ColemanReadingResponse3

My Freshman Year

In this chapter, Nathan focuses on international students opinions of Americans. I was surprised at some of the information she found out. People of other cultures and from other countries seemed to be very judgmental of Americans and our ways. For example one student Nigel was talking and mentioned how if his friends came to his house they were friends with him and his family too. They could just walk in and were welcome. He said that this was not the same in American culture which I found untrue. My best friends from home and I are the same way. Their families are like my second families. We are all so comfortable with each other and at each others houses. I am close with their families and not just them. People are not like this at a university because we are living away from home so we do not have that opportunity. Three main things international students found big in American culture was individualism, independence and choice. These things are three things that are a big part of our culture especially for a college student. In my opinion though, they should be. As we grow up, we need to start making our own decisions, whether they are the right ones or not, we will learn from our mistakes. If we don’t branch out and go off on our own, we will never learn to fend for ourselves and be on our own. Some of the international students did not like how we were allowed so many options and freedom, it was to different from their culture and ways. This chapter I found very interesting comparing the cultures but I also got a little frustrated because it seemed like the international students were grouping all Americans as the same and were not. Some are more excepting then others but we all differ.

The Mind At Work (Chapter 4)

Rose focuses on hands on experiences. A man Jon Guthier runs a program allowing students that have gotten into trouble to become efficient in a trade, giving them hope and a possible career for the future. For me personally, I learn better when I have to do something like these men were doing, I can’t just listen to a lecture and understand something. All these boys learned to respect Guthier and looked up to him because they gave him an opportunity no one else has. By these boys learning to finish something they started, they earn respect from others and feel accomplished. It gives them as sense of pride in themselves and hope that they will have a future. This chapter interested me because I got to see how someone’s life can change so quickly just by someone else taking the time to help others. Guthier dedicated his time to helping these boys, essentially giving them the attention and time they may have never received at home but was what they needed to be focused and settle down. I was really interested in how Guthier let them help him and asked them questions in order to teach them. He gave them time to figure out what needed to be done and never looked down on them if they were unsure of what to do. This chapter really showed me how any profession is hard and all professions are similar in the sense that they take dedication and time.

Connection A connection I made between both works was that they both led to me thinking about work ethic. For My Freshman Year the main topic discussed was international students, how they fit in, and the perception they had of American students. This relates to work ethic because both American students and international students have to put in time and effort to really get to know each other and each others cultures. It is not just going to happen on its own. They need to be educated on others lives and customs. Being educated means to have experience, ask questions and explore everything right in front of you. It means to not take the short cuts but to take long routes where along the way you will learn more. This connects to The Mind at Work because all the students were learning hard labor. They were taught how to communicate with each other in order to get the task done. Communication is key and with it you can get so much farther. The boys completed their tasks faster when they communicated and asked for help.