This year has been a real journey. There have been many ups and downs. I feel that I am truly ready for PLP 9, I have grown so much as a learner this year.

Coming into grade 8, I thought that PLP was going to be pretty easy. In the first term I thought this was somewhat true. We hadn’t started any big projects yet and everything seemed to be going pretty smoothly. I had my band retreat and then our PLP Oregon trip.  The first term was a lot of fun and I felt like I had a good handle on my workload.  Going into the second term I still thought things were going to be pretty easy. Turns out, I was wrong.  I hadn’t realized that we were moving into more serious work and demanding assignments. I had the mindset that everything was still easy and that I didn’t need to put a lot of effort into everything.  I was proven wrong when my grades went down at the end of the second term, and I was both surprised and really disappointed.  I realized that I had not been doing my best.  I left the second term feeling defeated but determined to do better in term 3.  After spring break, I came into term 3 feeling refreshed.  I felt more realistic about what I was heading into and ready to take on the last term. I knew it was going to be tough and that I was going to have to work really hard but I felt ready.  I believe I have worked harder and smarter in term 3.  One of the pieces of my work from PLP 8 that I would definitely show to the public is my blue sky project. I created a product called “Fight The Bite” which came out of my passion for skateboarding. My work looked professional and it was one of the projects I am most proud of.

I feel ready for PLP 9 because I have a better understanding of project based learning, and I am learning how to organize myself so that I am a better student.  I think I have really grown in the area of organization and I also know that I have a long way to go. But I realize how important being organized is if I want to be a successful student.

One of the things I learned about myself this year is about my motivation. I discovered that if I truly believe in myself and if I try hard, I can do great work. I am looking forward to PLP 9 and challenging myself to be more organized and work hard.