Intercultural Communication

When I was a sophomore in high school I went on a mission trip to Acuna, Mexico. I knew nothing about this culture and we were supposed to be helping out with their youth program. However, my friends and I couldn't really communicate so it was quite difficult to get a good feel for what they wanted us to do. A lot of the local teenagers tried to make friends with us but the language barrier was far too great. If only I had known just a little Spanish I could probably have made some really awesome friends.

It was also quite difficult for me to wrap my head around the haggling system there as well. I kept wondering why anyone would lower their prices just because the customer asked them to. This was very foreign to me and I really wasn't very good at it at first. Initially, I wasn't going to buy any souvenirs because everything was so expensive, but my uncle was able to talk them down to a reasonable price for the things I wanted. If I could go back knowing what I know now, I know that I would have had a significantly greater time.

The Netflix original series "House Of Cards" is a show about an American politician who is denied his position as Secretary of State, and for revenge, inches his way into the presidency in only one year through lies, deceit, and corrupt dealings. This show, although very entertaining and incredibly exciting, makes every U.S. politician out to be corrupt and evil with nothing but self-interest at heart. While there is a little corruption in all politics, not all politicians are totally self-interested and evil. Some truly want what is best for their constituents and try very hard to get legislation passed that is beneficial to their area. This is something that I have noticed while watching the show and just thinking about how ridiculous some of the concepts are.

21st Century Skills

My experience in the classroom, both as a student and an observer, will help me to instill 21st century skills in my students. In my experience, kids often wonder why they are doing certain activities in school or why they have to learn a certain concept. I have heard students say, "where are we ever going to use this in the real world?" Because of this, I will address this question before they have a chance to ask it. No one buys a product without know what it does or how it can be applied. When introducing a knew concept I will show students why it matters and in what ways they could use it later.

Social studies specifically deals with world communication and cultures, which are very applicable skills in our world today. I look forward to teaching these skills to teenagers and inspiring a desire to go abroad and apply these skills.