Blog Post #1

    Over the course of these first few weeks in this class, I have really broadened my horizons and came into it with a very open mind. I have really enjoyed it so far and it is cool that I get to teach international immigrant high school students subjects such as science. Although I haven't ever really done something like this, I am excited to continue not only helping the students learn but also for myself to learn more about them and their backgrounds. One of the things I noticed in my first day with the kids was how enthusiastic they are about learning and that really motivates me to give them all of my energy when helping teach. This experience also allowed me to learn how to communicate and have an understanding with students who have a language barrier of any kind. It is very satisfying to see students learning and understanding material successfully because I know that I am positively contributing to their educational experience.

    In terms of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,  it states what should be the common standard everywhere, that all people are equal and have guaranteed fundamental rights. These rights should be respected regardless of person, although they might not be everywhere in the world realistically. If these rights were the standard all over the globe, the world we live in would be very different.

    When it comes to the documentary "The Salt of Life", it was very eye-opening to look into the life of Sebastião Salgado and to see his worldwide impact through his efforts to raise awareness toward global struggles. Salgado showed his work through photography and used his images to bring attention to how back some people's situations really can be. It really puts reality in perspective and shows what some people really have to struggle through.

    During our first visit with our community partner, I really enjoyed the time we got to spend with the students, and our teacher, Mrs. Knutson, really brought positive energy to the classroom and it resonated through the students as well. I really love how she uses a variety of ways to relay information to the students in order to get an understanding of the kids. The experience as a whole really brought me joy because I knew that I was positively impacting the student's education. I am very excited to return and continue to learn along with the students while creating memories that I can look back on in the future.

Austin Horn