Senior Project Reflection

PART I: Two-Hour Presentation


(1) Two-Hour Presentation Student Assessment
P+, because I was well prepared, had strong content, and met the time requirement. But most of all, my decorations were very detail-oriented and set the mood for my presentation. 

(2) What are you most proud of in your 2 hour presentation and why?
I am most proud of successfully being able to discuss my topic clearly since it is a hard one to explain. I am also proud of being very organized with my powerpoint and activities as well as managing my time well. 
PART II: Overall Senior Project Experience

(3) What do you think you did well on in the project? What could you have done better? Please explain.
I think I did well on my service learning/independent components because I put in so many hours (177) which not only gave me a much better understanding for my topic but gave me the experience of having to manage my time wisely.
I think could have done better on my exit interview because I did not fully understand what was expected and could have taken more time to prepare. I should have asked teachers more questions beforehand to get a better understanding so I could organize my thoughts better. 


(4) What is your EQ and what is the best answer to your EQ? 
My EQ is 'What is the best way to help an abused woman?' 
My best answer is to provide unconditional support


(5) How has the last month of culminating events (e.g I-Search, Two-Hour, Exit etc) affected your answer to your EQ? Has it changed? Why or why not? 
The last month of culminating events only added more detail and solidified my EQ and the answers to my EQ. Since I recently changed my EQ before we started the I-search, it helped me gather my past research that supported my new essential question. My EQ didn't change at all after the first time I changed it because I found that most of my research really supported it. 

(6) What suggestions do you have in order to improve the senior project?
I would make things more clear. Giving students the freedom to be creative was nice, however it was never really clear on what the teachers were specifically looking for. For example the amount of research we should have. 
It would also be better to have each teacher on the same page with components. Sometimes one teacher would say a different thing than the other. 

(7) Overall Senior Project Assessment
AE, because I met all the requirements for everything throughout senior year but I also went above requirements for some of the components like my 20-minute and Science Fair. I also worked really hard to find strong sources whether it was books or interviews. But most of all because I began to take my topic as something I was passionate in rather than a school project, especially during my service learning. 

Service Learning

Literal

• Log: 12/27, 12/28, 12/29, 12/30, 1/3, 1/4, 1/5, 1/6  from 2 to 5 - 1/10, 1/11, 1/12, 1/13, 1/17, 1/18, 1/19, 2/19, 2/21, 2/22, 2/23, 2/24, 2/28, 3/7, 3/8, 3/9, 3/10, 3/11, 3/14, 3/15, 3/16, 3/17, 5/2, 5/4, 5/5 from 3 to 6

• Total hours: 99! :)
• Leslie Fountain - (909) 865-3726

Weekly Schedule at FHRK

Interpretive

The most important thing I gained from my experience was being able to witness the reality of things I'd read in books involving my topic. Given the chance to communicate with survivor victims of domestic abuse made what I was studying mean so much more because it showed me how real this issue is. Overall, my service learning helped me become a stronger person. People's circumstances could be very saddening, however, it was important to overcome those emotions and deal with the situation at hand. 

Applied

Even though helping an abused woman can be a lot of hard work, my service learning showed me that it's possible. My mentor put my first answer, to provide unconditional support, in action everyday. Service learning also showed me that every abused woman is not the same and why it is important to help abused woman as individuals. Because of this, I needed to make sure my answers could meet the needs of different situations. 

2 Hour Presentation Rough Draft

1. 1) My sponge activity is to play Love The Way You Lie by Eminem and ask the audience how they feel about the song and what they think it means. I will then talk about how the song can be a confusing message yet also depicts the struggles of abusive relationships.
2. Introduce myself and my senior topic. Present my essential question, explain how it addresses women in current abusive relationships and why it can be difficult to achieve my  essential question. I will then show a plan of how my presentation should go.
3.  I will discuss the meaning of domestic abuse. Then highlight the significance of talking about the best way to help an abused by explaining ways people such as, family, friends, even professionals misguide women in abusive relationships and cause more harm. 
4. Provide unconditional support, create a safety plan, and inform on the dangers and cycles of abusive relationships
5. My first activity for creating a safety plan will be to create two different scenarios and ask each group to create what they think would be a good plan to help an abused woman. They will be asked to present their ideas. This will show me if they understood the information presented. (I still need help with my other two activities).
6. I plan to conclude my 2 hour by re-stating my essential question and my three answers. I will go over why it is important to help an abused woman a certain way and the best way they could help anyone is to speak up about the issue. I will talk about my best answer which is to provide unconditional support, my product which is how my project changed the way I approach people in my daily life, and my three meaningful sources which is my service learning, When Violence Begins at Home, and my third interview. 
7. I plan to decorate the room by making the room express characteristics of an abusive relationship by putting up words and pictures on the wall.
8. Supplies I'll need to make my 2 hour possible will be my laptop, a projector, tape, and a printer.

