Whether it’s in a classroom or in an extracurricular setting, working with others is a great way to get things done. There have been many times when I’ve successfully created something with a group. For example, during my senior year, I did a lot of work with the members of a club I was in. I joined the TAFE club during my freshmen year, and by my senior year I was the president. I had known some of the members all four years of high school and we became very close. We all had similar interests, and it just so happened that Halloween was one of everyone’s favorite holidays. Every year in October my high school did a trunk-or-treat party where all of the clubs get to decide on decorations for a car and passed out candy. In previous years, our club would often just buy little skull decorations and stick them on a car or do something similar. Although our car always got a good turnout, last year we wanted to do something a little different. We decided that we wanted to pick a theme and decorate it with handmade decorations. We landed on “Monster House” and got to work. Everyone in the club had a different role. Whether it was drawing, painting, or coloring, everyone did their share of the work. By the time we were done, it looked great, and our car was a hit at the party. It was amazing to step back and see how well it turned out, and how well everyone’s pieces fit together. Our group worked so well together because we respected and trusted each other. We were respectful of everyone’s ideas and what they wanted to bring to the table. We trusted each other with doing things and making sure it was done the correct way. It was wonderful being able to bond with the members of my club, and I’m still extremely proud of how well our project went.
Month: August 2023 Page 2 of 4
I dreamed of my senior night on the softball team since I was in the seventh grade. I had watched the seniors during my first year on the team get flowers, gifts, and recognition for all of their hard work and dedication to the team and to the school. When my senior night finally rolled around last May, our team was in unfortunate standing. In order to make it to the State tournament, every team needs at least ten wins and ten losses. On my senior night, we had nine wins and ten losses. This game would make or break our chances. I remember our coach sitting us down and attempting to give us a pep talk, but honestly, it didn’t help. It was her first year coaching us and while she did a good job, I didn’t find myself particularly motivated by her speech. However, two of my best friends were the team captains, and I am still convinced they were the only two who actually cared if we won this game. As we got closer to the start of the game, fans started crowding the bleachers at our local city field. I have never seen so many people genuinely excited to watch a softball game after all of my years of playing. The game was a nail-biter. Our defense was stronger than ever, but so was theirs. We played five and a half innings and the score was still zero-zero. I was about to go up to bat when my best friend/captain approached me and said “This could be your last time ever hitting.” Somehow, that really resonated with me. I approached the plate and prepared myself for whatever would happen. The crowd was silent as I swung the bat and launched the ball into center field, driving in three runs. Finally, the score was three to zero, and everyone was so excited about what had happened, that our team gained this unreal energy that fueled us to a win. But if we hadn’t worked as a group and supported each other in that game, or even during the season, I cannot say that that game would have had the same outcome.
I was at a Girl Scout camping trip and my group had to make our camp gate out of poles and ropes. This was an activity that required teamwork to be successful. What made it work was assigning roles to specific people so that everyone knew what they were supposed to do. If there were no roles, then either everyone would try to jump in with a specific job, or nobody would jump in. As an example, someone could hold the poles together, while another person lashed the poles together with rope. It was necessary to have at least one person stabilizing the poles otherwise the lashings would become very difficult and could end up loose. So even if holding the poles together seemed like an easy job, it was still an essential one. Although it may seem peculiar, one of the jobs was to tighten the rope every time the lasher wrapped it around the poles. This was to ensure that the lashing was at its absolute tightest. We could also take turns lashing and stabilizing the poles so that different people could have the opportunity to try different jobs. When it came to that time, someone could drive a stake into the ground and tie the rope to it to add extra stability. All while several other people were supporting the gate by its foundations, of course. By giving everyone a specific job, we were able to get the work done efficiently and successfully.
