The Things you Learn 1

The Things you Learn

Clarence E. Hedrick

Woodring College

Human Services Program 301

Nancy Mullane

The Things you Learn 2

I learned a lot in your class, but not so much from the books. To be honest, I

never really read much from the books, because it felt like I was reading a self-help

manual or some kind of motivational book. I understand the importance of these

books for the younger students in your class, but I’ve seen and experienced a lot

throughout my life.

A side from the books, what I have discovered in HSP 301 is that I enjoyed

the face-to-face interaction with my fellow students and the online interaction

(even though I’m having trouble getting used to it). I also enjoyed the group dis-

cussions and the blackboard articles.

When it comes to reading the online articles on blackboard, I never realized

that critical thinking is the ability to actively and skillfully imagine, apply, analyze,

synthesize, and/or evaluate information that has been gathered (Scriven & Paul,

2011) and how important it is in one’s profession. I hope I master the skills of crit-

ical thinking, as it will be a great tool for me to use in the Human Services profes-

sion.

Also I took a lot from the class you gave about values and the essay I had to

write. I had to figure out what my values are and how they are going to affect my

career in the human services profession, because values are the dominating force in

ones life (Allport, 1961; Schwartz & Bilsky), and if that’s the case ones values bet-

ter be good or they are going to be alone and no good to anyone. It also made me

The Things you Learn 3

think that values come with extensive cognitive structures connecting them to a va-

riety of beliefs and specific attitudes (Schwartz, 1992).

Below are the standards that I supposed to have met in your class. I broke

each standard down into the way I felt that I met CSHSE National Standards and

respective Specifications. I realize how important it is not only to have an idea of

these standards but to know what they really mean how important they are in the

Human Services profession

Standard 12

I’d never heard of the theory of human systems until your class, and to be

honest I find it very interesting. In the military you learn that you are connected at

some point to the bigger picture, but you really never see it or understand it. After

your class I know how far I really go as far as being connected to everything else

in my personal world and the world around me.

From what I gathered there’s individual and interpersonal system, which is

my family, school, friends, the military, and maybe the neighborhood I grew up in.

I feel that’s where I got my values and my understanding of the world from.

Then there is the organizational, community, and social system. That in-

volves economic, political, education, government, and religion, how they affect

my every day life, and how in the Human Services profession I will hopefully be

able make a positive effect on that system as well.

The Things you Learn 4

Standard 13

As a human services professional I will have to learn how to help those who

are in need. If a client has problems with alcohol, substance abuse, or an any other

kind of addiction, it will be my job to get them the help they need by getting them

into programs like intervention programs and/or prevention programs to help them

with their addiction and maintain their sobriety. It could even go as far as getting

them into some kind of rehab program to help kick their addiction or something

like a workplace program to help them get back on their feet so they can maintain a

functioning healthy life.

Standard 17

I would have to say I learned my interpersonal skills not from your class but

from my family and military experience, but I do have to admit that I forgot about

my skills until we discussed them in class.

For me, clarifying expectations means to understand what is expected of

you in whatever kind of position you’re in, as far as a job or even as simple as

helping somebody move.

I learned how to deal efficiently with conflict from my father. Anytime my

brother and I got into fights over video games or toys my father taught us that in-

stead of screaming and yelling we had to try to talk it out and come to a compro-

The Things you Learn 5

mise, because if we didn’t nothing would be accomplished. We felt so strongly

about somethings that there was no way one of us would give up our position or

view of the situation. Now I can see how that would be effective in human ser-

vices if I’m dealing with a coworker or a client who has completely different views

from myself.

Establishing good rapport with my client is the same way I learn to establish

good rapport with my junior enlisted. If I’m a jerk or show no respect to my junior

enlisted, I feel what I say goes, and I don’t care about their opinion or ideas nothing

would ever get accomplished. I learned the only way to be an effective leader is to

stand your ground but don’t be afraid to give a little if you feel your guys have a

better idea on something. The same goes for my clients in that I will give them re-

spect, my knowledge, good advice, but set rules and boundaries, and do my best to

send them in the right direction. But if my client has a better idea on how to get

something done to help themselves, I will be willing to listen.

