For my TPOL this year, I decided to focus on three of my favourite projects and assignments from this year. I most enjoyed our Lord of the Flies unit, our PGP focus on Atomic Habits, and our Macbeth short film. These projects all allowed me to show work I am passionate about and inspired me to work hard.
First, I’d like to talk about our Lord of the Flies unit from earlier in the year. This unit was very enjoyable because I love thinking about the repercussions of an altered society. One of my favourite milestones from this was our response journals. These were four “journal entry” style reflections, all on four different topics. These let me focus on topics of interest and allowed me to show myself in my writing. I’m quite proud of these and though looking back on them I wish I had gone further in detail about them, they were still an important learning reflection.
My favourite of these journals was the one I wrote on the dynamics of power and control. I spoke on the effects of power in Lord of the Flies as well as using some different examples of tribes. I also wrote one about what I believe would change or stay the same if Lord of the Flies was with a group of adults instead of young boys. I argued that this change would defeat the purpose of the novel, and would lead to a somewhat “civilized” society because much of the savagery in the book was related to the naiveness of the young boys. These two entries were the most engaging and interesting for me to write!
Next, I want to talk about our PGP work on the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book as completely changed the way that I think about productivity through its relatable nature. I’ve done a lot of work on analyzing this book and using it to my advantage, and my work has definitely paid off. I’ve used the advice in this book to form strong habits by making taste attractive and satisfying to me. The way I motivate myself has changed with the suggestion of physically moving in order to form a workflow. This book has effectively changed the way I work, and in turn, the way I learn. This isn’t a book I would have bothered to read had I not been assigned to. Clear’s writing is different than any other self-help writing I’d read, and it feels relatable and compelling as if the reader and author are equals. This book was a monumental piece of my learning this year and for years to come.
Tamara doing Alivia’s hair and makeup
Third, I want to discuss our Macbeth short film. This is quite possibly my favourite project I’ve done in PLP to date. I’ve always loved organizing and working on something such as film productions, and this was a great way to do that. I took on a large role in managing our locations and costumes, hair, and makeup. This gave me a lot of freedom to work hard to make my work just the way I wanted it. I spent lots of time and effort on brainstorming and scouting our locations, as well as doing extensive research into the historical aspects of our locations and character design. I made a lot of Basecamp cards for every single location and character with exactly what would be shot, all of my research into the historical elements of our filming, and reference photos. When it came time to film, I was always well prepared to do as much as I could on set, from actors’ hair to organizing props. This kept me very busy for the few weeks we worked on this project, and I loved every minute of it.
Here is an example of some of my location cards!
Overall this year, I’ve been able to find ways to learn that I am passionate about. I’ve tried new things, such as changing the way I learn through Atomic Habits. I’ve had the opportunity to research topics that interest me, such as the psychology behind Lord of the Flies. I’ve been able to pursue passions of mine, such as working on set of our Macbeth short film. This year has grown my learning more than any other year of PLP yet, and I feel so immensely proud of everything I’ve done.