After a long and rather arduous month of testing, project-ing, and most certainly not sleeping, I decided to take a break from talking about CAS, and instead I slept and skied in the wonderful Rocky Mountains. It was lovely, thank you for asking!
As I pondered my existence while riding down the mountain on my skis (actually, I didn't do that, but it sounds like something I might do eventually), I decided that my next post about CAS would involve creativity, mostly my affinity for singing and music in general.
While I am no Bach or Mozart, and I certainly have forgotten the rudimentary knowledge of music reading that I was once taught in middle school, I really enjoy partaking in musical events. Now, dearest IB Gods, I know you want to ask me something along the lines of, "But what learning outcomes have you achieved through singing?" However, rather than answer that question, I'm going to begin with why I love music so much. This is my blog/CAS project, and I shall do as I wish.
Music, to me, is something universal that transcends culture, race, or language. Mood can be determined from the beat and sound of a song, from the way the artist chooses to meld certain instruments and vocal ranges into one cohesive unit. Also, I can definitively say with one hundred percent certainty that there is a song somewhere out in the world for quite literally every mood, life event, and personality type on the planet. No matter what happens to me in my daily life, I know I can go home and find a song somewhere that will either mirror my mood, make me feel better, or some combination of the two. In this way, music is like therapy. I can always return to my favorite song when everything else in my life seems to be falling apart.
Now, for the first of what may be many (or few) learning experiences related to music. In my specific case, my musical talent is concentrated in singing, which I started doing in a performance setting two years ago. One of the learning outcomes I feel I have really hit on for this activity (Creativity, in case any of you IB Gods got lost in my rant) has been Objective 2, Undertaking New Challenges.
Before I started singing in a public setting, I had never, ever before thought to sing on stage in front of an audience. Even during the brief period of time when I participated in organized religion, I would not participate in the choir or any other singing group. The prospect was simply daunting. Then, one day during my sophomore year, I decided to participate in the talent show my National Honor Society hosts every spring. I auditioned, made it into the show, and I suppose the rest is history. Now I do the same show every spring, and occasionally will try out for something else just to make sure I'm trying new things regarding singing, and with the secret childish hope that an obscure record label will be in the audience and will think I'm brilliant and sign me to their label. But, that hasn't happened (yet!). All in all, singing really has brought me out of my shell and forced me to try something new every once in a blue moon, while still allowing me to hide in my shell when I need a moment to myself.
I suppose that's all for now! Get some sleep, and make sure to work off all those extra calories from the holidays!!!
Jordy
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Onward and Upward
Today in Invisible Children (if curiosity of what Invisible Children is totally overcomes your mind, visit the link to the right, their website will enlighten you), I began the arduous process of enticing young freshman minds to join us in our quest to save the world (a naive and romantic notion, I know). Since this presented such a wonderful opportunity for me to think on my journey through the club over the last four years, I decided to write my carefully thought out and obviously well done reflection here, as an attempt to further my CAS experience.
I've often thought how I have grown because of my extensive participation in Invisible Children, and the first realization that came to me as I was intently watching the hugely inspirational informational video was that I would never have become so involved in service activities (one of three required types of activities , if I had not been a complete and total loner for almost the entirety of my freshman year. In joining Invisible Children, I may have completely defined the series of events in the next four years of my life. Over the last two years, I have truly taken a leadership role, and watched as I traveled the roads of the many of the learning objectives as set down by the IB Gods.
One such learning objective - plan and initiate activities - was one of the more expected learning objectives related to Invisible Children. To be honest, the majority of the activities we do require an immense amount of planning and initiation. As much as we would like all the cards to fall into place without outside help, gargantuan book drives and fundraisers with immense goals will not and can not organize themselves, so we must do the work to see our ideas come to fruition. However, the most impressive activity I helped to bring to life was the teacher exchange we participated in last year. We raised more than $2,000 in less than three months to fund the travel and lodging for a Ugandan teacher to spend two weeks in the US! Impressive, I know! In that activity, I learned that even in the face of insurmountable challenges, it is possible to break the metaphorical brick walls facing us and reach a goal which can benefit the greater good of the world.
Overall, my experience in Invisible Children has greatly influenced how I approach a planning situation in that I now have excellent planning and organizing skills, and I am extremely adept at coming up with ideas which, while original and fun, are also attainable ideas that can be organized in steps, without a last-minute rush to complete the set-up for a fundraiser, event, or whatever else I might be planning. In some ways, Invisible Children is probably the most rewarding and fun activity I do, because while I learn valuable life skills, I also participate in something I'm truly passionate about, which I think is something not many people have the ability to boast about.
