Humor

    Although humor was not one of my three main values, I think being able to laugh and have fun with family is vital to a healthy relationship.  Humor has been something my brothers, dad and I have all been able to connect with and enjoy of the years.

Leadership Word Cloud

Leadership

         The final value I selected to write about for my blog is leadership.  The reason why leadership is so important to me is because of some of the positions I have held in the course of my life.  Leadership in my opinion is being able to be a role model to others around you and actively participate to reach a common goal.  I think the quality of a leader is determined by their ability to listen to the ideas of people around them, make quick decisions that benefit the group, delegate different tasks, and use the strengthens of people around them.  When you are a leader you become someone that people turn to with questions or concerns in a time of need and I think that brings a great deal of responsibility.  I think as a leader you need to be confident with the decisions you make and stand up for what you believe is right.  Often times as a leader you become the face of an action, movement or belief, which takes bravery ad well as courage.

            I would argue that my different sports teams and extra curricular activities influenced the development of this value because of the “hands on” experience.  I think the best way to learn is by getting out of the classroom and participating.  Soccer played such a significant part of my life that I really couldn’t help but learn from what I was constantly doing.  Away from sports I think my father had the most influence is shaping my leadership skills because of the great leader he is.  My dad knows how to appeal to a large crowd and can make anybody feel welcome, which is something I would like to work towards.     

            As for what has developed my value of leadership I would have to give credit to multiple aspects of my life.  I think primarily as a captain on my club soccer team for eight years I learned at a young age what it took to be a leader.  As a captain, I would start practice and be someone the coach would turn to for input on substitutions or different formations to use.  I really appreciate what my coach did by giving me so much responsibility because it changed how I carried myself on and off the field.  I think I really refined my leadership skills through high school and club soccer because it taught me how to use my voice as well as my ears to be an effect leader.  Switching gears slightly, all four years of my high school I was involved with a program called TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) and was a leader for other (usually younger) students on a variety of field trips and team building activities.  As a leader for these groups I would be in charge of 12-15 students as they completed different challenges throughout the day.  Through this program I saw what it was like to be a leader for younger students and got it see what it was like to really be looked up to and admired.

            I think leadership is the number one quality employers should be looking for when hiring because you know that person will be able to get along with other people and work for the best interest of the team.  If I were to become a teacher I would be leading students every day in the classroom and would have to find ways to make material relevant and fun each day.  I am hopeful that I will be a successful teacher because of my leadership abilities. 

Trustworthy Word Cloud

Trustworthy

Back packing at Rae Lake with my brothers and dad.

The second value I choose to write about was being trustworthy.  When I think of the word trustworthy, I think about as a person you are dependable, true to your word, and someone other people can count on.  Personally, I see myself as someone who is trustworthy to my family, friends, coworkers, and other people I make commitments too in my life.  Being trustworthy is one of my core values because I think it says a great deal about an individual’s accountability and reliability.  To me establishing a trust between two people is essential for a successful relationship because the individuals can share information, be honest, and open with each other.  In my opinion being trustworthy is similar to being honest in the sense that you as a person are true and care about the feelings of the people around you. 

When I think about whom most influenced me in becoming a trustworthy person I would give credit to my three brothers as well as my parents.  The reason why I attribute my trustworthiness to my immediate family is because of the lifestyle I grew up in.  A majority of what I consider my family to be lives within twenty minutes of me and have been active in my life since I moved to California.  I think because of this and being surrounded by cousins and relatives, they have all trusted me and demanded trust in return.  Without a doubt, I would consider my three brothers (two older and one younger) to be my best friends and they have all shown/preached to me the importance of being honest and trustworthy.  Something that my brothers and I really enjoy doing together is going back packing in the Sierra Nevada’s and enjoying the outdoors together.  I think that through camping, hiking, and spending time together we have built a trust and understanding of our relationship.  There is something special about being in the outdoors and having to work together to make it to the destination that has changed how I view trust.  I also think my parents played a large role in shaping me to become a trustworthy person because of how we have communicated all my life.  I mention communication being important to having a trustworthy relationship because each “side” can ask for help, share advice, or be there to listen when the other person needs help.  All of my life I have had an open and honest relationship with both of my parents and because of this it has transformed into one with a great deal of trust. 

