CAS group project

On the beginning of the year 2015 me and my two colleagues from IB course, Marta and Kinga, have started our CAS group project. We have decided to organise series of art classes for children from Guardian Angels' Charity.

First, we have met with tutors at Guardian Angels' Charity to discuss our propositions, to set the rules and to assign duties each of us would take care of. It was not the first time when I had to work in group, to exchange ideas and to cooperate, but no matter how often one works with others, it always is a challange. In different groups there are people with different personalities, views and attitudes; one has to adjust to them and not to create conflicts, but also one should not hesitate to express one's ideas with confidence and should be sure of one's value. During our meeting we managed to attain compromise, though at the beginning we had quite differing views on the project. As we talked, we understood each other and appreciated each others ideas, which resulted in general agreement and in coherent plan of action.

We have finally decided to organise 3 art classes, concerning techniques of origami (Kinga's classes), decoupage (Marta's) and quilling (my task); each of us also had to prepare conspectus of her lesson, rules which should be obeyed during classes and a poster encouraging kids to take part in our project.

It is essential for people working with children to set the rules indicating proper behaviour and containing punishments for not obeying them; on our classes we have used the system of yellow cards which had been already working in Guardian Angels' Charity, so children were familiar with it. For each forbidden behaviour we were to give yellow cards, and if any child had more than 2 yellow cards he/she could not participate in our classes and had to leave the room. Rules were really helpful in maintaining order, but to be honest, I was not able to punish participants for their behaviour. I am only 4-6 years older than these children, so I was not sure that they would respect me as a tutor and obey my comands. Also I was afraid I could exaggerate and overreact or do quite the opposite. Neither of us had any experience with that kind of situation, so workers from the charity were present at our classes to keep an eye on children and to evaluate our lessons.

Few days before the first classes I had asked Kinga to show me how to fold each figure she wanted to introduce to children. I was familiar with the technique, but not with these specific shapes so I had decided to practice them in advance, so I could help children to fold the paper properly. Decoupage was not a problem to me because I have been using this technique to decorate plenty of boxes, jars and vases during art classes while I was attending middle school. However, I had never used quilling before, so I had to learn this technique from scratch. During preparing my poster I had a chance to practice. I had started with shapes for the beginners and with each trial I had been and more confident in what I was doing. Then I had chosen the easiest, the prettiest and the most colourfull ones to decorate my poster. I have found out that quilling is really simple and produces attractive effects without much effort when using basic shapes.

My poster and a list of volunteers

When the day of origami classes had finally come I was really stressed out even though I was not the one to lead them. I was afraid I would not manage to help the children or I would seem not confident and not competent so they would not like the classes. When we started I could not help thinking how chaotic it all was; children were loud, sometimes not attentive, and were easily discouraged because the figure they folded was crooked or they could not fold something properly. Yet despite this we cooperated with children quite well. We managed to encourage them to keep trying untill they finally succeeded to fold the paper properly. After the end of the classes tutors from the charity evaluated our work and gave us hints for the future. We had heard that the classes were a complete success, that children loved them and that we have done well. I was surprised at what they were saying, because I kept in mind the memory of chaos I could not control; I thought that we had done very poorly. On hearing this, I came to a conclusion that I cannot control everything what will happen. On the following classes I had just kept in mind that these classes are also about having fun, and not keeping strictly to the programme. I was more relaxed and confident, especially when I had heard that children on seeing the poster announcing the next classes looked forward to it.

My classes were organised last, so I had more time to get experience and to prepare myself to the role of the tutor and the leader of the group. I was not as stressed as in the case of our very first classes. I was rather excited, because it finally was my turn to see if I can cope with the task. I have brought a great amount of colourfull straps of paper and ready versions of the shapes I was about to introduce as example for children. At the beginning it was difficult to me to focus on one person, because other children wanted my help or my opinion about their work immediately. But as the classes went on I have managed to pay attention to everyone, to be accessible, helpfull and encouraging. However, I still have to learn how to cope with naughty children; I am aware that I am not able to control them or to punish them if it is needed. Fortunately, there were not any children that behaved badly enough for receiving the warning or the punishment. I know that I could not cope with that kind of situation, and that is the area in which I would like to improve as a tutor. 

Kinga and I during quilling classes, helping children

I was happy to see that children enjoy the art classes and are eager to learn. Thanks to this kind of activities they develop, improve their skills and have fun at the same time. It especially developes their creativity and imagination as they try to come up with their own patterns to use during decoupage or try to arrange their own compositions of colourfull circles during quilling. It can also broaden their interest; maybe thanks to our classes some of the children felt passionate about origami and Japanese culture. It is important for kids to have a contact with plethora of different ideas, cultures, hobbies and activities, so that one day they can choose something to be passionate about, something that develops them, is challanging for them or just simply gives them joy.

Thanks to the CAS group project I have fulfilled some of the Learning Outcomes:
- Increased awareness of strengths annd areas for growth

- Undertaken new challanges

- Planned and initiated activities

- Worked collaboratively with others

- Shown perseverance and commitment

- Developed new skills

A few more drawings

During past few months I made a few more drawings; I drew a tea set, a brush and a flowering strawberry bush.

