The Term "service" brings a different meaning to each individual's
heart. For just as we all are individual people/souls, so are we
unique and contain our OWN perspectives.
To me, service contains 3 concepts: love, consideration, and creating
foundations. If I were to twist these with Global Explorers' terms, I
would say love and consideration concur with respect and relate.
Winning first place at the Future Problem Solvers (FPS, visit
www.ohiofps.org for website) Community Problem Solving (cmps)
individual senior division was not easy in any way. I also received
5th place in the scenario writing division of FPS, representing my
High School. A shock goes through me when I think of this
accomplishment -- as I did not expect to win FIRST prise for CMPS in
the ENTIRE state. Yet I am glad as this brings me a step closer
towards recognition of limitlessness.
But let us explore for a moment why I even worked with others in doing
what I do. What lead me to it?
While I lived in Hungary, I noticed how much life "sucked". How I was
frowned upon not just by the sighted society, but also because of my
own peers at boarding school. So I came to the United States with the
expectations of seeing a difference. And a difference I did see!
Instead of being treated with jealous feelings from others, I was
almost COMPLETELY ignored. I am saying almost here for the few
exceptions of students who did become a "closer" friend - like Steve.
But generally, I was treated like a curtain -- and in many ways this
stands today in the regard that I cannot hold a complete conversation
with a student without it turning very awkward.
But in 9th grade I made 2 promises to myself:
"Tomi, I do not want to ever see ANY OTHER HUNGARIAN BLIND person grow
up the way you grew up in poverty and with the lack of required
technologies,"
and "Tomi, the next blind person who passes through your community
will NEVER EVER experience the isolation you have felt!"
and so that established my love. My love for the world, my love for
the people in this world who I just want to see happy and content. The
unconditional love which flows from the heart is the purest form in
existence - and I have it. The reason why I wanted to accomplish these
2 things is because I want to see people smile and feel the love
within them which I now express. Many in society sadly do not
understand and cannot comprehend that term. Unconditional love.
So I accomplished goal 1 by translating the free NVDA (non-visual -
desktop access) software program into Hungarian. A complete screen
reader which is free and open source for anyone to use. Although I
have given most of the project to the Hungarian blind friends I know
(as my focus has shifted), I still keep an eye on what is happening to
NVDA. It is becoming a popular assistive software of choice back In
Hungary, with many blind organizations installing it on computers as a
free alternative to commercial $1800 costing screen readers.
Goal #2 was harder to accomplish, and this is where my other skills
were tested. Consideration. How will some people view me and what
image do I display to others, as well as "what do I need to consider
in order to make my impacts last long?". Oh trust me, I've had even
blind people come up to me and tell to my face, "I hate you for
demanding equality and thinking you're limitless, you blindie! " (not
those words of course but I could comprehend their point).
Consideration of course required my open mind, which I possess
greatly. I do not want to exclude mentally challenged, deaf, and
mobility impaired people from my impacts, for example. This is why I
say in a lot of speeches that ANY disability has no limits if you view
it so. By being blind I demonstrate ONE such disability, but there are
an array of others out there.
So, it took a while to consider and think. To create my mottos, "I
give you free will" and "Live life the way you want it lived!". Oh yes
and my latest new slogan, "disability=less sighted guidance, more
freedom and independence". And I wish to make this clear: Anything and
anyone in this world, regardless of their disability, has the ability
to overcome any limit or obstacle IF and only IF they have the proper
belief in themselves and having an open mind for new ideas helps a lot
too.
Now for the foundations part. This is where it all connects. All of my
accomplishments connect with each other. My middle school speeches
directly prepare the students for their assignments for next year
(analysing how my Grand Canyon trip went). . My blog serves as a place
of discussion for every person in contact with me as well as my way of
keeping a "journal" of how I truly am limitless. Again, my Grand
Canyon trip is in the foundation and an integral portion of what I do,
and so are my speeches since they also show limitlessness.
My radio show (The World's Perspective show) helps anyone with gaining
an open mind and understand THEIR perspective on a selected topic. It
also demonstrates directly how a disabled (enabled?) person can reach
anything.
