Page 33 - Voices 2024-10

Minding the Gaps tion that caused my face to be paralyzed since birth. Both videos
received high marks, and my teacher asked me permission to use
the video about Moebius as an example to show future coding
students.
David Freedman In addition, it turned out that my teacher had been in Toastmas-

ters previously and thoroughly enjoyed my work as a speaker,
even suggesting that I use my talents to help create voiceover
work for other coding videos. Thanks to her advice, I plan on fol-
lowing up on this lead very soon.

Whenever you’re dealing with members who are struggling
with their educational goals, it’s important to remember that
many times they will be facing similar situations of how to tackle
speeches or participate in meetings. A lot of times, these mem-
bers may be dealing with fear or guilt in not being able to partic-
ipate fully because they’re too nervous to ask for help. At other
times, life gets in the way and makes it harder for the members
to be as active in their clubs as they’d like. Learning to respect the
needs of those members as well as finding ways for them to feel
as though they’re part of the group, even if they don’t always feel
like participating, is crucial to their social and educational devel-
opment. A lot of times, newer people may feel as though they
need to mind the gaps and avoid doing something that would be
potentially embarrassing or humiliating for them. Taking the time
to mentor our members and ensure that they have a safe space to
practice their skill sets allows them to take further risks and work
through their doubts.

My educational journey was enjoyable and helped me build con-
fidence in finding work in another field. However, I also noted that
even though I worked hard toward defining the skills which would
allow me to be employable, I also needed to be focused on my
own talents that worked well for me and in the process work past
the belief that I shouldn’t have a job I enjoy. Thankfully, I received
some surprising support from my teachers which allowed me to
find new opportunities in my day job as well as my
avocations.

Ideally, you should never feel guilty about doing something you
love. Even if you need to take some time away from your passion,
you may find some surprising benefits from working in other
fields that can add value to your craft in the long run.

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