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Mariely...I thorougly enjoyed reading your Padlet and learning more from you!  You are an insightful and "deeper than surface" thinker...I really respect and like that in you!  These will take you far in your person, academic and professional life as a teacher!!

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Mariely...I thorougly enjoyed reading your Padlet and learning more from you!  You are an insightful and "deeper than surface" thinker...I really respect and like that in you!  These will take you far in your person, academic and professional life as a teacher!!

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I am so glad you feel you have grown this semester!  Having discussions with your older brother about topics discussed/read can really enhance what you learn from them...you are fortunate to have a brother who values doing this with you!  I can see you continuing your growth as you continue through college...you have a "growth mindset" which is so key!!
Your responses to the Padlet were very well done! I am glad you valued the books and learned from them! The only point I noted was for the examples for #2, naming the characters was good but giving more specific details on the characters from Tattoos and Ashes would have been more effective in showing how they exemplified the themes. Other than this, as I indicated...very well done! +19/20 A

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The areas of self-growth I feel I have had this semester are being more mindful and showing more compassion towards others. My confidence has also grown. I am able to set goals for myself and believe that I can achieve them. Even if things look rough and complicated, I have enough confidence built up to persevere against obstacles in my way. In the beginning of the semester, I lacked this confidence, and I would doubt my ability to be able to achieve my goals. I also didn’t give myself the time to be mindful and just take in the beauty of my environment. I wasn’t able to register the difference that living mindfully can have in our lives. I have always considered myself an empathic person that shows compassion towards others, but I believe that I improved in that area this semester. I am able to really put myself in other people’s misfortunes and provide positive reinforcement. Before, I would try to be understanding but at times, I had lingering feelings that would not be so understanding due to my ignorance. I definitely owe this change to “Tattoos on the Heart” and “Fire in the Ashes”. Thanks to these books we read in class, my perspective on compassion opened up a bit more. Boyle and Kozol shared touching stories on suffering, compassion, success, and unconditional love that really had me second guessing the way I was living and how fortunate I was. In “Living Buddha, Living Christ,” I didn’t one hundred percent agree on what Hanh was saying at all times, but he did make strong arguments of the importance of mindfulness that left me wanting to incorporate it into my life. My growth took time, and I believe that it was definitely an example of “slow work.” It took a lot of self-reflection and journal writing to further spark the growth in me. What also helped was being able to talk to my brother about what was discussed in class. He may be five years older, but he treats me like an adult, so we were able to have rich conversations. Overall, I am amazed at all the areas I have grown. I am proud of myself for accepting the changes and letting myself become a happier person.

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The themes I saw in “Tattoos on the Heart” were compassion and kinship. Boyle used compassion and kinship to explore the development of the characters and how this affected who they came to be. Compassion played a critical role in his overall message. Boyle made the point with the use of compassion and kinship, for us to try to seek to stand alongside those who are struggling to live instead of standing in judgment at how they are living. Examples from the book that represent the themes were Soledad’s story, Freddy and Father Boyle, Clever and Travieso, and the “Wetback Church” situation. One can actually argue that most of the stories in the book actually include compassion or the lack of it.  The main theme in “Fire in the Ashes” are positivity/hope, Kozol shared stories of families who were homeless and how they struggled within the system. Within the stories one could see how having hope and being positive helped certain people overcome their struggles. Their hope and positivity was what helped keep lighting and fueling their fire that they had inside. Some examples from the book that back up the theme were Pineapple, Jeremy, Angelo, Leonardo, and Mrs. Washington. It was evident that those who could not overcome their struggles were not able to keep their flame alive and there was nothing left but ashes. This can be seen in Eric, Silvio, and Christopher’s stories. The theme in “Living Buddha, Living Christ” is mindfulness and the idea of “interbeing” with each other. Throughout the book, Hanh talks about the importance of being mindful and how mindfulness is also an agent of healing. He talks about how we can be mindful with everyday activities like eating. When we take the time to eat in piece, questioning where are food came from, and taking in the flavors, we are eating mindfully. We do not allow ourselves to be distracted with electronics and truly focus on eating in the moment. We are able to be understanding at a different level since we are opening ourselves to see in a new perspective and listen at a deeper level than before. Hanh expresses that being mindful is not just about acknowledging what is going on within and around us but it also includes the concept of being thankful for the world we live on and being happy to be alive. The point Hanh is also trying to make with mindfulness is comparing two different religious to show how they share the same goal of trying to reach mindfulness. He talks about being able to see the true nature of interbeing and how that will lead for any barriers that might exist between us to come down. When we are mindful, we lead ourselves down a road of understanding each other and achieving some type of peace that might lead us to become interconnected.

