Reflection #3

Since I wrote my second reflection on September 25^th, it has been approximately three weeks since I last reflected on my project and the way it is progressing. I was off track before in regards to my timeline and now I am even more behind.

The moving process for the military has taken almost all of my focus since we arrived at Fort Riley, KS. The waitlist for living on post is approximately 10 months long so we had to find housing off post. Then there came all the unpacking, organizing and in-processing. We also did not have Internet until last Monday and there are not many places to go and study or use the Internet here. I was not prepared for how small this area actually is. Lastly, since this is the first time I have moved with the military as an adult, I honestly was not prepared for everything a soldier, military spouse and military children must go through. 

I have not completed much work since my last reflection. However, I did create the Pre-EconDa Training Survey via Monkey Survey. I am currently waiting on all of the Frankston Middle School teachers to complete the survey so that I may tailor my training module to their needs. I only briefly spoke with Mr. White in regards to the survey. Once my storyboards are complete, I will send them to him for his approval before moving forward.  

My short-term work objectives and my plans for achieving each objective for the next weeks are as follows:

Complete my third reflection paper – doing so now

Compile results from Pre-EconDa Training Survey – by 10/31

Complete the creation of storyboards for website – by 10/31

Create Website Shell – by 10/31

Begin first EconDa Module – by 10/31

Send Storyboards to Mr. White for approval – by 10/22

Complete EconDa Training Module – by 10/25

Create first training video – by 10/25

Begin work on Math EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Begin webpage and video for Math EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Complete Math EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Begin work on Reading EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Begin webpage and video for Reading EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Complete Reading EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Begin work on Science EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Begin webpage and video for Science EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Complete Science EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Begin work on Writing EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Begin webpage and video for Writing EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Complete Writing EconDa Training Module – by 10/31

Complete Power Point Presentation for midterm debriefing – by 10/22

Complete 4^th Reflection paper – by 10/29

 

Lessons Learned

Over the last three weeks, I have mostly learned lessons in regards to time management and organization.

I used to think that I managed my time very well. I’ve always kept a planner and made sure it was up to date. In fact, I was a little obsessed with always having a calendar filled out and a schedule set for what I needed to accomplish. However, the military has thrown all of that out the window. I have learned that no matter what plans you make or what goals you set, Uncle Sam can change or cancel all of them with a moment’s notice. I’ve only been an Army wife for four years, but in over half of that time my husband has been deployed. I made all of my own plans then and didn’t worry about his schedule. Now that we just moved to a new post, his schedule comes before anything else. This makes it hard to make plans or set aside time for me to specifically work on my projects. I’m learning to be more flexible and less of a control freak.

Over the last three weeks, I have let myself become unorganized in regards to my school work. I’m still searching through boxes for some of my school books! I have learned that my personality depends on organization. My mind becomes messier as my workspace becomes messier. I find it hard to concentrate and work. As soon as I took a deep breath, relaxed, regrouped and organized, I felt so much better about my school work and work area.