Tonya M. Fleetwood

Go to Documents index

Paper:"Learning Experiences" Horizontal Essay
Year in School: College Freshman
Class: Inquiries into Teaching I
Date written: February 6, 2001

I have always thought of myself as a people person, one who could relate easily to different situations. You could say that is the way I learn, through people and various experiences. I’m also a very visual person. Typically, when I’m being taught something, I tend to retain more information if there is some sort of picture or demonstration rather than just a lecture. Therefore, when you combine people, experiences, and visual aids, you get my ideal way of learning. The people that I feel that have taught me the most are my family and friends. However, I feel that I learn something from everyone I encounter. Learning is a process that takes place daily, so I can’t narrow it down to the individuals that I’ve known my whole life. In the proceeding paragraphs I will share with you the most important learning experiences of my years.

Taking a journey back to when I was five years old, I recall the first day of kindergarten! I remember that day was a day of a lot of firsts. It was my first encounter with the kids that I would grow into teenage years with. It was my first experience being away from my mother in that type of setting, as I never went to daycare or a babysitter. I learned a lot that day; however, the one part of that day that sticks out most in my mind is taking my first ride home on the ‘big’ school bus. I remember how excited I was walking out of the school building, anxiously waiting to hop on the bus. Then, as soon as I got on the bus, I was petrified! Every on the bus was so old! They were all like fifth or sixth graders; I didn’t know how I would deal with this. So, I immediately sat down in the very front, hoping that no one would say anything to me. As soon as I sat down, everyone starting laughing, and I couldn’t figure out what I did wrong! Then the bus driver told me that I was sitting on the wrong side of the bus. The left side was supposed to be for boys, and unfortunately, that was where I had chose to place myself! It was very embarrassing. Key words that pose as lessons from that day are patience and relaxation.

As for people that have played key roles in my life, I feel that to fully get across the learning experiences I’ve had, I need to take them one at a time. I will start with my grandmother, because I feel that she is one of the two most important females in my life. I have always had an extremely close bond to my grandma. We have lived ‘together’ my whole life (I put ‘together’ in quotes, because she’s always lived across the street from me). When I was younger, she would always let me spend the night with her, and she would make up the best stories off the top of her head. I’ve always thought of her as a tremendously amazing person. Everything major that has ever occurred in my life, she has been there, helping and sharing every minute of my glory, as well as agony. It wasn’t until recently when I completely understood the importance of her presence in my life. This past summer (of 2000) was a time when I was going through a lot of difficult things. I went through a painful breakup, I was having college confusions, and I couldn’t handle my financial situations, among other things. My grandma was always there to talk to me at all the right times. She has never had a lot of formal education, as she never even graduated high school, however, she always astonishes me by giving me the best advice I’ve ever received from anyone. She would always tell me that I should think of life as if it were a bubble. She’d tell me to fill my ‘bubble’ with as many experiences as possible, because the bigger your ‘bubble’ is, the more graceful and attractive it looks. However, it will become more and more fragile with all the more things that I add to it. So, I have to take extra special care of what is already there. I have learned so much from her; she’s simply amazing. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for her.

I can’t really go from one experience to another because they all happened sporadically; therefore, I am going to go from person to person, since my learning experiences have been mostly from people. I mentioned before that my grandmother was one of the two most important females in my life. To complete that duo, I need to bestow upon you the story between my mother and I. My mother is a single parent to me, an only child. She has always had to do everything involving me by herself. She’s forever had Duane, her former-boyfriend-of-15-years-now-fiancé; however, he’s never helped financially. Money has always been a problem for us. My mom’s job is simply that, a job, not a career. It’s always been minimum wage or slightly above, nothing more. So, when I informed her of my college choice (New York University), she wasn’t exactly thrilled. Even though, despite the things she wanted for herself with what little money she made, she sacrificed so much to be able to send me to New York. It took so much for her to do that, and I will forever be in debt to her not only financially. Since I’ve been in New York City, my mother has taught me so much just by being apart. I’m her little baby, and I’m the only person that she truly tries to please, so when I came here, it almost killed my mother. She couldn’t bear to be without me. She literally called everyday. You see I come from a very small town in western Iowa, so I can’t just hop on the bus and go home anytime I want. I couldn’t even go home for Thanksgiving for financial reasons. My continuous voyage here has brought my mother and I closer together. It has taught both of us truly what sacrifice means, as well as loneliness, joy, and, most of all, love.

