Reflection

Fourth Grading: Finally!

Finally, the last grading period will pass. This means a number of days after, it’s graduation day!

Our topics this grading concentrated on Adobe Photoshop. It excites me a little because we already learned how to use it when we were in second year. It’s my dream to make stunning photos of my favourite KPOP BANGTAN BOYS. Parts and different tools of Photoshop were presented. Tutorials were flashed. And most of all, activities where our creativeness are tested were implemented.

Adobe Photoshop is intended to boost the imagination, the creativeness within the user. This grading made the goal for me. Thank you so much for teaching us Ma’am. I am very happy with the experiences.

My Dream My Future

Dreams: Hopes and Goals

Do you pay attention in how fast time goes by? Before we realize, time has passed by and all the dreams we had for our future have not yet come true. The reason is because our dreams are just dreams and haven’t yet become goals. Life is no Nintendo game. You live only once. Therefore, we must fulfill those precious one called Dream during the rest of our short Life.

Every since childhood there have been many hopes and goals for the future. Along with these two were aspirations. There was always hope for something. I could not imagine that one day I would have to tie those hopes into my future. I thought my hopes were just silly childhood dreams that would eventually fade away as the years would change. For hours I would just sit and ponder over different things. Adults would say things like “What do you hope to become when adult hood is reached?” My reply would always be “I want to be a millionaire.” Thinking it would just happen when I reached the “golden” age of eighteen, I never once thought about how I would become this rich woman. However, the older I became, the more I thought about hopes. The dictionary states that hope is a wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment. Knowing the true meaning of hope gave me an even stronger desire. The object of a strong desire or an ambition is an aspiration. From my hopes came an aspiration. I no longer wanted to be millionaire. I wanted to be a different kind of “rich” woman. I want to inspire others, to be their role model. My parents always taught me from the bible. One lesson always stands out, “when I was a child I thought as one and when I became a man, I put away childish things.” The time has come for me to plan a way to achieve this aspiration. Goals have to be made and kept.

“Live Your Values, Pursue Your Dreams, And Follow Your Passions”. This really implies the true ways we must do to have the best future life we could possibly have.

Change: It Starts with Me

Change for the better:

The reason things stay the same is because we stay the same.  For things to change, we must change.  ~ Eric Jensen

Lately, I have been struggling with the issue of change.  Specifically, I am looking at one area of our school that I believe has become a vicious cycle of despair for us students — homework.  Teachers assign it.  Students don’t complete it.  Grades drop.  Frustration levels rise.  It is a system that is not working.  My purpose in writing this post is not to address ideas related to my "homework” dilemma (although I would be appreciative of your suggestions). Instead, I would like to focus on reflection and change, and the role that a professional learning network plays in this process.

There are posts allude to an inherent danger in the change process…the tendency to assume that change begins with someone else.  It is so easy to believe that “we” are doing the right things and that it is “them” that needs to change.  Parents need to be more supportive.  The kids need to improve their attitude.  The state needs to give us more resources.  All of this may be true, but focusing on these types of statements, when it is evident that there is a need for change, excuses us from an important professional obligation — reflective practice.

This is where this discussion comes full circle.  Change begins with me. I am not going to rely on someone else to provide me with development opportunities as a student.  I am going to find others, through my learning, who will challenge my way of thinking, offer advice and suggestions, and share their ideas about what works in our schools and classrooms.

Are you willing to change?

This is not easy question — being brutally honest about our practices and commitment level can cause some discomfort.  In fact, I have spent a good part of the last several months scrambling to feel like anything is working, and believe me; I have been pushed and challenged on many problems.  But, I also know that meaningful change begins with me…and with you. For things to change for the better, we must change.