Hello, Internet.

(After four and a half years, I’ve finally learned how to make gifs work!)

Oh, and of course, hello to those of you who are here in real life. You may recall also having been here  four years ago. I went back to check what my goal was for my original Student Led Conference, but as far as I can tell I didn’t have one. My blog post just ends with this:

Aside from the oddly subject-appropriate Tim Curry gif, that probably wouldn’t fly in this blog post. After all, we are now at Peak MPoL – or, at least, as close as I can get, since this is my last MPoL, and I’d like to leave things off on a positive note.

Not that it would have flown in the last few PoLs either – we’ve been setting goals for a while now, and I’d like to take a look at whether or not I’ve achieved mine.

In my last TPoL, I mostly spoke about how vexed I was about having had to miss school for mono, and then I ended by saying how I should probably start taking care of myself properly.

Since then, I’ve started working more often, continued to play hockey and box and do school and choir, and now I’m also in the midst of attempting to convince universities to accept me. (Maybe I should send them cheesecake?) In fact, this isn’t the only instance where I’ve taken on a lot of responsibility this year. However, I think I have learned something, even if it isn’t exactly what I set out to learn.

So, first of all, let’s talk about cheesecake for a second. I’ve given you all cheesecake today (if you’re here in person) for two reasons: first of all, to create a serotonin response in your brain so you’ll associate my presentation with something positive and thus believe it’s better than it actually is; and second of all, as a smooth segue into my topic for this MPoL. Now, for many years, I’ve refused to eat cheesecake. Somewhere, maybe after trying it as a child, I got the idea that I disliked it. So, I’ve been eating other baked goods, and avoiding cheesecake like the plague.

Recently, however, it occurred to me that I hadn’t eaten cheesecake in so long, I couldn’t recall what it tasted like. I decided that I couldn’t be sure that I didn’t like it unless I tried it again. So I did, and lo and behold, I had a new, cheesy overlord to worship.

How does that relate to my learning, you might ask? Well, there’s a lot of lessons to be learned here: Take risks. Keep an open mind (a growth mindset, perhaps). Remember that things can change. Stay optimistic. Push your boundaries. Reread Green Eggs And Ham every once in a while.

Many of these are things I’ve struggled to do in the past. Some of my recent goals have included trying to push myself more, doing my best learning even when I don’t care about or like the subject we’re discussing, and rolling with the punches. All of these, along with the whole “taking on a lot of responsibility” are things that I experienced during our horror movie project.

Now, I was actually really excited about this project, as I think I actually mentioned in my last presentation. I love horror movies, and also any excuse to try and impress people with how calm and un frightened I am during any sort of horror experience. (The key is being stressed and terrified all the time!) I was interested in being a screenwriter for the movie, which would allow me to work in a medium I felt really comfortable with – writing – as well as, much more importantly, giving me the chance to contribute creatively to the actual plot and message of the movie. I didn’t end up being a screenwriter, but I did get put on the script team.

I don’t want to spend too much time on the minute details of this project, since I just wrote a whole blog post about it, but being on the script team was stressful. While I was initially able to push for the elements I thought should be included in the story, after some very honest critique sessions, and the implementation of some executive decisions that I had to comply with, I watched a lot of my work be thrown out. More frustratingly, I felt that my power to contribute creatively in any way was taken away – I was now just executing other people’s ideas, which is about where I stopped having any sort of excitement or passion for the project. However, I stuck with it, and continued to put in effort despite this – something I’d struggled to do in previous years. I helped rewrite the script, and agreed to play the part of Lynda, a character from our original story who I had been going to act as.

By the time I got through the scriptwriting, I was essentially able to regain my sense of interest in the project. I was still disappointed, but I wanted to enjoy the unit I’d been looking forward to for so long. So, in true cheesecake-trying fashion, I decided that just because I hadn’t enjoyed the project during the scriptwriting process didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy it during the filming process. I was still getting to play the role I volunteered for, and I could leave the writing and editing behind me.

