This trimester, I have learned to reorient my expectations and standards for myself. In the past I have fallen into the trap of accepting everyone’s else’s standards as my own (grades, public image, etc.). The past few months I have been forced out of my comfort zone into uncertainty. Instead of experiencing rigid deadlines and assignments of traditional school, I faced the daunting openness of self-directed learning. I found that it is incredibly easy to procrastinate in this setting without feeling guilty. I was surprised to find myself struggling for the first part of the trimester in my classes and in determining my own REDI Lab project. Like many things, it eventually worked itself out.
I adapted to the radically different environment and found ways to apply my previous knowledge to this new setting. Specifically, I learned that I can do my work much faster and better than I think I can. I have always had a barrier in my mind that equates the amount of time I spend on something to the quality of the end result.
After taking a jump off of the proverbial cliff I have found that I have the skills to work smarter and produce better content quicker. This has been vital towards adding pages to the REDI Lab learning journal as well as reading my way through the 4 philosophy texts of my REDI Lab project. Lastly, I’ve learned that I need to be more open minded about the world. By no means am I a closed minded person, but traditional structures have lead me to prioritize rigid expectations that don’t align with today’s dynamic society. Accordingly, I will use my experience in the REDI Lab to continue learning independently, outside of the classroom, and to constantly challenge my own beliefs and perspectives.
