Week 7

The last couple of weeks have been the slowest so far, to the point that I am concerned about acquiring the required number of hours to complete the applied study requirement. This organization is not the common Monday through Friday, 8 to 5 business since it is oriented around volunteers in the community. I do feel that AIPER fulfills an important purpose in our community, but the level of activity is sporadic at times. I do enjoy the people that I am working with as well as the issues that AIPER attempts to address. There are views that I do not completely understand yet and some that I do not agree with, but this does not interfere with my commitment to AIPER’s goals. People have to work in organizations all of the time that will support views that they may not be 100% in agreement with, but that does not mean that the individual can hold back their personal effort to achieve the organization’s goals as long as their ethical values are not compromised. Personally, there has been nothing presented to me by AIPER that goes against my own values or morals in any way and I think that their efforts should be commended. The only dislike that I can think of is the experience of having someone place judgment on my personal life, including the activities that my children are involved in and the stores that I shop at, simply because they disapproved. This was not a board member or anyone with any authority in AIPER, but simply someone attending an event that I was at, so I want to be clear that this is not reflective of AIPER in any way. My children are individuals and I promote their efforts to find what fulfills them as long as it doesn’t involve criminal, immoral or destructive efforts, but it was still an uncomfortable experience. Fortunately, I am able to overlook such behavior and continue to be dedicated to to achieving a common goal. I think that my age and maturity have been helpful with these abilities.

It is difficult to connect my applied study area directly to any career that I can imagine pursuing in the future, but important concepts and skills are still being made available to me that I can take anywhere. The ability to compromise and plan with many different people and to effectively work towards organizational goals are vital in the workplace. I know that I cannot take another’s person’s conflicting views personally and I do not let such things affect me negatively. I look at such experiences as learning opportunities to comprehend and respect differing perspectives. This ability is vital to working in diverse environments. An interdisciplinary approach has been most helpful in this respect. While I do not feel that I am completely compatible with an organization such as my applied study site, I am not negative about working in some way in an educational setting. I am not pursuing a career in a school setting, but education takes many other forms including mentoring children and aiding culturally diverse populations in understanding each other and working together. I do realize now that I am happier working with children and teens, although I am happy to assist anyone eager to learn more about the world. My experience with AIPER will provide me with skills and experiences that I can take with me into whatever career I pursue in the future.