For now, that is all I have to share with you as I travel this arduously long reflection process we call CAS.
May your day be filled with unicorns and rainbows!!!! :)
Jordy
I've often thought how I have grown because of my extensive participation in Invisible Children, and the first realization that came to me as I was intently watching the hugely inspirational informational video was that I would never have become so involved in service activities (one of three required types of activities , if I had not been a complete and total loner for almost the entirety of my freshman year. In joining Invisible Children, I may have completely defined the series of events in the next four years of my life. Over the last two years, I have truly taken a leadership role, and watched as I traveled the roads of the many of the learning objectives as set down by the IB Gods.
One such learning objective - plan and initiate activities - was one of the more expected learning objectives related to Invisible Children. To be honest, the majority of the activities we do require an immense amount of planning and initiation. As much as we would like all the cards to fall into place without outside help, gargantuan book drives and fundraisers with immense goals will not and can not organize themselves, so we must do the work to see our ideas come to fruition. However, the most impressive activity I helped to bring to life was the teacher exchange we participated in last year. We raised more than $2,000 in less than three months to fund the travel and lodging for a Ugandan teacher to spend two weeks in the US! Impressive, I know! In that activity, I learned that even in the face of insurmountable challenges, it is possible to break the metaphorical brick walls facing us and reach a goal which can benefit the greater good of the world.
Overall, my experience in Invisible Children has greatly influenced how I approach a planning situation in that I now have excellent planning and organizing skills, and I am extremely adept at coming up with ideas which, while original and fun, are also attainable ideas that can be organized in steps, without a last-minute rush to complete the set-up for a fundraiser, event, or whatever else I might be planning. In some ways, Invisible Children is probably the most rewarding and fun activity I do, because while I learn valuable life skills, I also participate in something I'm truly passionate about, which I think is something not many people have the ability to boast about.
For now, that is all I have to share with you as I travel this arduously long reflection process we call CAS.
May your day be filled with unicorns and rainbows!!!! :)
Jordy
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
From Small Beginnings Come Great Things
As I reach the end of my time in the International Baccalaureate Program, I find myself wanting to do more than a standard, run-of-the-mill essay to reflect upon and evaluate my time executing creativity, action, and service (CAS). And with that, I have decided to post my experiences here, on the internet, so all who choose to enter these slightly questionable and most certainly certifiably insane pages may travel the journey of CAS with me, and hopefully stay beyond these few months of quiet reflection and into the great unknown that is the future. With that, the journey into deep thoughts, fond memories, and many posts begins here.
As per the directions from the higher beings (the faceless people myself and others in the IB so fondly call the "IB Gods," hereafter named so), I will spend my time here reflecting on how my time in the IB has allowed me to increase awareness of my strengths and areas of growth, undertake new challenges, plan and initiate activities, work collaboratively with others, show perseverance and commitment in my activities, engage with issues of global importance, consider the ethical implications of my actions, and finally, develop new skills. These eight points, from here on to be known as "learning outcomes," (or "lobster outfits," depending on whether I happen to be in an especially sarcastic or humorous mood) will be the focus of my impending reflections.
At this time, you have been briefed to the extent which your security clearance will allow. To gain a higher level of clearance, I suggest a hot cup of tea, cocoa, or coffee, and a few chapters of a nice book. Then, we will discuss a higher security clearance.
Until then,
Jordy
As per the directions from the higher beings (the faceless people myself and others in the IB so fondly call the "IB Gods," hereafter named so), I will spend my time here reflecting on how my time in the IB has allowed me to increase awareness of my strengths and areas of growth, undertake new challenges, plan and initiate activities, work collaboratively with others, show perseverance and commitment in my activities, engage with issues of global importance, consider the ethical implications of my actions, and finally, develop new skills. These eight points, from here on to be known as "learning outcomes," (or "lobster outfits," depending on whether I happen to be in an especially sarcastic or humorous mood) will be the focus of my impending reflections.
At this time, you have been briefed to the extent which your security clearance will allow. To gain a higher level of clearance, I suggest a hot cup of tea, cocoa, or coffee, and a few chapters of a nice book. Then, we will discuss a higher security clearance.
Until then,
Jordy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)