RSSW 290, Fall 2012
Reflective Journals Entry #1 My insight about the students that I am supporting is that they will need to become adapted to spending time in the library. Once the students have been completing their work and studying for many hours, they will see that the time they spend in the library can generate great results in their grades in the classroom. Many students come to college and fail to realize the amount of studying, hard work, and consistency that it takes to succeed in an institution like the University at Albany. The students that are apart of this program that study for at least eight hours a week which are the students that I monitor are beginning to recognize how essential it is to study because the results will finally show. During my freshman year when I went to the library, I failed to see the point of going because I found it very easy to get distracted by friends. Once I found a place to isolate myself, the periodicals section in the basement of the library, I began to get more studying and more work done. After a few weeks, I realized my grades were improving. In the beginning of a freshman’s college experience they might not like going to the library because it isn’t something that they weren’t use to doing back in high school but as they make the modification from being in high school to a college student they will notice that they many need to start applying proper study routines and using the library to its full advantage. When any student begins realizing this I think they should pull their grades up and do well in school. The role that myself plays along with this program is that I monitor the sign in and sign out sheets. When someone walks in they need to sign in and sign out when they leave. I make sure they fill out the correct portion so it can be logged into the system.

Entry #2 “It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.”—Confucius The problem identifies and the community need is that people do not study enough than what they need to so this is affecting them. My volunteer site addresses this because we make students sit down and study so that they will do well on test, homework, etc. I feel that the quote above is referring to altering a bad situation to something suitable rather then complaining about it. It is never good to tell yourself that you cant do something. When you say that you are basically calling yourself weak. Everyone wont know what they can do until you try and that it the least that you can do when it comes to doing something new. When you give up something or begin complaining about it this is a sign of letdown, which should never be an option for someone especially when it comes to academics. Academics is your first priority when you come to college. You can have fun here and there but your schoolwork always comes first. Most importantly is school work but don’t worry about it to a point where you begin to stress yourself. Stress can possibly lead someone into depression, and then depression can lead to something much bigger and heartbreaking. The smallest sign of hope can really make a major change because it keeps the possibility of success in a person’s mind. A person who has disoriented hope will curse the light and will stay relaxed with failure. Contrary to an optimistic person would comprise the smallest shine of light. The light is a sign of great things to come, which every college student would hope for.

Entry #3

“A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.”—Oliver Wendell Holmes

I think that Holmes was trying to say that new capabilities structure the way that people tend to think so once you experience something new its like gaining a new memory which cant be disregarded. When a person learns something they are expanding their brain and when overlooking it multiple times it is nearly impossible to have forgotten it. Our thought patterns are interrelated to