So, it’s time for another student led conference, and as with SLCs one and two, that means an accompanying blog post.

There are a few pieces of work I want to talk about in my SLC; the first is my Alice Essay, a piece of work which I’m proud of. I’ve always enjoyed essay-writing (relative to other schoolwork), and I’ve written analytical essays before, but never with the criteria of writing objectively. While the essay was, for the most part, explaining an interpretation of Carroll’s work, having to present my opinions almost as facts was a bit of a challenge. I’m usually inclined to saying things like “I think” or “I find” or “I like” when writing, and while it may seem like a small thing, I found it difficult to write objectively. However, I think I overcame that difficulty and was able to write a good essay anyway.

The next thing I want to talk about is something I didn’t feel I did quite as well at, but was able to learn from and have improved on: Destination Imagination. It’s been over a year since we did DI for the first time, and although the challenge I did last year was very different to the one I did (and am still doing) this year, there are still some things that I learned from my first experience with DI that I was able to apply to my second. One of the things I thought was a major issue with my group’s presentation at the first DI tournament was that we didn’t manage our time well while we were preparing for the tournament. During my group’s preparation for the second DI tournament, our time management still wasn’t perfect, but it was an improvement over the year before. Another thing that I did with DI this year that I didn’t do as well last year is listening to and working with my group. While the fact that I have a different group is definitely a contributing factor to my improved teamwork, I did make more of an effort to work well with my group this year because I knew that last year the difficulties my group had working together took a toll on our work.

The last project I want to mention is one we’re still working on: our Disney videos, which use the example of a Disney World ride to show how people are drawn to imaginary worlds. During the research process of this project, we actually went to Disney World, and I had to do something I was very nervous about doing: interview complete strangers.

Now, I’m not bad with people; I’m a little awkward, but I can basically have a polite conversation with someone I don’t know very well. The thing that was a problem was actually going up to people and asking them if I could interview them. I find it very intimidating starting conversations with people I don’t know very well, and I actually asked my friend Ruby to go up to the first person I interviewed for me so that I could be a little more confident. Eventually, however, I started going up to people myself, and although I wasn’t super comfortable, it was a step towards a goal I set for myself earlier this year: being able to talk to people as sources of information for projects. This is something I’ve always found fairly difficult, and conquering my fear and actually doing it required me to have a growth mindset, believing that I could do it if I tried.

That brings me to the next thing I want to talk about: a goal I have for the rest of the year. I want to believe in myself more and try and actually do the things that I’d usually avoid. For instance, admitting when I need help on something and then actually going and getting it. It will take some time and effort, but I think I can eventually get there.

Toodles.