There are other minor things which I have done, but I think this
suffices my point. Do you see the foundation? It's only one word:
limitlessness. And even the farthest of accomplishments (like my Radio
show which does not "directly" talk about blindness) shows that
concept. Now you know what I mean by foundations! All change has a
foundation. :)
So last but not least. What did the 6 page research paper I wrote for
CMPS (the Community Problem Solving Project) do?
Dear reader, it bound the foundations with a trophy. I mean this
directly. By writing that paper, I summarized in 6 pages, with the
help of a few proof readers, of what I want accomplished and have done
so far. "To show the world the capabilities of students with
disabilities." Notice that my underlying problem there did NOT
specifically say "capabilities of blind students." but "students with
DISABILITIES." Aha. Click!
So there it is. Now you know how I work. I create a foundation and
build my web of change around that. I created my foundation last year
when I realized my own confidence and no limits. What was the
foundation for that? Those 2 quotes I wrote at the beginning of this
message. Ah. Yes. It is all encased in one common shell: Change.
And with that, I finish writing this long post. I want to close by
thanking all those who helped me weave my soft web of change, for
providing me opportunities to network with a variety of minds and
hearts. Without connections, it is difficult to start building your
foundations. Being 17, I do not have that many connections. But the
ones I have, those few people, were enough to start me off. Mom by
taking me out to this nation ; MRS. Gaspar by writing a press release
; MRs. Frazier for contacting the middle school as well as taking time out from her after school schedule in helping edit rough drafts of both the scenario and the CMPS write up; Lucy for proofreading and giving feedback on my various works ; Shannon for providing me the opportunity to apply to the Grand Canyon trip and my
scholarship ; MR. Senge for giving me that scholarship and thus
connecting me with others ; DR. Wingenbach, for allowing me to present
to the board and the local Kiwanis club ; Brenda who worked briefly
with me on fundraising (and helped build confidence) ; and a lot of
others who are not mentioned here but are loved the same, my local
church included. And I suppose you can't forget my girlfriend Amelia
whom I've known for over one and a half years and who gave me the
confidence to move forward during those low times of depression and
her support can never truly be understood by anyone but myself.
I hope everyone's well. Be safe, and live life the way YOU want it lived!
With love, consideration, and a foundation:
Tomi
p.s: If anyone wishes to read the 6 page report, feel free to ask me
and I would be more than happy to send you a copy electronically! :)
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Retreat - first day!
"Note: any links on this page reference to various recordings. To download the recording, right click the file and click save target as. Under Windows.
Welcome to Estes park, where snow and cold mix together in creating unique experiences.
The first day has been interesting so far. I was one of the first students to arrive at the airport. We were supposed to meet at the fountain, but to our shock (and amazement) it was empty - no water! So instead of a fountain, we all stood by a railing beyond which was only empty space.
Perhaps Bryan was the first to see me arrive at the "fountain". He works with Global Explorers and will be going on our trip -- and his personality I think will bring lots of positive energy to a group if need be. In some way he is like me in terms of being goofy and serious at the same time.
In fact, while we were standing around for the rest of our group to arrive, Bryan saw a drumline not far from us - the Troopers. He kept saying, "wouldn't it be nice to get a private band?" and later on actually walked up to the band and asked if they could
Play the drums for us
Which we enjoyed and found quite entertaining!
The rest of the day went by pretty fast. I was surprised to find out that there were actually 6 girls and 4 guys instead of 5 and 5 as I previously thought. Not good. This kind of offsets the female ratio...
Everyone in the group is from different places, and this made our conversations all that more interesting. We spent quite some time in the vans talking with Michelle from Canada and how life in that nation is different from how we live in the United States. I myself spent time with a couple people, discussing philosophy and conspiracy topics with a few students during our lunch.
The YMCA we stayed at in Estes park was very nice and good with accommodations. Well. To a degree. Our food often times wasn't the best, though I enjoyed the bacon-potato soup which was served for our dinner. Our rooms, which were located in a separate building on the camp grounds, were quite nice as well. They each had 1 queen and king sized bed, with a bunk bed in the corner. I took the top bunk while my room mate Robbie slept in one of the other beds. I enjoy sleeping at a high elevation level. :)
Dinner was followed by some very interesting activities dealing with leadership.
