I have demonstrated mastery of Standards 2 & 6 within my Fairy Tale Writing Piece as well as my first Blog Post.
Standard 2 involves various aspects of successfully composing nonfiction, which I demonstrate partially within my blog post, but primarily through my analytical fairy tale writing piece. Through my blog post, I meet the standard in Learning Target 2.A.because at first, I did not achieve mastery for my writing. However, after the necessary edits and revision, I was able to successfully master the given task of composing a well-written blog post.
As for the fairy tale writing piece, I start it with the topic sentence “Through the complex lens of moral criticism, the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella’s tale depicts the inherent nature of good vs evil with insight to the rewards and repercussions of one’s morality.” This sentence addresses Learning Target 2.C. because through it, I develop a compelling claim to introduce my writing. I also clarify that I will be focusing on the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella, and that the analysis will be conducted through the lens of moral criticism. Additionally, I use my topic sentence as a thesis statement that helps to guide the rest of my essay which addresses Learning Target 2.F. The consideration of “good vs evil” in my introductory claim creates two notable topics of discussion within my writing. The first paragraph considers the positive consequences of being good, as seen in the concluding sentence “Hence, the Brothers Grimm successfully pervade a moral criticism within the tale by illustrating Cinderella’s happy ending as a result of her morality and righteousness.” Meanwhile, the second paragraph, which begins with the sentence, “Furthermore, the Brothers Grimm adaptation of Cinderella conversely illustrates the repercussions of immorality through the antagonists of the story,” demonstrates the negative effects of evil. These sentences help convey to the reader the specific focus of each paragraph, relative to the grand scheme of the introductory thesis. Furthermore, I meet the standard in Learning Target 2.G. through my concluding sentences, “Therefore, the Brothers Grimm simultaneously convey the favorable outcomes of morality as well as the detrimental outcomes of immorality within this critical tale. They do this, in part, to influence society in such a way that promotes righteousness and virtue.” The first sentence serves to extend my claim, while the second makes a prediction based on the evidence throughout the piece and provides a call to action by considering the authors’ purpose for writing their tale. Moreover, my composition serves to analyze the Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella through the specific lens of moral criticism as a means of illustrating socio-political consciousness. This, thereby, demonstrates mastery of Learning Target 2.H. because I discuss both the favorable and detrimental consequences of morality and immorality, respectively. For example, I consider a good Cinderella, whose eternal virtue results in her happy ending; and in direct opposition, her evil stepsisters, whose apparent vices bring about their misfortune. The sentence, “Individuals with good intentions and benevolence in their heart will always prevail against those who carry darkness within them” serves to generalize this moral criticism. Finally, by adding depth to my writing, I meet the standard in Learning Target 2.I. Within the sentence, “Plato believed that if art does not teach morality and ethics, then it is damaging to its audience,” I analyze the significance of perceiving the tale through a moral criticism lens by depicting the necessity behind grasping the inherent lesson and the consequence of failing to do so. The following sentence, “The Brothers Grimm consider this idea within their tale by imparting a lesson of virtues vs vices through the lens of moral criticism,” serves to consider the specific reason the Brothers Grimm had for telling their story in this way.
