Mask Essay
By Caitlyn Mulcahy
Are You Original Or Society’s Creation?
“Do we have to we could always just camp here tonight?” “We will have to cross tomorrow morning then, we will have to cross it sometime. My mom a few friends and I took a 35 mile hike in the Weminuche Wilderness over three days. I remember when we had to cross a river to get to our campsite. I remember the river was running very fast and looked deep. I remember that the river pushed me and pushed me. It just made me feel small and hopeless. Then I went under. I tripped on a rock and all I saw was water. I felt wet and scared. I finally came back up to the surface. I got up and pushed myself, I knew I needed to get across and then I would be fine. I pushed and pushed and I got across. Once I was across I felt accomplished and satisfied. Like a bird flying in the wind or a fish swimming upstream and finally getting home. I learned that life will throw obstacles your way and you need to push as much as you can to overcome. You need to find the strength inside to realize that you can get through it.
I have been socialized in many ways both positively and negatively; by institutions, people, and cultures as a rich white girl. I have been taught to act a certain ways and do certain things because of my appearance.
I have been socialized in both positive and negative ways. Some positive influences for me are my parents, friends, family, volleyball, church, and school. My parents, family and friends have helped me through the ambiguous and the simple times. They are always there when I need them and I can trust them and always feel like I am getting an honest answer. Volleyball has helped me to stay fit, it keeps me from turning on the TV at home and I stay active. It also helps me to be social, I have made good friends through volleyball and I know a lot more people now. Church has also kept me social and active. I have some friends at church and there are a lot of activities that keep me active or I try to attend. The last one is school, I have made essentially all of my friends at school and I have come to love them, they all push me to do my best and keep me active and social. Unfortunately there is also a negative influence on me as well. One of my negative influences is family and friends, now I know this contradicts to what I said before, but my family can push me into doing things I don’t want to do or I don’t like doing and it doesn’t always prove to be beneficial. An example of how family has been a bad influence on me is when my mom and dad got divorced. They fought and it didn’t teach me the right way to handle anger or frustration. I was just taught to stay away from that person until it was time to discuss my problems and then yell and fight!!!!! Another is church, sometimes I disagree with what the are saying and I feel if I speak my mind I will get knocked down and people will think differently about me. I diverge with the fact that all of this should be put into your head at such a young age, you should go to church with your parents when you are young, but my problem is now that christianity is all I have known I don’t know what I believe. I don’t know that I believe in God because I believe in him or if its just because I have grown up with believing in him. I feel as though I should find what I want and be able to pursue what I believe and ask questions if I need to. I feel like I should be curious and speak without being scared of getting punished and judged. At my old church I was hurt by the words that people said about me. If I ever got asked where I went to church I would tell the truth. But when I did say where I went I was judged. I remember a girl asked me where i went to church. When I told the girl the answer, that i went to another church, and she got angry and scared for me. She told me that my parents made the wrong decision. That I should be going to the catholic not the christian church. She made me feel that I did something wrong and horrible. She made me feel that I had no choice on which church I went to. It was as if since I went to another church I was a sinner and I needed to change my life. Or else I was on my way to hell. After learning about the cycle of socialization I have realized many new aspects and perspectives. I thought in a different light. That is the problem with this cycle of socialization. You can’t think for yourself because you don’t really know what is your own thoughts in some situations.
People are socialized in many ways. Socialization is when an individual inquires a personal identity, social identity, and learns the social norms, behaviors, social skills, and the appropriate social position by an institution or a culture. The cycle of socialization starts when you are born you are this innocent child. The next step is referred to as first socialization. This occurs with your parents. Your parents raise you the in the best way they think is possible. Even though they may not know it and you don’t know it, they are putting ideas and beliefs in your head. Putting their opinions and perspectives on the world, the problems of the world, and ideas in general. Don’t get me wrong, your parents aren’t trying to brainwash you this is just how they know and have learned to raise you. They have no idea they are brainwashing you and aren’t trying to set up for a certain social life. They are putting ideas in your head by saying something like “boys don’t cry” or “you can’t wear boy’s shorts you're a girl.” The next step in the cycle is institutional and cultural socialization. When you go to church, hang out with your friends, go to school, or even doing sports at your high school you are being socialized, people are telling you how to act and telling you their opinions on subjects and you can get confused on your opinion on the subject. For example say you are walking down town with your friends and you see another girl from school. Your friend calls her a nerd because she has a Harry Potter shirt on you agree because you want to fit in. Now maybe you stood up to your friend in this situation, what if it was an adult or an authority figure? What if you're at church and your pastor says that the bible is the only book you should read. If you disagreed with them would you stand up to them or just nod your head and find an excuse to walk away. The third step in the cycle of socialization is enforcement. When you do something good you are rewarded, but when you do something bad you are punished. If you are in the army and you fought against the enemy for days and didn’t try to run, and maybe even save one of your fellow soldiers, you would be rewarded with a medal and have everyone salute you, you would feel good for the deed you did because you were rewarded. On the other hand if you choose to run from the war and retreat you would be punished. The next step in the cycle is results. You will be rewarded or punished for your behavior. If you are in the army and you stay and fight the enemy and maybe even save another soldier you will be rewarded for your deed, you will be given a medal and saluted. On the other hand, if you ran away from the war you would be punished. You would be tried for treason and will have a warrant for your arrest. The next step in the cycle is results. You will either go on with society and follow their norms and rules or will stand up for yourself and others. The last step is direction for change. This step is optional, its the step you take if you stand up against the bad parts of society, or choose to just go with society. (The Cycle Of Socialization)
