Final Post

Well the final post is here. This project has seemed to go by fairly quickly and I'm surprised that we have only had a total of six blog posts, but the end is here and I plan to reflect. Looking back at my original goal, I intended to read all of Walden by Thoreau and learn the piece Ah Spring by Chris Thile on mandolin. I'd say this goal was partially achieved. I managed to get through a decent amount of Walden, but I have yet to finish as I have been lacking free time to read over the past month. I have, however, learned how to play the mandolin piece, even though I cannot perform it optimally. I believe that I would have enjoyed more success by this point if I had only chosen one of these activities, but I still have enjoyed success in a different manner: I now am more skilled at playing the mandolin and enlightened by the words of Thoreau.

Here is a reflection I wrote for my English class on the project, so disregard the numbers. If you are interested, check out the video of my playing at the bottom of this post.

(1.) I intended to read Walden by Henry David Thoreau and learn the song, Ah Spring, by Chris Thile on Mandolin. I’ve read about five-eighths of Walden – which has been a very enlightening endeavor – and have learned the majority of the song on mandolin, yet, I still cannot perform it optimally.
(2.) This project was a medium through which I could relax and enjoy activities of my interest. I found peace in reading and learning to play a fun piece gave me happiness. I have also spent much more time outside, enjoying the simple things of nature, because of Thoreau. The impact of my activities may have only been felt by my family and friends, who have had either the pleasure or misfortune of hearing me play the mandolin. An appreciation of nature and folk music could be taught to the community, which could only cause them to unplug from society and enjoy the world.
(3.) The primary roadblock associated with this project was time. During class at the end of the day, it was hard to focus on reading, so I often just wrote blog posts. This part of the year has also been fairly intense with papers and projects for different classes, so the amount of free time I could have allocated to working on these activities was fairly limited. During some periods of free time, it has been difficult to motivate myself to perform these activities, usually because I was tired and not seeking focus-intensive venues.
(4.) I learned from my roadblock that in order to accomplish some extracurricular goal, frequent effort must still be exerted, even though the activity may seem like a break from what is normal.
(5.) The thing about this kind of learning that works best for me is how I was able to choose the content that I studied. Having a passion for what I learned really improved my enthusiasm and allowed me to showcase some of my individuality that would have otherwise been unexploited through traditional coursework.
(6.) The thing about this kind of learning that is a challenge for me is scheduling/making a plan to achieve the ultimate goal. This isn’t really that difficult, but it would have been helpful to schedule smaller goals over shorter intervals of time, so that the ultimate goal of my project would have been effectively reached.
(7.) My project is somewhere in between success and failure. I definitely accomplished learning a new piece and reading Walden, however I cannot say that I truly finished either.
(8.) I spent about one hour per week working on my 20-Time project, not including blog posts.
(9.) This project definitely connected with the multiple traits of the IB Learner Profile. One trait with which it connected was balance. It allowed me to explore an activity that I enjoy while alleviating my stress from the other work of school. Through this, I think I achieved a fair amount of intellectual and emotional balance. Communication was another trait that was inherently connected to the 20-Time Project Fair. Next, thinking is a trait I would definitely associate with learning a new instrument and reading a classic work – especially with the latter, as I tried to critically analyze some of the philosophies presented by Thoreau. Finally, I would say that I was also reflective throughout this project, especially with Walden because I applied Thoreau’s criticisms of late-1800s, “modern,” American society to my own life, through which I have been able to notice my excessive lifestyle and change to be able to enjoy simpler, more natural things.
(10.) What I did at the 20-Time Project Fair was relevant to communication skills that are typically associated with English class. Convincing others of what can be learned from reading Walden and learning to play mandolin enhanced my public-speaking and communication abilities as both a student, teacher, and marketer.
(11.) Some advice for teachers: 
Stressing the idea that the project should cover one activity would have resulted in greater success in my case, although not necessarily more enjoyment/fulfillment. I think the competitive aspect of the project should not be emphasized, as it seems to give the impression that some projects are of more worth than others; the project should be for one’s self, not necessarily for the acceptance or popularity it may receive from others. Overall, I believe that this process was handled very smoothly for its first year.
(12.) Some advice for students:
I think if students treat the project as seriously as they do their other work, they will enjoy more success in the end. Focusing on one activity would be more fulfilling in the long run, as that one topic could probably be explored in greater depth than two combined. I would also suggest that students do something considerably different than what they would be able to do in school. The less the project feels like work, the more enjoyable it will be every week.
(12.) Will I continue this through the summer? Yes. Walden seems too great of a work to leave unfinished, and I want to experience it in its entirety. The work may also provide me a great mentality and questions to ponder while I am doing other things this summer. I will also continue to play mandolin throughout the summer because it is a very enjoyable pastime and elevating my musical prowess has its own plethora of rewards. I will be attending music camp in Maine, so it is likely that I will bring my mandolin there to practice. Additionally, its small size makes it very convenient to play at any time, so if it is out of its case in my house, I am probably going to pick it up and play something.

Video:

As you can tell, it is still a bit rusty. More practice over the summer will lead to improvement -- I'm sure of it,

Thanks again for reading this blog. This has been a swell time.

Peace.
Connor