When we started filming, we were already on a tight schedule. We did a few, very long, days of filming, realized that we were behind schedule and our footage was unusable, cut down the script as much as possible, extended our timeline, did another few days of filming, and then some more executive decisions happened.

At this point, almost everyone was given new jobs. I was asked to be director alongside my friend Parker. I was excited about the idea, which would give me the creative control I was seeking, but Parker wasn’t interested. So, I took it on alone, while continuing to act, and edit the script as necessary. I don’t think I talked a lot in my blog post about what I actually did as a director, but I immediately annotated the whole script with directions about lighting, shots, set pieces, acting, mood, additional actions or lines of dialogue, and character motivation.

I had a conference with the actors where I went through these notes, as well as asking them about their own ideas or visions for the characters, and I spoke with the other departments about my visions for various scenes and characters, and the movie as a whole. Although I was frustrated and we were running low on time, I was determined to put my best effort into the movie, and not to dwell too much on the setbacks we had come up against. I wasn’t sure if people would listen to me as a director, especially after the reactions to the initial script were so harsh, and since it’s not a role I would normally occupy, but everyone was very receptive and respectful, and I really liked directing (in fact, it’s something I think I would have enjoyed doing from the beginning – which I can’t change now, but is important to note for future reference.)

When our time for filming was eventually cut off and I left, covered in fake blood and emo clothing, to go to a family dinner, I did have some frustrations about how things had ended up, but I was not as upset as I had been at earlier stages. I was, in part, relieved to be done with what was overall quite a stressful experience, but I also felt that I had done all I could do.

During our MPoL meeting, this project was brought up as an example of something our class didn’t do well on – and, certainly, there were aspects I could have improved on. The first script, evidently. Clarifying the message of the story. Coordinating time, and planning in advance so that everything came out well the first time. However, I put a lot of work into this project, and I truly feel that I did the best that I could, and that a lot of the reasons it didn’t work out were out of my control. My main takeaway, then, was not where I could improve my work, but more about my attitude towards my work; the importance of not giving up or getting so caught up in being upset that you never actually move forwards, the risk and reward of trying out new things, and the fact that just because you don’t enjoy something at one point doesn’t mean that you can never enjoy it.

I would like to keep the same goal as last time – learning to sharpen the saw, and take care of my own needs – because I don’t feel that I’ve markedly improved at it. As my time in high school, and in some ways this phase of  my life, draws to a close, it becomes increasingly important that I am able to take care of myself, especially since I may no longer be able to count on the supports I have now (like seeing my friends and family every day, having a pre-existing knowledge of my school, teachers, and community, and having my own room and space where I have privacy. Additionally, the lead up to o much change is still the cause of a lot of anxiety for me, and I want to lessen that so I can focus on enjoying my last year while also doing well.

My question to those of you who are here is what things you do in your own life to maintain a sense of balance, especially in the face of change or a foreign environment. As you answer, I am going to sit back, eat a piece of cheesecake, and reflect on how good change can sometimes be.

Toodles.

Hello, Internet.

Also, hello those of you here in person. Welcome to another Transitional Presentation of Learning.

While I don’t want to make this too similar to my last blog post, I do want to call upon my time machine project as a reflection of what I’ve learned this year, and what I want to focus on learning next year. I also want to take a look at the goals I set for myself in my MPoL to see if I’ve achieved them.

The main goal that I set in my MPoL was to push myself in terms of using different media or techniques in my work. I think a good example of a place that I did this was the reflections we did while reading The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. A few of my reflections included creating a “piggy bank” representing how much I was being productive and making good decisions, and creating a crossword puzzle themed around the chapter of the book we had just read.

I definitely had to make a conscious effort to use these formats for my work, rather than falling back on something like writing that would have come more easily to me. Even though making a crossword isn’t necessarily something I would often do for a project, I enjoyed the challenge of trying different things and expanding my lexicon of abilities. In the case of the reflections, putting more work into something and stepping outside of my comfort zone forced me to do more actual reflecting than I would have had to do for something I was really comfortable with.

