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Kimi Bencosme

Ms. Esau

Honors English

17/05/2019

DOULOS Project- Understanding Learner

By recognizing the development and changes of my surroundings, I am able to adapt to

different situations and express my opinions and feelings when necessary. Appropriately tackling

any doubt, I make sure to use all available resources to understand the problem at hand, and to

find the best way to approach it. Most importantly, I understand the best tactics that suit my

learning style for a more thorough and effective learning experience. Throughout my life, I have

demonstrated such qualities in a variety of ways that exemplify the Skill of a Scholar of an

Understanding Learner.

Coming from Honduras to my native land, I had to go through many changes in my daily

routine: in my diet and overall customs. In 6th grade, I came to live with my grandmother in

Moca. I went from eating tortillas and fried beans to having a daily dose of plantains, yuca, and

rice. Oh, how I missed Honduran food! I remember crying one time, with the strong desire to go

back home. Expressing our feelings towards the sudden change, I was convinced by my sister to

compose an email to our parents, asking them to grant us a one-way ticket home. Unappreciative

of the bilingual education that I received in Honduras, it was not until I could not have it

anymore that wished I could return. Nevertheless, our request was denied. Mom and dad ordered

us to “suck it up and to continue with life because you never know what tomorrow will bring.”
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Since then, that was my decisive moment, I would no longer complain. Instead, I would

embrace the culture in which I was placed in. I was grateful that my grandmother would allow us

to stay with her, so we did not have to stay with a stranger. I had more free-time to invest in my

relationships, since it was the first time that I remember deliberately socializing with my

neighbors: spending long nights learning how to playing domino, and playing hide and seek on

the backyard. Although vocalizing my opinions did not help me get what I wanted, it did make

me realize the many blessings that I’ve had in the past and the blessings that I will continue to

have in the future.

Academically speaking, I grew as an Understanding Learner through my desire to acquire

knowledge. In Math class I was not satisfied with just the class curriculum, whether it was in

Algebra, Geometry, or Calculus; thus, whenever I felt dubious in a certain subject, I would watch

additional content, or videos that explained the procedure one more time in order for me to

thoroughly understand the topic. Such a video is a type of resource. However, a resource does

not explicitly confines to a particular materialistic object such as the use books or technology,

where you can easily find the answers to the problem at hand. Generally, it means a source of

help or information, such as a teacher or a friend, who can assist you in the process of learning a

new subject or clearing your doubts. So now, if I'm unclear over a problem, I do not hesitate to

ask a question. Even if it sounds like a foolish question, it never hurts to ask. I courageously ask

the same question over and over again until I grasp the context, because the only person

responsible for my learning is me.

Based off of my own experience, I know that visual presentations and hands-on projects

work best for me when it comes to my learning style. I would most likely agree with the teachers
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who assured me that research shows that when you: “listen to the reading…”, “perform a

dynamic activity…”, and, or “visualize your ideas…”, then you will grasp the context better. I

know that for me, sermons almost never stay with me; the words go in one ear and out the other.

Unless the preaching is visually pleasing, interactive, creative or new, I will fall asleep or forget

the content by the end of the week. When it is amusing, includes a joke, a pun, or any way that

makes me laugh, my brain automatically records that moment in its storage unit. Therefore, I

have shifted from generic poster presentations to more dynamic and visually appealing

presentations, using technology as a medium for knowledge. I remember in 9th grade, when Mrs.

Hopkins introduced Kahoot to our class. The tension could be sensed in the air for the decisive

moment of who would win the next round. Competitiveness is also a motive for learning, and a

way of desiring to improve. It works as an incentive to encourage people into performing a

certain task in an effective way. Ultimately, I have learned to use my competitiveness as a tool to

improve in certain areas, such as grades or holding myself accountable for certain Bible

challenges.

Over time, I began to recognize the changes that took place all around me. I was no

longer living in Honduras and therefore I had to adapt to the new culture despite the change in

scenery, people and gastronomy. What I saw before as a clashing of opinions, I now perceive as

a cultural difference. Allowing me to recognize my blessings, I was able to vocalize my opinions

and receive the feedback that I needed to hear, which was not necessarily what I wanted to hear.

Additionally, I have demonstrated qualities that compose an Understanding Learner through my

courage and initiative when feeling hesitant or uncertain in a particular activity. Ultimately, As
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an Understanding Learner, I have the desire to acquire knowledge, gaining study habits that

further my education in an effective way.