First of all, I have noticed that drawing gives me plenty of joy; especially when results of my work resemble the object I am drawing! After 2 hours of continuous sketching it is relieving to see that a picture similar to the model emerges on the paper.

But I am quite far from stating that the quality of my pictures is satisfactory; I have still many things to work on. I have noticed that I have a tendency to use a pencil as a crayon when I start to lose patience. The longer I work on one picture the less focused I am. I just wish to finish as soon as possible and I am literally colouring some parts of the drawing with pencil instead of focusing on showing the shadows and differences in brightness created by the light.

Also I have a great problem with being systematic; it is my general weakness not only with this activity and it has already made my life a bit more difficult so I try to fight it. It is discouraging that I experience it also during drawing. Being systematic is essential for completion of one of the Learning Outcomes - Showing perseverance and commitment. Now I set myself a goal to achieve: during summer holidays and in the following school year I am going to work on being systematic. I am willing to actually show my commitment to this and other activities I am involved in.

Tennis - final reflection

I have decided to quit tennis trainings and I would like to summarize my whole experience connected with this activity.

I have started playing tennis in the previous school year under influence of my class mate and continued it in this school year. At the beginning I have been doing this only to fulfill my CAS hours. I had zero contact with this discipline before and it was a new experience to me. Until IB course I rarely had chance to put myself in a situation when I had to learn something from the basis. This activity gave me an opportunity to challange myself and to force myself to put more effort than usual in what I was doing; thanks to this I had fulfilled the Learning Outcome - Undertaking new challanges.

At the beginning I have been experiencing more failures than I expected, which was discouraging. I have felt each mistake quite personally. But as I kept practicing I have come to a conclusion that complaining is not a solution to anything. If I wanted to get rid of mistakes and imperfections I had to work on it instead of talking about it. It is true not only in this case but also in everyday life. People often have tendency to brag about their failures. They come to a conclusion that if they cannot do something they should stop doing it. We should approach this issue from the other perspective. Failures should point out areas for possible improvement. If we realize this we will broaden our perspectives and possibilities. We can achieve more in more fields. As the time passed I learned to work on my weaknesses and to appreciate my strengths. Thanks to this I have fulfilled the Learning Outcome - Increased awareness of strengths and areas to growth.

Attending tennis classes also broadened my interest in the field of this discipline and sports in general. I have started to watch tennis matches and tournaments, to follow WTA and ATP rankings. As my knowledge about this activity was growing I started to appreciate its complexity. For me it greatly ressembles some kind of art. Players are like artists; with moves of the racket, ressembling the brush of the painter, they create beautiful pictures. They master their technique and play with impressive precision similarly to performing dancers. Matches and tournaments often can entertain us, provoke emotions and surprise us with turning points as spectacles in theathre do. For some people it can be nothing new, but for me it certainly is; I have never associated the word 'sports' with the word 'art'. It is interesting how different areas of culture intertwine and fit together like pieces of the same puzzle. Thanks to tennis trainings I gained much more than just physical benefits. It changed my perception of sports and gave me an opportunity to develop new areas of interests. Even when I quit trainings the knowledge I have gained and the interest I have developed will not disappear.

Also I have fulfilled the Learning Outcome - Developing new skills. As the time passed I was shown many types of shots. I practiced them on each training. I managed to perform them properly, but not without some problems. Most of the time I was just not focused enough; when I have pulled myself together and remembered about proper position, used enough strength, synchronized the move of the racket with approaching ball, my shots got better. It certainly has allowed me to improve myself.

It is true that tennis trainings have taught me plenty of things and brought me many benefits, but after some time I have noticed that I have stopped to learn anything new. To be honest I have become a little bit bored. Also the trainings have stopped to be challanging; we haven't got any warm up and generally I was more tired after PE lessons at school, than after tennis classes. Also to get to tennis court I had to travel for 1.5 hour, and for another 1.5 hour to get back home. Overall I have been gaining some skills and values during 1 hour of training but also wasting 3 hours on the ride. So I have decided to change this activity for something that is nearer.

To sum up I am glad I have been attending tennis trainings. It was a short but valuable experience and I do not regret taking part in it.

Reflections during iceskating

On January 24th, February 5th, 14th and 22th 2015 I have been iceskating.

With more hours spent on the ice rink I am more confident while skating. Also after skating constantly for an hour I am less tired then I was before. It is rare in my case - usually during winter I don't excersise and my stamina is very low at that period. It is the case for a lot of people actually - they stop doing activities during the colder months. It negatively affects their health - they start to gain weight and it is more difficult to lose it afterwards. It we have developed habit of excersising during winter we would prevent some minor diseases like flu because our immune system would be more effective. We would improve our general health and what is more important  - improve our mental well-being. Personally during winter I am more tired and have worse mood than usual. This year I have noticed that after an hour of iceskating I had more energy and I was in much better mood than on regular winter days.