I should also touch on the work from this year that I think I could have improved. We did an entire unit on writing, which as I’ve mentioned before, is well within my comfort zone– but for something I’m usually good at, I think some of the work I did was kind of mediocre.

(Thank you Parker for this visual)

One issue may have been that I have trouble getting myself invested in work about subjects that don’t personally interest me. While I really enjoyed learning about the red scare and general fifties culture, and the Civil Rights movement, I wasn’t as entranced by the topics of the Cold War and our current subject, the Vietnam War, and I think that was reflected in my work. While I am excited about the subjects I know we’re studying next year– horror and modern history are both definite interests of mine– I also think that it’s important to be able to care about a project without caring about the subject matter.

Now, I just did a whole project reflecting on what I have and haven’t improved on this year: the time machine project, in which I created an artifact that I would have liked to have sent myself at the beginning of PGP.

The thing I think I have improved this year is procrastinating less. This has been a long term goal of mine but, unsurprisingly, I’ve never quite gotten around to achieving it. We did a whole unit on time management, and although I don’t actively use everything from that unit, I do think it helped me become better at managing my own time.

What I want to talk more about, however, is the other thing I focused on in my time machine project: the thing we looked at that I still need to improve. In The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People it’s referred to as sharpening the saw, but the more general term is just taking care of yourself.

To draw again from the book, “sharpening the saw” referred to keeping yourself healthy in four aspects: social, physical, mental, and spiritual. In the drawing above, you can see the typical level of each that I would display. Physically, I care about my health a fair amount– I’m constantly dehydrated and my diet leaves something to be desired, but I regularly exercise, get rest, eat carbs, and take care of my hygiene, and as a result I stay pretty healthy. Mentally, at least in terms of cognitive function, I always want to engage my brain and keep learning– I spend time doing things like crosswords that are a fun mental challenge, or reading the news to help stay up to date with the world around me, and it’s important to me to try and educate myself (as well as, of course, get an education in school) and be capable of comprehending and critically considering big ideas.

On the other hand, my social and “spiritual” health are on the lower side. I’m very introverted, so it doesn’t take a lot for me to feel socially drained, and although I enjoy spending time with my friends and family, being around people for too long can make me moody or exhausted, and I find it difficult to judge beforehand just how a social activity is going to affect me. I’m not a big fan of the word spiritual here, because I think of it as mostly having vague religious connotations, whereas I think the idea of “spiritual health” is actually referring more to emotional health. Like everyone, my emotional health varies, but I definitely don’t take care of it as consistently or as well as I take care of my physical and cognitive health. I have a habit of letting myself get burnt out– and then trying to push through it, rather than addressing the issue. Usually around this time of year, I’ll get anxious and stressed about school, which messes with my appetite and ability to sleep, and leads to me being sick or exhausted. When I do this, my work gets sloppier, and I find it increasingly difficult to be productive.

Recently, my physical health suffered a little bit when I came down with mononucleosis. As with emotional burnout, I typically try and push through being sick while disrupting my life as little as possible. Particularly at this time of year, I dislike missing school or work, as well as the more fun things I do in my free time. Around the second day I was sick, I went boxing with my sister, figuring I just had a cold and could mostly ignore it. Before we drove home afterwards, she asked me whether it was safe to start the car, because I looked I was about to faint, and she didn’t want to be driving if I suddenly passed out.

That and the fact that I pretty much did feel ready to pass out was enough to convince me to stay home from school the next day, but I was determined to get back on my feet as soon as possible; I went to work that night, and the next day I was back at school.

This is a picture of me with mono, outside, hanging out with friends, and generally trying to ignore how sick I felt.

That weekend I was still feeling sick, so my mum suggested going to the clinic in case it was strep throat. I figured it wouldn’t hurt, although I was still pretty convinced that it was a cold, so we went and talked to a doctor who told me that I had either strep or mono, I should get tested for both, and I should stay out of school for the next few days. The next day, I got blood drawn and tested for mono, with positive results.

Much to my chagrin, there is no treatment for mono, and I spent the next week essentially bedridden. For about five days I did little more than sleep, eat popsicles, and watch TV.