Since I’m an only child, you obviously think that I don’t have any siblings. You are technically correct, however, I have a cousin who serves the same brotherly purpose. Our mothers are twins, who are together at all times; thus, he (Eric) and I have grown up the same way as siblings do. We fight just like brother and sister. I could tell you some horrific stories of our devious quarrels, however, he means the world to me, and I would do anything for him. He has taught me what it is like to have a brother. It’s the little things about our relationship that really touches me. A simple thing like helping him with his homework is so rewarding to me. The fact that he returns my affection is even more rewarding. He looks up to me and brags about me all the time to his little eighth grade friends. Eric is and will always be the most important guy in my life.

Every single one of my family members has taught me something, however, I have friends that have taught me a lot as well. My best friend, Jennifer, is the number one friend who has taught me the most. First of all, Jennifer is absolutely beautiful. She has the perfect body, perfectly straight blond hair, the best boyfriend, and practically non-existent money problems. I feel privileged simply to be in her company. She’s always told me not to be jealous of her. She tells me that I’m the one with the brains, the one who will actually go somewhere in life. To say that I’m jealous of her would be a huge understatement. I’ve never had what she will always have. I have learned a lot from her though. Jennifer tends to come off as a bit snobbish, even though she really isn’t. She just hasn’t had problems to where she’d need to be overly nice all the time like me. I have a somewhat self-esteem problem, and being around her makes me have mixed emotions. On one hand I know that I have more respect from people, and that I have more true friends, however, on the other, I’ve never been lucky in love like her. I’ve never been small like her. I’ve never had money like her. Even though I’m jealous of all of these qualities, I’ve realized that I love the things that I have and she doesn’t. I enjoy knowing that my friends are real. It makes me feel on top of the world just knowing what my friends think about me. Jennifer has been such a good friend to me though. Partly why she is so condescending sometimes is because close friends have treated her badly in the past. They get too jealous, and they take it out on her. She appreciates that I’ve always been there for her. We’ll always be good friends; there isn’t a doubt in my mind.

I have had more than my share of bad luck in the guy department. I’m not the type of person that has had numerous serious relationships with guys. However, my first real relationship was an absolute learning experience. The guy’s name is Justin. When I first met him I wasn’t impressed at all. In fact, he looked below average to me, so I never considered anything beyond friends. Unfortunately, his wonderful personality got the better of me, and I fell head over heels for him. He introduced me to so many wonderful feelings that I’d never felt before. I was the happiest I’d ever been. Then one day we got into the worst fight we’d ever been in, and things just were never the same. We’d fight all the time, we avoided each other rather than talking, and we just weren’t happy. I still cared about him though, and it was a painful break-up, as it was right before I moved to New York (five months ago). He taught me many things in though. I learned a lot about love; I learned a lot about myself; and I learned certain things that I hate (like Britney Spears, but that’s a different story, I won’t go there). Now, Justin and I are barely friends, and it really kills me, but I just have to deal with the fact that things will never be the same.

The one other person that is extremely important in my life is my absolute best guy friend, Ryan (nicknamed ‘Pip’). I have learned so many things from him. He taught me about love, friendship, sacrifice, and many more things. When I first met Pip I thought he was the most amazing guy I had ever met, and I instantly developed an obsession with him. After many embarrassing moments and phone calls, I decided that things weren’t ever going to happen for Pip and I in the romantic sense. However, the more we hung out, the closer we became. We shared so many emotional moments with each other. He’s always been there to give me advice about guys and family troubles. Now, after all that we’ve been through, I feel he is one of the best guys I have ever met, and one of the best friends that I will ever have. If I had to choose one moment where I learned the most from Pip, it would be the night of my senior prom. Pip wasn’t my first choice of dates, Justin (from the previous paragraph) was. Justin, however, couldn’t attend, so I resorted to my buddy Pip. He told me that he didn’t have any more time to take off work, so he was unavailable as well. I was devastated and decided not to go. Upon hearing this, Pip decided to sacrifice his job to go with me. He risked getting fired simply so I would have a good time. He will always be important to me!

As you can see I’m more of a people person. The things I learn come from the people I surround myself with. That has its benefits, because I surround myself with a very diverse group of people. The people that I mentioned in my essay are merely a handful out of the millions who have taught me something. They are the people that I feel have taught me the most, and I am truly grateful. I wouldn’t change a thing.