Global Explorers has a very unique and good leadership motto. A good leader relates well with others, reflects upon the past and future of his actions, and responds in an effective manner. During the night, we explored these qualities in depth. Bryan made up an interesting activity of "saving the planet". Each of us in groups of 3 had to create a plan for a new civilization. We had to find good leaders who could lead this planet and thus use the Relate-reflect-respond model to think of proper people.
This is what really took us through the night of the first day - from 6 to around 10 PM. By the time we got into bed, everyone was very tired and I only had energy to take a shower and fall into bed. Saturday would be our ONLY full day of the retreat. All of us were excited to be meeting Erik, who was scheduled to arrive on due course around 10 in the morning.
Welcome to Estes park, where snow and cold mix together in creating unique experiences.
The first day has been interesting so far. I was one of the first students to arrive at the airport. We were supposed to meet at the fountain, but to our shock (and amazement) it was empty - no water! So instead of a fountain, we all stood by a railing beyond which was only empty space.
Perhaps Bryan was the first to see me arrive at the "fountain". He works with Global Explorers and will be going on our trip -- and his personality I think will bring lots of positive energy to a group if need be. In some way he is like me in terms of being goofy and serious at the same time.
In fact, while we were standing around for the rest of our group to arrive, Bryan saw a drumline not far from us - the Troopers. He kept saying, "wouldn't it be nice to get a private band?" and later on actually walked up to the band and asked if they could
Play the drums for us
Which we enjoyed and found quite entertaining!
The rest of the day went by pretty fast. I was surprised to find out that there were actually 6 girls and 4 guys instead of 5 and 5 as I previously thought. Not good. This kind of offsets the female ratio...
Everyone in the group is from different places, and this made our conversations all that more interesting. We spent quite some time in the vans talking with Michelle from Canada and how life in that nation is different from how we live in the United States. I myself spent time with a couple people, discussing philosophy and conspiracy topics with a few students during our lunch.
The YMCA we stayed at in Estes park was very nice and good with accommodations. Well. To a degree. Our food often times wasn't the best, though I enjoyed the bacon-potato soup which was served for our dinner. Our rooms, which were located in a separate building on the camp grounds, were quite nice as well. They each had 1 queen and king sized bed, with a bunk bed in the corner. I took the top bunk while my room mate Robbie slept in one of the other beds. I enjoy sleeping at a high elevation level. :)
Dinner was followed by some very interesting activities dealing with leadership.
Global Explorers has a very unique and good leadership motto. A good leader relates well with others, reflects upon the past and future of his actions, and responds in an effective manner. During the night, we explored these qualities in depth. Bryan made up an interesting activity of "saving the planet". Each of us in groups of 3 had to create a plan for a new civilization. We had to find good leaders who could lead this planet and thus use the Relate-reflect-respond model to think of proper people.
This is what really took us through the night of the first day - from 6 to around 10 PM. By the time we got into bed, everyone was very tired and I only had energy to take a shower and fall into bed. Saturday would be our ONLY full day of the retreat. All of us were excited to be meeting Erik, who was scheduled to arrive on due course around 10 in the morning.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
preparing for the retreat!
At the moment, everything seems to be packed. From pants and t-shirts to water and shampoo.
Tomorrow marks the start of my retreat down in Colorado. We will be going to Estes park -- and staying at a YMCA there.
On Saturday, I will be meeting Eric and I know we'll have fun as one team. There will be lots of activities and teamwork which all of us will have to accomplish.
I am sure that some readers are wondering about how I will journal during these few days. I have tried to ensure that I can record as much detail as possible.
Several types of journaling methods are at hand. I have purchased a voice recorder which can record up to 13 hours of high quality audio. This will be used to keep records of certain activities. With group permission, I should be able to post these audio files online -- so everyone can listen to them!
I also have a Slate and stylus. This is a way of "hand-writing" in braille. I did not want to bring a full fledged note- taker or a braille writer -- these items are bound to create a heavy load. So the simplest, yet most complex way of writing braille is using what is called a slate and stylus.
