Service learning in Belize!

Tayler Butterfield Start Date: Apr 28, 2016 - End Date: Oct 27, 2016

My Travel Story

by: Tayler Butterfield Start Date: Apr 28, 2016 - End Date: Oct 27, 2016
For as long as I can remember I've know what I wanted to do with my life. Helping people within the United States and throughout the world has always been a passion of mine, and psychology in particular has interested me for some time. Dedication my life to improving the education system and learning opportunities for those who are less fortunate is very appealing to me. After SUNY Brockport, I plan on advancing my knowledge through a school psychology masters program and later obtain a play therapy certification. I believe this program will offer me new and valuable skills
that cannot be taught in a typical American college classroom.

Throughout high school and college thus far I have emerged myself into the community and in myacademics. During high school I was involved in a community based criminal justice select programwhich allowed me to gain vital communication skills. In addition, I have shadowed a play therapist multiple times. I currently am an aid for a young child who has cerebral palsy at the Brockport pre-school. I am very familiar and comfortable in the school setting that includes collaborative teaching. I am a responsible, focused, hard working,and easy to get along with individual. I participated in a three week long study abroad program during the summer before my senior year of high school and thoroughly enjoyed it. Studying and
exploring in a foreign country was an experience unlike I have ever had. The ability to emerge myself into helping others through short service learning projects while traveling abroad was thought provoking and an experience I would love to do again.

Although I plan on practicing school psychology in the United States, I believe that studying that differences in education systems would benefit me and my prospective students greatly in the future.This would be a valuable opportunity for me to engaged and learn from Belize teachers. This exposure and experience will help me to compare the different teaching objective and styles in order
to improve my future understanding of the background that various children experience. By participating in this program I hope to eventually provide a more enriching, understanding, and overall accepting environment for my future students. I plan to learn valuable skills that will one dayhelp me change and improve our current education systems.