Standard 6, as well as some overlapping components of standard 2, demonstrate various criteria for employing grammar, style, mechanics, and vocabulary, which I successfully master through both my fairy tale writing piece as well as my first blog post. In both my fairy tale writing piece and my blog post, I use transition words such as “furthermore,” “later,” “additionally,” “therefore,” etc. These words serve to guide the reader throughout my writing and logically begin new paragraphs to help the flow of my ideas, thus demonstrating mastery of Learning Targets 2.B. and 6.A. Additionally, sentences such as “Moreover, in addition to the wickedness they expressed on the surface through the torment they directed at Cinderella, they also exhibited vices within themselves, particularly in regards to their vanity” (fairy tale writing piece) and “Currently, I find myself to be very stressed and under a lot of pressure, such that I sacrifice necessities like sleep in order to do work I could have avoided if only I managed my time better” (first blog post) meet the standard in Learning Target 6.B. This is demonstrated in my ability to use a variety of sentence types to develop my own writer’s style and voice. Furthermore, I successfully demonstrate the range of my vocabulary by avoiding a reliance on repetition and simplistic words, thus achieving mastery in Learning Target 2.E. and 6.D. For example, this is seen in both my fairy tale writing piece and my blog post through my use of words such as “malevolence,” “tumultuous,” “meticulous,” etc. Additionally, the sentence, “Her innate ethics help her maintain her good disposition in spite of all the wickedness around her,” in particular, serves to demonstrate the paradoxical nature of Cinderella’s inherent virtuous character amidst a surrounding evil. Lastly, I achieve mastery of Learning Targets 2.D. and 6.E. within sentences such as “She proclaims, ‘Dear child, if you are good and say your prayers, our dear Lord will always be with you, and I shall look down on you from heaven and always be with you’ (Brothers Grimm 117). This heavy declaration scratches the surface of a deeper lens that considers morality as a deciding factor in the circumstances of an individual’s life. In this particular case, Cinderella’s mother presents her with conditions that, if adhered to, will result in her well-being.” This demonstrates my ability to select and analyze a word-for-word sentence or phrase from a text that supports my claim, introduce the direct quotation, and properly punctuate to give the author credit. I then go on to reference these in-text citations in a ‘Works Cited’ page following the most current MLA formatting guidelines.
Overall, through the creation of my portfolio I have come to learn a lot about myself as a learner. I realized that conducting such an in-depth analysis of literary works helps me to truly indulge myself in the writing. More so than that, being able to compose a nonfiction piece of my own depicting the criticisms I have made and the perspective I can offer places emphasis on our distinct perceptions as both readers and writers. I find that I learn best what the literature is conveying by comparing my unique interpretation to the lens of a bigger picture. I came to understand this learning process with the help of both my teacher as well as my classmates and peers. This is because through discussion with all involved parties, I am able to gain an understanding of the general consensus, as well as use specific aspects of others’ notions to further my own thinking.
Throughout this process, I struggled most with my procrastination. This is something that has been prevalent throughout the better part of my high school career purely because of the amount of responsibilities I have on my plate and my poor time management skills. As discussed in my first blog post, my goal for this year was to find a way to organize my life and get myself back on track; and each day I come closer and closer to achieving this goal. Thus far, I have been able to plan my days according to a weekly schedule, where I loosely write out my tasks for the given week. This has significantly improved my time management and my tendency to do things before the last minute. This assignment, for one, is one that I successfully completed over several days, rather than all at once, like my past self would have done. In these ways, I have managed to slowly work through my struggles with procrastination to better my quality of life and grow as a learner.
I have demonstrated mastery of Standards 1 & 3 within my group’s Norse Mythology lesson, our presentation on the bible story “The Good Samaritan,” as well as various other classwork activities.
