Blog #8, Final Reflection

 I was initially inspired to create this project because I remembered that back when I was a student in Coach Gold's class, every year she would have a student shadowing her for their senior project. Since I know Coach very well and I am interested in the realm of exercise science and physical activity, I thought this would be a perfect fit. I am very happy to have met my initial project goal of gaining experience in the physical education field and getting a better understanding of how active young kids are. The only thing I would have enjoyed more would be spending more time with the school's physical therapist for the Great Expectations program. I did not know there was a physical therapist at the school until one of my final days so I would have liked to spend more time with her, but I did enjoy speaking to her about her past jobs and how she chose her field specification. One thing I learned about myself throughout the project was to hold my ground and be confident. One time my mentor was not in the room, and two students asked me to go to the bathroom. When I was at Orange, the policy was one at a time to go the bathroom, so I told the girls to do the same. They said that Coach Gold always lets them go to the bathroom at the same time, so I believed them, but just as I let them go, Coach Gold spotted them and they got in trouble for going together. Despite my believing that they should go one at a time because I was new and didn't know the policy, I let myself get pushed over by a couple of fourth graders. This instance taught me to hold my ground on what I think is right, and more importantly, ask questions if I am not sure about something. A similar thing happened later in the week when Coach Gold was outside the Gym, so I was left to be the ref for the game. I thought the kids would have no problem with this, and treat my rulings with respect. However, almost every call I made was followed by a complaint or a dispute. I am not sure if it is an age thing or if it is because they are not used to me. This taught me to speak with confidence and be assertive, working to gain the respect of the students. In the future, I am not sure how Hawken could help because too many students there on a community day would overcomplicate things, and there aren't any specific things that Orange or the coaches would need long-term. My advice to future students with projects would be to find a project that will keep you busy. Spending 6-7 hours every day goes a lot faster when you stay buys. There was one day when we had a modified schedule and had an hour-and-a-half break and doing nothing for that long really dragged the day on. Finally, I would like to thank Coach Gold not only for everything that she has helped me with for my project but for everything she has done for me over the years. She was a fantastic teacher and volleyball coach and sparked my love for physical activity. Learning from her has truly been amazing. Even though I don’t necessarily plan to be a Phys Ed teacher, as I continue to study exercise science, I will always appreciate the time she spent with me on this project and over the past 12 years. Thank you.