Independent Study 2

Literal
1. Log: It was 4/3, 4/4, 4/5, 4/ 6, 4/8, 4/11, 4/12, 4/13, 4,18, 4,19, 4/20, 4/22, 4/25, 4/26, and 4/27 from 3PM to 6PM


2.

Weekly Schedule at FHRK

3. a) I, Iasaida Powell, affirm I completed my independent component which represents 45 hours of work. 

    b) I completed 45 full hours of service learning with my organization by sitting in on meetings, file keeping, supervising, and assisting. 

Interpretive

The significant parts of my component was being able to see how the nonprofit organization tried to help abused woman and the struggles they faced in doing so. I got to see how these woman were treated through assessment meetings and learn why it was so important to embrace the woman in need because of the current conditions they might be in. I also found working at the front desk beneficial because I was able to talk to many abused woman that would sometimes share with me what really helped them when they were in an abusive relationship. My independent component demonstrates 45 hours of work because I have a schedule agreement with my mentor and gain in experience. 

Applied

My independent component helped me answer my EQ by not only showing me different ways to help an abused woman but also showing me how to put these ways into action and what it takes. My independent component showed me why it was important to help an abused woman in a certain way. I was able to see that not every domestically abused woman is the same and definitely hasn't experienced the same thing. So when looking at my answers, I needed to make sure they could benefit any woman in an abusive relationship. My independent component really helped me become confident of my answers because I actually got to see them in action, such as my mentor providing unconditional support (my best answer) with anyone that walked in the door. 

Art Rationale

I am planning on doing a poem for my creative expression because I think it can best represent the difficulties and struggles battered women face. I am going to write my poem as a past victim talking to a woman in a current abusive relationship. This can express the intense emotions of an abusive relationship as well as have a tie to my essential question by presenting why it is necessary for this woman to leave and how. 

Creative Expression Idea

Iasaida Powell

Domestic Abuse

What is the most successful way to encourage young women in abusive relationships to leave their abuser?

My project idea is to write a poem about domestic abuse that will talk about the things women in abusive relationships experience, the effects it can have on their lives, and what can happen when women don’t leave.

This relates to my essential question because just like my poem, they both revolve around abusive relationships and talk about the kinds of things that can happen in situations like these. The answers to my essential question and my poem will both give audiences a look at what it is to be a battered woman. 

Fourth Interview Question Approval

1. Can you define what would be the ideal support system in encouraging a battered woman to leave their relationship?
2. What do you think the first steps should be for someone who realizes they are in an unhealthy relationship?
3. Are there many healthy relationships around these days? What might be the cause?
4. What changes or improvement do you think could be made in the legal system to better help abused women?
5. Is there a common turning point in a relationship in which a woman may face abuse? May there be a reason for this?
6. What do you think could be reasons why women think abusive behaviors from their partner is love?
7. Do you think income of a city can have a relationship with the amount of domestic abuse in that area? Why or why not?
8. Why do you think certain races are prone to face more domestic abuse then others?
9. What are the first few steps a person should take if they witness one of their loved ones in an abusive relationship?
10. How should women go about leaving an abusive relationship if they have children?
11. What are some reasons domestic abuse can fluctuate from year to year?
12. Do you think women in rural areas over urban areas share similar setbacks when trying to leave an abusive relationship? If not, how do they differ?
13. What would be a good way for a woman to go to authorities for help in dealing with a perpetrator?
14. If domestic abuse happens so often, why aren’t there as many PSAs about it like there are for drugs?
15. Since domestic abuse often lives in the shadows, how can people raise more awareness about the issue?
16. What can be some underlying consequences if a battered woman survivor does not seek support after leaving an abusive relationship?
17. How often do you hear about women being killed as a result of being in an abusive relationship?
18. What is the most common age group you notice leaving an abusive relationship? Why do you think this is? 
19. How many women question if leaving was the right thing to do or still believe it could have been their fault? 
20. What are the most common reasons women say their done and finally leave their abusive relationship?