Standard 1 involves various aspects of reading nonfiction and informational texts, which I demonstrate mastery of primarily through several writing activities I had completed for the class as well as my team’s Norse Mythology lesson. In the past few weeks, I had explored and understood various pieces of nonfiction texts (and videos) such as the articles, “Viking Mythology: What a Man Can Learn From Loki (About Unmanliness),” “Romantic Love in the Viking Age,” “The Harmful Myth About Needing to Be Loved,” and the National Geographic film titled “The Book of the Dead.” Upon reading (and watching) these informational videos, I was able to meet the standard in Learning Target 1.A. because I was able to reflect on the pieces I had read and culminate my thoughts in writing responses. For example, after reading the article about Loki, I was able to examine his purpose as a character and as a reflection of humanity by writing “Loki's purpose as a character is to create many of the conflicts that arise in Norse mythology and reflect an innate selfishness in humanity. Deemed the "trickster" in these tales, Loki creates mischief all around him by playing practical jokes for his own amusement or to serve his best interest… Loki, in particular, is a very nuanced character because although he serves as the antagonist in many stories, he isn't inherently evil, but rather very misguided.” Furthermore, I demonstrate mastery in several other Standard 1 learning targets through my response to the article “The Harmful Myth About Needing to Be Loved.” In this writing piece, I consider the effect structure has on exposition or argument in terms of clarity and audience appeal by stating “The article even appeals to the audience by depicting a step-by-step approach to understanding our longing for love as ‘a gift, not a liability.’” (Learning Target 1.B.) I also analyze how the author’s choice to use one element of nonfiction, in this case, a specialist's scientific research findings, determines the author’s purpose through the sentence, “The article from Psychology Today uses science to support their claim by stating, ‘Eli Finkel, one of the most respected researchers in the field of relationships and attraction, states that the quality of your intimate relationship affects your happiness twice as much as your career, your friendships, or even your health.’” (Learning Target 1.C.) Additionally, by examining the way in which the author combines the rhetorical use of ethos in his references to credible professionals, as well as his own subjective approach and opinion (ie: “In my opinion, longing for love is not weakness. It’s wisdom.”), I am able to analyze how the author establishes relationships between multiple elements of nonfiction to create an impact on the reader. (Learning Target 1.D.) Moreover, this article on love from Psychology Today in combination with the article “Romantic Love in the Viking Age” serves as a means of evaluating demonstration of mastery in Learning Target 1.E. These two pieces of informational text consider the importance of love in modern-day society vs that of the Viking Age. By integrating and evaluating these sources on the same topic or argument, I am able to address the question my team asked in our Norse Mythology lesson about how the Norsemen would compare to people in today’s society in regards to their perspective on Frey’s choice. My response to said question was “Frey's sacrifice, although ultimately leading to a disreputable death, was made for the purpose of true love, an ideal that was actually heavily valued in Norse society. The complexity of this notion lies in the fact that the Norsemen lived very short lives, encompassed by battle and brutality. As a result, love was their only escape from this harsh reality… People in our society today would most likely agree with the perspectives of the Norsemen because of the emphasis we place on love in the modern world…Humans are not meant to be alone and self-sufficient, so our innate longing for connection is, simply put, only human.” The consideration of this, in conjunction with the story of Gerd and Frey in our Norse Mythology lesson, establishes my meeting of the standard in Learning Target 1.F. as I was able to connect the ideas, cultural perspectives, eras, philosophies, etc through these texts. Additionally, I also demonstrate mastery in this learning target through my reflection on “The Book of the Dead” film, where I write, “I would say that my own beliefs on death and dying are somewhat similar to those of Ancient Egyptians. Personally, I think that after we die, there is some kind of heaven for us to go to. I don’t believe there is a hell, because I think that regardless of whether or not you were a good person in life, everyone has the chance at redemption in death.” Within this response, I am able to utilize my understanding of the Ancient Egyptians’ view on death from the informational video and compare it to my own personal beliefs on death and dying.
