Overall Reflection

In the past I acted based on my emotions and didnt understand the effects I could
potentially have on the lives of others; which has been changed. One criterion that the IB
Program has was the personal project. I decided to choose a topic that provided insight on a
global issue of athletics. Because of this I was able to makea positive deference in the lives of
others in the world around me.
There hasnt been a change in my ability to balance time. I understand the importance of
balancing different aspects of my life- intellectually, physically and emotionally- to achieve
well-being for myself and others. I recognize my interdependence with others and the world. The
fact that I am almost done my personal project, my academic results and my ability to participate
in extracurricular activities proves that I can balance my time extremely well.
I began this year with being close minded to change and trying new things. However, I
have progressed into a more open-minded person. The IB Program allowed me to gain new
appreciation on my own culture and the values and traditions of others. I am now comfortable
with being my own person and have found a group of people who are culturally diverse. Thus, I
believe I have greater insight on the world.
Reflection had been a trait that I was struggling with. I wasnt comfortable with
evaluating my work and didnt fully understand the benefits it would have on my work.
However, the design cycle used in business class allowed me to overcome this. I notice that there
is a great change from my first evaluation piece to the second one. I grew as a person and
become comfortable with personal criticism which resulted in understanding my strengths and
weaknesses which I use when confronting a new assignment.
Ive always been principled since I believed in acting with integrity and honesty, with a
strong sense of fairness, and with respect for the dignity and rights of people everywhere. I take
responsibility for my actions and consequences. My personal project supports this; I decided to
choose a topic that would educate others on the importance of equality. The acceptance into the
program shows that equality is one of my top priorities.
I have always been a thinker. I use critical and creative thinking skills to analyse, take
responsible action on complex problems and exercise initiative in making reasoned, ethical
decisions. My academic results have proven this since I always strive to find new ways to solve a
recurring problem. Once again my project contributes to this since I chose two creative ways
(mural and power point) to educate people.
I was unable to take risks. Now I approach uncertainty with forethought and
determination and work independently and cooperatively to explore innovative ideas. I became
resourceful and resilient when faced with challenges. Examples of this growth include
overcoming my fear of swimming underwater in gym class, an art piece in my project and
learning the basics of trumpet in music class. By the end of the swimming unit I was comfortable
with swimming underwater, I learned to appreciate the trumpet and enhanced my artistic
abilities. In conclusion, these accomplishments allowed me to take risks that are well thought
out.
My knowledge has significantly increased which includes the depth of my courses and
my experiences. I developed and use conceptual understanding and explore knowledge across a
range of disciplines. I also engage with issues and ideas that have local and global significance.
The design cycle and honour roll are perfect examples of this change. I now have better
understanding of the design cycle due to business class. Also, the knowledge acquired in each
course is proven by my academic excellence which is important to my growth in future years. In
conclusion, my knowledge will always increase since there are always new things to learn.
Inquiry has increased throughout the school year; I now nurture my curiosity, continue to
develop skills for inquiry and research. I know how to learn independently and with others and I
do this with enthusiasm and sustain my love for learning. My love for learning has stayed the
same but my skills have developed greatly. For instance, I wasnt excited to use the design cycle
however, I found that the investigate stage has allowed me to grow my love and skills for
research.
Communication has always been an issue for me; I didnt enjoy speaking in front of an
audience. However, I worked on this. The three experiences that helped me become comfortable
on stage were the countless English presentations, the Social Media presentation in business
class and my performance at the B.F.O.C.M. Each of these scenarios helped me understand that
its perfectly fine to be nervous when you are the centre attention but you must speak with
confidence. I believe that these three aspects helped me grow into a person who can fully
understand and express ideas and information confidently, creatively and clearly.
Community and service has been a growing factor since the start of the year. Helping out
with the Aerobathon and conducting a project on society and its role in athletics represent my
new knowledge on my impact on the world. Also, obtaining my required hours of community
service has given me a greater appreciation of the resources. Due to this, I successfully
understand and reflect on the value and impact my service has on the lives of others.
Human ingenuity has also been a growing process; I now explore in multiple ways the
processes and products of human creativity, thus learning to appreciate and develop my capacity
to influence, transform, and improve the quality of life. Examples of this include my personal
project and being a youth faith ambassador for 3 years. These experiences have allowed me to
educate myself and others on how to improve everyones quality of life, whether its through
athletics or community.
I have also grown in Approaches to learning; my organizational skills, study practices,
attitude towards work, collaborative skills, communication, reflection, problem solving and
critical thinking skills have all been improved through the year. This is evident through my hard
work and accomplishments and growth and stability in each of the IB Learner Profile
characteristics.
Environment is an area of interaction that I have been quite comfortable with. I always
consider and reflect on the impact human activities have on abiotic and biotic factors. I have
always been the type of person who watches my actions and is passionate about saving the
environment and educating others about the issue. I believe this is portrayed through my
participation in science and geography class.
My experience with Health and Social Education has been constant; I have always taken
physical, social and emotional health seriously to develop a healthy lifestyle. This is evident
through my project since it investigates all three areas (physical, social and emotional health).
Also, my participation with figure skating, dancing, skipping, and the Aerobathon contribute to
my understanding.