One of the successful experiences I had in making / creating / achieving something as a group would have to be my Eagle Scout Project. My project’s first stage was to scrub and wash a wood-shed, which is a component of the Oakley Farmhouse, a historical site dating back to the 1600’s. Afterwards it was freshly coated with a layer of white paint and primer, specifically chosen so that the farmhouse would be able to endure for future generations to come back and see the site. Additionally, there was a need to move several raspberry bushes growing along the shed to a secondary location on the property, so that they might be closer to the community garden. The historical site itself is home to several local historical groups and is used for wedding venues on occasion as well as a variety of other tasks. Besides the general up-keep of the site, the project also serves to supplement Elizabeth Oakley’s wish that the farm be preserved and saved for later generations to experience the farm. The project went at a faster pace than expected. Part of it was that we had a few more people than expected, who were very productive, which helped in terms of the rate. People who came along were very useful and compliant, quickly acting out upon my delegated orders. The scrubbing process went well, especially with the extra buckets brought along. When the preparations for handwashing and scrubbing became evident, using buckets from home, we filled them with water and added the algaecide. This allowed the team the team to work on multiple points of the wall and could be applied at the same time by different groups. The overall teamwork of the group went quite well in terms of chemistry, and the efficient and hard-working nature of the group was a big contribution. The moving of the bushes also went well and was completed by the time the scrubbers reached that side of the building, allowing them to continue uninterrupted. Although it was a group activity, it was an activity in which the presence of a designated leader in charge of delegation and management was essential.
My high school friends and I had talked about taking a trip to see a concrete arrow for months. The group of us bonded over our love for our AP US History class, and we knew that if we made it to a concrete arrow (used for aviation purposes after WWI, before GPS), our teacher would put the picture in his PowerPoint presentation and we would be immortalized forever in high school history lore! Eventually, we decided to go to an arrow that was two hours north of us. We found a clear Saturday and packed into my friend’s car, building the perfect playlist as we went. But when we arrived at the spot, we found that the arrow was in the middle of a military base, and there was no way for us to access it. So we drove home, continuing our playlist-building, and vowed to plan a trip to southern Utah, where we knew there was an arrow open to the public. But a month into the summer, we hadn’t actually done anything to accomplish our goal. Then, out of the blue, one person started taking control of things and started asking questions about the logistics of the trip – when everyone was available, who had a car that could fit us all, etc. We followed his lead, and started actively planning the trip. It required a sacrifice from all of us; Tyler had to settle for only one day of hiking, Mauree and Emily had to deal with cramped sleeping conditions, Sam had the job of keeping me occupied on the road, Alli missed an event back home, and I drove eleven hours in two days to get there and back. We each gave up something good – convenience, good beds, etc. – in order to have an even better total experience, one we had dreamed of for so long. And if somehow we grow apart now that we’re all scattered across the world, at least we’ll always be together in the picture our teacher will show his APUSH classes every year, and beyond that, we’ll always have the memories that we made with each other in southern Utah.
Every time you create a post on the blog, you need to select two categories: one is your name, and the second is the type of post you are adding. Is it a post to share before class? That is a prep note. Is it a reflection post after you have had a community based learning experience? That is “Experiential Reflection.” You can post a WordPress tip if you have one! You can also post something you think the whole class needs to know as Announcement.
But always always categorize it by your name too.
When you go back into the blog, you might notice that you can’t find that handy tool bar at the top of the blog that has the “+New” link.
Where is the admin toolbar?
If you don’t see it, that means you have gone into the blog from the front face and you haven’t logged into the WP system. To log in, you need to be at the dashboard. GO TO: blog.richmond.edu
Then in the upper right corner you can click to login. Once you are logged in, the bar appears.
As I was doing a bit in class, it can be helpful while you are getting used to the blog to have one tab open to the dashboard view and one tab open to the blog view.
We had 4 sessions together last week. Please put a comment to this post which tells 3 things you remember from the week (be as specific as you can)
Daily Class Notes.
From the syllabus, I learned we have to fully engage into the class – being a good speaker or a good listener. Being a college student, do something outside of the class is critical, including prepare for the next class or do some extra works.
How we gonna utilize our textbooks ( to improve our writing ability) are the question I am wondering.
Last Week we paired up to listen/tell stories to each others. I learnt a lot from the activity including how to be a good listener and how I can organize a story, make my story graphic, making people understand it better.
- One thing that will take some getting used to is the fact that we only have 7 assignments that we will be turning in for a grade. If you slack off on a couple of them and get a bad grade, your overall grade in the class is going to drop significantly.
- I feel it’s important to note that blog postings and informal writings will not be graded so just do your best and don’t worry about making every post perfect.