Quality Reflection Essay
Quality Reflection Essay
Quality Reflection Essay
Quality Reflection Essay
Quality Reflection Essay
Quality Reflection Essay
Quality Reflection Essay
Quality Reflection Essay
Quality Reflection Essay
Portfolio Entry 1
Into The Woods Blog
When I woke up this morning, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I picked into the woods because I felt that it would be the most fun out of all the other options. Although this is the first day, I feel that there is a lot to look forward to. For instance, Ms. Kancler talked about all of the field trips for the next two weeks. There is a lot of them; four days out of five next week will be a field trip. Something that surprised me about this STEMmersion is the freedom that the teachers will grant us at the different field trip locations. The teachers leading this STEMmersion understand that to fully enjoy and embrace nature, they must let us do it alone. It is a process and journey, and each person much do it alone.
Our teachers asked a question today that stuck with me and really made me think. “What does it mean to live deliberately?” I have been wondering this myself for the past few months. As I’ve grown and received more responsibilities I feel that I have forgotten what it really means to live. After getting a job, I have lost a majority of the free time I used to have. Every person must go through this process of a change. My days have been so busy, waking up and then going to school, coming home, going to work, sleeping, and repeating it all the next day. Everything has changed for me as a person. However, it’s also made me wonder what it means to live deliberately. In my mind, to live deliberately you must enjoy who are. You have to set goals for yourself and then meet them. You have to take your time with life and enjoy your surroundings. When you lie down at the end of the night, you should feel that you had a full day. Living deliberately can define who are and make you a better person. My life has changed dramatically, and for a while I was not living the way I would have liked. But I think that this STEM-ersion can put me back on my track; and help me understand what it really means to live deliberately.
Day One
When I woke up this morning, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I picked into the woods because I felt that it would be the most fun out of all the other options. Although this is the first day, I feel that there is a lot to look forward to. For instance, Ms. Kancler talked about all of the field trips for the next two weeks. There is a lot of them; four days out of five next week will be a field trip. Something that surprised me about this STEMmersion is the freedom that the teachers will grant us at the different field trip locations. The teachers leading this STEMmersion understand that to fully enjoy and embrace nature, they must let us do it alone. It is a process and journey, and each person much do it alone.
Our teachers asked a question today that stuck with me and really made me think. “What does it mean to live deliberately?” I have been wondering this myself for the past few months. As I’ve grown and received more responsibilities I feel that I have forgotten what it really means to live. After getting a job, I have lost a majority of the free time I used to have. Every person must go through this process of a change. My days have been so busy, waking up and then going to school, coming home, going to work, sleeping, and repeating it all the next day. Everything has changed for me as a person. However, it’s also made me wonder what it means to live deliberately. In my mind, to live deliberately you must enjoy who are. You have to set goals for yourself and then meet them. You have to take your time with life and enjoy your surroundings. When you lie down at the end of the night, you should feel that you had a full day. Living deliberately can define who are and make you a better person. My life has changed dramatically, and for a while I was not living the way I would have liked. But I think that this STEM-ersion can put me back on my track; and help me understand what it really means to live deliberately.
Day One
Day One
When I woke up this morning, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I picked into the woods because I felt that it would be the most fun out of all the other options. Although this is the first day, I feel that there is a lot to look forward to. For instance, Ms. Kancler talked about all of the field trips for the next two weeks. There is a lot of them; four days out of five next week will be a field trip. Something that surprised me about this STEMmersion is the freedom that the teachers will grant us at the different field trip locations. The teachers leading this STEMmersion understand that to fully enjoy and embrace nature, they must let us do it alone. It is a process and journey, and each person much do it alone.
Our teachers asked a question today that stuck with me and really made me think. “What does it mean to live deliberately?” I have been wondering this myself for the past few months. As I’ve grown and received more responsibilities I feel that I have forgotten what it really means to live. After getting a job, I have lost a majority of the free time I used to have. Every person must go through this process of a change. My days have been so busy, waking up and then going to school, coming home, going to work, sleeping, and repeating it all the next day. Everything has changed for me as a person. However, it’s also made me wonder what it means to live deliberately. In my mind, to live deliberately you must enjoy who are. You have to set goals for yourself and then meet them. You have to take your time with life and enjoy your surroundings. When you lie down at the end of the night, you should feel that you had a full day. Living deliberately can define who are and make you a better person. My life has changed dramatically, and for a while I was not living the way I would have liked. But I think that this STEM-ersion can put me back on my track; and help me understand what it really means to live deliberately.
Day Two
Daytime breeze cooling
Waters harbor life for most
Rough grass surrounding
On our second day of STEMmersion we got to go on our first field trip to Cox Arboretum. We started out the day writing a Haiga poem, which is an interesting type of poetry that you measure with syllables. After writing the poems we were tasked with a scavenger hunt for landmarks and items at Cox Arboretum. One of the most interesting things on this list was a landmark called the Tree Tower. The Tree Tower is a very tall building that overlooks a majority of the surrounding forests and trees. Although I am scared of heights, it was a good experience and I’m glad that I witnessed it.
Because our teachers let us roam around without a chaperon. My Group and I were able to cover a lot of ground. We hiked the largest trail there and got to go places that not many people from our large group went to. During our hike, we spent time in peace and quiet; the only sound around us was nature and our own footsteps. I think that this hike gave me some time to think and actually use my time wisely. I thought about living deliberately and defined it again in my head. I determined that I was currently living my fullest life. Tonight when I lie down for bed, I have high expectations that I will content with my day. Ultimately, that’s the goal and purpose of this STEMmersion. To define living deliberately and then live within our own definition. Overall, a successful day and I still have an hour of data to look forward to.
