Skyline JV Girls' Basketball, 2014-2015

11/18-11/21
For this activity, I hope to have a good time, get in shape, learn more skills, and help my team become successful. My short term goals are to get to know my team mates and build a team with the coach.

11/23-12/1
I was very successful in achieving my previous goals. I got very acquainted with my team mates and coach, and started learning new plays. To improve, I think I need to put in more effort to be a leader by example, by always staying motivated, which is my goal for next time.

12/2-12/8
During this time period, we had our first two games, which did not go very well. Although we tried hard, we didn't have the chemistry or skills needed to come out on top. I was only somewhat successful in achieving my goal, because it is difficult to stay motivated in the face of a challenge. I need to improve on this so it continues to be my goal

12/9-12/18
The past couple meetings have all been practices, and I'm proud to say that I was very sucessful in achieving my goals. I was able to be a positive influence on the team, and my skills are improving in basketball and as a leader. I could improve on several basketball basics, so I need to take time to address that in the future. My goal is to improve my skills and be a more aggressive player, while also leading the team to success.

12/19-12/30
My positivity was put to the test when we lost another two games. However, I was successful in achieving my goal to be a motivated, positive influence on the team, even during losses. However, I still need to improve on being a more confident player, which is my goal for the rest of the season.

1/5-1/7
I have been working hard to become more confident on the court through constant practice and repetition. I am starting to become more and more successful in achieving my goals for the future, and hope to continue to do that over the next few weeks as it draws to a close. I can improve on my leadership skills, as I have been abandoning them slightly in favor of working on the court skills instead, so my goals are to have a healthy balance of both.



FINAL REFLECTION:

During this activity, I played basketball, but was also the co-captain, so I helped organize the team and encouraged teamwork and collaboration. I helped motivate and identify areas for imporvement, and had a great time doing it. The CAS element was action, and I helped advance learning objectives  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, because being part of a basketball team and being captain covered all but Issues of global importance. I Found awareness of strengths and areas for growth during games and practices, and also as a captain, to see what I could do better. Being a captain was a way to undertake new challenges. Basketball is a planned and initiated activity, a long term commitment. I worked collabooratively with others, both the co-captains and my team. I showed perseverance and commitment by arriving on time, and coming to a majority of practices and games over several months. I considered ethical implications by thinking about how to handle tough situations, how to motivate my team, and how to be a leader, which was also part of developing new skills.  I was very successful in achieving my goals. I was able to take on a new role as captain, improved as a basketball player, and had a good time and got in shape. I encountered many difficulties such as being part of a young team that lost often and lacking skills necessary to be more sucessful. We overcame this by playing hard, and working to identiify and improve areas of weakness while staying positive. I learned that I am a hard worker who spots a problem in herself and tries her best to fix it. I learned that others are always okay when you ask for help, but also welcome it once in a while. This activity benefitted others by giving them a stress relief and a way to build a teamwork mindset. My coach, team and parents helped me think about my learning during this activity. They were always questioning me and asking me what I thought needed improvement and made me analyze how to fix it. Next time, to improve I think I will come in more prepared to become a leader, and help my team become more successful. I can use what I learned in life by applying collaborative skills to my job in the future, but also using leadership skills and committment in group work and studies.

Total Hours: 70- Action

Canadian American Security Council (CASC) (Model UN)

December 5th 

Today was the first day of CASC, the Canadian American Security Council. It was a very new Experience for me. I was at a model UN conference where I am representing the United Kingdom. I interacted with others through discussion and debate, along with brainstorming ways to fix problems. This activity was Creativity as we actively tried to think of new ideas and resolutions in order to fix a country's problems. The Learning objectives advanced were 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, and 8. I increased my awareness and areas for growth by learning how I needed to improve to communicate effectively. I undertook new challenges because I am trying new things. I worked collaboratively with others by trying to collectively come up to a consensus on how to best solve a problem. We were discussing issues of global importance such as the sanctions and the issues between Russia and Ukraine. I considered the ethical implications of my points of view of debate and how they would affect others positively and negatively. I developed new skills by learning new debate procedure and acquired new knowledge. Through this activity, I hoped to accomplish gaining experience in model UN and being able to successful debate. I was moderately successful in achieving my goals. I was able to get my feet under me in this first time conference for me, and ended up understanding a lot more about model UN. A challenge I ran into while trying to learn to communicate with people was that several of the guys didn't really listen to or want input from the girls. I over came this by being more assertive and confident in getting my points across. I learned about myself that I am a little intimidated but also confident in group speaking situations. I learned that others respond better to confidence. The leader and the chaperones helped me think about my learning and developing new ways to improve. They helped me question others and myself. This activity benefitted others by creating an environment where ideas can be shared and discussed. Tomorrow to improve, I will research better so I can be more sure of my position. I can apply what I learned to many real life situations, including business and meetings. Anytime I communicate with someone, I can apply what I learned.

