As I write these words this day, May 22nd, I am well aware that 200 million people, "true believers" supposedly went to heaven yesterday as said by the messenger of god Harold Camping. That though, was not the true end, the world will be destroyed on October 21 2011, apparently, as said by Mr Camping. Mr Camping once said the world would end in 1994, and we all know that happened.
What?
We're not talking about that?
Oh, errr.
The end of grade six you say.
Ok, let’s talk about that. Less exciting but more certain, and I like certain, it's very comforting, there's no doubt, no uncertainty. Just facts and... Now I'm rambling.
Back on topic.
I've been asked to answer a few questions about my past year. The first of which is this:
What piece of work and learning are you most proud? (sic)
My work is like my children, it's hard to pick favourites. Not really. I would say my imaginative narrative. When I look at it, I don't think of great storytelling, I think of a venture into a genre of writing which I had not previously explored. I had never really had the opportunity before to just write creatively, so I tried to use this one to the best of my abilities, which if you read it you will find out are not that high. There's a saying that it's the thought that counts and I think to some extent that's true, maybe it doesn't apply so much here, but I really valued this opportunity and this piece of work. I'm proud that I did this, as well as of all the knowledge I picked up along the way about writing stories.
Here's another question: What were your greatest challenges?
Now, I think there are two ways of looking at challenges; the first is that they are bad and that everything should be easy, the second, which I subscribe to, is that challenges are good for the experience that they give us in an area with which we are unfamiliar. The one thing this year that I believe exemplifies this thought is questions during literature circles. Though they were a pain and hard to think of, they gave me some time to think of new angles to look at a text from, and for that I love them. Albeit they took some time to think up, but they gave me a chance to analyse things in a way I had not done before, and for this I also love them. Though they were a challenge, they gave me something in return for the time they took from me, and for that I am thankful.
Another question: Reflecting on your growth this year, what did you learn about yourself as a learner?
This year we created a learning profile about ourselves which gave me a unique opportunity to look at the way I learn and how I think. Here's a quick summary: Listening to music is a good idea - as I am now. I learn best by looking at the details before working my way up to the big picture and for some reason I should sit at the front of the class on the right. I also found out through numerous presentations and speeches that I am relatively good at public speaking, a talent which I hope to use in the future. Does that have anything to do with being a learner?
Probably not, but I gained that knowledge while I was learning, so that has to count for something. It also tackles the growth part of the question which the first part does not. So there.
I now have to evaluate my work habits with these three possible grades to give myself: Needs Improvement, Satisfactory and Perfecto!
My behaviour was in my view satisfactory. There were some sudden outbursts which might need to be controlled in the future, but generally I thought I was pretty good. I, unlike others in my class, did not resort to physical violence even when it was used in some way against me; I just took it like a man while the other person looked sort of stupid afterwards.
My participation was in my view very good, bordering on too much. I would actively participate in class discussions and sometimes even provoke them myself. I would make points and ask questions when I thought they needed to be asked. Some other class members could be described as “mindless drones” (as one someone put it, perhaps ironically), who took the teachers’ word as gospel truth and who would do as told even if they were asked to do something, which in my view was unnecessary, without question. I would question and ask why something had to be done, for if it's not necessary to my learning, why should I do it?
Organisation is an area in which I need help from those around me. I do try to do my homework but I forget to do it sometimes and on occasion it may come in late. I will endeavour to use my planner more next year as it is built to be a tool to prevent such forgetfulness.
My effort is satisfactory bordering on great. As I said above, I don't like to do work I don't have to. Naturally I put less effort in to these projects as well as projects I don't enjoy completing. This is my own perhaps slightly peculiar way of telling myself that I am not a mindless drone.
I now need to think of two goals for next year. If you've read the above post, I think some of them are rather obvious. I need to work on my organisation. Completing and turning my work in on time will undoubtedly move grades in an upwards direction. Now I think just setting a goal is not enough, you must also put together a means to achieve this goal. I will use my planner in the way it was designed to be used. I will also frequently check Moodle in order to keep up with my workload.
My second goal is to try and look at things from new perspectives, not just the easiest and most accessible. I should listen to people more, to learn their own perspective and then compare it to my own. I will look at the pros and cons of each viewpoint before perhaps even changing my own.
Is there anything my future teachers should know about me?
I'd just like to say that I enjoy a stimulating conversation about current affairs and the major issues of our time. In other words I like politics and the controversy and discussion that surround it.
What was my favourite activity in Humanities this year? What did I enjoy about it?
There are two activities that I really enjoyed, and both for the same reasons. These are the Pharaoh iMovie and the Geographical Placement Powerpoint. The first reason I liked them is the medium through which they were expressed. It wasn't words on a paper it was something a little more creative and interesting, something that I had a little more control over. The second reason I liked them is that they were a lot more public than the average piece of work. With most work, only the teacher and I actually see it, as will probably be the case with this blog. With the iMovie and the Powerpoint, however, everyone in my class saw it. That was a great incentive for me to do good work.
What activity do you wish we had spent more time on?
I think the Imaginative Narrative was something that required a bit more time. It's not that often that I get the time to write creatively so I would have appreciated some more time to do so. After the narrative we went straight back into fact-based writing which is the norm at school, and I frankly can do with a little bit less of this style.
What words of wisdom or advice do you have for the upcoming sixth graders?
Challenge. Challenge yourself. Challenge your peers. Challenge your teachers. Challenge the world. Make'em think.
