The
word support(s) can mean or provide as many different things as there are
situations in which it is needed and given.
Each of us has our own abilities, strengths, and challenges; depending
upon what they are would determine the supports that would be needed and most
beneficial in each individual case. The
parts of the definition of support that I feel apply in this instance are: 1a)
to carry or bear the weight of; keep from falling, slipping, or sinking; hold
up 2 to give courage, faith, or
confidence to; help or comfort 3 to
give approval to or be in favor of; subscribe to; uphold 4 to maintain or provide for (a person, institution, etc.) with
money, or subsistence 6 to bear;
endure; submit to; tolerate 7 to keep
up; maintain; sustain;… (Webster’s New World Collegiate Dictionary, 2002).
The
types of support that I receive on a daily basis are emotional, practical and physical. My husband is very supportive of my pursuing
my education even though it takes up a large amount of what used to be my free
time to spend with him and do the things around the house that need done on a
regular basis. I work full time, commute
at least 2 hours out of the day and am enrolled in this program which can take
what little time is left in the evening and most of the weekend. He tries to help me stay realistic in my
expectations of myself and what I can achieve in a day (I have high
expectations of not only those around me, but even more so of myself). He doesn’t mind eating late or going to get
take-out orders (on several occasions) when I have been in the middle of an
assignment. He is definitely my technician
when I run into issues of how to deal with the computer. I have books, papers, and notebooks spread
out over a good portion of the house and he tries not to notice or mind. He is a great source of support now, as he
has been over the past thirty years of our marriage.
I
have two or three colleagues that are also in the field of early childhood or
education whom I can share my concerns, hopes, and thoughts that are related to issues with practices or
attitudes at the current place of employment, with new information I am
learning from this program, and just my dreams and goals in general. They are very reassuring and it is very
important to me to have people that are as passionate about the field as I am myself,
to share and bounce thoughts and ideas back and forth with. One colleague and friend in particular I view
as a mentor and time with her serves as a way to recharge my own enthusiasm and
energy when it seems to be getting depleted.
My co-worker in our classroom allows me to share my knowledge with her
and that helps not only improve her level of knowledge but deepens my own
understanding of the subject or concept also.
Together we can put these things into practice and see the impact and
results of our work on a daily basis.
As
for practical supports, I am a serious note-taker. I have sticky notes everywhere that serve as
reminders. I am a huge fan of anything
that is in print on paper; such as books, articles, assignments, lists,
etc. If possible, I would not spend much
time at all on a computer; but it is essential to my education at this time and
I am learning more each day about it. My books and assignments are covered with
underlining and handwritten notes of thoughts that come up as I read or write. These notes not only come in handy when
looking for something specific, quickly; but also help to reinforce my
retention of what I have read and are a way for me to make the information connect
in a more concrete or long-term way.
Within
this master’s program - each of the classes I am taking, the instructor’s and
my classmates are a huge source of professional support. I have not completed one assignment yet that
I have not gained or reinforced current knowledge from. I have already been able to put much of it
into practical application within my classroom, share it with colleagues and/or
with parents. I feel a great sense of
both personal and professional satisfaction from my education and that in
itself is a major source of support.
My one
type of physical support that I rely upon is reading glasses. I cannot read most print up close anymore
without them which is one of the challenges of getting older, but with the
support of glasses I can overcome it.
The
challenge that I have chosen to imagine myself with and to discuss would be the
inability to communicate with or to be understood by those who are around me. People
in my home, school, or work environment that could communicate with or
understand me would be a major source of practical and emotional support. They would perhaps be able to serve as a translator/interpreter
for me. Perhaps they would be able to
serve as a teacher or facilitator of learning the language that was unknown to
me. They could pass on relevant information
to those who needed it as to what the barrier was to my language use or
learning; my abilities, strengths, and challenges; my personal or educational
history; etc. Emotionally, they could
encourage me to not get frustrated or give up.
They could help me continue to feel positive about my cultural,
linguistic, or abilities differences rather than feel inadequate because of
them. They could help me to retain my
confidence and pride in what I can do and who I am.
The
frustration of not being able to communicate or be understood would be very
difficult to overcome without the supports that I have mentioned above. It would negatively impact all areas of one’s
life and have long-lasting implications.
A good portion of what takes place in life depends upon some type of
communication and understanding.
Learning, social-emotional health, and the ability to be self-sufficient
are just a few areas that would be impeded.
Each of us has a need to communicate and be understood and a right as a
person to do so.
It is critical that we not take our abilities
or those of another person for granted and to try to be more understanding,
accommodating and accepting of each of our abilities, challenges, strengths,
and differences.
Reference
Support. (2002). In Agnes, M. &
Guralnik, D. (Eds.) Webster’s New World
Collegiate Dictionary (p. 1439). Cleveland, OH. Wiley Publishing, Inc.
