Page 181 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

“Success isn’t measured by the position you reach in life;
it’s measured by the obstacles you overcome.”
Booker T. Washington, author of Up From Slavery

7 ADDRESSING PERSONAL OBSTACLES

Challenges Challenges Along the Way
Along the Way
Anyone enrolled in college today knows that arriving at that first class is not as
Introducing easy as filling out a few forms and walking in the door. Many students must first
Sandra hike over rough terrain and around several obstacles in their lives to get to college.
And then, all too often, the juggling act begins: school, work, family, finances,
Becoming a and personal factors of all kinds. The term “student” no longer calls up one face
Self-Grower or one pre-college life, if it ever did. Students are athletes, parents, veterans, and
full-time workers. Many students are also “first generation college students”—the
The Personal first people in their families to go to college. Many students are also the first in their
Development group of friends to attend college. Students are also often people in various kinds
Methodology of recovery processes. All of these issues may factor into an individual’s sense of
himself or herself and a student’s preparedness to meet the challenges of college.
Discussion of the
Methodology The demands of school and the demands of life can, at times, seem overwhelming.
As we have shown throughout this book, though, if you are aware and prepared,
you can overcome almost anything on your path to becoming a successful learner
and professional in your chosen field.

The SII Method of Sandra went into the National Guard right out of high school. She
Assessment wasn’t sure what she wanted to do at that point in her life. Both
her dad and her brother had been in the Guard, so she decided to
Rubric: join in the family tradition. Sandra had been stationed with a sup-
Assessment Levels ply unit, first in Afghanistan and then outside Mosul, Iraq. She is
very proud of her service and the service of her friends
Being Well, in the Guard. It hasn’t been easy adjusting to civilian
Feeling Well life, though. Many of Sandra’s classmates have come
straight from high school and can’t identify with
Coping her experiences. Sandra was also injured in
Iraq; she has had surgeries on one leg and
LVP: Where has lost some of her hearing. She can
Are You Now? usually hear her instructors if she sits in
the front row, but is considering getting
Activity 7.1 a note-taker in some classes. One of the
counselors has done a lot of work with vets
Becoming a and knows it is often hard for them to ask
Self-Grower for any extra help. But—as the counselor pointed
out, Sandra has earned this education.
Activity 7.2
GLOSSARY mentor SII Assessment affective domain psychomotor domain value system
Personal Development
Methodology

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