The year of rec-nights, talent shows, and silly group presentations. The year where homework didn’t figure on weekends. Most importantly, as the year where we still had no clue where we’d end up for the followings—and it was ok.
You see, I had netted a reputation in my family for being: 1. bright and 2. exceptionally hard working. I had put my heart into small crafty projects, even when I wasn’t asked to. I participated so actively in and out of class that, I was sure, the only reason I wasn’t elected as student of the month twice was because it wasn’t allowed. All of this dedication had earned me straight E’s in elementary, and so far, middle school had fallen into the trend.
But, along adolescence, came distractions. And along it, came an attitude. Suddenly, grades were not my thing; friends were. I got bad marks, because I missed the value in effort. I goofed around in classes, loudly defying “the language of instruction”. I “forgot” my PE uniform daily, and evaded all forms of homework. E’s became P’s, and I was completely fine with it.
Until midterms.
The tangible consequences? Well, making up for missed work, uncomfortable handshake conversations with my teachers and detention were only a few. But what the deal broke up into, really, was pulling my grades back up. The goal then, became acing enough assignments in order to do so.
On Monday, as MIDTERMS call for, we had IA feedback sessions; I received harsh feedback from my peers. Honestly, I saw it coming. Although I care for the IA the same, as I mentioned in my previous blog, I’ve slowed down my rate of work. I’ve allowed distractions—summer, mocks, and friends--get in the way of work ethic lately. I've been letting my culture slip.
Yet, what I've also realized--if I can still put it this way--is that I never-ever stopped playing the game, because If you think about it, I’ve continued to tick off the “rubric” for the IA:
I’ve completed work that’s required, even if it’s occasionally late. I’ve been physically present in class, and produced some ads and animations for BlendZ I'm proud of. I’ve been helping out with Babi’s marketing section, happily correcting others articles when they need it, and have continued to demonstrate style and audience sensitivity in my writing. I’ve also been engaged with my IBG and worked in the few complete class periods we’ve had out of the funky schedule.
So, why would I be disappointed? Was I mad at my cohort for being too direct? Not at all. In fact, I want to thank all of the IA peeps for the challenge; it shows you care for me, and for my growth. With that said, if there’s something you've all taught me, is that to earn your place as a respected team player, there's no such ending line to the “game”. This means you have to be CONSISTENT and be there, not only for yourself, but also for everyone else. You have to take ownership for all you do, positive and negative. If you disappoint someone--be it because you were not considerate enough to respond to e-mail, or return something you borrowed on time—you have to be upfront and willing to uphold those awkward handshake conversations that prove mutual respect. All of which are areas I need to work on. |
what I need to do to fix it:
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