Story
Sean and Isiah’s journey part 3: Preparation
In Part 3 in life after high school, these two young men are preparing for the flight and preparing tech skills through a tech boot camp.
This week our content is going to be all about preparation; how have we been preparing for this trip and what are the fine details that we are planning for.
Information we need to know
We are going to be flying to Arkansas and are going to be doing this semi-independently. What this means is that there will be teachers present but they will be stepping back and letting us do it on our own; walking through the airport and boarding the flight.
We need to be prepared with a plan for how we are going to navigate the airport. Things we are considering: how are we going to check in for the flight? What is our gate number? Are there assigned seats? How can we move gracefully through security? Do we know what time the flight departs; those are all questions that we need answers for.
Sean
I need a plan for getting through the airport. I have one. The airport I am going to be flying out of has a service called Prospect. Prospect agents can help customers get through TSA and board the plane. I have a number that I called to get in touch with them and asked some questions. This will be my first time and I am a bit nervous about it.
Isiah
Traveling without my parents is something I have never done before, so I am going to get information from people I see every day, such as my orientation and mobility instructor. I am nervous because I have never traveled in an airport on my own. So this will be a good learning experience for me. Things I expect that I will learn: how to be semi-independent while traveling through the airport, use my resources such as unfamiliar people, when I am stuck and need to figure things out.
Something that we are realizing is how scary it all seems. How are we handling this fear? We are learning how to get out of a bind, learning strategies for different situations such as losing the person you were following, practicing and role-playing and working with teachers and mentors to identify things we should anticipate that could go wrong. We are also just feeling the feeling of being scared and nervous. One thing I (Sean) have learned recently is when you make a “mistake” you can use that experience to help you when you are in that situation next time. I am going to take that knowledge into the airport with me, and remind myself that everything will be okay as long as I know the things I need to know.
Isiah’s video journal:
Editor’s Note: In the video, Isiah is wearing a T-shirt with the very appropriate text: “Pressure makes diamonds”.
Sean’s video journal:
Editor’s Note: Sean and Isiah both mentioned they will be taking a tech bootcamp through Perkins. Go to the Paths to Technology post, Tech bootcamps for high school graduates for more information.
See you next week!
Sean and Isiah
Resource
- Sean and Isiah’s journey part 1: Intro to WSB
- Sean and Isiah’s journey part 2
- Sean and Isiah’s journey part 4
- Sean and Isiah’s journey part 5
- Sean and Isiah’s journey part 6: Next steps!
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