Usma Cadet Reflection

The most important quality in becoming a successful USMA cadet and Army officer is being able to reflect on one's flaws and strive for self-improvement. As an active member and teacher in my church, I had the responsibility of supervising and teaching the younger children about biblical passages and elucidating certain concepts. These duties proved arduous as the children would often become stubborn and refused to listen. Too stubborn to try and understand the root of their lackadaisical attitudes, I believed it was their inability as students to learn that was to blame. However, it wasn’t until a fellow teacher enlightened me that I was able to see my mistakes of shifting blame to others. She remarked how she once believed that the contents

It was my negligence as a teacher to not assess my students and determine ways to best teach them. While I had expected the children to practice diligently to understand the material, they did not demonstrate an eagerness to learn. However, I had not recognized that those children just had other priorities in mind like having fun as should be expected in young children. As a result, I decided to make teaching an interactive experience by playing educational games or providing prizes as an incentive for participation. Because of this, the children demonstrated greater willingness to partake in the lesson and expressed joy and satisfaction in their learning experience. Because of this experience, I was able to learn that one of the most important traits that anyone can have is self reflection and self-improvement. Unbeknownst to me, I believed that self reflection was about improving yourself as a person but ultimately through this experience I learned that self reflection and improvement is not just about changing yourself as a better person, but to also impact those around you. Change all begins with one movement and if a leader is willing to change himself then those around him will also seek ways to improve. As this is particularly true for aspiring USMA cadets and Army officers because as the future leaders