Go to Documents index Paper:"Learning Experiences" Horizontal Essay Year in School: College Freshman Class: Inquiries into Teaching I Date written: February 6, 2001 I have always thought of myself as a people person, one who could relate easily to different situations. You could say that is the way I learn, through people and various experiences. I’m also a very visual person. Typically, when I’m being taught something, I tend to retain more information if there is some sort of picture or demonstration rather than just a lecture. Therefore, when you combine people, experiences, and visual aids, you get my ideal way of learning. The people that I feel that have taught me the most are my family and friends. However, I feel that I learn something from everyone I encounter. Learning is a process that takes place daily, so I can’t narrow it down to the individuals that I’ve known my whole life. In the proceeding paragraphs I will share with you the most important learning experiences of my years. Taking a journey back to when I was five years old, I recall the first day of kindergarten! I remember that day was a day of a lot of firsts. It was my first encounter with the kids that I would grow into teenage years with. It was my first experience being away from my mother in that type of setting, as I never went to daycare or a babysitter. I learned a lot that day; however, the one part of that day that sticks out most in my mind is taking my first ride home on the ‘big’ school bus. I remember how excited I was walking out of the school building, anxiously waiting to hop on the bus. Then, as soon as I got on the bus, I was petrified! Every on the bus was so old! They were all like fifth or sixth graders; I didn’t know how I would deal with this. So, I immediately sat down in the very front, hoping that no one would say anything to me. As soon as I sat down, everyone starting laughing, and I couldn’t figure out what I did wrong! Then the bus driver told me that I was sitting on the wrong side of the bus. The left side was supposed to be for boys, and unfortunately, that was where I had chose to place myself! It was very embarrassing. Key words that pose as lessons from that day are patience and relaxation. As for people that have played key roles in my life, I feel that to fully get across the learning experiences I’ve had, I need to take them one at a time. I will start with my grandmother, because I feel that she is one of the two most important females in my life. I have always had an extremely close bond to my grandma. We have lived ‘together’ my whole life (I put ‘together’ in quotes, because she’s always lived across the street from me). When I was younger, she would always let me spend the night with her, and she would make up the best stories off the top of her head. I’ve always thought of her as a tremendously amazing person. Everything major that has ever occurred in my life, she has been there, helping and sharing every minute of my glory, as well as agony. It wasn’t until recently when I completely understood the importance of her presence in my life. This past summer (of 2000) was a time when I was going through a lot of difficult things. I went through a painful breakup, I was having college confusions, and I couldn’t handle my financial situations, among other things. My grandma was always there to talk to me at all the right times. She has never had a lot of formal education, as she never even graduated high school, however, she always astonishes me by giving me the best advice I’ve ever received from anyone. She would always tell me that I should think of life as if it were a bubble. She’d tell me to fill my ‘bubble’ with as many experiences as possible, because the bigger your ‘bubble’ is, the more graceful and attractive it looks. However, it will become more and more fragile with all the more things that I add to it. So, I have to take extra special care of what is already there. I have learned so much from her; she’s simply amazing. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for her. I can’t really go from one experience to another because they all happened sporadically; therefore, I am going to go from person to person, since my learning experiences have been mostly from people. I mentioned before that my grandmother was one of the two most important females in my life. To complete that duo, I need to bestow upon you the story between my mother and I. My mother is a single parent to me, an only child. She has always had to do everything involving me by herself. She’s forever had Duane, her former-boyfriend-of-15-years-now-fiancé; however, he’s never helped financially. Money has always been a problem for us. My mom’s job is simply that, a job, not a career. It’s always been minimum wage or slightly above, nothing more. So, when I informed her of my college choice (New York University), she wasn’t exactly thrilled. Even though, despite the things she wanted for herself with what little money she made, she sacrificed so much to be able to send me to New York. It took so much for her to do that, and I will forever be in debt to her not only financially. Since I’ve been in New York City, my mother has taught me so much just by being apart. I’m her little baby, and I’m the only person that she truly tries to please, so when I came here, it almost killed my mother. She couldn’t bear to be without me. She literally called everyday. You see I come from a very small town in western Iowa, so I can’t just hop on the bus and go home anytime I want. I couldn’t even go home for Thanksgiving for financial reasons. My continuous voyage here has brought my mother and I closer together. It has taught