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1 month ago
Dear Child Development Professor,
Over 20 years experience, huh? Than how is it that, after so much time studying a variety of human beings that you think they can all fit into three specific personality categories? “You’re either risk-takers, pleasers, or shy and cautious.” You make the class group up according to your standards. You allow no room for overlap. You don’t even bring to light the importance of society and culture that might suppress or manipulate the way people show their personalities.
You are your own example. You say that personalities can’t change. You also say that you have a shy and cautious personality, but you’re an instructor; you’ve still got your personality, but you teach? That’s perfectly legitimate with me, fine and dandy. But when the girl who was in our “cautious” group gathered up the courage to speak up and get our group activity going, you step in and label her as a risk-taker for initiating the project and for talking too much.
Why? We needed to work and she took it upon herself to get the work going. Then you start labeling our group as if we weren’t in the room, telling us what we need to work on in a social environment. “They’re great listeners, they’re accurate in giving information, they need to step out of they’re comfort zone more often,” blah blah blah… What did you think that girl was trying to do?!
You are too inflexible. There is a lot more variety among people than just three groups. I was very outgoing as a child; I climbed those monkey-bars, jumped off the swings, fell off a tree, scraped my knees, got dirty even! My own unique experiences growing up have caused me to be more reserved now. And when I was younger I didn’t care about schoolwork or good grades, but as I got older I saw the importance of such things and work to achieve excellent standards for myself and for the recognition of my parents who worked hard (and are still working hard) to raise me. I want to be able to support them and to be independent. (Independent from other people, not from the Lord.) So, I am a risk-taker — just not as zealous as I used to be — I am a pleaser, and I am shy and cautious.
You said that we would know our personalities better than anyone else would, so you really upset me when you “caught” students in “wrong” groups and placed them in their “accurate” groups, like you knew better.. Notes
The first thing you would notice about me if you met me would be my shortness, then my shyness.
I'm trudging through my third year of junior college, and I plan to hold Jesus Christ's hand all the way through it.
I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as one God. I believe the Holy Bible in its original form is infallible, and the King James Version is the most accurate translation of the Word in English. I believe Jesus lived without sin, and He died to redeem me from eternal death and separation. He is my Savior and Lord.
Jesus is alive. Halleujah! He is risen.
I love my family -- spiritual and physical.
I'm a picture taker. I wouldn't call myself an amateur photographer -- it sounds too professional to be applied to me. I enjoy drawing, but I wouldn't say that I'm excellent at it. I find pleasure in writing, but my stories aren't mesmerizing. Still, I would call myself an artist. And if it wasn't for my love of reading, I probably would hate school.
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