The SLP Experience...

I have learned a lot already in my SLP project. It has taught me about communication, and how sometimes it can be strained or poorly expressed. It has taught me, for example, that the questions that I might ask are different than the questions another might ask. My document is a survey of community families, aimed towards homeschoolers. It always impresses me how people with so much in common (my SLP partner and I) can still have such different thought processes, and hold such differently unique perspectives. I am grateful to have the opportunity to learn from a fresh point of view.

Definition Project - Coronary Bypass

My Group did fairly well, I think. There was a lot of confusion and stress in the group as we went about working on our definitions project. I was the leader of our group, which focused on defining the term and operation “coronary bypass.” We studied the etymology, history, and operative principles concerning coronary bypass, as well as some of the tools that are needed to complete the procedure. We also provided a picture of the end product, which illustrated the heart after the grafts had been completed.

There was, from time to time, some hardship in reconciling some of the information against other pieces of information. This was mainly semantics, however, as the actual facts did fit together – they simply needed to be better explained in reference to one another. In the end I felt that while we were given a short time in which to fulfill the assignment, we did admirably and well in our labor.

SLP Update!

The document that I am developing is going quite well. This last week I worked on the survey that Heather, the owner of Beloved Books, wanted me to work on. Initially, I was uncertain about how I would format it. After some time and thought, I began working on it. After some cursory writing, I had a good general draft of the flier. I then spoke with Mark Elswick, a tutor in the Davenport University LInC, about critiquing it. He suggested several changes, including some line spacing and font adjustments, and some asthetic changes to make the document easier on the eyes. I have not yet met with Heather Idoni, but I did touch base with her about the project via phone. She is very excited to see my work so far, and I am certain that the rough draft of the survey will be compatible with her standards.

The First Steps: Starting my SLP

I was given the opportunity recently to approach Heather Idoni, a friend and business owner, about working together in a Service Learning Project. Heather has a successful business selling books and cds online, and is very involved in homeschooling activities. She is a mother of five, a shrewd business woman, and a passionate advocate of homeschooling and family-centered education. Her business, Beloved Books, has impacted the local homeschooling community in a big way, and she is well known as a philanthropist in that regard.

The document that Heather wants me to create is a survey. The purpose of the survey is to gather information about the patrons of her store: more specifically, to learn what families’ homeschool, how many children they have, and how open they are to being involved in other community activities. The survey covers basic information, and provides some open-ended questions about service and customer wants.

I am excited to see what will come of this new working relationship. I have known Heather for a long while - ever since I was a teenaged homeschooler, in fact. I know from experience that she is a dynamic woman and a driven and motivated person, and for this reason I feel that we will mesh well together. While we are only in the opening stages of our work relationship, I sense great things to come!