Day Three
In our third day of STEMmersion we learned about our water, where it comes from, and where it goes. Water is often something we take for granted, we don’t think about where it comes from of where it goes when we turn on a sink or flush a toilet. Even though today involved a lot of lectures and listening; it was still a good day and I’ve had fun. Learning about specific jobs at a water treatment plant and what they do. We also got a tour of the water mobile, which is a portable classroom that felt like a boonshoft exhibit. I’ve learned how throwing one piece of trash into the water can effect so much more then I would have ever imagined.
Because of what I learned today, I feel that I more conscious of my surroundings and can understand where my water comes from in a more deliberate way. I understand what I must do to preserve my waters and how I can make them last longer.
To start off the day we watched a ted talk about how to listen better. Although I’ve never really thought about what it means to really listen, I was able to learn a lot. I learned that there are steps that you can use to practice your listing skills and improve upon them. The man talking said that listening skills should be taught in schools across America. This was something that caught me by surprise because it is something that I’ve never thought about but I agree with. After kayaking today I’ve come to realize that you truly can listen better. In addition, within listening better you can unlock a new potential of living deliberately
Day Four
Day Five
Today was a pretty easy day. To start, we made field journals for the field trip. In the journal we included plenty of space to write and sketch. We also included a map of the Narrows and a space to record water quality tests. After creating our journals we prepared to leave, as I mentioned before we were going to the Narrows, which is the place we kayaked yesterday. Although today wasn’t as fun as kayaking, I was able to learn a lot. For instance, we conducted a water quality test using a kit that as a junior, I’ve used before. Because I have used the kit before, using it again was a second nature and I was able to use my previous knowledge to help others. With the water kit we were able to test for: Water Temperature, Turbidity, Dissolved Oxygen, and pH. With the kit we determined that the river was actually really clean. The pH indicator read 8, the neutral pH is 7, so the water was very clean and possibly filtered. Using our knowledge we learned on Day 3 I imagine that the water was possibly from an aquafer or something similar. Testing water quality is important for scientists to understand where a possible contamination may be coming from or if the water has any contaminants in it. For us, testing the water quality is a fun activity and we determined that the water around us was relatively clean and healthy.
The turtle that we looked at was smaller than the other two, although it was smaller it still ate a large worm. The main reason I chose this turtle is because turtles have always fascinated me and I felt that they were in a more natural environment. And I was able to watch them non confined unlike a pet store, and I was able to get close enough to them that they wouldn’t run away. It just fascinated me how much smaller it was and how it was moving just the same as the other bigger ones.
Day Six
Today on our trip to Carrige Hill Farms, we got to tour a very old farm that a family used to run. In this farm they had an ice house, blacksmith shop, homes, and even a graveyard. One of the coolest things at the farm was the graveyard, the dates of death on the gravestones dated back to 1856. They also had a small museum that talked about the daily tasks of the family and what their daily tasks. The school house was a really cool place to visit because it had old style chairs and tables. Looking at the farm and all of its roles that must be completed, it was eye opening. With all of the chores that needed to be done, there was always something to do, and when you had free time you could play at the nearby creek or pond. Overall, living on a farm would meet the definition of living deliberately. Especially because it was an entire family working together everyday to make sure that they made the most out of there day. I hope that at some point in my life I reach that.
I am an ice house, my main purpose is to store ice blocks for long periods of time. Although I don’t move I have seen many things and I serve a major role to my owners. In the winter I store ice that my owners cut out from lakes, rivers, and ponds. Sometimes there are small objects in the ice, once I’ve seen a fish frozen in the ice. I am made from brick walls and a wooden roof. I have a loading dock that my owners can slide ice up, making it easier to stack the ice. I am not a very large building, but I serve my owners well enough. Sometimes I need to store ice over the summer, my owners will spread saw dust over all the ice. This helps the ice stay frozen moths into summer. Many people think my life is boring, but I enjoy it. I get to see my owners for most months out of the year and watch them grow older. Kids are often tasked to come get my ice, so I get to say “hello” every once and a while. Even during the later months of summer, when no ice is inside. The children keep me clean and happy. They often play on my walls when there are no chores to be done.
Day Seven
We started the day like any other and we learned about what we would do for the rest of the day. The teachers told us we would meet an author that writes short story horror, but uses metaphors to connect nature to horror. Before meeting him, we had to first walk to Delco Park. The walk is one and a half miles so it wasn’t awful. Luckily the weather wasn’t that hot and there was a breeze. After arriving to Delco we met with the author and he talked to us more in depth of metaphors and some of his personal favorite metaphors in writing. He then tasked us to write our own nature metaphors by wondering off to a quiet place and watching, listing, and thinking. There are examples of my personal metaphors on the right if you would like to see some of them. The next activity we did was called small world, we were first tasked to look at a small patch of land, I choose the sand. Looking at if from a standing position, it looked how you would imagine, grainy and riddled with blades of grass and trash. Next, I kneeled down to look at the sand from a new angle. And as I got closer to the sand I started to notice small red bugs crawling around that were not visible from a standing position. I also noticed how detailed the sand was and how it clumped together from the rain. Finally, I laid down on the sand I got one final look at it. It was there that I realized how detailed the sand was close up, and how many of those small red bugs there were crawling over the shapeable landscape. The sand created hills and mountains and even cliffs, it almost looked like I was looking at a top down view from very high up. And to end the day we did are normal routine of writing our blog and out hour of yoga.
