In this blog post, I’ll focus on summarizing what I learned through the study methods I tried, my volunteer activities at school, and the process of resolving conflicts during my high school years.

Academic Experiences and Reflections

I struggled with English in high school. While I was generally able to adapt to subjects that required comprehension or the ability to apply knowledge, I was weak at learning that relied on rote memorization. In particular, it took me a long time to memorize completely new symbols or information without any related foundational knowledge. Memorizing unfamiliar linguistic expressions, such as English and Chinese characters, was a significant burden for me.
To address this issue, I decided to change my existing study methods. Instead of learning passively through textbooks, teachers, or online lectures, I decided to apply a “self-teaching method.” This approach is based on the idea that by treating myself as the student and preparing a lecture as if I were the teacher, I would gain a much deeper understanding of the material than I would as a passive learner.
In fact, when I imagined there was a student at home or in an empty classroom and explained the material from a teacher’s perspective, I understood it much better myself and could clearly identify where I was getting stuck. Whenever a difficult part came up during my explanation, I focused my supplementary study on that specific area, and memorization happened naturally as I repeated the explanations.
A specific example is memorizing English vocabulary. One word I kept getting confused about was “relationship”; I often mixed up its meanings. I wrote the word on the blackboard one letter at a time, as if I were teaching it to someone else, and explained it by saying to myself, “Since ‘relation’ means ‘relative,’ the connection between relatives creates the meaning of ‘relationship.’” By explaining it as if I were teaching it to someone else in such a patient way, that sentence itself became etched in my mind, and I no longer confused the meanings afterward.

Writing About Major School Activities and Reflections

The school activity I found most meaningful was serving as a mentor with “Pulssi,” a volunteer organization for children with disabilities. Our school had a department that partnered with a local organization for children with disabilities to provide one-on-one mentoring, and I joined at a friend’s recommendation. At first, I was worried I might make mistakes since I had no experience caring for children with disabilities, and I was nervous because I didn’t know what kind of help to offer.
Once I actually started the program, the experiences shared by my fellow mentors were a great help. They all said they had similar concerns at first, but as they continued their work, they realized that the most important thing wasn’t specialized knowledge about volunteering, but “sincerity.” Hearing their advice—that caring for the children affectionately like an older brother or sister and showing genuine sincerity has a positive impact on their attitudes and personalities—I took it to heart.
After that, as I met with the child assigned to me, I formed a bond with a child named ○○○. ○○○ appeared different from peers physically, making their disability quite apparent, and had been diagnosed with a Level 2 intellectual disability. While they could engage in simple, everyday conversations, they struggled to express their emotions or specific needs, so as a mentor, I made a point to observe these aspects carefully and try to help.
In particular, I made “active listening” the starting point of our conversations. Since ○○○ was not a talkative child, I listened intently to grasp the meaning behind just a few words and changes in facial expressions, and I observed even nonverbal cues to try to hear their inner voice. Once I understood them, I identified what ○○○ wanted and provided it, helping them build self-esteem through small achievements.

Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation, and My Reflections

While participating in the Pulssi program, I had an experience where I had to directly mediate a conflict. Since volunteer activities involved visiting the children’s center once every two weeks, it was crucial to take responsibility for keeping our commitments to the center. However, sometimes friends I was working with would be absent due to personal circumstances, leading to a shortage of mentors and resulting in complaints from the center’s teachers.
In my sophomore year of high school, I took on the role of vice-leader of Pulssi, and mediating such conflicts became one of my responsibilities. On one occasion, three students were absent at the same time, leading the center’s teachers to express frustration, saying, “The student mentors are irresponsible.” After consulting with the leader, I devised a temporary solution where the remaining mentors each took on two additional students to care for.
At the same time, I investigated the personal circumstances of the students who were absent and explained them in detail to the center teachers, seeking their understanding. I promised to do my best to prevent such problems from recurring in the future and assured them that, in unavoidable situations, we would be prepared for specific mentors to collaborate and take on multiple students. Through this communication and mediation, the conflict was largely resolved, and from then on, we were able to work more closely together to care for the children.
Through this experience, I deeply realized the importance of taking responsibility for my duties. I also learned that a truly responsible attitude involves not merely apologizing, but explaining the situation and preparing alternative solutions. It was a time when I learned firsthand that conflict resolution is possible through dialogue, understanding, and cooperation based on the division of roles.