Maintaining behavior that goes with the ethics and professions of human

services is the same thing I learned when I was in the military. We were taught

that we live in a glass bowl, everyone’s watching. I must maintain integrity and do

the right thing when no one is looking, because if I don’t I will not only make my-

self look bad, but I will make the organization look bad as well. The same thing

applies to human services: I have to be doing the right things always, because I

The Things you Learn 6

don’t want to make myself and the organization I work for look bad. Most impor-

tantly, if I’m not doing right then there is a pretty good chance of me failing my

client who needs my help.

Standard 19

I think it is very important to encourage the client to have self-determination.

At the end of the day, the only person that is really going to get them out of trou-

ble or help get what they need is themselves. As a human services professional, to

be able to encourage my client to have motivation and self-determination to get

them back on their feet is a great responsibility.

To be able to show a client’s self-worth is much more than what they think

it is. It might encourage them to do great things. If the human service professional

can focus on the uniqueness of the individual, as far as their background or culture,

they might be able to gain pride in their culture and in themselves. Also as a Hu-

man Services professional I need to recognize the importance of diversity in a per-

son and in the community. It will help me realize that no person or place is the

same and focus on the differences to make positive changes for the person and the

community.

I need to believe that individuals, service systems, and society can change;

because if I don’t, how will I be able to make positive changes when I see some-

thing that isn’t right? If I don’t think my client can change, what is the point of me

The Things you Learn 7

helping them? If I don’t think the community around me can change then what’s

the point of going into the human services? A very big part of the job is to make

positive changes in the community around me.

I learned to understand appropriate professional boundaries in the military.

I knew I could not go out and interact with my staff, noncommissioned officers, or

my officers outside of the workplace because they outranked me, and they were

my boss. That also went for myself as far as interacting with my junior enlisted. If

I saw them out on the town, I had no problem saying hello to them, but I kept my

space. Same thing goes for my job as a human services professional. I will only

interact with my bosses at work or company functions. I sure won’t hang out with

my clients outside of the office. I have no problem saying hello to them, but I will

definitely be keeping my space.

These standards have been put into place to make sure that when I leave

school with a degree in human services and I try to get a job as a Human Services

professional somewhere my community, they will know that I have met the stan-

dards. That is why I will do my best to understand and apply the ethical standards

that the National Organization for Human Services and Counsel for Standards in

Human Service Education have put into place. It will be the job of the student and

professional to keep the things you know and hold to them, or be open-minded

enough to change the things you know if the sources are credible (Smith, 2009).

The Things you Learn 8

Standard 20

32 years on this planet and I have a good idea of what my values are, espe-

cially after your class. I’ve been told that I have a pretty good personality. People

seem to think that I’m very approachable, understanding, and have a good sense of

humor: which I think will be useful in the Human Services profession.

I know I have to work on my reaction patterns, because I get stressed out

sometimes and are irritated with people very quickly. I have recognized my limita-

tions, and I’m adjusting accordingly to hopefully surpass my limitations one day.

I am really excited to continue to have you as my educator for the next few

quarters, because I have learned a lot in your class. I have become more open-

minded, and I now have a goal of mastering critical thinking. I realized what my

values are and how important they are to me. Your class has also reassured my de-

cision to go into the Human Services program.

The Things you Learn 9

References

Allport, G. W. (1961). Pattern and growth in personality. New York, NY: Holt,

Rinehart, & Winston.

Pual, R. & Scriven, M. Defining Critical Thinking. The Critical Thinking Com-

munity. Retrieved from

http://www.criticalthinking.org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/410

Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theo-

retical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. M. P. Zanna ( Ed.)

, Advances in experimental social psychology. 24 (1– 65). San Diego, CA: Aca-

demic

Smith, J. E. (2009). The meaning depends: Learning about me and my learning.

Adult Learning. 20 (3/4). (26-29).