As a summer intern for Mill Village Farms, Rachel Goding \u201919 had gotten used to getting her hands dirty \u2014 She and her team pruned, watered, weeded and harvested crops before hauling them to a local farmers market.<\/p>\n
But for Goding, who served as a crew leader of six underprivileged teens, there was an added, special task: reflecting. And in particular, reflecting on what it was like to work with the youths, focusing each week with them on a certain word \u2013 \u201cperseverance,\u201d \u201cteamwork,\u201d and others \u2013 borrowed from a list of crucial soft skills that prepare future employees for the professional world.<\/p>\n
Goding’s reflections took the form of a blog, a key part of Goding\u2019s internship at Greenville-area Mill Village in the summer of 2018. Through this blog, her faculty advisor, Sociology Professor Amy Jonason, offered support, a sounding board and guidance.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019d comment on every single post,\u201d says Goding. \u201cShe\u2019d comment on a reflection and say something like, \u2018If you want to talk to me, then come in.\u2019 I tend to reflect emotionally, so some of my posts were emotional, for sure, and she commented that it\u2019s something she appreciated.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jonason says the blog allowed her to maintain a dialogue with her students but also for students to comment on one another\u2019s experiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this ongoing reflection and dialogue is critical to helping students connect their experiences in the classroom with their experience outside of it,\u201d says Jonason. \u201cThe blog is also a\u00a0community space where they can receive support as they process new \u2013 and sometimes difficult \u2013\u00a0experiences with poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n