This (device), which you can find through Google Images, looks more like a grid system of cells. 14 cells (6 dots in braille) are ligned across a metalic plate vertically. Each cell is a whole through which you could push a pencil or other writing tool. So each cell has 6 dots. You write braille by pushing each individual dot of the letter onto the page.
You might this that this is hard work, but it really is not. The key importance is to know one golden rule: your writing is mirrored. In a braille cell, dots 1, 2, 3 are the left vertical 3 dots while 4,5,6 are the right. Because you flip the page over after you have finished writing, with a slate and stylus you must write "backwards": Dots 1,2,3 are on the right while dots 4,5,6 are left. In addition, you must write from right to left instead of left to right. Why? Because again your writing is mirrored. If you were to look at an ambulance car's license plate, you would see that the word ambulance is written backwards so that when a driver looks in his mirror, he/she can see it with the right orientation.
These 2 devices comprise the backbone of my blogging experience. When I return on Monday, expect to see articles detailing my experience!
With all due respect-
Tomi
Tomorrow marks the start of my retreat down in Colorado. We will be going to Estes park -- and staying at a YMCA there.
On Saturday, I will be meeting Eric and I know we'll have fun as one team. There will be lots of activities and teamwork which all of us will have to accomplish.
I am sure that some readers are wondering about how I will journal during these few days. I have tried to ensure that I can record as much detail as possible.
Several types of journaling methods are at hand. I have purchased a voice recorder which can record up to 13 hours of high quality audio. This will be used to keep records of certain activities. With group permission, I should be able to post these audio files online -- so everyone can listen to them!
I also have a Slate and stylus. This is a way of "hand-writing" in braille. I did not want to bring a full fledged note- taker or a braille writer -- these items are bound to create a heavy load. So the simplest, yet most complex way of writing braille is using what is called a slate and stylus.
This (device), which you can find through Google Images, looks more like a grid system of cells. 14 cells (6 dots in braille) are ligned across a metalic plate vertically. Each cell is a whole through which you could push a pencil or other writing tool. So each cell has 6 dots. You write braille by pushing each individual dot of the letter onto the page.
You might this that this is hard work, but it really is not. The key importance is to know one golden rule: your writing is mirrored. In a braille cell, dots 1, 2, 3 are the left vertical 3 dots while 4,5,6 are the right. Because you flip the page over after you have finished writing, with a slate and stylus you must write "backwards": Dots 1,2,3 are on the right while dots 4,5,6 are left. In addition, you must write from right to left instead of left to right. Why? Because again your writing is mirrored. If you were to look at an ambulance car's license plate, you would see that the word ambulance is written backwards so that when a driver looks in his mirror, he/she can see it with the right orientation.
These 2 devices comprise the backbone of my blogging experience. When I return on Monday, expect to see articles detailing my experience!
With all due respect-
Tomi
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Fundraising: Tips and experiences
Fundraising takes time and great effort.
Being the recipient of the 2009 Senge scholarship does not mean that I would or should not fundraise. The actual scholarship pays for 50% (aprox. $1250) of my trip, so there is still another $1250 to raise.
My fundraising experience was quite unique, in that once I started the ramp down, I rapidly accelerated until we actually overraised money!
Let me explain. When I first received the packet for this trip in late-January, I was quite worried. Who wouldn't be? I saw the big $2300 on the page and glared at it as I said, "how will I raise you!"
You must understand that I am an independent blind man. I do not like getting people involved in business, especially a family who I am in disagreements with a lot.
Although I valued and appreciated the fact that my mom and sister wanted to help, my goal was to raise the money I need independently and through this hopefully show them that I can be completely independent in life (a belief they do not uphold)
For the first 2 months, there were small attempts made towards fundraising. These were minor things such as making an announcement about a jar which we placed in the cafeteria. A brief explanation of Global Explorers and my trip was constructed and put on the daily announcements for a period of around 5 days. We also showed my Blind Truth video on the TV in the cafeteria.
All in all, this raised around $9. (wow) but seeing that only students contributed in this, it really is a good start. I mean, a lot of kids wouldn't just have $10 to put in there and give away without hard consideration!
So I worked along MRS. Frazier (who also helped with the middle school connections) in sending out a letter to the faculty of my school.
