In Class 5/31

1. Distribution

• We need to send to our community evaluator, Ms. Lord, our Mentor, and our two classmates who are evaluating us the following:

1. Role of Evaluator sheet
2. Grading Rubric
3. print one copy of EVERYTHING for Ms. Lord. We can put our blog on a CD with the two papers listed above, but we should print the two papers as well in that case.

2. Double space
3. Write a closing entry

• Bring a copy of the final entry if it is not included in the copy submitted five days before

Sample Presentation
What worked?
What do you hope for your project?
What might you borrow?


Involving people by getting them to imagine really worked
I hope to borrow this by...

****SPOILER****


My project was inspired by nature
I can ask the audience to sketch a design which is inspired by nature
For me, I either create from transforming something from nature (Rooster dress), get inspired by nature (Owl Dress), or take from other drawings inspired by nature.

Carrie H talked about the former WISE students that she had talked to about their project, and one of them had been doing jewelery made from recycled materials. She had pictures in the background while she talked (I wanted to do the same!!! I want to have photographs of the sketches in a slideshow, and then the piece itself upfront. I want it to POP and be COLORFUL!!!)
She also had people working on creating jewelery while she was talking, which gave me the idea of having people design clothes while I talk...
Is that copying too much? I was thinking of having my sketches in the background ages ago, so...

In Class 5/24

Today we shared our creative pieces, and were asked to write a letter to future WISE students on the following:
What do you know now that you didn't know in September (because of your experiences in WISE)?

Dear Future WISE Student,
When you think of entering WISE, you probably are thinking that it would be cool to learn a new trick, or to do something you've never done before. That's all good and fine, but when you think about what you're going to take from what you've learned, you probably won't be able to imagine how WISE would affect you in a deeper, less superficial way than just learning a new trade. For me, WISE opened my eyes to something much more profound. I learned that if I truly set my mind on something, I can achieve it. That was very important for me, since it gave me courage to enter my future education, which I have no experience in.
My project was to learn how to sew, design clothes, and make five full outfits. I ended up making only a few of my designs, however, I learned so much. My dad didn't even believe that it would be possible to make one dress, he later told me. At times, I doubted myself as well, but I ended up not only making a dress, learning to sew, and designing clothes, but I learned about the trade itself. I became more comfortable creating in this new medium, which, prior to WISE, I had been terrified of. Before, I hesitated at a machine, and shied away. Now I jump right on it, and I'm not afraid to try. By learning this new way of expression, I have gained confidence in my ability to learn, and that my perseverance will lead to success.

Good Luck!
Tara Lobo

Something I had forgotten to include in my letter, was that in the past I would often give up if I thought that the task was too daunting, but in this case, I had the courage and motivation to continue. It was worth it. I was also more realitic in my goals, lowering them when necessary, which perhaps helped me stay on track and not lose hope. Finally, I learned that sometimes, it's okay to let go and not be a perfectionist; no matter how badly you want every seam to be perfectly straight, it's not going to happen, so get over it!!

In Class 5/17

In class we were fixing any schedule problems and scheduling anyone who wasn't scheduled yet.
I was able to switch review days with Jordan (yay) so that my reviews are back to back, and it ended up being good for him too!
I need to talk w/ Ms Lasher Thurs and make sure all's okay with Friday the 17th
We then talked about the upcoming presentation, and how it should not include stuff from journal. That's tough, 'cause my journal is pretty much a running commentary of what I'm doing and what I've learned. However, no one has seen my finished garments yet, and perhaps I can do more research, and present that way... Need to think about this more.
Turned in poem for creative piece

In Class 5/10

I missed the last class because of my AP French test. I met up with Ms. Lord later, who caught me up with what I had missed. We had signed up for dates to peer edit and present. My WISE presentation is on Friday, June 17th. I am peer editing Wednesday on the 8th and 15th of June. I picked the latest possible date for my presentation because I really want the time to finish whatever clothes I will be working on, and I know that I will need the extra time to do the final touches on my dresses.
I also got a sheet outlining some requirements for my project. I have to write a 4-6 page narrative that will share what I did during my WISE project in a fun and engrossing way.
I then have to write a final bibliography which has a minimum of 10 sources (not that much at all! Especially considering how many we needed to find at the start of our project) and a minimum of two personal contacts. Easy
Along with the bibliography we need to write a two page commentary about how we handled our research, and how it relates to our project.
Finally, we need to share a draft of our narrative with our mentor and/or teacher, and five days before the presentation make copies of our materials and invite everyone to our presentation.
Another thing I learned!!!!!! The presentation does NOT have to be at the school!!!! I might want to do it at Sew-Green, though we'll see. That way I'll have mannequins and stuff.

