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Jeanie Tran

April 11, 2014

UF300

Civic Engagement Project

Recently, I had an opportunity of a life time. I found myself surrounded by the wisdom of

warriors. For a Service Learning Project, I was assigned to work with Veterans that had decided

to go back to school. I was able to teach them two reading strategies: The first one is known as,

Know, Wonder, Learn (KWL) and the second one was Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and

Review (SQ3R). Teaching the Veterans was a unique experience and it was something I had no

previous exposure to. Within this process I learned to connected directly to the topic of ethics

and the five core values. I was able to relate the experience to the novel, Half the Sky which

talked about a hard issue that invites much civic engagement. The overall experience for the

Veterans centered around the discussion of changes that may occur in their near future. The

overall experience led me to believe, it is never too late return to school. Therefore, I was glad

that I had the opportunity of a lifetime to work with these warrior-gentlemen.

Describe the setting, mood and who is in the room

A Reading Strategies Workshop was set at TRiO Veterans Upward Bound located on

Boise State University campus. There were nine to ten veterans and one Education Coordinator

named Jo Stensaas. I was in charge of presenting two reading strategies workshops because I

was asked to teach to these Veterans because of their collective interest in going to college to

further their education. The Veterans were an all male, colloidal forces. The mood of the setting

was that of a formal office setting. There was much respect and formality.

From the information and/or conversation that took place at the event – what evidence of,

allusions to, or outright assertions of ethics were present?

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The Veterans were trained, via their military background, to always to be on time and

respect their authority. I was dressed very formal, as well; slacks and blouse. These veterans

arrived about 15 minutes before the Reading Strategies Workshop began. When I spoke to them,

each individual gave me their undivided attention by engaging in the conversations and taking

notes. I made numerous conversations to relate back to their real life experience when I used the

reading strategies surrounding the SQ3R. The Veterans have a strict set of ethics they follow

and it showed while I was teaching my lesson.

Which of your core values were present in either the formal presentation or the conversations or

actions before, during or after?

Integrity, accountability, diligence, perseverance, and discipline are the five core values.

Of the five core values, I believe we all used accountability and diligences the most. The

accountability aspect came in play for all of us, when we said, that we are going to be there and

show up on time. I was diligent in my consistency and presentation of the material as well as my

knowledge base and how well I was prepared for this workshop. Before the workshop, I took the

time to gather all of the information by doing some research on the Google- search engine and

looking over the material from my Education Literacy 440 class for the two reading strategies:

KWL and SQ3R. Each of the reading strategies was presented on a PowerPoint. I was encourage

to have print outs of the PowerPoint and worksheets for the Veterans to follow along. After the

workshop, I was able to get their inputs and reflections on the presentation itself.

How does this event relate to the book “Half the Sky”? Describe.

In the novel Half the Sky, the author wrote "The economy got multiple benefits from this

transition. By improving labor productivity of the young women, growth was raised. By

employing them in export industries... because they have good jobs and income-earning

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opportunities (Kristof, 2009)." I relate to this novel because of the transition that these Veterans

had to go through. It is hard for these Veterans to transitions from their military life to

civilization. In order to delve deeper into this statement, one would have to tolerate a Socratic

like discussion of the trauma situations and that is beyond the scope of this paper.

What forms of civic engagement did you witness and/or participate in?

The Reading Strategies Workshop that I participated in, is considered community service

and volunteerism. This workshop was planned and well prepared. I did the workshop on my

own time and fulfilled the three hours requirement.

What kind of change are people interested in making?

The changes the Veterans are interested in making is simple, they wish to further their

education. These Veterans were older gentlemen who were in the service between four or more

years. Some of them were either active or non-active warriors. For their years of service, each

individual was given a tuition assistance from the GI Bill.

What did the organizers hope you would leave the event knowing or heading out to do?

I asked Jo Stensaas, the Education Coordinator of TRiO on what should I be taking

away from this experience. She said, "I should always to be open to teach any individuals a new

or old skills".

Did you learn anything about people who have differences from you?

I learned from this experience that it is never too late to return to school and it does not

matter how old you are. If I were in their shoes, I would want to know the strategies younger

generations are using to be successful in college. I feel these two reading strategies could

potentially help them in their near future to further their education.

What question(s) would you ask people involved in this event?

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The questions I had for them were: "Do you think these reading strategies can be

helpful?" Also, "Which reading strategies would you use the most?" And finally, I would ask,"

Did you know that there are other reading strategies which can be helpful?"

Summary and Conclusion

The overall experiences has taught me that I can work with any age group and teach

others what I know best. I also feel that it is never too late to return to school. These military men

served our country. When they return to civilization it is hard for many a Veteran, because they

slept and ate within a rigid militaristic life-style. They are expected to know what is right or

wrong within their code of ethics. Their job description is a perfect example of the afore

mentioned five core values. When I was given an opportunity to tutor these Veterans, I

accepted because I wanted to see I how can help with a transition program such as TRiO for

Veterans. This program helps them to prepare for college. The coordinator gave me an

opportunity to work with these brave men and set up a workshop for them. This workshop was

free for them and was a new learning experience on my behalf.

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References

Kristof, N. D., & WuDunn, S. (2009). Half the sky: turning oppression into opportunity for

women worldwide. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.