Actually I should back up a moment! Between the faculty contact and the student fundraiser our distric PR team contacted the local newspaper here, the Chagrin Valley Times. So they came out and wrote a nice article about me, which really helped raise awareness. The article was published with a phone number people could call, and some readers were very keen at giving a few checks.
Then came the faculty! The e-mail was sent to the distribution list of everyone in my high school, and I think this raised a lot of money. By this time, I also head
My Leading the Way Add Page
Which summed the trip into the "who? Why? Where? When? What?" state. That website was something I constructed on a nice Saturday afternoon, and I think it helped a lot with letting people know of the trip in a short amount of time.
So, the article and the faculty contact generated quite the money! I also tried contacting TV stations without much success... But even without all that press we raised $1065, a nice chunk of money!
Then, around the end of March, came the scholarship news...
By this time, I had plans with my mom and various people at my church (St. Margaret's of Hungary to have a bake sale of poppyseed and chestnut rolls. A few outside sources already knew of it, so we couldn't really cancel the raise. Plans also started with Brenda from
Silpada Jewelry
, who was a great and well dedicated person trying to help with the fundraise. If I were not to have received the scholarship, I'm sure me, her, and the church would of most certainly raised more money than needed. So that is my recommendation: If you are thinking of selling things, hosting a Silpada party r even selling chocolate at your school are 2 excellent ways to raise thousands of dollars quickly! :)
The Senge Scholarship for me wasn't about money. I am not a person who likes to brag or boast about achievements, and anything dealing with money never means the money in my mind. Let me explain. I have a very low self esteem but a very high level of confidence in the work that I do. That might seem like a weird combination of personality, but it is true. I knew that I have good writing skills, so when I submitted that scholarship I was at least aware that I would receive feedback on my essay and how it was, regardless of receit of the money or not.
This was true. But what I did not expect from Mr. Senge and his daughter (who are of course founders), was the overwhelming complements about myself and what I do. Yes I knew that I do "good"in this world and my dreams are pretty high up there what with creating a society which lives in love, but I did not think to ever be given complements.
So the scholarship served more as a self-booster and a direct message, a push for me to climb up even higher and higher during life. This is what I mean when I said that it is not the money which counts.
Wow, well I'll leave it at that... For those who are struggling to fundraise, please consider my story here. And I hope what I said here will help you... help you a lot. If you need me for help, I would be more than glad to work with you on getting you started. My goal has always been and remains to this day: I want to see people smile and be happy. Not be in fear or feel like they can't do it... You can. You can do anything if you truly believe that you can and understand yourself. You know what I thought a few weeks after I began fundraising and what I told my mom? öh, don't worry. The press and people will have the heart to help me out, I doubt we'll need to "sell"items.". And that is how it exactly was.
But some people live in communities where perhaps individuals are not as generous. I am lucky to be surrounded by people with good hearts, but some are unfortunate to live in other places where crime rates are high. Where people cannot help their fellow neighbor. For these individuals, I want you to know that there are those, like myself and many others out there on the internet who you can always contact for help. I am dedicated to my goal and care for everyone equally.
With all due respect:
Tomi
Being the recipient of the 2009 Senge scholarship does not mean that I would or should not fundraise. The actual scholarship pays for 50% (aprox. $1250) of my trip, so there is still another $1250 to raise.
My fundraising experience was quite unique, in that once I started the ramp down, I rapidly accelerated until we actually overraised money!
Let me explain. When I first received the packet for this trip in late-January, I was quite worried. Who wouldn't be? I saw the big $2300 on the page and glared at it as I said, "how will I raise you!"
You must understand that I am an independent blind man. I do not like getting people involved in business, especially a family who I am in disagreements with a lot.
Although I valued and appreciated the fact that my mom and sister wanted to help, my goal was to raise the money I need independently and through this hopefully show them that I can be completely independent in life (a belief they do not uphold)
For the first 2 months, there were small attempts made towards fundraising. These were minor things such as making an announcement about a jar which we placed in the cafeteria. A brief explanation of Global Explorers and my trip was constructed and put on the daily announcements for a period of around 5 days. We also showed my Blind Truth video on the TV in the cafeteria.
