Enhancing Personal and Professional Growth through Applied Behavioral Science

Abstract

Course name Instructor’s name Assignment due date Personal Reflection on Program Courses, Theories and Concepts When I first entered the Applied Behavioral Science (ABS) program, I felt a mix of nerves and excitement about what I would learn from the program. I had not been in school for a long time, and part of me worried that I would struggle to find my rhythm again. At the same time, going back to school had been a dream I held onto for years, especially as someone who works every day with children, families, and educators in my role as a Special Education Classroom Assistant (SECA) for Chicago Public Schools. I saw myself as a hard-working student and a strong, family-oriented woman, but academically, I doubted whether I still “had it.” Professionally, I knew I had the passion, but I wanted to strengthen my skills, deepen my understanding of human behavior, and elevate my voice as a leader within my school and community. I wondered how going back to my school would affect my personal and professional responsibilities during the course of the program. I intended to achieve the best from the ABS program while ensuring that I balance my time and energy with other responsibilities in my life. I hoped that upon completing the program, I would have experienced growth as a student, family member, and a professional. When I began the program, I viewed myself as someone who was helpful and supportive, but not necessarily someone who took up space or saw herself as a scholar. I felt committed to my students, my son, my family, and my community on the South Side of Chicago, but I didn’t yet see how my lived experiences, my intuition, and my professional background connected to actual behavioral science theory. I saw the ABS program as an opportunity for growth as a student but I was not sure how it would connect to my personal and professional experiences. My commitment to my students is one of the most important aspect of my career and I hoped that completing the program would improve my ability to meet their individual needs. My goal at the time was that I would become a better role model for my students after successfully completing the courses. Over time, this program helped me see my personal and professional life through a deeper, more analytical lens, one that honors both experience and evidence. Communication plays an important role in building trust in relationships by allowing people to express how they feel about those they care about. The ABS program has shown me that communication in marriage is a vital component that brings people together to form a strong bond. In The Art of Communication, Hanh (2013) explains the importance of our presence when we communicate with our partners. I felt that I have often been distracted by my professional and personal life that sometimes I have communicated the wrong messages to my partners. Brining my own responsibilities and stress from my work has made it harder for me to communicate effectively with my husband. Reflecting on the reading, I found that I have used mindful communication to share my feelings and opinions on important issues in our marriage. Mindfulness ensures that people communicate while taking the feelings and experiences of other people into consideration. Being a good listener has ensured that I am able to accommodate my partner’s feelings even when we disagree on important issues in our relationship. Being part of the program has shown me that while there are aspects of communication in marriage that I need to improve, I am a mindful listener who takes my husband’s feelings into consideration. One of the concepts I found insightful from the program is the aspect of active listening and how it affects communication in intimate relationships. According to Adler & Proctor (2017), active listening involves giving undivided attention to a partner, providing constructive feedback, and showing empathy when communicating. I found the concept essential to communication in marriage since it demonstrates how people demonstrate their commitment to issues raised during communication. The concept aligns with how I feel in my marriage especially when we share conflicting views with my husband. Active communication allows people to show that they consider their partner’s point of view on issues even when they disagree with their ideas. In my personal experience from my marriage, listening skills prevent the frustration that arises when people feel that they are unseen in a relationship. In cases where I have listened without paying attention to the needs and feelings of my partner, I have observed that communication leads to frustration. The readings from this course validate both the good and the bad experiences I have had with my partner that depend on how we pay attention to each other’s feelings when communicating. I feel that my view of the world today is the outcome of my experiences from childhood to adulthood that have shaped how I learn and think. I see how Kolb’s experiential learning theory applies to my personal and professional life and relationships. The theory describes the stages of learning as feeling, watching, thinking, and experimenting what we see in the world around us (Wijnen-Meijer et al., 2022). I view myself as a hardworking and resilient woman who seeks to make the world a better place for other people including my family members and students. Looking back, I find that my experience growing up in the South Side of Chicago has played an important role in shaping my view of the world. Learning is a transformative process where each experience is an opportunity to change how we view others and build relationships. My childhood experiences and relationships with other people have influenced personal identity and worldview which make me a better educator, parent, and wife. I grew up in a community where I learnt to accommodate people with different views, cultural experiences, and opinions. I am able to connect with my students better by reflecting on my personal experiences as a child, student, and teacher in Chicago. As their mentor, I seek to have a positive influence in their lives in the same way other people have made me a better person and educator. When I face challenges in my role as an educator, I have often relied on the support of my mentors and other people who have experienced the same difficulties in the career. I view my responsibilities to my students as exceeding the teaching role since I want to mentor learners to become better people in their community. My grandmother was my first mentor and her lessons are still important in my personal and professional responsibilities to other people. She taught me to be hardworking and influenced my career choice as an educator and a role model for my students (Merriam & Bierema, 2013). Each time I experience challenges in school or at home, I always remember her encouraging words and appreciate the impact that she had in my life. Part of the reason why I decided to take this program as part of my career goals was to expand my skills that will make me a better person and educator. I credit her mentorship for the achievements I have so far and feel responsible to have the same impact on my students’ education and future careers. In my role as a special education assistant, I have to work with other people including teachers, school administrators, therapists, and parents to meet the needs of students. Lessons from the ABS program...