So, with the semester winding down and only finals between me and a wonderful 2 month break (with some awesome field periods thrown in), I thought I would summarize what I have learned this semester.
1. I learned a whole lot about a whole ton of mental disorders. I loved Dr. Arnolds stories, and they taught me to look a little deeper as to why people are the way they are.
2. I learned that not everyone has the same definition of normal.
3. I learned to see bias from all sides.
4. I learned that having a successful career as an OT does not mean you will make a good professor.
5. I learned what it looks like to others when you 'just wing it' (badly) and aren't prepared for what you are responsible for.
6. I learned that life is short, and life is tough.
7. I learned that everyone is 'messed up' or changed by something in their life.
8. I learned that old people sometimes eat plants, and that you have to find someone to make you laugh during class, otherwise mental breakdown may ensue.
9. I learned that I had learned more than I thought I had learned.
10. I learned a crap ton of information about the brain, and how to think more like an OT.
After 3 semesters of college I find myself thinking from a new perspective. I can now walk down the toy isle in Walmart and think of ways to adapt toys for children of all different abilities. I think I judge less quickly now and I try my best to avoid using those labels that can stigmatize people (my least favorite being 'retard' - see earlier posts about DRIVE program). I cannot wait to do my field periods and get that experience knowing how much progress I have made in college. Sometimes during this semester it seemed like we weren't learning anything - and indeed, in some classes we probably weren't...that 'review' class for our final (which the prof was not even remotely prepared for) was a load of crap - but I think that upon retrospective reflection my classmates and I can find some value from this semester.
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