However, that was pretty much all it took. Mono is known for lasting a long time, but once I actually stayed home and got rest and took care of myself, I got over most of my symptoms in close to the minimum of time mono takes to run its course. By the following week, I was back on my feet, and despite it being a crucial time of year, I was able to pick up where I left off with school without too much trouble.

What I want to take away from this experience is that taking time to recuperate and coming back fully charged is ultimately better than trying to ignore unhealthiness– and this goes for everything, not just physical health.

While I would like to avoid wherever possible things like missing a week of school, on a smaller scale I think it would improve my ability to do work well to try and avoid getting burnt out. Not procrastinating and having good time management is an important skill for this one. Doing things early rather than letting them pile up or leaving them to the last minute will help decrease the amount of stress I’m feeling. Being able to time block both time to be productive and time to rest can help me find a balance. Another thing that will help is being proactive– assessing a situation ahead of time and making a call that if I go out with friends the day before I do a big test, I’m not going to be able to do as well as if I get some rest so I have the energy to be productive the next day (this is assuming that in both scenarios I’ve studied and prepared).

While I think learning to sharpen the saw is important and will really help with my productivity and the quality of my work, and it is something we discussed in PGP, I realize this isn’t strictly an academic goal. However, for me, feeling stressed or overworked emotionally or physically is consistently school related, and school is one of the most important things it affects, so when I was setting this goal I was largely considering how it would play into my academic life. I think it’s somewhere between a personal and academic goal, but with an academic focus.

So, on the more academic side, my goal for next year is to focus on finding a way to get invested in my work regardless of how much I care about the subject matter. On the somewhat less academic, but more personally important, side, my goal is to be proactive and manage my time in a way that allows me to take care of myself in all aspects so I can be as productive as possible.

Toodles.

Hello, Internet.

So, I’m sure the title has given away absolutely nothing about what this post is about.

That’s right– it’s time for MPoLs, or “Mid-year Presentations of Learning”. In other words, it’s time for me to talk about myself.

First of all, however, I want to talk about something that I literally just spent a whole post talking about : the winter exhibition.

Now, I feel like both we, as a class, and I, personally, did a good job on the exhibiton. The end result was great, everybody put a lot of work into it, and we weren’t defeated by any mishaps we came across along the way.

However, after writing a blog post about the exhibiton, and then getting and absorbing feedback for said blog post, I came to a realization: I don’t feel like I really learned much, if anything, from that project.

That’s not to say I didn’t learn the subject material. I can tell you more about The Crucible than you will ever need to know, and I can do so using authentic fifties slang to boot. I had no trouble learning the content of the course– but that’s not really the point.

My main job for the exhibition was to be DRI for the script editing. I enjoy writing and editing, and I’m picky enough about grammar to go through and catch all the little mistakes that are characteristic of eighteen people trying to write one cohesive document. On top of this, I usually jump at any chance I get to do a writing based project– we’ve written a smattering of essays throughout the time I’ve been in PLP, but for a class that’s half-English, there tends to be very few straight-up writing assignments, and when we do get them, they’re usually part of something bigger (as in this case).

Now, I talked a lot about the exhibition in my last post, but I didn’t really discuss the other three posts that I made for this project– one about how good Stranger Things was, one about a drawing I did of a bird, and one that I want to talk a little more about now.

This particular post is one that I enjoyed doing, and which I put a lot of work into– but more importantly, it’s one that I feel I actually did learn something from. It wasn’t a particularly educational assignment; the premise of the post was “how to spot a Canadian”, in which I discussed a set of Canadian stereotypes and whether they had any basis in truth. However, this post also featured a video that I made with the help of some friends.

