“Thank you for coming to my presentation of learning. I am the expert on my own learning. I am also responsible and accountable for my own learning. You can expect me to give an honest evaluation of my progress. We will discuss my strengths and opportunities for growth. Thank you in advance for listening and for offering feedback that I can use to improve as a learner.”

 

I would like to start this mPOL off by acknowledging how I built off of my failures last year mentioned in my tPOL. To reiterate what I said last year, failures are just as important as successes as that is when the learning happens and allows you to mature and grow. This year I believe I matured not only as a learner, but also as a person and I hope that has been evident throughout the first half of this year. 

Last year I failed at communicating. I believed that I could manage the most beautifully destructive year of my life all by myself without the help of people who had not only experienced it, but whose job it is to be there for me… You get how that sounds right? During the time I needed it most, I failed to communicate with my teachers. Assignments missing, not completed to my standards, the whole 9 yards were evidently shown. 

This year, due to many factors, I was forced to mature. I can try to pinpoint it on a certain event like getting a girlfriend, or having success in my sport, but at the end of the day it boils down to the realization that I am no longer a kid. There are no more excuses, no more puppy eyes that get me out of situations. I was forced to mature. I found my comfort zone and confidently know how to step out of it, something that I was not able to do in previous years. Evident through my constant communication with my teachers. Working through “bugs”, communicating my schedule, and talking about my work, aided in reaching common ground on where my work stands in comparison to my grade contract.

Last year during my tPOL, through discussion with Ms. Willemse and my parents, we talked about how I was driven towards the grade, not the learning. I was completing assignments not because I enjoyed learning about them, but because all I wanted was a good grade. This year I strived to move past that mindset and focus on enjoying the process. Getting better in soccer is all about the process, and I was able to apply that to my school work. Evidently shown in my most recent project with Mrs. Pitches, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”, drawing and encapsulating a young girl being the first ever woman to be drafted to the WHL was genuinely fun. Drawing, like soccer, is a process and it was extremely fun learning different techniques with masking, opacity, tracing, and more. I think Mrs. Pitches can definitely vouch for this project to serve as an example of enjoying the process and learning how to learn. Something PLP has always been about.

Stated in my learning plan, my use of habits has played a huge role in my successes this year. I mention the use of study/focus modes on my devices to aid in staying focused throughout class with minimal distractions. I can admit, I started off very strong and as recruitment season came about I slowly started checking my phone for notifications, setting email widgets up, pinning Alex (my agent) on WhatsApp, I became obsessive. Through experience, I have realized that responding to an email from a coach THE SECOND it comes, may not be the best look compared to responding a few hours later. I find it comical that when getting recruited (especially half way across the country) where my image is so valued and the way I come off is of the utmost importance, I sheepishly respond right away, forget small little grammatical errors, write Marc like Mark and more. The pure excitement would get the best of me. Through time and experience I have realized (even thought just as excited) those 15-20 minutes of distraction in class are WAY more crucial than responding right away.

Towards the back half of the year, I would like to shift my attention towards how I can set my fPOL up to the best of my abilities. I see my fPOL as an opportunity to reflect on these past 5 years and show how I have grown as a learner. I plan to continue these upward trends that I have been working on to launch myself in the final stretch of highschool.