My appreciation for trust has changed over time tremendously for a variety of reasons.  When I was younger, the two people I truly trusted were my mom and dad.  Reflecting back on this, my two parents were the ones that provided for me so it only makes sense that I trusted them with my life.  As I grew older and became more familiar with my surroundings my circle of trust expanded to those that were in my everyday life or people I shared a memorable experience with.  I know it sounds strange to think about gaining trust through a memorable experience, but as a younger child I don’t think I fully understood what it meant to trust someone.  Another major development in this value came from my middle school years when I was exposed to more relationships in different social settings.  Middle school was an interesting period in regards to trust because my trust was misplaced with other students.  Although nothing serious happened from my misplaced trust, I learned a valuable lesson about how soon to trust other people.  Similarly to my experiences with the value compassion, high school was a really positive time for me because of the people I was surrounded by.  I had a great group of friends who trusted each other immensely as well as a girlfriend who helped show me not only how to trust others but to trust myself and the decisions I made.  I think now as a 20-year-old college student I have a good idea of who to trust and how being a trustworthy person is something to be proud of and strive for. 

In where ever people find themselves working, being able to trust those around them will be crucial for success of any kind.  Personally speaking, as a potential teacher I see myself needing to trust other teachers at my school, as well as my students to come to class ready to learn and complete assignments.  I think in this case a school is a symbol of trust as it stands for a education and learning. Simply put, trust is essential for success and more then ever is that true in the school system.

Compassion Word Cloud

Compassion

            In class when we were brainstorming different values that we would include in our projects, I wasn’t sure which three I would use for my blog.  However, I knew for one thing that compassion was top on my list because of the basic meaning behind the word. To me, compassion is about doing what you can to help and serve those around you in your community, in your country, as well as on a global level.  I think we as humans have a responsibility to provide support and aid to families and individuals who are otherwise struggling to make ends meet.  By no means do I think compassion can only be achieved through helping the less fortunate but I think that’s where I first became exposed to acts of this value.  On a broader level, I think compassion can be seen by teaching someone a meaningful life lesson or spending a day with a younger student who looks up to you, because to me compassion is about going out of your way to be someone’s highlight of the day. 

            When I think about whom most influenced the development of this value in my life, without hesitation I would say my grandmother.  My grandma for all of my life has been involved with an organization that provides low-income housing and private education to families living in poor neighborhoods.  At a young age I would attend the school plays and other functions put on by the students of Beechwood School and spend time getting to know them on the playground.  I can remember sitting in different classrooms and watch family after family approach my grandma and repeatedly thank her.  At first I wasn’t sure why they would always say thank you, but as I watched her hug and say goodnight to each student and family member by name as they walked through gate I began to see and appreciate the time and effort she put into her work.   Not only did my grandma show many signs of compassion at her workplace but also at home when my family moved in with her when I was three.  I have considered myself unbelievably privileged and lucky to have lived with my grandmother at home because of the lessons she taught me during my childhood.  Whether it was reading to me books that taught good morals and traits or showing me how hard work can achieve anything, she has been an active role model in my life. 

As I briefly mentioned above, my family members first taught compassion to me at home when I was younger.  They would do this by explaining to me the positives in helping others and as a “good person” we help those in our community who are having trouble with food, clothes, or a place to stay.  I think the reason why being compassionate is so significant to me is because of how my parents would enforce this value when I was younger.  When I began to get older and have more freedoms (middle school), my parents would take away different activities I enjoyed if I complained about doing an act of community service or Beechwood event.  I think for this reason I grew to really love volunteering and making other people happy. 

I must say that the first two years middle school was a tough time for as I tried to define who I was and what traits and values were important to me.  I think this was the case because I was concentrated on being liked and approved by my peers that I “lost” my core values.  As middle school went on, I gained a close group of friends that turned around how I viewed myself and who I wanted to be.  In this close group of friends, we all shared a relatively similar moral system and were able to talk about our ethics and values openly with each other, which not only strengthen our own opinions but establish an a solid relationship with each other.  High school was the first time I can remember really thinking critically in my classes and was able to draw connections between the material we were learning in class and on campus to my own value system. 

Since my junior year in high school I have always wanted to be a teacher because of the relationship that is made with the students.  I believe that teachers show compassion everyday at work and strive to teach it to their students as well.  I have always thought of myself as a good teacher and could create a positive environment where students are compassionate and eager to learn.