We did a whole year in PLP that focussed on video, so it’s not an unfamiliar medium to me, but it’s also not really my area of expertise. To use a similar example, outside of PLP, I take Film and TV with my friend Parker, for whom videomaking really is an area of expertise. Typically, we both use this class as a chance to utilize our strengths: I write and storyboard, and Parker handles directing and editing. However, this week we created a video that Parker wrote and I edited. Again, I’ve edited videos before– but it still felt like a challenge, much more so than writing, which comes easily to me, ever does. I really had to push myself in order to get results I was satisfied with, and I think this was something that actively helped develop my video-editing skills. Doing the Canadian interview video was similar– it forced me to actually do something that I would normally leave up to people who are better at it.

I think this all reflects two things that I talked about in my PGP. First of all, the ISTE standard I wanted to focus on, for which I said this:

The ISTE Standard I want to focus on for Humanities this year is the “creative communicator” standard. I feel pretty confident with my writing ability, but I want to try and expand my range a bit, and focus on feeling equally confident with different forms of communication, or with thinking outside the box when it comes to approaching projects and assignments. I think this skill will also carry over into my other classes and generally be a benefit to other areas of my life.

Second of all, the habit of mind I wanted to focus on, for which I said this:

The habit of mind I really want to focus on for PGP is remaining open to continuous learning. A lot of the basis of this course– doing self assessments, setting specific goals and making plans to achieve them, etc. –is stuff I don’t enjoy doing, or find frustrating, even though it’s important to know how to do and do well. I want to make sure I keep an open mindset and put my best efforts into doing well in this course, rather than immediately shutting down because I have to do something I’m not good at.

Both of these have the same central point: I want to take more responsibility to see that I’m actually pushing myself to learn and grow, rather than stagnating within my comfort zone. In my MPoL and TPoL last year, I delivered some goals that I think also both relate back to this point: learning to roll with the punches, and further developing my interpersonal skills. I think the fact that I needed to set and work on both of those goals reflects the fact that I don’t always make enough of a conscious effort to push myself.

In PGP this year, we’ve been reading a book that talks about setting and completing goals. Personally, I didn’t enjoy this book. It felt kind of frothy and unsubstantial, and when I went through the goal-setting exercises it contained, they felt equally frothy and unsubstantial.

WHAT I REALLY WANT 

Make a “Top Five List” of what you really want—not what others (parents, friends, teachers, the media) seem to want for you. Focus on what’s truly meaningful to you. Write your “Top Fives” into sentences that start with the words “I really want.” Then turn each “want” into a SMART goal.

I really want to do well at school.

Smart goal: I will get no lower than a B in any of my classes this term, and in order to ensure that happens I will do all my homework on time and use time-blocking to set aside time to do homework and study before tests. 

I really want to get my full driver’s licence. 

Smart goal: I will pass the test to get my N, and later my full licence, and to prepare for that I will attend driving classes, read up on driving laws and good habits, and practice driving with an adult. 

I really want to go to business school. 

Smart goal: I will get into a business school, and in order to do that I will get good grades in all my classes (see above), research the requirements for different business schools in Canada, and submit applications to schools I’m interested in attending before the application deadline. 

I really want to stay fit. 

Smart goal: I will attend either boxing or hockey at least three times a week, drink water throughout and just after these activities, and ensure that I am eating healthy foods. 

I really want to get better at drawing.

Smart goal: I will practice drawing at least once a day, and use the resources available to me to research how to improve. 

MY GOAL LADDER

My goal: Get my N

My deadline: Winter 2019

Goal ladder:

• practice drive at least once a week
• go to in-classroom driving class 
• go to in-car driving class 
• read any available materials to help learn the laws & how to drive 
• pass the test 

MY EXTENSION LADDER

My goal: Go to business school

Deadline: September 2020

• decide what schools I want to apply to 
• research business school requirements and tuition
• attend any available presentations/informational meetings at school or in the area 
• save up money to pay tuition fees
• get good grades, especially in subjects that will pertain to the programs I’m applying for (like math)
• visit university campuses to find out more about different universities and programs 
• look into scholarships that might be applicable 
• apply for scholarships 
• do written applications for schools I might want to attend
• get recommendations 
• decide what school I want to attend 

I’VE EARNED IT

When I get back a good grade on a test or project I will celebrate by watching an episode of my favourite tv show.