Standard 3 demonstrates various criteria for reading fiction and literature, which I successfully master through both my team’s Norse Mythology lesson and our presentation on “The Good Samaritan.” Throughout the Norse Mythology projects, students were tasked with reading a variety of texts from Neil Gaiman’s book of Norse myths which played a big role in helping me to achieve the standard for Learning Target 3.A. This is because, throughout this unit, I was able to continuously read through and understand several different fictional texts as well as reflect on them. Furthermore, particularly in the presentation aspect of my team’s personal project, I was able to achieve mastery in Learning Target 3.J. as I was able to pay due diligence to each piece of fictional writing that my team and I explored by honoring and respecting the meaning and significance of the text on culture, time, etc through my professional reading. One such distinct example of this would be in accurately pronouncing the names of the Norse Gods and realms during my team’s lesson itself as well as through class readings. Additionally, I demonstrate mastery in Learning Targets 3.D, 3.E, and 3.I primarily through my group’s presentation on the works of “Hymir and Thor’s Fishing Expedition” as well as “The Story of Gerd and Frey” in our lesson on Norse Mythology. I meet the standard in Learning Target 3.D. in my understanding and discussion of Thor’s character in the story of his fishing expedition with Hymir. Thor would be considered an archetypal character in literature because he is portrayed as the ultimate warrior which helps to emphasize the Norse values of courage and bravery within their myths. However, his morality evolves through the stories in a rather negative direction because he is presented as selfish, for he acts to benefit his own personal vendetta. This, however, shapes the story and the reader’s experience because it makes one question why his self-serving actions are actually perceived as being heroic throughout Norse mythology, and why he stands in comparison to other admirable figures such as Hercules. I also demonstrate achievement of mastery in Learning Target 3.E. in my group’s lesson on Norse mythology, particularly when discussing the story of Gerd and Frey. This is because, within the presentation, I examined the specific cultural significance in the story to be prevalent when Gerd gives up his sword for Frey’s hand in marriage which ultimately leads to his dishonorable demise in Ragnarok and thus his failure to make it to Valhalla. I then compared it to the potential universal significance of this literature, which lies in the fact that despite failing to die with his sword in his hand as per Norse values, Frey commits this sacrifice for the purpose of true love: an ideal that spans across many cultures and generations in literature as well as in life. Additionally, I meet the standard in Learning Target 3.I. in the culmination of this lesson because I am able to use both stories and compare and contrast the significance between them. Essentially, during the presentation, my group and I highlighted the underlying connection between the texts in the fact that both stories consider defining actions committed by the main characters which lead to unforeseen effects in their futures. Whether it be Thor’s narrow evasion of a premature death because of Hymir’s practicality or Frey’s inability to make it to Valhalla because of his sacrifice for love, my team stood to emphasize how certain actions, both arrogant and ignorant, can predetermine one’s destiny. Moreover, I demonstrate mastery in various other Standard 3 learning targets within my group’s presentation on the Bible story, “The Good Samaritan.” I meet the standard in Learning Target 3.B. because I am able to analyze how the author’s choice to characterize both the Priest and the Levite in the parable as highly respected figures who choose “purity” influences the impact of the text on the reader because of the irony it presents since these figures end up avoiding the victim who was attacked and stripped of his clothes. Meanwhile, the contrasting perspective is offered through the characterization of the Samaritan who, somewhat unexpectedly, takes pity on the victim and restores him back to health. This element of fiction, in combination with the theme of the parable, serves to demonstrate achievement of mastery in Learning Target 3.C. This is because the characterization of the Samaritan as a virtuous individual, and henceforth “neighbor,” highlights the overarching theme of the story and creates an effect through a moral that teaches one to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Also, as per Learning Target 3.H., this example depicts my ability to analyze the author’s use of irony and diction within the parable to establish a deeper meaning to the story. Lastly, I also demonstrate mastery of Learning Target 3.F. through my analysis of the way in which “The Good Samaritan” has created an impact in our culture and society today. The primary example of this lies in the fact that the term “Samaritan” itself is now defined as “a person who is generous in helping those in distress.” In addition to that, the existence of “Good Samaritan” laws in today's day and age could also be considered remnants or reflections of the parable.
Overall, through the development of my portfolio and the last few months of this course, I felt myself being more engaged in the lessons and had deepened my thinking in a variety of ways. With this, I am particularly referring to my newfound ability to draw a multitude of connections between various texts that we encounter throughout the class as well as in my own exploration of literature and informational texts. For example, I never would have thought to compare Thor to Hercules in the past despite their similarities being wildly apparent upon the conclusion. I also would have never realized that the term “Samaritan” and what it defines was actually derived from a bible story about a particular group of inhabitants of Samaria. Being able to examine these connections between various pieces of writing as well as our lives in the present day was definitely an engaging aspect of the course. Furthermore, I was also able to dive deeper into my understanding of different character archetypes in literature and how they stand to reflect upon humanity. In one particular class activity, I remember having defined heroes as those who are considered to be martyrs of sort, who sacrifice their lives for that of the greater good. I wrote, “Whether steadfastly anticipating death or simply being prepared for it, heroes will do whatever is necessary to protect the lives of others. In this sense, the darkness of their acts is seen through a lighter scope in heroism.” This made me think more analytically about the influence of this idea of “heroism” in our society as well as the duality of light and dark that exists within every aspect of literature. As one-sided as things may seem, as with the assumption that heroism is generally associated with good, there is always more to the story.
