Blog 4: Interview Preparation

1.  Who do you plan to interview?  Why?

 I plan on interviewing my oldest brother who has been a working firefighter for approximately 7 years. I have chosen to interview him because he has a lot of work experience and seems to be very passionate about his job.

2.  You have to ask 5 questions.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?  Ask open-ended questions.

I plan on asking my interviewee questions such as:

• When and why did you first decide to become a firefighter?
• What are some things that you like/dislike about your profession?
• What is the most common thing you do as a firefighter? 
• When factoring the good and the bad, overall, how do you like your job? 
• Would you recommend this job to others? 

*If the opportunity presents itself, I also plan on asking follow up questions based on the information that I will have been given. Some follow up questions would include:

• Why do you think many people want to join in this profession?
• What is the strangest thing you have had to do while working? 
• Exactly why would/wouldn't you recommend this job to others?

Blog 3: Topic Choice and Semester 1 ESLR Goals

1. Topic: Firefighting

2. Effective Learner: For this ESLR category I plan to show growth as the year progresses by focusing on improving my productiveness while at school. I could do this by not talking to my peers in class, which I tend to do, and by trying to avoid getting distracted by others. This could also lead me to focusing more on my work and getting a proficient in all my classes. Bring all my materials to school , such as a calculator or a silent reading book, and complete all my assignments on time, such as my source checks or blog assignments, is how I plan to show growth in this category.

Effective Communicator: For this ESLR category I plan to show growth as the year progresses by working on improving my communication skills. I plan to do this by paying more attention in class and raising my hand more often  in order to avoid unnecessary interruptions. I could also express my thoughts and opinions in a more clear, respectful manner. Lastly, I plan to improve in this category by helping my future groups in doing things such as keeping everyone relaxed and on the same page when discussing group projects.

Effective User of Technology: For this ESLR category I plan to show growth as the year progresses by incorporating technology into my daily school routine. I plan to achieve this by doing simple things such as using a power point or short video when presenting. Aside from that, I wish to ask others for help when in need but also help my peers when they need me expertise. Lastly, I plan to improve in this category by effectively finding research , which I plan on doing by using a computer or mobile device.

Effective I-Poly Citizen: For this ESLR category I plan to show growth as the year progresses by being a responsible person. This could be done by staying aware of my actions, such as being late to class or accepting the grade that I have earned that semester. Aside from that, freely volunteering at school events ,such as Scare Fare or ifest, is how I plan to show growth in this category.

Blog 2: Summer Mentorship

Literal:  

1. Summer log (click link below):

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B0oI3u6bTHPVSFhQQkkzdXBmSFE/edit

2. Firefighter Cunningham / Cell: (310)866-1395

3. Some questions that were raised because of this experience include:

• Realistically speaking, what is the youngest age that a person can get hired by a fire department in these competitive times?  
• What activities can I take part in that would help improve my chances of becoming a firefighter?
• How vast are the topics which firefighters are required to learn about? 
• Are there different types of fire academies? If so, what are they?

Interpretive:

4.  Through completing this assignment I have gained a different view towards the fire department. At first I thought that all firefighters did was extinguish flames and save cats from trees, but now I know that they do much more than that. They help provide care to the people of their community by responding to all sorts of calls, some more severe than others. My respect for the department has also grown because I now have a deeper understanding of what it actually takes to work for them. It takes a lot of will power, dedication, and hard work to be part of the department, nothing near to what I had originally expected. Overall, this experience has helped open my eyes and see that becoming a firefighter will not be a walk in the park. 

  

Applied
    

5. This assignment helped me choose my topic (firefighting) because I now know that this field truly interest me. I found that firefighters learn about most of the things that surround us. I like being able to apply my learning to the real world, an example being roofs. On my first day at the explorers program I learned that you can tell a lot about how a home is designed by just observing its roof. I also enjoyed being able to learn and use different types of tools that may seem alien like to others. An example being when I first used a self contained breathing apparatus. This piece of equipment helps firefighters breath in burning buildings. I really like how I not only got to learn how to use this tool, but I also received information regarding all the little parts that make this equipment one. It is the little things that I obtained from completing this assignment that helped me choose my topic.