Last time I wrote about my problems with skating on my left leg. Since then I have observed great improvement. At the last session I have maintained proper balance and I was able to skate on both legs without any hesitation. Now I don't even know why it was so difficult for me. I guess the greatest obstacle was in my head - the fear of falling down. When I think about it now it seems so silly of me because it was nothing difficult and even if I had fallen it wouldn't have been a big deal. I wonder how often people are afraid of things which are not really chalenging. They often don't even care to try because failure seems to be so likely. People should take their chances and do their best to achieve the goal. Afterwards probably it would turn out that it was one of the easiest things to do and they would laugh at themselves just as I did.

During one of the sessions on the ice rink there was a women who was practicing figure skating. As I have observed her I was really impressed by her skills. It was obvious that she was doing it with a great passion, that she was doing something she loved. It made me realize how important in life is to keep doing things that give us joy. If we do so we can be more efficient, we can achieve goals while entertaining ourselves. It brightens up one's life - no matter what we do, it can be gardening, playing instruments, painting, running, writing. As long as we are able to do what we love we have purpose in our lives. I wish that someday I will find an activity that will give me such satisfaction and joy, that will make me feel like it is significant and like it matters. Even if it only matters to me. All in all, doing things that we love is about our own wellbeing.

Learning outcomes fulfilled:
- Developing new skills
- Increased awareness of strengths and areas for growth

Iceskating

I have decided to develop my skills in iceskating this year. Up till now I have been iceskating three times. This was enough time for me to overcome my fear of falling down, but not enough to learn how to skate properly.

During my first time on ice rink this winter I had to recall what possition I should skate in, how to properly place my skates to move smoothly. Although I am not afraid of skating far from the barrier, I have noticed I am skating more on my right leg - I have figured out that I cannot maintain balance while skating on my left leg. It means I am still a bit afraid of falling down.

During next sessions I tried to teach myself to skate on both legs - but it is more difficult than it seems. I don't know why I could not force myself to do more than 2 long slides on my left leg, and then again I was skating only on the right one. I was also observing techniques of other people, hoping that I would learn something useful. I have noticed that they often skate with the fixed pace, one leg after another, sliding more to the sides then forward. I have been practicing it and I think that at the end of the last session I have made some progress. During the next session I am going to check if I improved much and to try to get better and better.

Learning outcomes fulfilled:
- Increased awareness of strengths and areas for growth
- Developing new skills

Raising money for Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity

On 11th of January I have participated in the annual final of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity. On this day I have been volunteering and raising money on the streets. This year's goal was to raise money for equipment for diagnostics of diseases and for treatment of children and elderly people.

As I was wandering through the city and collecting money I was thinking about how much good can be done if great deal of people show a little bit of commitment to one matter. The majority of people passing me that day had put some money into my box - for them it was a tiny sacrifice, but for sick people it is a chance for new life. It is incredible how greatly we can influence the world around us if we gather to achieve the same aim. People tend to think that their actions do not have any meaning or effect on the surroundings  - sometimes I think this way too - but actually we have a great power in our hands and we just don't know how to use it. Events such as Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity show that each of us is a part of something bigger. People just have to be more aware of the simple truth - the more voices are spreading the same message, the same action, the more important, noticable and meaningfull it becomes. But there is other side of the coin - we have to be able to evaluate this message - if the idea is presented by the majority of people it does not mean that it is a right and valid one. The majority can be wrong, and we have to decide if we are for or against, using our own conscience.

Learning outcomes fulfilled:
- Considered ethical implications
- Engaged with issued of global importance

Guardian Angels' Charity

I have spent 3 more hours at Guardian Angels' Charity helping children with homework. During that time I have noticed how people who work there try to implement patterns of good behaviour, of rules of coexistence in the bigger society. It is important for young children to have people they look up to, to have chance to observe adults and to learn from their experience. 

Tutors show them the importance of being principled and organised. Every kid has its duties - cleaning up, sweeping the floor, helping in the kitchen - which have to be done in a time given in timetables. Everyone have got their work to do. It shows children that every member of the society is important, everyone fulfill their duties - and if they don't do it, the balance in the society is destabilized. It teaches them that no effort made for the common good is meaningless.

Also tutors show children how to solve conflicts and to take under concideration feelings of others. Usually it is difficult for people to walk in somebody else's shoes. It is natural for us to rely on our survival instinct and to believe only in our opinion. Especially when we are children. When we are young we need guidance to discover that point of view of others actually has a great meaning. It is a source of diversity of the world, it makes it more interesting but also challenging, because it creates conflicts. We need to learn how to accept different opinions, how to be open-minded and empathetic - and that is not easy at any stage of our life.

Kids at Guardian Angels' Charity are shown values which should be known by every young person in the world. These values do not make anything easier - they only allow to notice the honest way to live our life and to become better people. On the other hand, children sometimes show greater understanding of what is good and what is bad than many adults. Their purity and often their gullibility allow them to see world beyond artificial boundaries created by people - that shows that sometimes grown-ups should learn from children, not the other way.

Learning outcomes fulfilled:
- Considered ethical implications