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Out of the three books, “Tattoos on the Heart” resonated with me the most because of the messages Father Boyle was trying to make across in each chapter. I enjoyed reading the book because he didn’t just focus on all the negative experiences his “homies” at Homeboy Industries went through, he also talks about their successes and changes of heart. Boyle really helped me understand the true meaning of compassion and made me want to also make a difference in people’s lives. An example from the book that really jumped out at me as being pivotal from the book was Soledad’s story. Soledad loses two of her sons and is grieving with immense pain that overtakes her whole soul. She lying down in a hospital bed next to a gang member that is responsible for her emptiness and complete heartbreak, yet she is able to sympathize in that moment the pain his mother will be in if he dies and prays for him to survive. She does the unexpected and approaches the situation with forgiveness, which is not something that many people can do. Soledad is able to let go of her anger and see past the darkness of resentment and lean towards the light. After reading this, I realized that sometimes my anger takes over and I become blinded by it. I reflected on my past experiences and tried to come up with a better way to handle my anger. Her story helped me understand the true meaning of compassion through forgiveness. An example from the book that left a “tattoo in my heart” was the story Freddy consoling Father Boyle. Freddy comes into Father Boyle’s office during a moment where he was overwhelmed with extreme sadness. Freddy tell him that he wishes he had a magic wand that would be able to take away his pain. They both let themselves release their emotions and begin to sob. I realized that through kinship we are able to “swoop” people who need someone to hear them out. It is shocking how much of a difference we can have on another person who is struggling by just talking to them and letting them release their inner worries.

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In the beginning of the semester, I really didn’t know much about what it meant to be mindful. I didn’t really give the act of reflection much importance either. As the course when on, I realized that mindfulness and reflection are key aspects in my life that I overlooked and didn’t realize the value that they carried. I now find myself being able to be fully present in certain activities. I let myself be fully aware of where I am and what I am doing. I don’t let any outside commotion or inner thoughts disturb me. For example, before learning about mindfulness, I would tend to read books but my mind was never fully present. I had inner concerns distracting me, and I was not completely aware of what I was reading. I wasn’t living in the moment because I was too caught up thinking of what was to come or what already happened. When it comes to reflection, I didn’t always reflect on my actions. However, I am at a place in my life where reflection is critical. I reflect on the consequences that my actions could bring, and I reflect on how I am living. I have realized that giving myself the time to reflect helps me alter what is not working in my life, and I am becoming a better person who makes wiser decisions. To me, living mindfully means living in the present moment and taking in our surroundings. Living mindfully exposes us to seeing the real beauty of life and we are able to realize how precious our life is. Living mindfully also requires for one to be purposeful and cautious in their intentions and actions. To live reflectively is to be aware of our actions and how they affect others. One has to give themselves the time to deeply contemplate how they are living. What helps me to conduct this in my life is when I do yoga. I am able to be in the moment and all I am focused on is breathing. Having my mind only focused on that brings me such a sense of relief that I wish everyone could experience more often. What tends to hinder my efforts of living mindfully and reflectively is that sometimes I am too caught up thinking about what I have to get done or what I did two days ago. I multitask quite often and that’s bad but there’s just so much going on that I am only half-there present. I tend to overthink things too much at times and all that affects me negatively.

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As I think about areas in my life that I wish to further develop and reflect on, two main areas come to mind. I want to continue working on being mindful and on managing my emotions. I am okay at managing most of my emotions but as I mentioned before, I can’t always control my anger. When I get angry, I am no longer able to focus and my mind becomes full with al this unnecessary negativity that I wish to count down. After reading “Living Buddha, Living Christ,” I became interested on living mindfully, so I want to continue working on that. What I plan to do is give myself time during each day to be mindful. I believe that mindfulness will help me cope with anger. Difficult emotions like these only exist in our past or in the future. So, since I plan to live mindfully, there really is no place for unnecessary anger in my life. I need to be able to let go and keep my mind at peace. I also plan to continue writing in my journal because right now I have completely stopped, and I need to get back to my routine. I also think that I will begin making these changes slowly in order for them to actually stick. I have high hopes for my future and hopefully mindfulness and being able to manage my emotions helps facilitate my journey.