Parent-teacher Introduction – “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.”

Enthusiasm: This year, one of my goals was to contribute more in group discussions, and take on more of a leadership role when the opportunity presents itself. This year compared to last, I did find myself raising my hand more frequently in class. But my level of insight during socratic seminars, showed flashes of sophistication, but still wasn’t up to my own standards. Unfortunately, I also didn’t end up taking much of a leadership role in any project, besides maybe the Canadian governemnt one, when I took a lot of creative control on my groups “informative” video. However, next year I intend on changing this narative. 

For the past few years, I’ve been hearing from PLP grade 12’s, and teachers alike that once you’re a senior, you get to do a group film project, in 2022 it was even shot on location in Loon Lake. If my class gets the opportunity to do this project next year, I’m going to push myself to step out of my comfort zone and become a leader, by applying to be director of photography/cinematography. Cinematography has always been a big interest of mine, and getting to use my skills for a school project, will be challenging, but something I’m willing to take on for my journey towards strong leadership. 

My love for film is translated into the classroom (i’m able to critically analyze film much bette than books because they are much more engaging to me), but I wish I had that same passion for books because it would improve my ability to critically analyze texts, to then have more sophisticated thoughts during socratic seminars. so alongside the leadership bit, I’m dedicating myself to reading 3 books this summer, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, “1984”, and “A Tale of Two Cities”. I haven’t read many books in my life, and zero classics outside of school. So I decided to do research and chose 3 books that can each benefit me going into grade 12. 

First, I chose to start with “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by Frank Baum, because of its straightforward language and engaging storyline, which makes it an excellent choice for readers who may not be very experienced. I’m also predicting that The fantastical elements and imaginative world of Oz will captivate me and help me realize how entertaining reading books can be. Second, I chose to read “1984” by George Orwell, because it’s a genre of book I’ve never read (dystopian), which can open doors to a broader range of literature for me in the future. Also, from my research, 1984 makes readers think more critically about government, power, and individual freedoms, which will improve my analytical skills, which are crucial for success in grade 12. Third, I chose to read “A Tale of Two Cities” by Charles Dickens because it’s a historical fiction, a genre of book which can be very beneficial to read going into my senior year. From my research, I also learned that the intricate plot and well-developed characters can encourage the reader to engage deeply with the text, which will improve my ability to follow and analyze complex narratives. Overall, these books will provide rich material for class discussions, help improve my reading comprehension, vocabulary, and analytical skills, and give me a stronger literary foundation going into grade 12.

Balance: After the first few months of the school year, I was at the grade I wanted in PLP, and soon saw myself slowly starting to put more of my time into my other classes, instead of managing my time between all of them. Simply, I got too comfortable, then got a real wake-up call in the form of an 80% on my midterm. This helped me realize that I wasn’t balancing my time at the level at which I wanted for myself, opting to spend more time on one subject instead of all of them. 

Several weeks before this, I started having basketball academy 5 times a week after lunch. This meant that I would be very tired every day coming home from school, resulting in me wanting to spend more of my time at home resting, instead of working. But once I got my mid-term grade, I realized that I needed a change in mindset. So I started thinking of my extracurriculars as breaks from my rigorous course load, instead of burdens. I started seeing basketball academy as something to energize me, not wear me out. Just by changing my mindset in that way, it’s increased my productivity, and my motivation to do work. I’ve also been using “Things” and my calendar more effectively to keep me on track with all my classes. Even though it stressed me out at the time, getting that midterm grade is something I’m grateful for because It gave me the motivation to improve in the ways that I did this year, and even the motivation for the improvement to come in grade 12. 

Goals and self-assessing: So once the next project started in PLP, I told myself I wouldn’t give up without a fight, and I wouldn’t rest until I could prove to all of my teachers that I am a sophisticated learner. to do so, I thought back to previous projects that I wish I could’ve re-done and realized that a common trend was that I wouldn’t prepare enough before jumping into my product, and I wouldn’t constantly be checking up on the project success criteria. So for this project, I decided to “exploit” or use my resources more effectively. 

What I mean by that is using my teachers, family and friends to ask for critique on my work, especially with my writing which has improved it (sentence structure, vocabulary, elaborating), using the internet to do more meaningful research, making online drafts, and setting daily goals with reminders for myself to stay on track, and always be checking the project success criteria to make sure my project is on track. So with my last BCFP/Humanities project of the year (the exhibition project), I set out to make my product the best that I possibly could to make sure I make something I’m proud of. In the end, I had my best exhibition ever. 

I spent countless hours planning, and then putting together my physical poster board. I spent hours making a movable showcase for my plants, then going in the wild and to florists to procure the pants. I even spent hours practicing what I’d say about my project to the many people attending the exhibit. All in a week. So once the day of the exhibition came, even with the small number of days to prepare, I came to the exhibition with a product that I was incredibly proud of, which shows just how much of a sophisticated student I can be. 

Conclusion: Overall, this year I’ve become a better writer, I’ve learned to use my resources more effectively, and have become a more sophisticated learner overall. I’m very proud of myself for this, however, I still have a lot of goals that I want to accomplish, and plenty of room left to grow just like everyone. But I’m preparing myself for next year with the books that I’m reading, making sure to never exit my new “school mindset”.