Service & Creativity

Recently we've been celebrating the Teacher's Day in Poland and my class was responsible for preparing the whole event at my school. My friend Adrian and I, decided to lead the assembly. Our tasks were to introduce the speakers, congratulate and greet all the teachers and basically represent our class. 

At first I wasn't sure if it's a good idea, as I tend to get very shy in front of a big audience, so I was afraid that I'm not going to cope with it. But I decided to give it a go. After some rehearsals I felt that maybe it's not such a bad idea and I started to look forward to the whole event. 

Unfortunately, Adrian felt sick in the morning of the Teacher's Day and he couldn't attend the event which made me really stressed, but in the end it all went as planned. With a little help from my other classmate – Janek – the assembly turned out to be much fun and everyone was happy with the outcome. I even managed to help with the preparation of pies and coffee for the invited teachers.

I've learned that overcoming those small fears – like stage fright, isn't actually that difficult, but has an impact on my well-being and seeing people who really like all the work you've put into an event is the best reward :)

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify own strenghts and areas for growth
3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan CAS experience
4. Show commitment and perservance in CAS experience
5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
7. Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

Activity

Besides walking my dog, which I keep on doing at least twice a week (and we both still really enjoy it), now I also go to the park with my boyfriend to play a bit of American football.
We go there once for one or two weeks and I quite like it. He's really good at football, as he's a member of Warsaw Dukes - American football team, while I literally have no idea about playing this game and truth be told - I'm the worst at it! But it doesn't stop me from throwing and kicking the ball and enjoying it very much.
What I've learned is that it's not necessary to be the best in some activity, when you can just have a laugh and burn a couple calories while having a breath of fresh air. Also, I've managed to lose a bit of weight, which was important for me and really made me feel more confident.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify own strenghts and areas for growth
5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

Creativity

This month wasn't very productive in terms of creative part of my CAS. There are so many songs that I like and want to record that in the end I just can't decide and chose one or two. I sing literally everyday and I loooooove it – it gives me joy and this feeling of fulfillment which is the best in the world. Only the effects of this hobby aren't really visible, which makes me a bit angry at myself. It's something that I really want to improve next month, because yes – I've learned that the outcome is less important than happinness I feel while singing, but I still want to share my little talent with others.

Activity

Walking my dog used to always be just a duty that had to be done. Every single day I used to take him out for about 10 minutes, but recently I thought about something – maybe I should turn these evening walks into a fun and active CAS experience? So I did. 

This month, I was extending our walks up to 30 minutes, at least two times a week. I have to say that I really liked it. And so did my dog! Olinek is my best friend since I was a child and these long walks combined with running around or playing football in the nearby forest create a very special bond between us. I also feel better with myself, because this activity really calms me down and helps in sorting out some things in my head. It's like a therapeutic session and I love it. It's also great for my body, because active leisure is always better than the passive one. 

I feel so much beter after every walk and my dog seems to be really thankful. Now I know that everyday duties can be turned into a fun experience with just a little bit of effort.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify own strenghts and areas for growth
3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan CAS experience
4. Show commitment and perservance in CAS experience
5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
7. Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions

s u m m e r c a s

For me, summer was a time of overall relax. My CAS experience wasn't so broad during those two months of summer holidays, however I managed to achieve some goals.

When it comes to singing, I've learnt a lot of new songs, as I was practicing basically everyday. Right now I'm in the middle of the very last preperatrions to record a series of about 5 covers on my youtube channel. This time I'm going to use more professional devices from the studio. I've also started to learn how to mix misic with vocals or even how to create music, such as rap beats. It's a lot of fun to me and past two months made me realize how much I love music and singing and how much joy I can add into my life by simply fulfilling this hobby.

When it comes to activity, summer was a time of swimming.I used to swim a lot when I was a child and during holidays I've noticed that I'm still quite good at it. I've developed my ability to hold the breath on time and kind of refreshed my swimming skills from childhood.

As long as service is concerned, these two months weren't that good. I've helped my friend, Paulina, in English a couple times, but that was basically it. During holidays, my friends don't really have English homework to do, because they don't go to school. That's why there was no one who needed my help. Hopefully I'll improve this part of my CAS experience in the following months.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Identify own strenghts and areas for growth
2. Demonstrate that the challenges have been undertaken and developing new skills in the process.
3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan CAS experience
4. Show commitment and perservance in CAS experience
5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global importance
7. Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions