was on and there was no time to waste after all and it wasn’t until I signed up in 12^th grade for a volunteer position at my local hospital. There I met the most faithful and outstanding mentor who really gave me a lesson – a thought, more like to reflect that impacted my view of my education.

At my local hospital, communication is key and when I mention it, it’s literally prioritized, and perhaps in any other workplace if you’d agree. I was frankly concerned about my position since I was in contact with numerous patients and legal companies that made dozens of requests, honestly, it was a new environment in which I had no expertise whatsoever! The combination of poor social skills and fast learning was odd but it’s a fair description of myself. The school was becoming to a point where I felt drained because having a less social life than normal wasn’t something I noticed since I was more focused on studying. The stories that my mentor would share alongside scriptures of the bible would serve as extra lessons I learned outside of school [Life Lessons with Vicky 101] and she eventually put that thought in my mind that my parents were afraid of teaching because who wouldn’t want their 17-year-old daughter to stay in school reading the books and passing courses? The thought that marked my life – “What other skill is better to have in life than being street smart and book smart at the same time?” In other words, book smart is just referencing your knowledge based on school, and street smart referencing your knowledge of being in the real world where you are exposed to different environments with different people that could bring advantages, disadvantages, concerns, or optimism. Within the span of 8 months, I had been a pro in managing the place in which I constantly viewed the old me and the present me as two distinct people all thanks to my mentor. She had trained me not only how to greet patients and meet their needs but to also reach out for all kinds of support because there are opportunities that I could be missing out on, being bold at asking questions [even the ones that sound absurd, yes], knowing well my surroundings, or even making connections with people that could give me a hand later. I never saw myself the same after having the blindfolds removed and having an improved social life.