All in all, this raised around $9. (wow) but seeing that only students contributed in this, it really is a good start. I mean, a lot of kids wouldn't just have $10 to put in there and give away without hard consideration!
So I worked along MRS. Frazier (who also helped with the middle school connections) in sending out a letter to the faculty of my school.
Actually I should back up a moment! Between the faculty contact and the student fundraiser our distric PR team contacted the local newspaper here, the Chagrin Valley Times. So they came out and wrote a nice article about me, which really helped raise awareness. The article was published with a phone number people could call, and some readers were very keen at giving a few checks.
Then came the faculty! The e-mail was sent to the distribution list of everyone in my high school, and I think this raised a lot of money. By this time, I also head
My Leading the Way Add Page
Which summed the trip into the "who? Why? Where? When? What?" state. That website was something I constructed on a nice Saturday afternoon, and I think it helped a lot with letting people know of the trip in a short amount of time.
So, the article and the faculty contact generated quite the money! I also tried contacting TV stations without much success... But even without all that press we raised $1065, a nice chunk of money!
Then, around the end of March, came the scholarship news...
By this time, I had plans with my mom and various people at my church (St. Margaret's of Hungary to have a bake sale of poppyseed and chestnut rolls. A few outside sources already knew of it, so we couldn't really cancel the raise. Plans also started with Brenda from
Silpada Jewelry
, who was a great and well dedicated person trying to help with the fundraise. If I were not to have received the scholarship, I'm sure me, her, and the church would of most certainly raised more money than needed. So that is my recommendation: If you are thinking of selling things, hosting a Silpada party r even selling chocolate at your school are 2 excellent ways to raise thousands of dollars quickly! :)
The Senge Scholarship for me wasn't about money. I am not a person who likes to brag or boast about achievements, and anything dealing with money never means the money in my mind. Let me explain. I have a very low self esteem but a very high level of confidence in the work that I do. That might seem like a weird combination of personality, but it is true. I knew that I have good writing skills, so when I submitted that scholarship I was at least aware that I would receive feedback on my essay and how it was, regardless of receit of the money or not.
This was true. But what I did not expect from Mr. Senge and his daughter (who are of course founders), was the overwhelming complements about myself and what I do. Yes I knew that I do "good"in this world and my dreams are pretty high up there what with creating a society which lives in love, but I did not think to ever be given complements.
So the scholarship served more as a self-booster and a direct message, a push for me to climb up even higher and higher during life. This is what I mean when I said that it is not the money which counts.
Wow, well I'll leave it at that... For those who are struggling to fundraise, please consider my story here. And I hope what I said here will help you... help you a lot. If you need me for help, I would be more than glad to work with you on getting you started. My goal has always been and remains to this day: I want to see people smile and be happy. Not be in fear or feel like they can't do it... You can. You can do anything if you truly believe that you can and understand yourself. You know what I thought a few weeks after I began fundraising and what I told my mom? öh, don't worry. The press and people will have the heart to help me out, I doubt we'll need to "sell"items.". And that is how it exactly was.
But some people live in communities where perhaps individuals are not as generous. I am lucky to be surrounded by people with good hearts, but some are unfortunate to live in other places where crime rates are high. Where people cannot help their fellow neighbor. For these individuals, I want you to know that there are those, like myself and many others out there on the internet who you can always contact for help. I am dedicated to my goal and care for everyone equally.
With all due respect:
Tomi
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Welcoming the Middle School
I had a very exciting and to a degree, tiring day today. For a while now, it was planned that I would return to the middle school and answer questions or comments from the students of MRS. Kapostasy's English class.
I'm unsure if I have mentioned this aspect of my life in great detail yet, but I had a goal in mind, who's roots are set deep within in the past, to try and "break down" the barriers which currently exist within this world. Many people in society view the visually impaired with sorrow and pecimism ; Something I and others do not enjoy. While there are those visually impaired who like to take advantage of the laws (such as the ability to move to the front of a line in any circumstance), I stress equality in my life at all levels.
So a few weeks ago, I have talked to 6 English classes (composed of over 100 seventh graders) and 3 Cultural and Diversity classes. My goal was not only to show these students the true "limitlessness" of a disability, but to also set down basic groundwork so that I may return in the future and talk of my Grand Canyon trip.
