Final Learning Experiences of the Semester

            For my final blog on my learning experiences, I thought I would reflect on what I learned this semester as a whole.  To be honest, coming into this semester, I knew the names of the classes I was taking, but I didn’t exactly know what I would learn in each of them.  Especially with Lit and Civ II, I had no idea what to expect.  I had talked to former students of the class and heard that it focused on the idea of “humor,” so I was looking forward to learning more about this topic.  When I showed up on the first day of this class and found out that we would actually be learning about the theme of water, I’m not going to lie, I was a little disappointed.  I was confused as to how we could spend a whole semester learning about a topic that I thought was so simple.

            After a few days of this class, I realized how wrong I was.  While I thought I knew everything there was to know about water, it turns out I actually didn’t know the first thing about water’s importance to society.  I was literally the stereotypical American who took water for granted and didn’t think that taking ridiculously long showers and consistently drinking bottled water over tap because it “tastes better” would have such a huge impact on the environment.  I was naïve enough to be oblivious to the fact that the world is currently in a huge water crisis.  I am glad that this class has opened my eyes to such an important issue in the world, and it has made me more conscious of how much water I waste on a daily basis.

            I also was hesitant when I saw how many books we were assigned to read in this class.  Not just any books, but novels including Huckleberry Finn and Walden, the two novels I despised the most when I read them in high school.  Much to my surprise, I ended up liking Huckleberry Finn and some of Thoreau’s writing the second time around.  This class proved to me that just because I don’t like something the first time does not mean I should judge it so harshly.  It is important to give things another try before deciding that you completely despise them.  I also am glad that I was introduced to a couple movies I have never heard of before, and some of Hemingway’s writing.  The literature component of this course proved to be much more exciting and insightful than I had initially thought it would be.

            Some of my favorite experiences of this class were when we went on field trips to places such as the Amon G. Carter Art Museum and the Fort Worth Water Gardens.  None of my other college classes have taken me on field trips before, and I love how experiential learning was such a huge component of this course.

            Overall, this was the hardest semester I have had yet, and I have grown a lot more as a person throughout it.  I have become much better at time management skills, and have learned the importance of not procrastinating.  Especially when I had three tests on one day, I learned to start studying for the tests further in advance because it was impossible to cram for them all the night before.  In various group projects and in leadership roles, I have become better at delegating.  I have realized that I can’t do everything on my own, and everyone is better off if we all do an equal share of the work.  I have learned the importance of confronting my problems instead of avoiding them or pretending like nothing happened.  I have also worked to become better at finding the positives in situations, even situations that seem to have no bright side.  I have learned a great deal from all of my classes this semester, and I have ultimately grown as a person as well, and I can’t wait to see what else the future holds.