When I get my driver’s licence, I will celebrate by going out to dinner.

That being said, I’m going to lay aside my dislike of this book for a moment and go through the forms we were supposed to fill out for the goal I’m currently trying to set. First of all, making it into a smart goal.

Now, I really want to push myself. That’s a big goal. The way I want to break it down for now is with the assignment we’re currently doing for socials, which is another set of blog posts like the ones we did for the Crucible. For my first post, I’m going to make a video– and while there will still be a challenge in that this video is totally different from anything I’ve add recently, it feels like I might be heading down the same path of sticking to one area, just with videos instead of writing.

So– my smart goal is to do each part of this assignment in a different medium that requires me to further develop a skill I would usually not jump to use, and to get out of my comfort zone in order to deliver a product that I am satisfied with, and which I feel taught me something.

Second, a goal ladder for this goal.

– identify some skills/mediums which I want to further develop

– make a plan to incorporate said skills/mediums into this assignment

– use practice or research or ask for help in order to improve at said skills/mediums

– create a final product using said skills/mediums to a degree that I am happy with

Third, rewarding myself. I struggled coming up with rewards or celebrations that seemed appropriate for my other goals, and I find myself in a similar situation with this one– the reward for me, if any, is doing well on my work. However, because I’d like to follow the instructions here as clearly as possible, when  have completed this series of assignments, and if I feel that I’m sticking to my goal and have learned something, I will celebrate by making a batch of cookies.

Going forth into the second half of the year, I’m hoping to apply my larger goal in everything I do– hockey, boxing, drawing, driving. I want to come back for my TPoL able to say that I’ve really improved and grown this year, both in this class and in the rest of my life.

Until then–

Toodles.

Hello, Internet.

Also: Hello, people who are here in person. Welcome to this year’s Transitional Presentation of Learning, or TPOL.

We’ve done a lot of things since January– visiting Caliornia, participating in Destination Imagination, creating generators, and attending the BC Tech Summit, to name a few –but one of my favourite things we did was our unit on disruption and technology.

This unit involved a lot of different aspects, but the part I want to focus on is the essay we had to write towards the end of the unit. The essay I wrote is one of the things I felt I did really well on this year, and I want to highlight it as something I’m proud of. Writing is one of the areas I feel is a strength for me, and getting to write an essay that brought in topics I’m already interested in– technology, current events, social media –gave me a really good chance to showcase that strength.

Now, you probably remember I did an MPOL back in January where I talked about what I wanted to achieve as a learner before the end of the year. I mentioned that my goal for the rest of the year was to work more on adapting, “rolling with the punches”, and not ansgting over being assigned work that wasn’t exactly what I wanted to do. So, did I complete that goal?

Well, when I talked about this goal originally, I mentioned that I usually go into Destination Imagination with the expectation that it’s going to be stressful or unenjoyable, and having this expectation usually just causes it to be more stressful and unenjoyable.

This year, I wanted to avoid that sort of expectation. I also happened to participate in DI again– and I tried to be a little more objective in terms of how much I did or didn’t like it (which is sort of weird).

Now, doing DI did involve some punches to roll with, such as half of our group not being there for the provincial tournament, but it was far from the worst project we’ve ever done. It did even involve some enjoyable parts, such as making a sign that looked exactly like Shrek but blue, and watching Kyle impersonate Elon Musk. I also learned a lot about various “explorers”, and got to revisit our fantasy unit from last year while researching Alice in Wonderland.

Now, that being said, I still think I have some further work to do with this goal. I’d still like to improve my attitude and be more optimistic about work. However, I want to shift my focus to a new goal (or, in a way, an old goal): working on developing my interpersonal skills. While I have no trouble with public speaking, or speaking in a formal setting like in a debate, I do sometimes get anxious having to speak directly with people I don’t know very well, especially in professional settings like a job interview. This is a goal I’ve worked on in the past, but because being able to communicate with people is such a vital skill, and considering I think it needs more work, I want to revisit it for the upcoming year, especially as I approach the senior years of high school.

Toodles!

Hello, Internet.

