Anne Scherer

Autobiographical Exploration Project

1. I do not remember very much of my childhood and even my early teenage years so I had to
really think to come up with three memories from when I was three to six years old. I do
vividly remember being in my first grade class when my teacher, Mrs. Neff, opened the
curtain in our classroom that opened up to the aids office in a sort of panic. I do not
remember what she said but I do remember being nervous because I had never seen her freak
out the way that she did. Later that day I remember getting off the bus and running across my
front yard and asking my mom why Girl Scouts was cancelled that day. I had been told our
meeting was cancelled and that I needed to ride the bus home via a note that came to my
class from the front office at the end of the school day. I am not sure how my mom explained
the news to me but now I know that the meeting was cancelled because two airplanes hit the
Twin Towers in New York City. They cancelled Girl Scouts and my teacher had panicked
when she found out the news because they did not know exactly what was happening and if
we, as a country, would be safe. I can only recall a few of the details because I was only six
years old but I do remember panicking because I saw my teacher freak out. I also remember
feeling sad because my troop leader had cancelled our Girl Scout meeting.
I also vaguely remember going through a Bridging Up ceremony in Girl Scouts from
Daisies to Brownies at the beginning of first grade, right around my memory of 911. I can
still picture the classroom because it had gray walls, gray carpet, and a wooden bridge in the
center of the room. I do not remember much of the actual ceremony but I do remember the
classroom in which the ceremony took place. Based on my knowledge of my troop I know
who was at the ceremony but that is because I was in the same troop for 13 years. My

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memory of only the room shows that I can visualize things but I do not remember events as
well.
Another childhood memory was riding bikes in the Bethany Beach, Delaware parade with
my cousins. I cannot remember exactly how old I was because we had the tradition of riding
in the parade every Fourth of July as a family (we continued all the way up until I was in late
middle school and my older cousins were in high school). I can picture the scene around me
with the bandstand and all of the other kids and their parents on bikes. I cannot, however,
remember the specific events and conversations that happened throughout our slow ride
through downtown.
2. I noticed a pattern of recalling the scenery around me but not the specific events that
occurred. I can remember some emotions I felt which provides evidence that I place
sentimental value on places and emotions rather than actual events. I can also see my
emphasis on places and emotions in my life now. If I think about all of my strong memories
from high school and college that I can recall more accurately almost all of them have a
concrete picture that sticks out in my mind as well as a strong emotion attached to it. Despite
the fact that I have a horrible memory, especially remembering events from the far past, I can
remember emotions and specific snapshots of places for much longer than recalling a
sequence of the actual events.
3. Growing up I admired my mom in part because everyone else admired their parents and that
was the go-to answer when someone asked me who my role model was. But looking back I
think I admired my teachers more, especially my third and fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Grimm.
I remember her being so pretty and very tall, even though she was 59 which does not seem
so tall now. I wanted to grow up to be like her, or at least look and dress like her. I cannot

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remember one single instance where I especially admired what she did but I remember
always thinking about how gorgeous she was. She was also very caring and taught me a lot in
school. At the end of my fourth grade school year I wanted to be a teacher because she meant
so much to me that I wanted to follow in her footsteps. While that dream has changed now, I
still have Mrs. Grimm to thank for inspiring me to work hard in school.
4. I do not watch a lot of TV on a regular basis but the one series I do watch is The
Bachelor/Bachelorette on ABC. This show is filled with drama and romance (which may or
may not be true depending on the season). I watch the show for the romance and I would like
to think that it is true despite the fact that the purpose of the process, ultimately, is to produce
a show and make money, not necessarily help a hopeless romantic find love. I watch the
show because I hope that I find the kind of love they portray on the show. Watching the
show in a way feeds my insecurities in my social relationships because I yearn for some of
the things the show represents. I hate to admit that this show is my guilty pleasure but I
watch it because the people on the show, despite that they are dramatic and have the potential
to be very fake, have things that I want for myself now and in the future.
5. My favorite movie, The Blind Side, tells the true story of a rich, white family who adopted
a black high schooler, Michael, from the projects and put him in a private Christian school
where he played football. The movie details his new life as he learns to play and adapt to
living a completely different life. The family hires a tutor to help him with his school work so
he can maintain the grades required to get a football scholarship for college. His new little
brother, SJ, helps him train for football and they quickly become best buddies. Michael
slowly adjusts to his new life as a high school athlete and college perspective.
As he gets closer to graduation, he must seriously think about getting his grades up and
figuring out which school, out of the many offers, for whom he wants to play football. He

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finally choses Ole Miss and after a small scandal brought forth by the NCAA as to why he
chose that school, the final scene of the movie shows him arriving on campus as a freshman.
The movie inspires the viewer and provides evidence for how strong of a positive impact
sports makes in the lives of so many high school student-athletes. The movie also provides
evidence for how important a strong family and their support is to young adults as they go
through one of the most influential times in their lives where their decisions impacts them for
the rest of their lives.
6. My favorite saying, Psalm 37:4 delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires
of your heart, comes from the Bible because my life centers on my Christian faith. I find
this verse encouraging because it essentially says that God loves me enough to give me the
true desires of my heart. For me, these desires includes a few strong and truly loving
friendships and joyfulness in my life. I know that if I put my faith in God and trust Him with
my life, He will help me to find those desires. I remind myself of this passage in times of
trouble and it calms me. This verse has a strong emotional impact on my life and has given
me the ability to persevere through difficult patches.
7. When reading through my responses I noticed that my emotions and the scenery around me

play a large part in my memories and in my life in general. I am an emotional and

sentimental person so as I continue through college and in my career I should keep in mind
that my emotions play an essential role in my everyday life. I need to make decisions based
on whether my emotions will, in general, be positive or negative. Being a sensitive person the
smallest little thing can really bother me so I need to choose a career where I can effectively
balance my emotions. Alternatively, since I value even the smallest things this can help me
to keep my emotions in line by focusing on the small successes as well as the big ones. I
attach emotion to almost everything so in completing my education and searching for a job, I

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need to remember that I need to have strong positive emotions about the decision before I can
make a sound choice toward my future.