I look back at my past work and see a sheet of hard work, perseverance and dedication staring back at me, but now I ask myself, how can I improve and progress by the end of the year? Or in other terms, where do I go from where I stand as a learner now? This blog is all about how I plan to grow my learning from now, to the end of the year (kind’a like a “school years” resolution!😉).

The first half of this school year has been an uneasy journey. I like to image this journey as a river (just like the title of my blog!) that I am riding through. And just like a river, I encounter some rapids and choppy times as well as some occasional downfalls that, in a way, are similar to a waterfall. But, like a waterfall, things usually smooth out afterwards and something amazing comes out at the end of this rough journey. This is the story of my Journey Through the Process.

Heading out on my journey through high school

Hitting a few waves along the way

The river journey started at the beginning of the school year where I was the new “fresh meat” and had no idea what kind of river I was about to step into. I was soon way over my head with work. Luckily, I was well prepared for high school thanks to my elementary teacher, but had never experienced “Maker” before, which was something completely new to me. Because it was new, I didn’t do so well at first and regardless of my hard work, perseverance and numerous drafts, my selfie growth mindset poster was not my best work and quite a few pieces of the project, such as my photo was handed in late. Since then, I have worked hard to accomplish high quality work in all my subjects. I showed dedication to school, and if it meant missing a sports practice or dance class, then it had to be done. But cutting outside of school activities ended up being worth it in the end. And now, I plan to work hard and try my best to stay focused during class so that I use the most of my class time and complete all my work. And then, my group and I, will bring home the win at D.I.

Beside having a focused mindset in class, I also really feel that it is important for me to have a positive mindset. This goes for all subjects and projects whether I like them or not. I believe that having a positive attitude at all times will greatly increase my focus, work habits and work quality as well as make me a better group member and peer.

Ridding Smoothly

Hitting my first waterfall

And so after my downfall and slow reclimb in “Maker”, my academic river smoothed itself out, but, it was only a short period of time before I hit my next big waterfall. I took my good work habits from that I then developed from my first experience and applied it to my Humanities work. Because of this, I was able to complete a very good Oregon business ad that I am very proud of. However, once Star Wars came up and was assigned, everything went downhill again to the point where I had to miss my other commitments to keep up. I was already behind due to sickness and had so much research and type ups that needed to be done. In fact, this rough current I was going through was so big, that I hit my waterfall which resulted in tears and major break down. It took me a while to gather myself and get me back on track, but I came up with a timeline which I made to help me keep on track, manage my time and most of all, to ensure that my work was done and to relieve me of stress. I learned a lot from this experience and know that I have a second shot at it coming this spring. For next time, I hope to avoid major waterfalls and keep to the smoother root meaning managing my time and assignments accordingly as well as making a time line and dividing my work up. I also hope to stay organized and know exactly what needs to be done and when the check in dates area. This will help me avoid getting off track or handing things in late.

Lastly, my past work such as my Business Ads, Star Wars Project, Maker Project, Worldview Infographic and all my past assignments reflect me as a learner. I see my hard work and perseverance, but also the stress and anxiety that goes on behind the scenes that parents and teachers don’t see. I know the work that goes into just a short type up or simple ad and poster. And knowing what goes into my work, I cannot help but feel proud and see myself as a hard working and dedicated learner. But, where I see myself now, and where I wish to be by the end of the school year is a long ways. I hope to continue to grow my learning by applying my past experiences to my current work to make sure that mistakes I made in the past, are not made again.

Now that I look back at my past work, there are many projects I feel proud of and are happy to show others and share. But there are also assignments that I know could have been a lot better and see many ways I could improve. As I continue down my river of school, I want to improve, take risks, try new things and move on, but never want to forget my past experiences. For who knows? I just might learn something from my past accomplishments and failures. But now I ask, how can I take my failures and work hard to learn from them so that I can recognize them as just another opportunity to improve and try again?