32Q Reflection of First Semester:
3 things to celebrate:
- In the past, my confidence in math has been pretty low. Ever since middle school, I was put in a lower level math class because I didn’t have a high enough test score for an advanced math track. I told myself my intelligence was based on a test score. Something changed for me this year. It was the first time I was able to choose to take an advanced math class. I was no longer placed in a class that didn’t challenge my brain or fuel my passion for learning. I was finally able to push myself to the potential I know I had. In the assignment given in Hannah’s class at the beginning of the year, “Why pre-calc?” I talk about my strengths in math. One specific strength I pointed out was my ability to pick up skills quickly and if I can’t, to stay motivated until I master them. This is something I believe I have done extremely well in this year in math. I have never enjoyed going to math or doing assignments as much as I do in this class. I account this to discovering the potential in myself, even through challenges and fulfilling that potential when I persevere through them. I definitely celebrate my past semester, and I look forward to another amazing semester of math.
- A big change in my life this semester has been going to the gym almost every day. I have seen such a big change in myself physically and mentally. Physically I have grown stronger, and every day I see a difference in myself and the limits I can push myself to. It has helped me in volleyball immensely. Although I have seen a physical change, the biggest change I’ve experienced has been mental. My mindset about my body and staying healthy has never affected me as much as it does after a semester of working out every day. I have become more aware of what I put into my body and what things can harm me in the long run. I have been motivated to make healthier choices because I feel I have a responsibility to live up to the work I am putting in every day. My future is another thing that has been affected by this change in my life. Evidence of this happened just a few days ago when someone asked me what I wanted to do for my LINK internship. Last year, my answer would have been shadowing surgeons at a local hospital. My answer the other day was that I was planning on interning with a physical therapist or nutritionist. I have never thought about a career in this field, but my experiences this semester really fueled a passion for it. I think that is definitely something to celebrate.
- There’s a quote I created for myself around the 7th grade that says “Change is only good with acceptance.” Before my freshman year, I went through a big change. I moved from Atlanta, GA to Durango, Colorado. I don’t know if there was a definitive moment that I accepted Durango as my home. All I know is that I have never been surer of anything. This semester I finally became sure of it. My first year at Animas was a transition. I was leaving my old world and entering my new one. I was meeting new people, learning this new place and getting used to a way of life I had never experienced. This semester I didn’t feel that I was in a new world anymore, I was home. Durango had finally become my home. In my Personal Hero’s Journey writing piece in Shane’s class, I write “The skyscrapers that I was so used to seeing in the city landscape felt so small compared to the mountains I now called my home.” I have many things to celebrate this semester, but this is definitely the most life-changing one.
2 Areas for Growth:
- Something that really took a toll on me emotionally was putting other people and their needs before myself. This is something I’ve always done but it created a significant conflict for me this semester. My experience in humanities this semester is a strong piece of evidence for this. I was excited coming to humanities this year, and I had a vision of how it was going to go. As the semester went on, I realized how that vision had changed. I was struggling to thrive in the classroom environment and to be challenged academically. Even though I was struggling, I realized how much my peers had fallen in love with the class and the teacher. I was torn. My peers, including some of my best friends, were talking about school in a way I had never heard before. I saw a passion for learning and the last thing I wanted to do was take that away from them. I was afraid that if I said something, they would suffer. I gave up what I needed to be successful, for what I thought they needed so much more.
- This semester was definitely a busy one. My time this semester was spent doing school work, playing volleyball, and going to the gym. With the exception of 1 or 2 people, I spent little to no time with any of my friends. I found myself putting off activities I normally did because I was too tired, or canceling plans because I was too busy. An example of a time this happened was the day of my Youth Group bonfire. I planned to go spend a few hours having fun with my best friends, but when the day came around I had too much work to be able to go. This really took a toll on me. My relationships with some of my best friends were being destroyed and I felt like it was all my fault. I wasn’t prioritizing them. I felt guilty every time I saw them. I felt as if I was betraying them. So many of my relationships need to be rebuilt, and next semester my goal is to prioritize them.
1 Question to Ponder:
- What steps should I be taking right now to prepare for my future?
- Ever since I was 10 years old, all I wanted to do was become a doctor. Even before that, I wanted to help people. I have always had a vision for how I want my life to turn out, but my experiences this semester and the past year have really thrown me a curveball. My ideas, beliefs and skills have changed. As I go into this next semester, I want to think about what I want my future to look like now, and what I can do now to prepare myself for that future.