Putting in the work

Things have started to get busy in ISM! In ISM these past two weeks, I worked on my personal goals, conducted more research, and had my first speech of the year. 

I had an individual meeting with Mrs. Russell and we discussed my SMART goals which included goals about interviews and gaining more contacts, Business Symposium preparation, and Original Work brainstorming. After my discussion with her, I feel as if I have very specific and relevant goals, but need to have more benchmarks in place to track my progress. This includes having at least five people on my list as a goal rather than simply putting “Create Contact List”. I adjusted one of my goals about interviews to better suit my busy schedule and be more realistic.

I conducted my first interview with one of the LTHS counselors, Ms. Jordann Waide. We had a great conversation about how professionalism does not equal perfection and how being a school counselor is unpredictable as there is no timeline for student needs.

I am also glad to have had the opportunity to practice my professional speaking skills and watch other people’s speeches. We spent a whole class conducting Introductory Speeches, discussing our passions, why we chose to be in ISM, our personal quote, and other meaningful topics. As I was speaking, I worked hard to make good eye contact, speak at a good volume, and elaborate on the subtopics I brought up.  I learned even more about my peers and actively listened to what they were saying. 

To continue, I completed an Annotated Bibliography and Research Assessment #3. I chose very diverse topics in the field of Psychology for my Annotated Bibliography because I wanted to start my research this year very broad. I feel that because I have less experience in Psychology there is even more to learn compared to my topic last year of Journalism. My favorite article that I chose was about social media and how it affects people’s perspectives, specifically about marketing tactics. My Research Assessment was about cognitive psychology practices in medical education. It supported my prior knowledge that cognitive psychology practices are beneficial for students as they support long-term curriculum retention. I liked looking at psychology in an academic setting rather than a clinical setting. 

Lastly, I had a virtual Zoom meeting regarding the Business Symposium with ISM teacher Mr. Pirtle and other ISM 2 volunteers. We briefly discussed the different rotations during the Symposium and the guidelines/expectations when we present. We also discussed next steps and how volunteers will communicate and create the presentations. I’m glad I was able to attend and gain clarity on what is expected of me on Oct. 9. 

Can’t wait to keep prepping and planning for what’s to come!