Hello to my lovely blog readers! I'm surely enjoying this holiday break, what about you guys?
I really enjoy this type of learning. In my school we are forced to do what the teachers have assigned, whether we like it or not. But in What’s the Story? there's a little more freedom. And I think that's where kids would benefit from. At my school kids have little freedom. That's what makes it so hard to learn. Especially if a kid doesn't enjoy the subject being forced upon them. Kids learn different ways. There is no “normal” way of understanding, they all are different. I know this because for me certain subjects are harder than others for me to grasp. Like math for an instance. But that's why I like this way of teaching better. The teachers and helpers at What's the Story really want to help you and take your time understanding. At my school it's a little harder with 24 kids each period, twice a day. And that's another benefit. Since there aren't a lot of students in What's the Story, all individuals can receive the time and help that they need in order to understand better. For example in the beginning Lauren, Colleen, Bob, and just about everyone wanted to help me understand better since I was the youngest. And that really helped me a lot because I didn't feel excluded from the older kids. So thank you all for doing that for me. ❤️ But believe it or not, there are some drawbacks that could occur with this type of learning. When kids are given too much freedom they might abuse it. And this could very well happen in What's the Story. For example, we have two weeks to complete a blog post, that's a lot of time to write 400-500 words. And that leaves a lot of open room for errors. But at my school we have a given date. No what if’s, ands, or buts about it. Honestly, that's really the only drawback I can think about.
I have grown a lot with What's the Story. And I'm not just talking about height (because I haven't grown at all) I'm talking about writing. Ever since I began What's the Story I have seen writing and everything in a different sense. For example, when we get the constructive criticism after writing these posts, I don't only try to apply them to just next week's post, I try to apply it to my school work. And this experience has helped discover who I really am as a learner. I am someone who has different strengths and weaknesses. Writing I like to think is a strength (I could be wrong) and math is a weakness. But I am also someone who likes to go fast. I don't enjoy reading directions. And when I go fast I don't always really grasp what I need to grasp, and this is why I have trouble understanding things. That's who I am as a learner. And with knowing these things about myself as a learner, I want to try to really slow down and take my time when I'm reading something or writing. I think that I will not only use these things that I have learned about myself as a learner, in the rest of this course but I will also use it in the classroom.
I really want to succeed. Not just because everyone says I need to but because I want to. I want to get into a good college. I want to get a good job. I want a successful life. And in order to do so I need to change do things and continue to do some things. I am really going to try harder to slow down and take my time. Not just rush through everything. I also am going to try to really pay attention. Sometimes when someone is talking about something that might not be really interesting to me, I will just space out and think about something else. But I am going to really try hard to not do that. But on a positive note, I think that there are some things that I do well that I need to just continue doing. For one, I am good at just talking. And I do it a lot. That's what makes it easier for me to have a casual and informal conversation on and off the paper. Not to toot my own horn, but I think also am very good at just answering questions. For some people it's hard to really understand the question and develop an answer to it. But for me it's really easy and I can answer in all sorts of ways. I can answer in a one page essay or one sentence. And I think that if I change those few things and continue with those few things, I will become extremely better!
Have a great rest of you're break guys! And Happy New Year!!!!!!
Lydia,
ReplyDeleteI love your positive energy and desire to succeed! You are such an amazing asset to this team and I just want to thank you for your hard work.
Happy New Year!
Colleen
Thank You so much! Happy New Year to you too!
DeleteLydia,
ReplyDeleteThis is a really inspiring post, for you, for me, for "What's the Story?". I'm moved.
Thank You for all your work, growth, and reflection,
-Tim
Thank you so much, I was happy to deliver.
DeleteHi there, Lydia! Thanks for your upbeat, humorous and thoughtful post. Wow, have your blogs come a long way! I said that last time, didn’t I?
ReplyDeleteHere are a few things I’d like to respond to:
"When kids are given too much freedom they might abuse it. And this could very well happen in What's the Story. For example, we have two weeks to complete a blog post, that's a lot of time to write 400-500 words."
I agree with this statement, and I’ve thought about it quite a bit. For me, reflecting on when I was a teenager, a structure like WtS? would be a lot easier than the traditional classroom setting. Specific expectations for essays and projects always seemed to slow me down. However, some of the “rules” and guidelines of the classroom bring important learning opportunities, too. That’s why I see WtS? as an excellent supplement to (but not replacement of) the classroom. As a student, I might have abused the generous time allowed by WtS? or not given something my all. However, as I think about those drawbacks, had I been given this opportunity during my middle school career, I hope I would have learned things that were being offered nowhere else. I hope that the freedom to explore, the pressure to make mature decisions, and the self-monitoring of this class outweigh the “looseness” that you mention. I’d also like to commend the fact that you are taking this class BY CHOICE with no guaranteed credit. You are doing this simply for the good of yourself…and that of others, of course, since your working on changing the world☺
"Ever since I began What's the Story I have seen writing and everything in a different sense. For example, when we get the constructive criticism after writing these posts, I don't only try to apply them to just next week's post, I try to apply it to my school work."
