It’s happening quickly. Time always moves this way, in a masked pandemic world or not. Here we are looking at the end of quarter one already. We get going and dig in a bit and poof! There goes the time. It does feel a little different, seeing everyone in person only every other week but it's not that different. The trouble is, you think you have time. Over the next weeks, as Pilot students keep refining their interests and showing what they know we will begin practicing skills needed for exhibitions. These presentations of their learning will happen soon, starting the first week of November. Exciting news... we’re going to change it up a bit this year. The Pilot exhibitions have always been a presentation done live and since we have limited ability to gather at the moment we thought it would be nice to offer the students an opportunity to record their presentation in a 15 minute video. With this you can also make sure that you haven't missed something, or that performance anxiety made you forget all the good learning that you've done. Speaking in front of real humans is an important skill to practice. Having choices and options and learning how to pick what's best for you, also good. We will still find a way to give you feedback and ask you questions in a live way - more to come on all that next week. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone. And if you’re not feeling overwhelmed, you’re not alone! There is someone else that is having the feeling that you’re feeling. I am hearing this from all of you in different meetings. Here are two common questions and their answers that have come up repeatedly this week: Q: Am I doing enough?! A: Maybe. You can tell if you are doing enough in a few ways. 1) Look at how much time you’re spending showing up to your work and engaging in it. Make a time log! If you’re spending at least five hours a week on your project for each subject area then you’re probably good. But there is also a question of how productive that time is, so… 2) Think about how you can limit distractions and create an optimal working environment. Tangents aren’t always helpful. Have you ever gone to look at your phone to do something productive and 20 minutes later you have forgotten what you went there for and you're looking at kittens on instagram? I can't be the only one ; ) Have you ever tried working with your phone turned off? No!? Turn off your phone. It will turn back on when you really need it, I promise. 3) Look at your weekly goals and learning plan goals. Are you making progress on these? Is your learning plan done and approved so you can be sure all us teachers and you are on the same page? If you are progressing on these goals that we’ve all given a thumbs up to, you’re in good shape. Q: But, is my work good enough? A: If you're unsure, ask for feedback! Learning can feel different in Pilot because you’re not making work that is exactly like another person’s work. You can’t say, “What answer did you get on #8?” And the answers are more personal because you've asked the questions. Don't fret. Your advisors and other Pilot students are here to help. If you’re pondering, “Is this thing that I care a lot about, want to know more about all the time, and have made good documentation to show you what I know... is it good enough?” If we haven’t told you yet, “this is great! keep going!” Feel free to reach out and we will be sure to let you know if you’re on the right track. And if you are on the right track, what's the next great thing you could do with your time? Here are some examples of “this is great! keep going!” work from the past two weeks! Showing progress! Here is a planning sketch to final piece from Savannah’s visual storytelling project, Doc and the Rose. It’s so good to see ideas develop from a quick idea to a more finalized piece. No matter what you are making you will have a rough draft to start. Save that and share it as part of your documentation.
Besides studying Algebra and Economics, Jack has been getting organized. He made a little how to be less overwhelmed with email video for y'all. Thank you, Jack! If you're feeling swamped with email, give this a go: How to set up gmail filters from Jack. There's further information here.
Be well! amyK
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