December 6th

Today, my goals were to continue to be confident in my stand and communications. I was successful in achieving my goals. I was able to change the minds of others through debate, and even contributed to several resolutions that were passed by the group. I communicated very well and was very confident in my opinion. I realized that I can debate and contribute to big decisions,. I was able to help many people understand the situation and stood up for my opinion. I realized that confidence can be such a big factor in how I am perceived and respected. Next time to improve, I would have a more straightforward way of explaining myself in order to be more confident on my opinion. 

Total Hours: 16- Creativity

Varsity Basketball Tryouts 2014

November 10th, 2014

During this activity, I participated in tryouts for Varsity Basketball at Skyline High school. This was a new experience for me because generally I set my expectations lower in past years. This year however I entered with the idea that I wanted to make varsity. This was new. For this activity, I interacted with others in a team like manner. We worked together to show the coaches our skill and ability to cooperate. This activity was Action, and advanced learning objectives 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, and 8. I will increase my awareness of strengths and areas for growth because the coaches will give me feedback on my performance. I undertake a new challenge of trying out for varsity. I work collaboratively with others to build a team . I show perseverance and commitment by consistently being there and on time. I consider ethical implications while interacting with the coaches and other prospective players. I develop new skills as I am always learning basketball. Through this activity, I hoped to meet new people, and show my skills to the coaches in order to possibly get a spot on the varsity team. I was somewhat successful in achieving my goals. Imet a lot of new team mates. I learned a lot about basketball during my days of tryouts. I learned that after I get to know people, I become very good at communicating and working with them effectively. The coaches helped me think about my learning during this activity as they pointed out tips and decisions for all of us to improve upon. This activity benefitted the skyline basketball program as it prepares for another year. Next time, I will practice prior to the tryouts in order to be a stronger contender for varsity. I can apply what I have learned from team building and cooperation on the team to situations in school and work.

November 11th, 2014

Today was the second day of tryouts. We are getting to know each other and the coaches more so it was much more enjoyable to work together. My goals for the day were to get to know my other potential team mates better and also to establish myself as a strong potential member of the team. To achieve these goals, I committed myself to the activities so i could both work with the others and play hard. I was pretty successful in achieving my goals, as I was learning a lot, forming bonds with the team, and working hard. I realized that the harder I worked, the better I felt about myself. I feel like I could use this philosophy in real life as well, because it could help me work on schoolwork, and anything in a future employment 

November 12th, 2014

The third day of tryouts was today. We worked on several drills and skills. My goals for today were to try my hardest. I achieved these goals by fully committing myself to the drills, whether it was a scrimmage or a sprint. I managed to enjoy myself through all this hard work, and I felt really good about myself for being so committed. Next time to improve, I will focus on getting to know the team mates more so we can improve team chemistry because i feel like I didn't connect with people as much as I should've, and I kept mostly to myself. To fix it I will work on being a leader and social.

November 13th, 2014

Today was the fourth day of tryouts. We worked hard as a team to accomplish our goals of improving and of making sure our skills were shown to the coaches. My goals were to improve my acquaintance with the other team members, and to learn more about the skills that need to improve for the future. I accomplished these goals by making an effort to connect with other people through bonding and encouraging. I also asked coaches for constructive feedback on what they thought I needed to do, and applied it to myself. Next time to improve, I plan on working on the more finer points of the skills I need to improve and on connecting with the other team mates more, even outside of practice. 

November 14th, 2014 and November 17th, 2014

These past two days were the last days of tryouts. The 14th, the players were sorted to JV and Varsity and the 17th, additional cuts were made. I am on the Junior Varsity team. My goals were to play hard for the lsat day. I was successful in achieving my goal, because I made the team. However, I didn't get a lot of time to do that, because several members of the team excluded me from the game. however I was more of a leader on the second day, as I knew these people better. Next time to improve, I would work harder on being more outspoken if I see something unfair. This activity will help me improve in the real word as my interaction skills can be applied to my life.

