Get Your Feet Wet...

Welcome to my blog! Please take a couple minutes to watch this video from National Geographic on Why the Ocean Matters. You might be surprised with what you learn.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Reflection: Weeks 9-12

Where HAS the Time Gone?

I feel like it was only last week when we were all standing in a circle out at Bagley running around like a bunch of crazy people!  I can't believe the semester is almost over (I am excited though).  For only having class once a week, it is amazing all of the topics we have covered and explored on our own.  We started learning about advocacy and really focusing on our Healthy People 2010 objective and THOMAS Bill and are now becoming experts on our topics.

Advocacy and Why it Matters...a lot

When we first started talking about advocacy and our elected officials, I thought, "GREAAAT.  I don't pay attention to politics at all.  Why do I care about my governor?  And how does this pertain to health?"  Well, now I realize that paying attention to politics is an essential part of health education and that they are the people in power who can put health policy into place.  I am beginning to understand that by advocating for health, we can get a lot accomplished.  I am looking forward to seeing how everyone's letters turn out.

Photo Essay

One of my favorite assignments we've done thus far was definitely the Photo Essay.  It was great that we got to present these to the entire class because everyone had something different to share.  I was impressed with the creativity of our classmates!  My photo essay was about hidden treasures that I found in my grandpa's basement.  Man, did I have a blast doing the assignment.  It was such a great trip down memory lane.

A final activity that I want to highlight is the Eco-Chic Lifestyle Change project.  I LOVED picking a SMART Goal and implementing it in my life.  I changed my goal last week and I am working towards meeting it this week.

Bittersweet I'd Say

I am learning to love our environment more and more everyday and I can see SO many people on our campus making an effort to reduce their footprint.  I am excited to continue learning and advocating even after this class is done.  Only a few more weeks people!  Bittersweet.

5 comments:

  1. Bittersweet is a great word to use. We have learned so much this semester about the environment and ourselves. We have came together as a class to reduce our footprints and use of some unnecessary resources. Advocacy is such a big part of the health world. In order to voice your opinion you need to be able to advocate!

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  2. I love that we all have become so eco-conscious because of this class. It's crazy to think about all the stuff we've learned and all the projects we have completed. I personally loved your photo essay and thought it was really cool that you found so much stuff at your Grandparents house!

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  3. Aww, Kristen your blog makes me smile. You're right, wasn't it last week we were sitting in the warm sun on the grass? Also, I'm really glad we've gotten into advocacy issues because I feel like we often feel like victims of the government's abuse but we have a voice and it's important to use it! I loved the photo essay because it gave the post a more personal twist. I really loved being in your blog group Kristen and I'm said to be leaving it! I'll stop back in and see what you've been up to in a few weeks :)

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  4. I think you're right, this class has gone by way too fast. Still, we've done a lot of really cool activities and I think we've all learned a lot, not just about the environment but about each other as well.

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  5. You took the words right out of mouth Kristen. Where has the time gone??? It does just seem like we were at Bagley but in fact it was a few months ago already, crazy! I also mentioned in my reflection that it's very important to know our reps because they are the ones who can implement policies that we may want to advocate for in the future. Like you, my favorite assignment of the past few weeks was the photo essay because it gave us the chance to show a little bit more about ourselves through pictures instead of writing. It is bittersweet that it's just about over for the semester. Awesome post.

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