In Class 5/3

May already!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry. Anyway...
I missed class on Tuesday because I caught a cold stressing over my chem/calc exam. Funny how that works, no? I seem to be getting sick an awful lot lately...
Back to the point. In class, I missed a lot of info/introductions about the following:

• I want to start with explaining about the citations because it's funny. For me.
• I asked one of my classmates, who said that over the weekend, due Monday morning promptly, we were supposed to hand in 10 citations that we used, with annotations. Turns out we don't have to do that (Ms. Lord clarified the misunderstanding to me later when I asked). I wonder how many people will turn this in to her :P
• Next, we had to fill out a mid marking period 4 student progress form, which IS due Monday. I already filled it out during my mentor meeting today and stuck it in Ms. Lord's mailbox.
• We DO have a ten source minimum requirement for the WHOLE project (it's so small!! I HOPE I've used way more!)
• We will get more details on project requirements soon... I think? Unless I missed this part... I need to double check

Still need to do:

• I have to sign up for a presentation date (oops... should have done that when I saw her today!)
• My creative Assigment is due 5/17
• Ask parents to evaluate projects at the end of the year
• Google IHS WISE program calendar

In Class 4/27

I missed class due to the aforementioned horrible flight delay, so I checked in with Ms. Lord.
She gave me Mr. Byrne's review, which I found very accurate and fair, and even a bit overly generous in areas. However, he said that I was "self-deprecative," which sort of took me by surprise, since he was talking about my feeling guilty for always driving...? Oh well. It was nice. I got to hear someone tell me I wasn't screwing up, which was great.
I also got an article about adversity and resilience. I'm not sure if I entirely agreed with the article. It said that resilience was taught by parents who let their children figure it out, or had to go through immense hardships, which, although it is certainly true in some cases, wasn't true for me. I led an extremely sheltered childhood. My mom was often there to help me and I never had extreme hardship. Sure, I was left to do my homework on my own, but in many cases I had my parents to turn to. However, my resilience wasn't due to independence, but due to stubbornness, and persistence. I just wouldn't give up. I am a perfectionist, and always like to get the job done. One of my challenges during this project however, is to build my defenses against wasting time on minor errors, like a crooked stitch. During this project, I'm learning how NOT to be such a perfectionist, and to let go a little by saying, "it's okay if it doesn't get done," or in other words, becoming less persistent. Why? Because then I would never get anything done! I find myself set back by my perfectionism, so I need to constantly remind myself that I'm only doing this to LEARN, not create just a dress!
Also, no one reviewed my journal :(
I did a review on paper since I wasn't able to access a computer over break, so mine will be posted soon, but I wish someone from class had read mine. I guess it's difficult since mine is kept private. Maybe I should open it up, but it's so personal, I'm glad it's not public.

In Class 4/12

We were in the library today with the laptops. Unfortunately mine did not work, so I ended up in the computer lab, and I'm afraid Jordan succeeded in totally distracting me. However, since his project sounds very interesting, and I have no idea about what he's up to, I decided that I would do his journal for my Partner Read. We were assigned this today, and it is where we read another person's journal, and then evaluate it. I'm a little nervous about my own evaluation.
I also got the research from the research swap thing that we did. Chezna picked her favorite designer, Zac Posen, and talked about why she liked his work. It's really sparked my interest in finding out who he is, and what his designs are like. Unfortuantely his style isn't quite something I appreciate as much as others, however I found a really cool dress of his, and I really respect his boldness with color. I've put my favorite below, but there was another set that I really liked which had a virus or something on it, so I wasn't able to access it (and got out as fast as possible!!)

This is the one I like the most. I'm not quite sure about the sparkly stuff on the front (it sort of looks like a Christmas decoration) but I love the flow of the dress.
http://inspireandcharm.blogspot.com/2011/02/dream-valentines-day-dresses.html



This was a red carpet gown for Beyonce. I'm not sure if it's something I appreciate (even though my own prom dress is mermaid-style! haha!)