That day was today, and I have to say, it was easy to tell that a lot of the kids have deeply pondered since the last time I talked. This is quite surprising to me and makes me happy to know that a lot of kids can think of a matter deeply and even at a younger age be mature about it. The classes were acceptional. No rude behaivor, or conversations took place in the background. The questions which they asked were complex and very much effective.
I also showed them the
Leading the way promo video
and through this talked extensively about the trip itself. The blog has now become an integral part not just for the outside public to read, but also for many of these middle schoolers. They know of my goal. Simply put, I want them to experience my trip too. I wish I could take all 100+ of them there with me, but... sadly that's not possible. So creating this blog will help integrate with the Middle School. Next year, I also hope to be connecting it with their English (possibly summer reading?) classes.
Breaking down barriers will continue for me. Not just this year, but the next, and the next... As you know,
I also do my radio show
which encourages possessing an open mind for all new ideas. That show, although it isn't "aimed" to break down barriers, helps you gain an open mind by discussing very contradictory views not just about the paranormal, but also the social and technology life we all live in. Yes, the New Age movement is talked about, too.
So to all the middle schoolers reading this complex language (Is it that complex really?), I wish to give you a warm welcome to the blog. We will have lots of fun collaborating in the future, and it is my hope that you gain something out of this trip too. If you can't be there with me, at least you can learn from my experiences and become a better person. Everyone has flaws. I have a set of them too. So there's no limit to advancing and becoming better. :) Keep that in mind.
I will not desert you guys haha.. As I said, I hope to be returning sometime in the near future and talking in great detail of the trip. But your comments do count and through them I can improve myself. Feel free to ask questions or voice opinions. I'm always here.
With all due respect:
Tomi
I'm unsure if I have mentioned this aspect of my life in great detail yet, but I had a goal in mind, who's roots are set deep within in the past, to try and "break down" the barriers which currently exist within this world. Many people in society view the visually impaired with sorrow and pecimism ; Something I and others do not enjoy. While there are those visually impaired who like to take advantage of the laws (such as the ability to move to the front of a line in any circumstance), I stress equality in my life at all levels.
So a few weeks ago, I have talked to 6 English classes (composed of over 100 seventh graders) and 3 Cultural and Diversity classes. My goal was not only to show these students the true "limitlessness" of a disability, but to also set down basic groundwork so that I may return in the future and talk of my Grand Canyon trip.
That day was today, and I have to say, it was easy to tell that a lot of the kids have deeply pondered since the last time I talked. This is quite surprising to me and makes me happy to know that a lot of kids can think of a matter deeply and even at a younger age be mature about it. The classes were acceptional. No rude behaivor, or conversations took place in the background. The questions which they asked were complex and very much effective.
I also showed them the
Leading the way promo video
and through this talked extensively about the trip itself. The blog has now become an integral part not just for the outside public to read, but also for many of these middle schoolers. They know of my goal. Simply put, I want them to experience my trip too. I wish I could take all 100+ of them there with me, but... sadly that's not possible. So creating this blog will help integrate with the Middle School. Next year, I also hope to be connecting it with their English (possibly summer reading?) classes.
Breaking down barriers will continue for me. Not just this year, but the next, and the next... As you know,
I also do my radio show
which encourages possessing an open mind for all new ideas. That show, although it isn't "aimed" to break down barriers, helps you gain an open mind by discussing very contradictory views not just about the paranormal, but also the social and technology life we all live in. Yes, the New Age movement is talked about, too.
So to all the middle schoolers reading this complex language (Is it that complex really?), I wish to give you a warm welcome to the blog. We will have lots of fun collaborating in the future, and it is my hope that you gain something out of this trip too. If you can't be there with me, at least you can learn from my experiences and become a better person. Everyone has flaws. I have a set of them too. So there's no limit to advancing and becoming better. :) Keep that in mind.
I will not desert you guys haha.. As I said, I hope to be returning sometime in the near future and talking in great detail of the trip. But your comments do count and through them I can improve myself. Feel free to ask questions or voice opinions. I'm always here.
With all due respect:
Tomi
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