JLN Year 2:

Engaged Learning

Section One: Purpose

The Burmese American Community Institute (BACI) is where I completed my engaged learning. I was a student mentor. My duties included assisting students with their college preparation, going to parent meetings, accompanying them on college visits, and doing paperwork. I chose this learning activity because, one, it relates to my degree, and secondly, because I like teaching and helping people. As an introverted and timid person myself, having the opportunity to help certain students with their writing while getting to know them personally was a major step for me.

Section Two: Prior Experience

The lesson I took away from my learning experience is that some things are best learned on your own. My encounters with poor leadership and a disorganized team during those active learning experiences taught me to observe and absorb information on my own. I experienced some of what it's like to be a teacher while interning at BACI. In my interactions with students, I emphasized the value of essay writing. I discovered that the knowledge I gained in school was beneficial to me and that I used it throughout my internship. So those are the things I learned from life experience that I didn't learn in school and will use in my career in the future. The engaging learning experience prepared me for some aspects of the real learning experiences I will have later in my career.

College Annual at University of Indianapolis

World Refugee Day essay competition

Section Three: CommunityConnections

I gained lots of knowledge about differences in culture from this great educational experience. I had the chance to speak with students from various cultural backgrounds during one of their essay-writing projects for "World Refugee Day."

I had wonderful conversations with them while I was assisting them with an essay and got to hear about their experiences as international students. One of the students talked about her immigration experiences, her American lifestyle, and how these things have shaped her into an American student. Through working together on the "World Refugee Day" essay project, I discovered that each student in our classroom has unique life experiences, challenges, and aspirations for immigrating to the United States.

While some students may have had an easy time getting here, others may have encountered difficulties. It a bit changed my perception of students and kids of all ages who immigrated to this country at an early age. I used to believe—as I still do—that people my age and young high school students who were born abroad and immigrated at an early age had forgotten their origins, including their mother tongue, culture, and traditions. But after hearing from a few students, I'm kind of happy that they could still recall how they got here and hadn't forgotten their consciousness of their origins.

The end of the summer program

Section Four: New Skills/Lessons

If I had to pick only one, it would be a situation in which I had to speak with my department's people because they didn't give or inform me of any program information. That was when the Burmese American Community Institution (BACI) was where I worked. I had to ask about what I was supposed to do, my responsibilities, and my position. I learned that even in situations where others fail to do their job, it is your responsibility to fulfill yours. And don't be scared to ask for help when you need it. I hope that this experience will help me in the future with my networking abilities, specifically in terms of approaching people and forming reliable connections with them.

Since the majority of the students I worked with were Burmese children, I also got the chance to work with their parents. I found out through talking to them that their parents value education and are involved in their kids' academic careers. They hold their children to a high quality of education. For example, one of the parents questioned me about the institutions, asking about the majors offered and the cost of tuition.

Parents' and Students' Orientation

Section Five: Impact Slide(s)

This engaging learning process affected my personal development. I try new things, get out of my comfort zone, and think about my assumptions and beliefs. It results in my development, increased self-awareness, and the learning of fresh knowledge and viewpoints. This interesting learning process taught me new things about who I am. Speaking with the parents of students was a novel experience for me.

Curious parents would ask me questions about their children and how they might support or assist their children in their pursuit of education. It left me feeling deeply changed by this self-discovery. Having an impact on others was another matter. I get a sense of fulfillment as a future teacher when I witness my students develop and achieve. In this short period, working with pupils gave me the impression that I was a teacher. When they achieved something, I felt successful.

For example, we taught students how to dance, and they prepared for hours before the event when they were to perform. When they had a good performance, I was proud. It felt fantastic when we performed well, and it was similar to something where students and mentors collaborated to reach this far.

Educational trip to Chicago

Section Six: Career Connections

My desire to become a teacher has not changed despite my experiences. Working with high school students was a lot more rewarding and enjoyable, even though I am preparing to become an elementary school teacher. I see the same duty for teachers, whether they work in elementary or high schools. Working with high school students reminded me of myself in my high school years.

I felt more connected to the students and could relate to them because I could see my reflection in them. I do not intend to change my professional path in light of this experience because, even as a young child, I had always wanted to teach, but I wasn't sure what kind of teacher I wanted to be until I was a senior in high school. I gave careful thought to the career I intended to pursue in college. And I ultimately chose to become an elementary school teacher.

Section Seven: Summary

The most important lesson I learned from this fascinating experience was that some things are better learned on your own. It's challenging to work in a large team. We occasionally experienced misunderstandings, disagreements, and poor communication. This great educational experience taught me a lot about cultural differences. I discovered that you must carry out yours even in circumstances where others neglect to perform theirs. Working in a large team might provide some challenges, as previously pointed out, therefore it's best to observe and learn up tips from your colleagues. Some people may rely on the efforts of others, and some leaders may wait for everything to be ready before taking charge of the group and collaborating to achieve the desired outcome. It affected my personal development and provided me with an idea of what a real teacher would look like.

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