This is called transfer, and it’s one of the most important kinds of learning one can do. Transferring skills and learning means real-world application, which means that you are growing, not only as a student, but also as a person!
"Sometimes when someone is talking about something that might not be really interesting to me, I will just space out and think about something else. But I am going to really try hard to not do that."
I do this same thing. Your ability to recognize it at a young age is remarkable. I think the two of us have found an excellent New Year’s resolution – thanks for helping me think of one!
Happy 2016 to you, Lydia. I can't wait to see what the months ahead bring to this project.
All the Best,
Courtney
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my post and comment on it. I enjoy reading your nice, kind words. And I am glad to have helped you with finding a new years resolution. Happy New Year
DeleteHi Lydia.
ReplyDeleteIt is dazzling to me how your writing has grown since we began this project. You are anticipating questions the reader may have and then answering them. My hunch is that your writing "self talk" has developed through these many writing opportunities. Additionally, I think seeing the other DCF group members writing has given you a natural challenge. You are being inspired by your group members' writing and their writing skills are rubbing off on you! This project is like a one room school house where older students can inspire the (youngest!) you. This is fabulous.
One strength of yours is your conversational writing style and your strong writing voice. As I was paging through to find you in the DCF blog, I immediately knew this was your post because of your breezy and informative writing style. This is a gift that I hope you'll hold on to as you continue to write in the future. I know that when we write academically we sometimes are required to be formal, but I hope that in your effort to do well you will hold on to how you sound like -you!
I want you to re-read this quote -"But I am also someone who likes to go fast. I don't enjoy reading directions. And when I go fast I don't always really grasp what I need to grasp, and this is why I have trouble understanding things. That's who I am as a learner." It is not a negative quality to go fast. One of the tricks of being a student and also a professional of any kind is to try to determine what amount of effort a task requires. Good questions to ask yourself before working on something is "How much work do I think this will require?" Additionally, it's fair to ask "What is my buy-in on this project?" and "What do I hope to get out of this experience?" Now I may be sent to teacher jail for saying this, but for most students their middle school and high school classes require them to be generalists. That is, to achieve your goal of getting into a good college you will need to do well in ALL your classes. Once you are in college, however, you'll start specializing in more classes that are your choice. The passion you have for learning a more specific content will fuel the work you are doing. I also want to put a plug in for not type casting yourself as liking one subject more than another. Often a talented teacher will help you see the beauty of a subject you might not think is "true Lydia." We need women in fields that rely on math as a component. You, with your questions and drive, could do really well in them! You are so "not done" yet - the growth you are making is showing in your work here.
Okay - that's enough for now. Enjoy that transition back to school and we'll talk soon.
Laurie
'
Thank You so much, I think that its neither a curse or a blessing. Me going fast is just something I do. And I have tried to apply it in the right spots. Like on the basketball court versus the Language Arts room. And I think Bob has seen a change in my Language Arts class. Talk soon
DeleteHi Lydia,
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear that you had a nice break. Mine was lovely and full of adventures with old friends!
It is refreshing to see that you are really making the most of, “What’s The Story?” and are taking the time to reflect on how it is changing your life in other ways. I don’t think I was as mature as you when I was your age. Keep it up - you will only become wiser and more curious the older you get and that is exciting, if a bit overwhelming.
When I read your post the line that stood out to me was when you said,
“For one, I am good at just talking. And I do it a lot. That's what makes it easier for me to have a casual and informal conversation on and off the paper. Not to toot my own horn, but I think also am very good at just answering questions.”
I can relate to this and am very similar. This is more important and more of a gift than you realize. Being a conversationalist, someone that can strike up conversation with just about anyone, will allow you to learn from other people and better understand different cultures as a result. Also, humor disarms people (you seem to have good sense of humor) and makes them more comfortable and more willing to open up and be less guarded. This is good because you learn more from them and about where they are coming from and things of that nature.
This can help you in every facet of life; from schoolwork to conducting interviews (which I suppose can overlap) because you will never stop learning and understanding where people are coming from. Of course, in order to do this you must be willing to listen and actively attempt to learn from everybody and every conversation.
For example; I am a pretty serious fisherman and I fish as often as I can. And, as someone that didn’t come from a fishing family, I relied on my ability to talk to strangers (fellow fishermen) to gather as much information on streams, flies, lures, fish, local history, trends, etc., as possible. The result being that I am a very well informed fisherman with wisdom beyond my thirty years and I owe it all to my natural curiosity and my gift of gab (ability to speak well.)
Anyway Lydia, keep up the talking and next time you speak with someone new, try to notice how your natural gift puts the person at ease and how it allows you to learn more about the person and their situation.
Thank you so much, I appreciate you reading and commenting on my post. And I really, truly do think that talking is a skill. I know people at my school who would rather die then do a presentation in front of the class.And I enjoy doing that sort of thing. I think that talking is something that people develop over time or may never develop. And I am going to use my ability to talk as a gift.
Delete