In Class 4/5

The class started out a little rocky. It seemed like a third of the class hadn't turned in their 3rd Quarter Evaluations, and got a zero. Ouch! Ms. Lord wanted us to learn that despite the class being WISE, deadlines would still be enforced, and that we shouldn't slack off. I was really glad I hadn't slacked off on my evaluation. Actually, I had sort of gone overboard on my evaluation, writing four pages. It was a way for me to evaluate my own work, and it really helped me see what I had done, and what I needed to do. I enjoyed the chance to be able to organize my outlook on the whole project. It wasn't my best writing (I did it pretty fast, honestly), but it was very useful.
We were also told that on Monday, 4/11 at 6:30, our journals would be distributed amongst others in the community in order for them to evaluate our journals! Fun fun! I hope they enjoy mine. I've put in a lot of effort trying to make it SHOW as well as tell.
We also were given an assignment to collect research for a peer. It will be due next class. I thought that I would do research for Katherine, since my line is inspired by birds, and she's doing a nature journal. I just found a cool website on birds, and I think it would be great for her (see Browsing).
Finally, a word of advice from Ms Gergley, which I must keep in mind- if it's ont in your journal, it didn't happen!

Mentor Meeting and In Class 3/29

Today Ms. Lasher and I talked about my previous visit to Sew Green, what I accomplished, and the plan for the next visit. We also talked about what I need to do, such as start sewing on my own, and getting my hands on some patterns to practice with. We also talked about an idea we both have been talking about for a while, but I'm afraid I never remembered to put in my blog. We had been discussing the possiblity of going ot New York City as a field trip at the end of my project to look at Parson's and FIT, visit Mood, and pick up any materials I could not find in Ithaca. I don't know if this is really going to happen, but it would be fun to plan out. We'll see.

Today in class, we were assigned a 3rd Quarter Evaluation (eek! eight weeks have vanished way to quickly!), and told to make a list about
3 Ways I've stepped out of my comfort zone

4 Ways my project has changed so far

3 Things I wish I'd done differently in working on my project

5 Things I've learned about my field of interest/myself/working with others

This will be in a separate entry, since this one will be too long otherwise
We then saw people's blog and what they had been doing so far. It gave me a good idea about what other people are doing, and how they are organizing their blog. It also intrigued me to look at their blogs.

Homwork due 3/22

For our homework, we were given two pieces of writing. One was Robert Frost's "Two Tramps in Mud Time," while the other is from a webpage, called "Practicing."
Robert Frost's poem talked about a man who was chopping wood, when two tramps came along, who's job it was to chop wood. However, the man would not pay the tramps to do the chore, because he was enjoying doing it, and didn't want to give up the task. Even though the tramps depended on doing menial chores such as this for their livelihood, the man desired to do the chore for pleasure. I wasn't sure whether what the man was doing was good or bad, or what I should think about it. My first thought was of India, where everyone has a chore that only they should do, so that each person has at least one job. For example, one would not take out one's own trash, because that is the job of the garbage man, and one would be taking away his livelihood by doing so.
Is it alright to take away from another their vocation, only so that one can have the pleasure of doing it oneself. In my opinion, I do not see what is wrong with trying out another profession, but if one is competing with someone who really needs that job, perhaps it is not so good. I know that in terms of my project, I will never become good enough to take the job of a fashion designer, however, I do have to deal with the fact that I am taking a space at Sew-Green as an apprentice, even though I am not going to do sewing as a profession. I'm just doing it to learn. Is that okay? My whole project is learning about a vocation that I will never actually do, and only rarely use as a hobby.
However, this is not a waste of time. I'm learning how to use a valuable tool, and be able to create what I draw and imagine. It's like learning to paint, or play the instrument. It might not be extremely valuable to me in the end, or necessary in any way, but I'm learning something new for fun, and that's very important to me, since in school, we normally just go through the motions of learning and forgetting, just to get into college.

Perhaps this is the true point of WISE. To learn only for fun, with no real purpose.

Realizing this, I have come up with a theory. Perhaps when we learn for fun, and actually have a reason or desire to learn something, we remember it better. For example, I still remember most of what I learned during my first Sew-Green lesson, however, I barely remember anything from the last unit in Chemistry.

Practicing is the part that is sometimes not so fun. Although practicing is a part of learning, it is often the most boring part. In the article, "Practicing," it talks about how, when learning to play the guitar, one must always practice what one has learned, and then expand one's knowledge by practicing what one has yet to learn, constantly building on what one already knows. I haven't practiced sewing at all. This article, reminded me that I need to pull out the sewing machine, and start practicing!

Homework 3/15

In class, we got a homework assignment. It is as follows:
Read and comment on at least one other blog, and reference your learning in your journal.
I will edit this journal entry once I have completed it...

