The Mask Project
Project Reflection
Learning about identity and socialization and how we have grown up to be who we are has been a thoughtful journey, and I now feel that I know myself on a deeper level. We are shaped by our influences and inspirations and the web of identity and society that we are a part of. We were challenged with a question of who we are behind the mask. At the core of us, who are we and why are we the way we are? As a representation of our answers to these questions, we crafted masks that resemble how socialization has impacted us, and we wrote personal essays that described the specific elements of society that define us, and the process by which those elements create that definition. I found this project challenging, as well as entertaining and profound. I discovered so much about my own identity through working on and completing this project. Through a series of lessons about socialization, we gained knowledge and a better understanding of ourselves and our environment. These lessons included the Function of Education article, an assignment about the influence of music and a documentary about nurture versus nature. We also took sociology notes, read about the cycle of socialization and watched the movie Mean Girls. Mean Girls was a great depiction of everyday influences, stereotypes and highschool society. We also did a creative writing piece guided by the short story The Metamorphosis.
During this project, I learned about the influence that society has on me. During the middle of the project, I also learned something valuable about myself when it comes to school and effort. I definitely struggled with this project because it was hard, there was a lot to do, and I don't have the best relationship with writing. This was the first big writing assignment in high school, and it had deeper content than what I was used to. I was accustomed to functioning as a writer who never had to herself. So during this project, I was underachieving and staying within my comfort zone. I was also consistently distracted, rarely paying attention, and not using my time in class to do my work. When I was confronted about my behavior, I decided to make a change and step it up. Since I was so far behind, it was hard for me to catch up, and I still feel like my essay is the result of underachievement. I made a commitment to work really hard, focus in class and use my free time at home to get it done. I knew that my essay was careless and bad, so I didn't talk to my teacher for assistance because I didn't want him to see how bad it was. I know now that I should have advocated for my needs because it would have made my essay a lot more organized. I wish that I had managed my time better so that I could have used suggestions and refined my work more. My essay is not as polished, organized or as fine-tuned as it could have been with more effort, refinement and advocacy.
I grew so much during this project and gained skills that I wish I had used, but I know that I can use them in the future. Time management is a skill I will probably continue to struggle with, but now that I’m aware of it, I will stay determined to organize my time effectively on future projects. During this project, I was distracted both in class and at home due to my lack of dedication and focus. Henceforth, I plan to stay organized, get my work done, stay focused, and use class time to work diligently. Then I won’t have to worry about distractions at home, since I won’t have as much last-minute work or homework. I also know that refinement is very important in order to produce sophisticated products, and I wish that I had allowed myself more time to write and revise my essay so that I was proud of it. In the future, I will also advocate for the help I need, instead of being scared to ask for suggestions.
During this project, I learned about the influence that society has on me. During the middle of the project, I also learned something valuable about myself when it comes to school and effort. I definitely struggled with this project because it was hard, there was a lot to do, and I don't have the best relationship with writing. This was the first big writing assignment in high school, and it had deeper content than what I was used to. I was accustomed to functioning as a writer who never had to herself. So during this project, I was underachieving and staying within my comfort zone. I was also consistently distracted, rarely paying attention, and not using my time in class to do my work. When I was confronted about my behavior, I decided to make a change and step it up. Since I was so far behind, it was hard for me to catch up, and I still feel like my essay is the result of underachievement. I made a commitment to work really hard, focus in class and use my free time at home to get it done. I knew that my essay was careless and bad, so I didn't talk to my teacher for assistance because I didn't want him to see how bad it was. I know now that I should have advocated for my needs because it would have made my essay a lot more organized. I wish that I had managed my time better so that I could have used suggestions and refined my work more. My essay is not as polished, organized or as fine-tuned as it could have been with more effort, refinement and advocacy.
I grew so much during this project and gained skills that I wish I had used, but I know that I can use them in the future. Time management is a skill I will probably continue to struggle with, but now that I’m aware of it, I will stay determined to organize my time effectively on future projects. During this project, I was distracted both in class and at home due to my lack of dedication and focus. Henceforth, I plan to stay organized, get my work done, stay focused, and use class time to work diligently. Then I won’t have to worry about distractions at home, since I won’t have as much last-minute work or homework. I also know that refinement is very important in order to produce sophisticated products, and I wish that I had allowed myself more time to write and revise my essay so that I was proud of it. In the future, I will also advocate for the help I need, instead of being scared to ask for suggestions.