both of us truly what sacrifice means, as well as loneliness, joy, and, most of all, love. Since I’m an only child, you obviously think that I don’t have any siblings. You are technically correct, however, I have a cousin who serves the same brotherly purpose. Our mothers are twins, who are together at all times; thus, he (Eric) and I have grown up the same way as siblings do. We fight just like brother and sister. I could tell you some horrific stories of our devious quarrels, however, he means the world to me, and I would do anything for him. He has taught me what it is like to have a brother. It’s the little things about our relationship that really touches me. A simple thing like helping him with his homework is so rewarding to me. The fact that he returns my affection is even more rewarding. He looks up to me and brags about me all the time to his little eighth grade friends. Eric is and will always be the most important guy in my life. Every single one of my family members has taught me something, however, I have friends that have taught me a lot as well. My best friend, Jennifer, is the number one friend who has taught me the most. First of all, Jennifer is absolutely beautiful. She has the perfect body, perfectly straight blond hair, the best boyfriend, and practically non-existent money problems. I feel privileged simply to be in her company. She’s always told me not to be jealous of her. She tells me that I’m the one with the brains, the one who will actually go somewhere in life. To say that I’m jealous of her would be a huge understatement. I’ve never had what she will always have. I have learned a lot from her though. Jennifer tends to come off as a bit snobbish, even though she really isn’t. She just hasn’t had problems to where she’d need to be overly nice all the time like me. I have a somewhat self-esteem problem, and being around her makes me have mixed emotions. On one hand I know that I have more respect from people, and that I have more true friends, however, on the other, I’ve never been lucky in love like her. I’ve never been small like her. I’ve never had money like her. Even though I’m jealous of all of these qualities, I’ve realized that I love the things that I have and she doesn’t. I enjoy knowing that my friends are real. It makes me feel on top of the world just knowing what my friends think about me. Jennifer has been such a good friend to me though. Partly why she is so condescending sometimes is because close friends have treated her badly in the past. They get too jealous, and they take it out on her. She appreciates that I’ve always been there for her. We’ll always be good friends; there isn’t a doubt in my mind. I have had more than my share of bad luck in the guy department. I’m not the type of person that has had numerous serious relationships with guys. However, my first real relationship was an absolute learning experience. The guy’s name is Justin. When I first met him I wasn’t impressed at all. In fact, he looked below average to me, so I never considered anything beyond friends. Unfortunately, his wonderful personality got the better of me, and I fell head over heels for him. He introduced me to so many wonderful feelings that I’d never felt before. I was the happiest I’d ever been. Then one day we got into the worst fight we’d ever been in, and things just were never the same. We’d fight all the time, we avoided each other rather than talking, and we just weren’t happy. I still cared about him though, and it was a painful break-up, as it was right before I moved to New York (five months ago). He taught me many things in though. I learned a lot about love; I learned a lot about myself; and I learned certain things that I hate (like Britney Spears, but that’s a different story, I won’t go there). Now, Justin and I are barely friends, and it really kills me, but I just have to deal with the fact that things will never be the same. The one other person that is extremely important in my life is my absolute best guy friend, Ryan (nicknamed ‘Pip’). I have learned so many things from him. He taught me about love, friendship, sacrifice, and many more things. When I first met Pip I thought he was the most amazing guy I had ever met, and I instantly developed an obsession with him. After many embarrassing moments and phone calls, I decided that things weren’t ever going to happen for Pip and I in the romantic sense. However, the more we hung out, the closer we became. We shared so many emotional moments with each other. He’s always been there to give me advice about guys and family troubles. Now, after all that we’ve been through, I feel he is one of the best guys I have ever met, and one of the best friends that I will ever have. If I had to choose one moment where I learned the most from Pip, it would be the night of my senior prom. Pip wasn’t my first choice of dates, Justin (from the previous paragraph) was. Justin, however, couldn’t attend, so I resorted to my buddy Pip. He told me that he didn’t have any more time to take off work, so he was unavailable as well. I was devastated and decided not to go. Upon hearing this, Pip decided to sacrifice his job to go with me. He risked getting fired simply so I would have a good time. He will always be important to me! As you can see I’m more of a people person. The things I learn come from the people I surround myself with. That has its benefits, because I surround myself with a very diverse group of people. The people that I mentioned in my essay are merely a handful out of the millions who have taught me something. They are the people that I feel have taught me the most, and I am truly grateful. I wouldn’t change a thing.