Therefore, in recent weeks I found myself evolving as a learner because I was able to think more critically and further inquire about the content we were exploring. Whether it be through readings, videos, or group discussions, there was always something new and interesting to discover and, while not apparent at all times, I would feel compelled to do so. Essentially, I’m still progressing as a student and a reader, but with every additional lesson, I find myself appreciating the literature more and more.
I have demonstrated mastery of Standard 5 within my group’s Norse Mythology lesson, our presentation on the Celtic Creation Myth, as well as our team discussion on “Interview With The Vampire” by Anne Rice.
Standard 5 is comprised of various criteria surrounding one’s speaking and listening skills in a classroom setting, both of which I demonstrated mastery in through group presentations as well as team discussions. In the first term, my “Teen Titans” group successfully presented our projects on the Celtic Creation Myth and our Norse Mythology lesson. Having rewatched the videos that were recorded of the aforementioned presentations, I believe myself to have demonstrated mastery of using appropriate physical choices and verbal techniques when it came my turn to present. I maintained proper posture and facial expressions, as well as gestured to and made eye contact with the audience. (Learning Target 5.A.) Additionally, I maintained an acceptable volume and rate, as well as made sure to enunciate when it came to speaking so that my words were heard loud and clear by both my teammates as well as all members of the classroom. (Learning Targets 5.B, 5.D, & 5.E.) The mastery of these standards is established in the Norse Mythology lesson (timestamp: 22:07 - 23:20) during which I present a short synopsis of “The Story of Gerd and Frey,” where I use the slide on the board to guide me whilst ultimately structuring a coherent analysis of the given text so as to present a central idea of the story to the audience. This further leads into Isabella’s exploration of the illustration in the next slide, before which I give her a nonverbal cue to signify the completion of my part so as to transition smoothly onto hers. (Learning Target 5.F.) However, it may be important to note the use of filler words such as “um” that were inevitably embedded within my discussion because of the nervousness of presenting in front of the class, but that were hopefully overshadowed by my articulate and fluid language as well as apparent physical confidence. Furthermore, I was able to achieve mastery in honoring and respecting the meaning and importance of a topic on culture and history through my professional pronunciation and discussion, particularly during our presentation on the Celtic Creation Myth. (Learning Target 5.G.) This is seen within our dramatic rendition and interpretive dance of the Celtic Myth which I had narrated and choreographed (timestamp: 2:02 - 5:10). I was able to properly pronounce the names of the gods and mythical creatures in our retelling as well as create a respectful and engaging theatrical piece so as to pay due diligence to the culture whose creation myth we were educating the class on. Lastly, in the second term, my “Silver Bullets” team had a discussion on the start of chapter 7 of “Interview With The Vampire” during which we shared our thoughts in response to a question and bounced ideas back and forth so as to discover a deeper meaning. We recorded the audio of our discussion and placed comedic B-roll in the background for some visual flare as well transcribed our conversation into an easy-to-read script. This classwork activity allowed me to achieve mastery in engaging in a discussion with my peers whilst actively listening and providing further insight to the topic at hand. When Bradley described the physical difference between New Orleans and Paris given their histories as cities, I jumped in and drew connections to the vampires so as to show Louis as an embodiment of New Orleans while Lestat as that of Paris. (Learning Target 5.C.) Therefore, the culmination of these projects and activities are a clear depiction of mastery in my speaking and listening skills, and thus Standard 5.