So it’s time for another mPOL (Or SLC if you prefer). This time around, we’re focusing on the question “How are you going to progress as a learner before the end of the school year?”.

Before I can look at how to progress, however, I have to take a look back at the work I’ve already done this year.

We have five PLP classea this year: math, science, maker, humanities and planning 10. We’ve done various projects across those subjects, but I’m going to focusing on a few of them.

One of the places that I’ve been struggling this year has been scimathics. I haven’t had trouble with the material, but I’ve found it awkward to adjust to a style of learning math and science that requires you to be able to apply those skills to other things, or to draw upon other skills during projects and assignments. While it makes sense to do these things, especially in PLP, I’m someone who prefers to have math and science tests, or at least a more even mix of tests and projects, rather than just projects, and I haven’t been enjoying the class that much. I also feel, however, that I’ve been slacking in those classes; doing sloppy work on projects that confuse me, or handing in assignments late, both of which are things that I don’t want to do this term.

One project that I actually really enjoyed, and felt I did well on this term was the Social Justice podcast, in which my group focussed on Indigenous Rights. What I wanted to do originally for this project was a different subject, and I was disappointed not to be able to have my first choice, but when I got over that and started putting effort and energy into the project, I ended up learning a lot, and I felt proud of the work I was doing. Feeling good about the work I was doing made it enjoyable, so I kept on doing well.

A project we’re currently working on is Destination Imagination. This has been something that I’ve found to be stressful in the past, and that I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this year. We’re in a stage of DI that requires going through some paperwork and doing some research, and it has been stressful, as per usual. However, that may be at least in part due to my own attitude towards and experiences with DI, and not the actual work itself.

Which brings me to the answer to my question: the way that I want to progress as a learner this year is to learn how to adapt, roll with the punches, and change my attitude about things even if they’re not exactly what I want. If I focus on changing my own attitude, instead of worrying about the things that I can’t change, I’ll have a better chance of being happy with the work that I’m doing.

Toodles.

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.

So.

*insert suspenseful music here*

It’s time.

The moment you’ve all been waiting for.

The Student-Led Conference.

The SLC is sort of like a parent-teacher interview, except presented by a student. So basically, I have to talk about some of the  work I’ve done this year. Specifically, three things: my quilt project, my Julius Caesar skit, and Destination Imagination.

So first of all, my quilt project. This was a project where a group of students wrote a story, and then each student made a quilt square to represent part of the story. The quilt my group made told the story of a girl called Cordelia, who was in a plane crash and transformed into a part-fish-part-human creature, then started a community in the Bermuda Triangle.

This is my quilt square, which depicts Cordelia in her new life in the Bermuda Triangle, with Poseidon watching over her, and her community in the background. If you want the full story, check out my blog other post about the quilt project.

Second of all, a project that didn’t go so well: my Julius Caesar skit. This was supposed to be a rewrite and performance of a scene from Julius Caesar (in this case act 5 scene 5, Brutus’  death) in a modern setting. My group decided to have the scene be a fight between two gangs, and the suicide of one of the gang members. The idea was good, and the rewriting the script went pretty well, but when it came time to perform, we were unprepared; we didn’t have the props we needed and we were stumbling through lines and blocking. As much as I would have preferred this project to go a lot better, I think I learned a lesson from it: make sure you’re prepared, and practice if you have a performance.

Finally, Destination Imagination. This was a project that required a lot of patience and flexibility, both things I don’t always have a lot of. It involved writing and performing a mystery story set before the 1990s. Our mystery story was a murder set in a disco in the 1970s. Probably the most difficult part of creating the skit was factoring in a “techniclue”, a technical element to help solve the mystery. We had to rewrite or edit the script several times to eventually get it to work out. What was also problematic was when it turned out we couldn’t get one of the props we needed, a mannequin. However, I came up with the solution of using a model head that I had made priorly,  and the group as a whole came up with the idea to use a sheet and various items underneath the sheet to look like the rest of the body.

That about wraps up the work I needed to discuss, so…. Yeah.

Toodles.

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