What We Keep Reflection

Some of the biggest discoveries I made as a result of this experience are related to the value of going out of your comfort zone. I’m a very introverted person, so asking a stranger a personal question is not something that I ever thought I would do. I was terrified that I would be met with someone who thought that my question was invasive and weird, but I actually ended up asking more people in my office the same question to hear their responses. It ended up bringing a lot of my coworkers and I a lot closer together because we were able to find commonalities between our childhoods that would have never been brought up had we not had this discussion. I’ve learned that asking questions, making new connections, and trying new things is a lot easier than it seems. People want to talk about themselves and make new connections, you just have to initiate it. While talking to strangers still scares me, I look forward to asking acquaintances and other people that I’m not very close with.

 

This experience has impacted my thinking moving forward in relation to my future classroom and students. We all know that having a good relationship with your students is one of the most significant factors of student success in the classroom, and this looks like a great way to get to know students better. While I know that it’ll probably feel awkward to ask students these kinds of questions in the same way that it felt awkward to ask my coworkers, the discussions that arose from me having the courage to ask were incredibly valuable. I look forward to the future conversations that I’ll be having with strangers.