Overall, the continued evolution of my portfolio over the past few months of this course has given me the chance to learn a lot about myself as a learner, particularly in regards to the assignments that I am most excited for and the environments that I thrive in. When it comes to the pieces that I am most proud of and enjoyed working on the most, it is undoubtedly all the group projects that I have completed throughout the year. These activities gave me the chance to share my thoughts with my peers and enthusiastically collaborate on projects that would have been nowhere near as refined and engaging if they had been completed alone. The various presentations and lessons that we developed in our teams created an opportunity for us to exchange ideas and bounce off of each other’s energy to create a piece that combined every individual’s unique quirks into something that represented all of us as whole. In my opinion, these projects were always well thought out and incorporated a number of differing perspectives and notions that, when put together, culminated into something far more incredible than anything I could do on my own. With that being said, I now find myself particularly excited for the ongoing creation of my group’s Monster Project, which seems to have thrilled my team as a whole. From late night FaceTime calls discussing the significance and background of each character’s name, to finding and sharing cool filming locations for the movie itself, I find both myself, and the others, feeling especially enthusiastic about the development of this project.
Moreover, in a similar sense, I felt most engaged when it came to group activities, such as that of our impromptu “Interview With The Vampire” trivia game show. This contemporary take replaced the previously planned lesson, which I personally enjoyed because it gave my team the chance to bring our minds together to win in a grand battle, during which we not only aimed to gain points, but to selfishly steal points away from the other teams. This particular activity helped me come to the conclusion that I thrive greatly in competitive environments because they fuel me to work harder in order to emerge victorious. After all, I was named after the goddess of victory.
I have demonstrated mastery of Standard 4 within my group’s “Monsters in Society” film project as well as my second Blog Post.
Standard 4 consists of various learning targets surrounding the composition of fiction. Whether it be in written form, or through other types of creative media, I was able to achieve the standard of crafting a work of fiction both independently and in collaboration with my group members. First, I was able to demonstrate mastery of several standard 4 learning targets through my creativity and fiction blog post. Prior to writing this piece, I had done a lot of thinking and planning when it came to deciding what I wanted to write about. The idea had come to me when I was in the middle of packing for my winter break vacation when I grabbed a dress and realized I never washed it after my family’s last getaway so it still retained the hotel scent. Upon being made conscious of this quirk I had, I decided to use that as the basis of my story and henceforth based the character of “Eloise” on me. I proceeded to put all my thoughts to paper as a rough draft and then greatly revised it until it was in finished condition. (Learning Target 4.A). This particular piece contained a lot of careful diction and imagery that helped to establish a certain mood and atmosphere for the reader. (Learning Target 4.D). For example, I wrote, “Eloise put on her checkered blue-green sundress and was in awe, completely taken aback by a scent that transported her thousands of miles away in the span of milliseconds. The unique aroma overwhelmed her nose and compelled her hippocampus to revive a series of long-forgotten memories… And suddenly, she was there. Right back on the scalding hot sands of Miami beach, laying on a sun chair and sipping on a cool Pina Colada whilst involuntarily burning her frail pale skin.” These sentences contained very vivid literary elements that could allow a reader to imagine themselves in Eloise’s position and be similarly transported thousands of miles away. Also, in these sentences I was able to logically transition from one paragraph to the next by carefully choosing words like “And suddenly.” (Learning Target 4.B). Additionally, throughout this piece, I mentioned several times how the smell of a particular item of Eloise’s clothing could teleport her to a far away place. This, in itself, was an allusion to various moments of her past, and, in turn, my own. It also highlighted the bigger picture of this story where temporary events in your life can be retained and re-lived for years to come. For instance, the sentences, “The smell would always bring her back instantaneously. And she felt tranquil and content; able to escape the rowdiness of everyday life for a split second and taken back to where she’d wish to be” represented the motif of harnessing a past memory to momentarily escape reality and imagine yourself somewhere else. (Learning Target 4.G).
