Life certainly does throw curveballs at times and knock us off track

Instructions
Instructions Please respond to all 8 discussion separately/INDIVIDUALLY. Please divide the words equally between the 8 responses. Discussion #1Being in school online at home with three kids isn’t always easy. Just recently my kids got sick with the flu. That meant I had to put my schooling on hold during the day to give my constant attention to the kids. At night after bed time I would get them settled into bed and use the laptop to write an answer discussion post from bed. Then once they were sleeping I would get up and do what I needed on Words. By doing this it allowed me to stay active, not fall behind, or miss the due date. Now its a new week, the kids are feeling better and back in school so I am getting back on track.

Discussion #2Life certainly does throw curveballs at times and knock us off track. My reason for returning back to school centers around a life-altering situation where I found myself as a single mother, needing to strive for a better job to provide for my daughter. I work full time as well and have found that I can carry my schoolwork with me and can work on assignments during lunch hour breaks, or down time in my office. I also allot time once I am home from work and my daughter has gone to bed to work on assignments as well, in case I am not able to get anything accomplished during the day. Being an online student gives me the opportunity to schedule my schooling, and account for any uncontrollable situations. For example, if I am not feeling good one night, I know I have other times built into my schedule to be able to still stay on track for the rest of the week. This is only doable by planning out my week ahead, and not leaving assignments to the last minute. A plan of action in case a situation comes up in which I have no internet, I would go to my parents’ house and use theirs or go to my office at work and try there. In a situation of illness or death in the family, I would take a day or so to grieve and compose myself, then get back on track to finish out my week strong.
Discussion #3I have had instances where my internet has gone out while I was working on something and had to go to the coffee shop in the next town in order to finish what I was working on. A couple weeks ago, I thought that I wasn’t going to get my discussion questions done by the deadline because my daughter was sick and I had to take her to the ER. I was going to try to access them by using the browser in my phone from the hospital. Had that not worked or I wouldn’t have been able to get them done and turned in on time, I was going to explain to the instructor what had happened and ask if I could turn them in late. I feel like I have options available to me to help ensure my success in my courses if “life happens”.
Discussion #4Over the past several years, I have been an off and on college student. Reasons for lack of consistency was me not being fully motivated to stay the course. However, I have also been thrown a curve ball that derailed me from my journey. My husband was ill and unable to work, therefore I had to pick up a second job. It became too much for me, working a fulltime job, a part-time job, taking care of a sick spouse, taking care of home, while still raising a busy 6-year-old boy. It became very overwhelming, and of all the responsibilities I had, giving up school was the only plausible solution to reduce some stress for me. My instructors did offer extended time to complete assignments, but then they started piling up and I was running out of time, so I had to withdraw.
In the event something as unfortunate should happen again, I would like to think that I would stay the course and work through the challenges. Though it was temporary, even after he was able to go back to work and our life back to normalcy, I got complacent and decided to extend my break from school. Things that are meant for temporary hindrance should not be an excuse to procrastinate and prolong reaching the intended goal. Quitting should be a last resort, after all other resources or potential solutions have been exhausted.
Discussion #5
I think Critical thinking and Effective Communication would best relate to GCU Mission because these two take a big part of your day to day life even if you don’t notice it. I think they will help me reach my goals at GCU and beyond because If I am lacking these two, It can lead to problems in my day to day life as well as your career or other goals. I work everyday to improve these two.
Discussion #6I think that critical thinking will help me most throughout my college career. Critical thinking is a skill that has to be learned and practiced. It is important to think logically because things become less complicated. I have been told that I think logically and I am straight to the point. I should be that way because I can focus on the task at hand and prioritize the issues that are involved. I have found times when others are stressed about a situation I take the time to realize what is happening and try to have everyone relax. I take a step back and say what can be done and think about the future rather than focusing on the negative aspects of the situation. Discussion #7I believe that the general education competencies that best fit the GCU mission are effective communication, Christian worldview, and global awareness, perspectives, and ethics. When I read GCU’s mission statement, I interpret it as wanting to create students that are educated, willing to listen, able to lead, compassionate, considerate, and wanting to better understand the world so that they can make a positive difference in it. I feel that effective communication helps with education, listening skills, understanding, and consideration. Christian world views tie into leadership, compassion, and consideration. Lastly global awareness, perspectives, and ethics covers every listed characteristic that I see GCU’s mission striving for. These three competencies will help me gain an overall understanding of the amazing diversity of the world that we live in and how I can be a positive influence and ally for other individuals. The three competencies that I chose will help me to learn about different cultures and their customs, to view those differences with respect and compassion, and how to properly communicate with the people of different lifestyles to have a positive impact on them whether it is in my personal, professional, or spiritual life.
Discussion #8I definitely think that education Competencies about global awareness relate the most to the GCU mission. They say: “define a personal role in a larger, diverse social context” and “Acknowledge individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and belief systems and interact appropriately”. To me, I think the most important thing you can do in life is to seek to understand and learn from others. I really enjoy getting to know how people tick. I think that GCU really wants us to walk away being better people and better thinkers. The more we surround ourselves with others who have experienced different journeys, the more we grow. No matter what your personal goals are with GCU or college for that matter- you can do anything and still be a great person!