Total Hours: 12.5- Action

UM Challenge Program

The UM Challenge Program was a very interactive, team building experience. We interacted with each other by planning and working together to complete tasks like getting people off an island and completing a circuit. This activity was Action, as we did a lot of physical activity. The Learning objectives fulfilled were 1, 2, possibly 3, 4, 7, and 8. The activity increased my awareness of strength and areas for growth by highlighting things I and the group needed to work on to get better and work better together. Also, I had never completed this course before so I was undertaking a new challenge. Additionally, I was part of the product team that planned this and put it into action, and so it could be an initiated activity. WE worked collaboratively as a team to complete our tasks. As a team we considered ethical implications of our actions towards each other and towards the leaders. Additionally, we developed new skills together as we all learned about low ropes. Through this activity, I hoped to have organized a good event for our grade. I also hoped to learn about others in the group and new skills and also to have a good time doing so! We were very successful in achieving our goals, because the group had a good time, learned about each other's personality, and enjoyed our new skills. Through this activity, I learned that is is difficult to step out of my comfort zone, but after doing so I feel very rewarded. I also learned that others in the grade are very interesting to interact with, and that they are very supportive of others in the group. The group leaders who were helping us in the activity and also helped us think about our learning. They often asked us to act then reflect on what we did in order to help us improve and learn more. This activity benefitted others by providing an opportunity for others to learn and have fun and bond as a grade. Next time, I would make sure there was more planning in order to get more people attending. I will also put more effort into the activity itself. In other life situations, I can apply what I learned to times when I need to work as a team or communicate effectively.

Total Hours: 5- Action

WIHI Open House

http://youtu.be/PDNI4brxsa4 

Total Hours: 2.5- Service

Michigan Islamic Academy Sunday School Volunteering

November 2 and 9, 2014

Today was my first couple days volunteering at the Islamic Sunday school at the Ann Arbor Mosque. I helped kindergarten age students learn and recite arabic and the Qur'an. I also watched the class and helped with curriculum. This activity is Service, because I am volunteering my time to teach younger kids about religion and language. The Learning objectives advanced were 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7. I undertook new challenges by trying to attain a teaching position with the kids. I worked collaboratively with teachers to cooperate and run the class smoothly. I will show perseverance and commitment by consistently devoting my time to the class. I engaged with issues of global importance by educating about language and religion. I considered ethical religious implications and will help the student do the same. Through this activity, I hope to be able to help young children learn about Islam and Arabic, and connect with them. Today, I was successful in achieving my goals by being very gentle and kind to encourage the kids to have fun and love their religion. One difficulty I encountered was a kid who didn't want to be there. She was basically crying her eyes out, and I overcame this difficulty by calming her down until her mother came, which was a big help to the teacher. Through this activity, I learned how to interact with adults and teachers in a professional manner. I learned that others are very eager to learn. The head teacher helped me think about my learning by asking me to work with kids and asking me my opinions. This activity benefits others by providing an opportunity for kids to learn. The service project identified the social issue of religious education by helping young kids learn Arabic and religion in order for them to grow up on this good mentality. Next time to improve, I would be more outgoing with the kids and their parents in order to make them feel more welcome. I can apply what I learned in other life situations by using the new social skills and patience I learned in working with kids with my own family and people around me.

November 16 and 23, 2014

These past two days, my goals were to get to know the kids better and to have them know me better. I was very successful in accomplishing my goals. I had conversations with the kids and listened to the recitation. I helped them with their assignments and got them the supplies they needed. I learned more about the kids and their families, and got to know the teachers better. Next time to improve, I would like to work on being a better teacher towards the kids and a more valuable assistance to the teacher. 

December 21, 2014 and January 11, 2015

Today, my goals were to help the kids learn more and to help more with the teacher. I was successful in achieving my goals. I helped the kids by correcting their errors in a positive way and taught them more about how to remember their letters. I also helped the teacher by creating homework packets and collecting the kid's homework. Next time to improve, I'd like to be more and more helpful to the class room environment. 

January 18, 25, and February 1, 2015

These past days, my goals were to be a big help around the classroom. I achieved these goals by checking the kids homework, correcting their recitation and helping the teacher search for and create homework packets. I was a positive influence on the students. Next time to improve, I hope to further help the kids love the school. I can apply what I learned doing this activity to real life  by using the new social skills and patience I learned in working with kids with my own family and people around me.

Total Hours: 13.5

Wedding Dance

October 26, 2014

This is the first of many wedding dance posts. During this activity, I and a couple others worked together to choreograph a dance for a dholki, which is a dance/ceremony in honor of the new married couple in Pakistani culture. We worked together to brainstorm and choreograph the dance, and then practiced and edited it to make it smooth and well performed. We interacted by bouncing ideas off of each other and learning from each other. The CAS element involved here is Creativity. The learning objectives advanced here were: Increased their awareness of their own strengths and areas for growth, because I learned of my abilities and how I can change as a dancer from others, Undertaken new challenges because I have never done anything like this before, Planned and initiated activities because we started this and organized our ideas on our own, and came up with a final product. We Worked collaboratively with others because this dance was a team effort and wouldn't have been the same without our collaboration. I Develop new skills because I learned how to choreograph and dance. Through this activity I hoped to accomplish creating a new dance, experiencing other cultures, and learning more. I was successful in accomplishing my goals as I successfully learned about and created a dance, and also I really enjoyed doing so. Some difficulties we ran into were my inability to dance well, and also occasionally we disagreed on our ideas. To overcome this, we taught each other and compromised. Through this activity I learned a lot of new skills and ideas, and that I have a great appreciation of new cultures and ideas. I learned that others are very accommodating and helpful to someone who is trying something new. This activity benefitted others because it was done in honor of a wedding and so it helped the family and the couple celebrate. Next time, to improve, I would like to learn several dances and even teach others in order to solidify my skills. I can apply my ability to try new things and my new cooperative skills in real life situations in school and in life, and they will be very beneficial.

