Last week was a week packed with high levels of stress, where the week seemed endless. This week, I used the long weekend as a chance to catch up on everything I had to do. I have to confess that I feel like this weekend has been the most productive weekend of my life, in fact it has been the most productive time of my life. I managed to organize my workload efficiently while at the same time balance it with some free time to avoid stress.
I was amazed with how much work I managed to do in these five days; I did the same amount of work I would have been able to do in 2 school weeks. So I wondered, if I can work so efficiently at home, and I can’t at school, then why do we even go to school? I guess we all work at different paces and in different ways. In my case, I like it when I’m not pressured at all, this gives me more time to think deeper and analyze carefully without having to run. Also I can concentrate better when I work for long periods of time, when I get caught up into my work I hate to have to stop and work on another thing. That’s the thing with the MYP; there are SOOOO many deadlines and projects, that you can’t focus on anything. On schooldays I feel like my mind is overwhelmed with everything I’m forced to think about, that I can’t focus on anything at all, this slows down my productivity levels, and doesn’t permit me to produce quality work. I really like the idea of driving my own learning, it’s true, we all have different work habits and interest. When you drive your own learning, you have the freedom of learning the way you work best, and what you really want to learn. When driving your own learning it is essential to keep in mind that with freedom comes responsibility. You have to be mature and disciplined enough to make sure that you are pushing yourself to the fullest. For me that’s my greatest challenge.
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I came to the conclusion that the best way to approach the audience was to point directly to the heart. Like David Fischman told us on his presentation on Monday, a good presentation has to be like an archer. The arrow is the way you transmit the information, you have to phrase it in a way that is engaging to the audience, while at the same time simple and clear. The bull’s eye is the audience, you have to point towards the center, so that the information gets in straight and forward. Finally the bow is the media you use to entertain your audience. Even if your information is really interesting and complete, it is nothing without some kind of media that backs it up. Following these characteristics you are on your way towards a great presentation.
I struggle every time I have to write something, I feel as if my ideas where running out and my brain was shrinking; in fact I’m struggling now, I’ve been sitting in front of this computer for thirty minutes now and I couldn’t get ideas, this is why I decided to write about the problem itself. Earlier today I was planning my POL presentation, I thought and thought for hours, but I really couldn’t find a topic; nothing came to my mind. I was in a really frustrating position due to that I was there looking at a white page with absolutely nothing on my mind, while I watched as the topics where getting chosen, and it kept getting harder and harder to chose one now.
I entered the IA having doubts about weather this was where I should be or not; after the last three months here, I cannot think of a place where better. I’ve never felt such a belonging sense where so much trust is shared among the community; I’ve never woken up in the morning exited to go to school. So if you ask me, the IA is definitely the right fit for me. Today I got into a dilemma of weather I should drop the IA and enter the IB, or weather I should continue the IA. I usually hate thinking about the future and the decisions approaching me, it gives me a twitchy feeling in my stomach I try to avoid, but today it was inevitable. I felt like I couldn’t spend one more day without knowing where would I spend the next two years of my life. The thing is, I want to make the best of my years in school, benefit from every second I spend there; I want to be in reach of the best future possible, meaning the best colleges and jobs. So I started thinking in which program would I have more opportunities, with the IB, or the IA? I thought about this for the rest of the day, while that twitchy feeling in my stomach kept eating me inside. Reflecting back on my day I finally got it, I finally understood, that my future isn’t depending on the program I take, but on what I decide to make out of that program. It is such a relieving feeling to know that my future is in my hands and only my hands. Of course every great thing comes with a responsibility attached, if I want the best future possible, then I have to work my butt off for the next two years in which ever program I choose.
Its finally here, the project that we’ve been working for the last 8 months, is finally due today. I’m not sure if I should be relieved or worried. It’s so hard to measure your achievements, when it’s something that you’ve worked for so long. Personal Project is a Project with the purpose of finding yourself; follow a true passion, while showcasing all of the ATL skills and abilities that we’ve learned throughout our lives in the MYP.
Looking back in the last 8 months, I can see a lot of stress, this is one of the most stressful projects I’ve done in my life, or should I say the MOST stressful project I’ve done. I’m not saying stress is a problem, because after we all have to deal with stress in our lives. The thing is, doesn’t it sound ironic that this project is called personal project, and it’s supposed to be about finding yourself and following a passion, but at the same time we are overwhelmed with deadlines and specifications of what we have to do? I believe that there where so many expectations and rubrics, that the freedom from this Project was taken away. I myself can confirm that the stress and the pressure of getting a good grade was so big that people weren’t even focusing on doing what they love, but on writing a perfect report. When you are so overwhelmed with tasks you can’t focus on pursuing a passion or even expressing yourself the way you desire. This makes the Personal Project absolutely not personal at all, in fact it makes it fake. I have to confess, that this Project wasn’t what I was expecting, I thought I was going to have so much freedom, when actually the rubrics are pretty straight forward, I’m not sure if I did what I truly wanted to do. I question if I actually learned or if I was only doing what was needed to satisfy the specifications on the rubrics. So again I question, did I learn? |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
June 2015
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