TPOL
Mr. Hillstrom
Mr. Hillstrom
Leaving an impact from something meaningful that you created is a very important part of being human. Your impact does not have to be very big, and may only impact a few people in a minimal way, but as long as you know that you left something behind that may be making somebody's life just a little better, and more meaningful, you made an impact. Making an impact may even mean impacting your own life, because some of the best impacts are the ones that we grow and change into a better person because of.
In the beginning of 8th grade, I thought that the meaning of impact meant something that had to be big, and had to impact the world, and everybody in it, but now I know that a small impact can be just as important and meaningful as an enormous one, it just has to impact the right person and place at the right time. Back then, I don't think that I really showed impact in a meaningful way. I probably impacted the way that some people thought, interacted, and lived, but most likely not in a particularly lasting way. Over the year though, I feel like I have started to impact myself, and others in better and more important and lasting ways.
Now, at the end of 8th grade, I have used impact in many more of my life experiences, school experiences and overall interactions with people. I hope to leave an impact with some younger students at mountain with my interactions with them. I have a very unique personality and I hope that the better aspects of it rub off on some of the people I meet in the future and the people that I have already met.
I think that a great example of me impacting myself and my personal growth is my internship. During my internship, I impacted myself by growing in my self confidence, and I impacted others by impacting their experience at the Smiley Cafe, which hopefully was a positive one. This year, our lens has helped me achieve higher levels of confidence in activities and interactions beacue it has made me strive to leave a positive impact with whoever I meet and interact with.
What does respect mean to me? Respect to me means showing that you care about someone or something and showing that you are aware of the circumstances that they are going through so that you can properly and kindly act towards them. Respect also includes things like listening attentively when appropriate, putting others in front of you when it will benefit them and others, and not criticizing people because of their appearances, disabilities (physical and mental), and beliefs.
What was my goal for respect at the beginning of the year? My goal for respect at the beginning of the year was to actively listen with eyes and ears while teachers are talking or classmates are presenting and while actively working in a group with others.
Did I grow in my use of respect over the year? I think that I have grown a ton in this specific area of respect because I have grown in my awareness and maturity to the extent that I can develop new and useful tools to do so. The tools I used to grow in this area are awareness and observation, which were used when I noticed my peers around me doing the same as I was. While doing this, I observed the reactions that people had to this form of disrespect and thought about past reactions that people had to me doing this. This helped me realize that I should change how I interact with some people and think more about what I am doing before I do it.
What is my goal for respect in the future and how will I work towards it? My goal for respect in the future is to think before I act so that everything I do has been carefully considered before I do it, this will guarantee that any statements and comments I make to anyone about anything will not hurt their feelings or disrespect them in any way. I will work towards this when I pause before commenting and rephrase it to make sure it is a respectful comment.
What does integrity mean to me? To me, integrity means doing the right thing when no one is watching and swallowing my pride to ask for help when I need it instead of trying to figure it out myself and make no progress.
What was my goal for integrity at the beginning of the year? My goal for integrity at the beginning of the year was to be honest about when I need help with a project or assignment.
Did I grow in my use of integrity over the year? I think that I have grown in my use of integrity this year because I have held myself accountable for any mistakes I have made while completing assignments and have found a solution through asking for help when I have needed it.
What is my goal for integrity in the future and how will I work towards it? My goal for integrity in the future is welcoming opportunities to hold myself accountable and be honest about mistakes that I have made to be assured that they will not hurt or affect anyone around me.
What does effort mean to me? To me, effort means pushing yourself past your limits and not giving up, even when you feel like you want to.
What was my goal for effort at the beginning of the year? My goal for Effort at the beginning of the year was to put more effort into accepting feedback gracefully and using it to actually improve my work, rather than simply accepting it and then ignoring it.
Did I grow in my use of effort over the year? I think that I have grown as much as I can in this goal with my independent and stubborn nature. My immediate response to feedback is defensive, because I feel like I am being judged, but I have slowly been training my brain to see it as helpful ideas that I can use to my benefit.
What is my goal for effort in the future and how will I work towards it? My goal for effort in the future is to give an receive feedback in a professional manner and use it to make my work the most it can be with diversity, creativity, and refinement. I will work towards this by doing what I have been, and actually looking and thinking about what feedback I recieve.
What does refinement mean to me? To me, Refinement means progressively making your work better through feedback and hard work.
What was my goal for refinement at the beginning of the year? My goal for Refinement at the beginning of the year was to use and accept feedback to make my work the best it could be.
Did I grow in my use of refinement over the year? I think that over the year, I have definitely started to use feedback more productively and especially to refine my work, I think that this has resulted in my work being more clean, professional, unique, and creative, because it has the combined ideas and feedback of many people at a time.
What is my goal for refinement in the future and how will I work towards it? My goal for refinement in the future is to take more time to not only use feedback to refine my work, but just to refine in general.
I am a reliable person that you can always count on. My attendance is very good, I only miss school when absolutely necessary, and try my best to let people know when and why I will not attend class when the need arises. When I work in groups, or even alone, I get started right away, and in groups, I may kick start productivity a little, but I never just take full control over the situation. When I notice others doing this, I try to remind them in the most respectful way possible, that they are working in a group, and should never push everyone else out and take over. I always get my work done on time, and never just give up on assignments, if I get a bad grade, I talk to my teacher and set up an agreement so that I can refine my work to get the best grade possible, and this has led to more success this year.
Being helpful is a very important part of respecting people. When someone asks for help, they probably really need it, so just help them out. It is a natural human reaction to feel really good after helping someone, whether financially, mentally, physically, or in any way possible. Some examples of me being helpful during my 8th grade year are my internship and math class. During my internship, I was a very helpful person, also shown my the fact that my main mentor (Kourt) called my "Chore Monkey" most of the time I worked there. In math class, I have helped some people that are still finishing math 1 since I already have.
Casey is an appreciative, thoughtful, patient, respectful, caring person that I look up to. Some of the best personality traits of Casey are that he holds himself accountable, he works hard and persistently, and he is incredibly polite and respectful to everyone around him. He is open to new ideas and experiences and takes everything in stride. The traits that I want to have of Casey's when I am older are his resolve, patience, all-around kindness, and just his easygoing and good-natured attitude.