Josh Asano
I can't believe I'd be saying this right now but we have made it to the end of the year! As a grade 9 student at The York School, we would all be involved in a special unique program non-other than the ICE (Integrated Canadian Experience) program, and I'm gonna be honest with you, I had no idea what any of that meant so when I first stepped in that classroom I'd had no clue of what I was going to do or learn. Fast forward 4 or so months and I was learning all sorts of things such as WWll or the First nations. I was also learning all sorts of new and unique techniques for demonstrating and showing information such as a Photo Essay, an Infographic, or creating a documentary. However, what amazed me of what I was able to do was going on all sorts of trips throughout the year such as The Toronto Island, Winter Camping, Kensington market, Ottawa, and so much more! However, none of this was an easy task and it was these moments this year weather the challenges, the trips, and all the blog posts that made me learn more about myself as a person, a student, and a Canadian. This final blog post will show you guys what I have done this year in ICE class and how it has shaped me to who I am, what I have learned, and how the ICE program has impacted my life.
I had always loved the outdoors and playing sports and various activities. However, there was no way I would choose to go camping in the wilderness. However, to my luck, that would all change on February 3, 2020. The grade 9s would go on a winter camping trip for a week up north. Hearing this made me worried about the weather and sleeping outside in the winter, from all my friends worried as well from this trip, and from past students who went on the trip gave us not the best ratings. Because of this, I thought I wasn't going to learn anything, until the last day up north.
I had realized what I had just done the past 4 days whether it was pulling a sled kilometers to where out tents were, freezing our hands to cook and clean the dishes, building quizzes taking up most of our day, and on top of all of this to learn something from this and probably write a big essay about this worth 20 percent of our grade. However, that's where I was wrong. Not the part where I froze my hands off washing dishes, but the part where I thought I had to learn something new. I didn't have to learn something new, I had to learn what I was capable of accomplishing. I was able to motivate and persevere myself to what I had just done those 4 days! After when I was on the bus going home I had kinda missed this experience, not that I would have ever said that at the beginning and I will certainly remember this experience and motivate and overcome any challenge.
In the ICE classroom, I have learned many things about myself as a student. This year we had to do many projects such as creating a manual book report about the novel Indian Horse, designing infographics about the north, constructing a photo essay about the City of Toronto, and many more. These tasks taught me how to demonstrate my knowledge and understanding by using multiple techniques and ways to do so.
One project that I completed this year that stood out, in my opinion, was the manual book report. When I first was introduced this task, I was really confused since I so used to assignments on a piece of paper or video, so when we had to do something physical I was kinda confused. However, once I chose to construct and to make my project interactable. Something that I had enjoyed creating, everything went smooth and that unit flew by. Overall, in the beginning, the task was quite hard but once I had picked something that I enjoy doing, everything becomes so much easier, and I will try to use the techniques that I have learned whenever I can.
Lastly, the ICE program has helped me become a better and more knowledgeable Canadian citizen. Throughout the year, we have gotten the opportunity to go on multiple trips, giving us a better understanding of what is going on around us politically. Whether traveling around Toronto investigating different topics and situations around our city or traveling to Ottawa to understand more about our parliament and our government. These opportunities have helped me become a better and more informed Canadian. In addition, studying Canada and its past has taught me what has shaped Canada and made the country that we live in today. Being in the ICE program has finally helped me become an active citizen which is really good. It made me understand what goes on in the world and how I have a to do my responsibility as a citizen which to vote and pay taxes when I'm older.
Well, all good things must come to an end. Being involved in the ICE program has impacted my life in a colossal way. Just like what shaped Canada, ICE has strengthened my character and made me a better person, a better student, and a better Canadian. Whether it's becoming more of a risk-taker, being more open-minded, or when it's learning new techniques to deliver my work in creative ways, these things all have changed the way I think as a student and I have to thank the ICE program and my ICE teachers for that.
Below here is where you a find the link to my Podcast about the effect of Covid-19 on the education system in Canada. Feel free to check it out!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oAHNDCzk72QK5ys4jqYL8d_rFuA-_rdm/view?usp=sharing