Furthermore, I was able to reach the standard on the remaining learning targets through a collaborative effort with my group on our “Monsters in Society” project. Before fully diving deep into this long and extensive process of creating something of the likes of a short feature film, the first step my group and I had to take was in writing the script with correctly formatted dialogue using block text and indentations. (Learning Target 4.C). We began by creating a character chart to describe the attributes we wanted each character to possess and outlined them so as to stay consistent throughout the script-writing process. Soon after, I realized that I resonated with Carter so whenever my team held group writing sessions, I would either write several of Carter’s lines or would highlight whenever I read a line that didn’t quite sound like what I imagined Carter to be in my head. In fact, my team and I were able to successfully apply the structural features of drama, particularly that of dialogue and monologue to craft our script. (Learning Target 4.E). With this I am referring to Carter’s snobby comments about the monster drink or even the mini monologue she gave during her “complimentary lesson on the occult.” These were all aspects that made Carter the compassionate, know-it-all, stubborn character we all know and love. There were many sides to her that I wish my group got to further go into, such as how she quickly knew how to exorcise a ghost, but I feel as though it speaks to a greater theme of how despite her anger with Bubbles, she was ready to do whatever she could to help him. Her character also emphasizes the fact that when a person is passionate about something, such as that of Carter and all things occult, it drives them to immerse themselves in that knowledge and ultimately become the key to ridding society of a harmful “monster” that pries on the vulnerable and takes over their identity. (Learning Target 4.F).
Finally, now that the year is coming to an end, I find it only fitting to reflect on my experiences throughout this course. As I had stated in the previous checkpoint, the pieces that I was most proud of and enjoyed working on the most were the group projects that I completed. Given that we’re in the final stretch, I can confirm that the aforementioned statement is undoubtedly true, especially with the completion of the “Monsters in Society” project. I remember discussing my excitement for the onset of the project, but having gone through the entire process, I can’t help but to say that the reality exceeded my expectations. The preparation for the project was great, but nowhere near as fun as the very last parts. With this I’m referring to the actual filming and the editing that followed shortly after. When it came to filming, my group members and I would arrange to meet in all sorts of locations at all different times of the day, even going as far as to film in the middle of an actual forest. We had an entire spreadsheet that laid out our schedule and kept us organized with outfit groups, characters in each scene, and many more. Despite the actual stress involved in the process, it was actually more enjoyable than not. We had a lot of funny experiences looking for empty classrooms and cracking jokes with each other whenever we messed up lines or something of the sort. As much as it was a school project, we liked being there with each other so it didn’t always feel like work. Additionally, the best part was definitely in seeing parts of the final product little by little. Every few days Isabella would release some new edited footage to us and it was incredible. Getting to see the project come together in small bits was thrilling because each completed scene felt like a victory in and of itself. When we were all done, and the film we had imagined truly came to life, my group felt immensely proud of what we were able to accomplish. We all began the process feeling enthusiastic, but when it came to an end, and our countless hours of work culminated into something spectacular, we were ecstatic.
This project was definitely one of my favorite experiences working with a group in high school thus far because it was something we all truly did together. Prior to this assignment, or even this course as a whole, I would always take the lead and be the one to complete most group projects. This was primarily due to the fact that my group members in other classes didn’t care much for the task at hand and would lack communication skills, thus leaving all the work on my plate. However, this class was very different because with every project, the team as a whole would be excited about creating something together and would communicate regularly with each other to get the work done. This was a refreshing feeling and having had this experience, I can’t say I would ever want it any other way. I used to think that I was fine doing it all independently because I never trusted anyone to produce the same level of quality that I would do on my own. However, I feel like I have evolved and grown as a person in that respect because I now realize that all it takes is a shared passion and a desire to achieve greatness for a group project to feel like a rewarding experience as opposed to a strenuous task. While I have learned various things in this class throughout the year, realizing that a team working together as a well oiled machine is a true recipe for success was probably the greatest and most important one.