November 4, 2014

Today we continued choreographing and practicing the dance. We made changes and chose which portion of the song we would be using. Our goals were to solidify the choreography to make it official so we could practice on our own. We also wanted to be more confident. We were pretty successful in achieving these goals, because after practice, I was able to review on my own through out the week using the video we filmed. As a result I was much more confident and able to contribute to the group more. Some difficulties we ran into were me lack of knowledge and ability to contribute, but to solve this, the group was really helpful in helping me catch up, so I was much more able to contribute the next time we met. To improve, I would study up more on our dance so we can perfect it and be ready for the performance. 

November 9, 2014 and November 16, 2014

Today we made a couple changes to the dance. We debated on how to change it the best way to make it the most natural looking and fit together. Then we practiced it several times to make it perfect while adding in edits here and there. Our goals were to finalize and solidify our performance, and we did that exactly. Some difficulties we ran into were our lack of agreement on what we agreed on during the prior meeting. We slowly realized that as we finalized our piece it didn't matter what had been said before so our new ideas were better. To improve this if i ever did it again I would make sure I studied up so i can contribute better to brainstorming. I would also practice more so it could be more professional on my part. Overall this was a very enriching, cultural and fun experience that I would do again in a heart beat. 

Total Hours: 9.5- Creativity 

Forensics

October 16th, 2014, and October 23, 2014

This is the first of many forensics posts. In these last two meetings, I brainstormed for my speech, created an outline, and gave others constructive criticism about theirs, along with receiving feedback on mine. Next time, to Improve, I would like to become more solid on memorization and time management.

December 1, and States

During this activity I The CAS element here is Creativity as I create a new speech performance. The learning objectives are 1, 2, 4, 5, possibly 6, 7 and 8. I Increase my strength in public speaking and awareness for areas of growth by seeing what I need to do to be more successful. I undertake new challenges by doing a new type of speech, sales. I work collaboratively with others on the team by getting feedback and aiding others in their piece. I show perseverance and commitment by committing long term to many meetings. I show interest in issues of global importance when talking about a speech that could involve a current issue or events. I considered issues of ethical implications by being helpful and constructive to others along with writing about issues of importance. I develop new speaking and writing skills as I progress in my speech. My goals for these two meetings were to finish up my speech and perform it well. I was successful in achieving my goals because I completed was well practiced and competed t states (and semi-finaled). I learned that I need to focus to complete tasks and that I need to work quickly. I learned that others are good at helping out. Ms. Morgan helped me think about my learning by setting me on a path of what I need to do and also by helping me think critically about my work. This activity could benefit others by helping them step outside their comfort zone and also by receiving feedback on what they can do to improve. Next time to improve, I would try to be more productive and creative in expressing m ideas. I can apply what I learned to other life situations like school and work. I can use my new writing skills to succeed in projects at school and also in my future to write effective papers.

Total hours: 9

Color Vibe 2014

In the Color Vibe, we ran/walked a 5K race. In training, I pushed myself, and during the race we helped each other. The CAS element that was a part of this activity was Action because it was for physical well being. The learning objectives advanced were 1, 2, and 8. Increased awareness of strengths and areas for growth was present because I saw how I needed to improve to do better on the next race. Undertaking new challenges is present because I had never done anything like this. I also Developed New Skills. Through this activity, I hoped to experience a 5k, and learn more about racing, along with having fun and getting more in shape. I was very successful in achieving my goals because I accomplished all of this. One difficulty I ran into was carrying extra weight for my friends, which really tired me out and I couldn't perform as well. During this activity I learned that I am very helpful to friends, and also I need more training to be in shape. People who helped with my learning through this activity were people running the event, because they guided our activities. This activity benefitted others by raising money for Pencils of Promise, so many others gained education through our admission. Next time, I would train more and be more in shape to improve myself. I can apply what I learned to other life situations like basketball and other athletics, along with anytime I need to fundraise, because I will learn effective strategies

Total Hours: 2- Action