And now I am finally completing it! (3/21)
I commented today on Jackie Cheri's blog about composting. It sounded very interesting, and I could tell that she was putting a lot of effort into the project. I learned about different composting techniques, kinds of gardens, and troubleshooting on how to get your garden healthy again. I was particularly intrigued by the idea of lasagna composting. I really enjoyed the way she had written that post, and it really attracted my attention. Like lasagna, in a compost, you need a balance of water, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon. I guess this is so that you have suitable conditions for bacterial growth. Yum!
Since I always kill plants, I hope that Jackie will be able to teach me how to maintain my garden through her blog!
I also learned that I need to step it up a notch. I'm still struggling to get a strong footing, and really commence (after all, I still need to learn how to sew), and there's only so much sketching I can do. Seeing other kids moving forward so quickly is making me really antsy. I wish I had ten times more time!!

In Class 3/15

Today, people shared their projects.
Natanya is baking, so she brought in cookies (yum!)
Jimmy is doing mixed martial arts, including Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (which is sooo awesome! I've always wanted to learn it!).
Carrie is doing slam poetry, and performed one of the poems she had been working on. She described how slam poetry consisted of three minute competitive presentations, and one is graded on a 10 point scale. One also has to use body language in slam poetry, something she was finding very difficult. Perhaps it is more like a soliloquy in acting in that case?
Mary John is training to become a clown, and at the school carnival, she had done balloon making and juggling. Her clown name is Marigold, and she's trying to not be a scary clown. I was really impressed that she had made 85 balloons at the carnival, and could already juggle.
Jordan contacted a website that allows authors to self-publish their work. He managed to talk to someone, and is really excited about the possibility of getting his book published.
Dylan finished his project already! It was a really complex physics device that I didn't really understand. Maybe part of his project can be learning how to explain it to non-scientific people... He's going to do more experiments, and learn more about the device, since he hadn't expected to finish so early.
Then it was my turn... I showed everyone my sketchbook, but I went really fast since class was getting over. I think everyone was ready to leave by then, and I found that a lot of what I was babbling might be really hard to understand for others, making me realize why it was hard to understand the technical stuff for Dylan, Jordan and Jimmy's projects.

In Class 3/8, ** Explanation of the Division of my Blog!

Today in class, we turned in our review of previous journals. I had gotten a journal about corsets, which was actually really helpful. It was what gave me the idea of planning my shopping at Jo-Ann's to fit the sales that are being offered at certain times. The journal had a lot of excitement and emotion, which made me interested to read more, and appreciate a project I might have initially dismissed. She really used her journal to communicate what she wanted, was trying to achieve, etc. I would have liked to have learned more about what she accomplished and how, instead of her complaints, and problems, though that is often not how we write, since a crisis, no matter the size, usually take preference.  I also liked how she drew small diagrams to explain certain details in her notebook that was hard to explain with words. This is one thing I really regret about the blog. I cannot just doodle in the margins ideas, inspirations, or just glue a page ripped from a magazine. One thing I would have liked to have known was how the project was funded. Although the author very proudly (and justifiably so) proclaimed that she had only spent $78 (and kept receipts!!!), we never learned where that money came from. I also would have liked to have found out more about how corsets affected society, and the projected image of women. That could have been a very interesting thesis to explore, though perhaps more of one that I would choose.

Another thing that was clarified during class was that when I was learning to sew, that counted as Research, since it was something I needed to learn in order to complete my project. YES! This is great, because that means that I haven't completely forgotten about research after all (sort of).
The journal is supposed to be equally divided in the following categories:
Planning
Doing (in mine, this is divided between Sketchbook, Learning, Sew-Green, and later Sewing)
Research
Mentor Feedback (in mine, Mentor Meetings)
Class Meetings (in mine, In Class)
Reflection
I might need to work on balancing my journal out, but I don't want to change my organization, since it makes sense to me, and I don't want to get lost.

What I Missed 3/1

During the last class meeting, the class watched a documentary about a boy's WISE project to build a barn with his dad. Unfortunately, after the two had a fight, the dad decided to stop helping the boy build the barn, and it was left incomplete. However, the boy continued to try to learn as much as he could, even though he could not complete the barn. The moral of the story is that it is okay if one does not finish his or her WISE project's goal, so long as they try their best, and try to learn as much as they can.

In Class 2/15

Today we talked a little bit about what's expected of our projects in terms of mentor meetings and citing our sources. For example, we should cite sources as we use them, so we don't forget, and at our mentor meetings, we need to share our proposal, our journal, and the journal guidlines packet.

Then in class, Tabea presented on the life of Tobias Wolff, and how it affected his writing. I found it very intruiging, and Tabea did a great job. I think it was interesting to see what he had become, and how his past hadn't really changed the "true" Tobias that much, in that he was trying to move forward, and had in fact over come his unstable childhood, becoming a father of two, and a successful writer. One could say he accomplished both his goals, not only to become a writer, but to be a better father than any he ever experienced as well.