There is also conflict and functionalist theories. The conflict theory says that society doesn’t work and will never work. Conflict theorists believe that society won't function because someone will always want more. For example if you divide up power equally someone will want more people won’t be able to function because they need a someone to tell them rules. They need a higher power. Once you get a higher power established someone else will want more power. People are greedy. People always want more. So then they get power and someone else is wanting more. The cycle goes on and on. Conflict theorists think of society as many lions fighting to be king. Functionalist theorists see society in a different way. They believe that society is perfect. There is no cracks and no broken glass. They think that society is kinda like of survival of the fittest. Whoever gets power and keeps it deserves it. then when someone else gets power than deserve it and the poor and powerless play a part too they help the others stay in power by how little power they have. They see society as a body or organism, all the parts work together to create a perfect being. I am both a conflict and functionalist. I don’t believe that society is perfect, but I also don’t believe that society can’t function. Therefore I am both functionalist and conflict theorist. (An Introduction to the Cycle of Socialization)
Girls are socialized in a way that degrades them and makes them not sure of themselves or feel great about their life and themselves as a person (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswJ4kO9uHc) or the complete opposite, it will make them feel great about themselves. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhjsRjC6B8U) It might affect them in a positive or negative way. The other day I was watching this show, this commercial came up and I didn’t see it at first what it was trying to sell, but when I thought about it after I saw how society changes us and brainwashes us without us even knowing. Whenever these commercials pops up you’re getting socialized, when your watching a movie or listening to music. Magazines and movies, or almost anything that has to do with social media, it makes girls feel not as good or as worthy because of photoshop and unachievable standards. In almost any movie you see, any music video you watch, or any commercial you see you see a model who seems to be “perfect.” The girls in the video are photoshopped. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM4Xe6Dlp0Y) They are pretty much fake because of all the make-up and photoshop. They create an unachievable standard and it keeps going up. Then they imply that you can achieve these standards when they show these models in commercials. Many commercials shown on TV are of a woman who is the socially perfect. There is positive though, some magazines show women a healthier lifestyle and show better ways to take care of themselves. For example the Oprah, Health and Lifestyle magazines all give advice on how to lose weight, what to eat that is healthier for your body, and how to prevent a cold.(http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Body-Acceptance-In-Praise-of-Flaws) Girls just need to accept that they are themselves and that is all they need. I’m not saying you should stop wearing makeup or telling you to delete your instagram profile or telling you to stop watching movies. My point is you need to be yourself. Stop and think. Is this your own thoughts? Or is this someone elses ideas for you? And I mean it for real this time I'm not just an inspiring quote on pinterest I’m a real person telling you to be you not a fake because society says thats cool. The point is that we can be ourselves and if someone doesn’t like us for us then they aren’t really your friend.
Many people see caucasian girls, like me, as the “typical white girl.” This offends me because I am my own person and not the “typical white girl.” I don't drink Starbucks every day and don’t have a rich family. Many people know the term “white girl” and the picture that pops into their mind is a picture of a rich white blond girl with starbucks in her hand and a gucci bag on her shoulder. This isn’t what I am and certainly not all caucasian girls. I know plenty of girls who haven’t even had starbucks their life. This is also offends me because I am not rich. I live in a neighborhood for low income families and my parents can barely even afford groceries and paying the bills. There is also the discrimination on women in general. Women are used in commercials and movies and pictures as an object. In a commercial for the Bissell vacuum it shows the mom at home taking care of the kids. Then while doing exercises with the children the daughter sneezes. The mother thinks that it is time to vacuum and goes to get it. The daughter comes and takes the vacuum out of her hands. Then goes and does the chore. Once they are done vacuuming the daughter mentions that it was “fun” and “easy”. The daughter is being socialized that she needs to be the one to do the chores and take care of the family. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi1zFiFvfWQ) This teaches people who watched this add that women are supposed to love the domestic life. They are supposed to take care of the children, clean the house, make all the meals, and still be able to keep that “perfect” complexion. So the point I want to make is that not all people are how society says they are. Many people have another side to them that other people don’t know about. They keep it locked up. They hide it from the world because they know they will get judged. They will be thought of differently because of how they act and think. They save it for the people who really matter and are their true friends.
Work Citations
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Body-Acceptance-In-Praise-of-Flaws Oprah Winfrey “5 reasons you should be in Awe of Your Flaws” article Trademark of Harpo Inc. 2004-2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswJ4kO9uHc How the media and society failed women in 2013. 10/3/13.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi1zFiFvfWQ Commercials that show how society and the media. 10/3/03.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM4Xe6Dlp0Y Model talk about how the media has affected her and how she is effecting young women. 1/16/13.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhjsRjC6B8U Women talks about everyday sexism and how it needs to stop. 1/17/14.
An Introduction to the Cycle of Socialization Matt Dooley, all pages 9/18/14.
The Cycle Of Socialization, Harro, Bobbie, pages 4-8, 1982.
Socialization is when an individual inquires a personal identity, social identity, and learns the social norms, behaviors, social skills, and the appropriate social position by an institution or a culture. You are affected by society in everywhere in every way. When you talk to your families, friends, teacher, your neighbor, or even the cashers at the store. People are telling you their opinions and thoughts that effect how you think and see things. When you see things in magazines at the store or an add while watching a video you are also being socialized. This is telling you how to look and think and do. Every thing in your life is giving you a way to think and a way to live your life.
My essay talked about how I have been socialized positively as negatively as a female. I wrote about how we have been "brainwashed" by society. I also wrote about the ways we get socialized negatively. How when we watch a video or look at a magazines we are being socialized. This influences our everything because we are always being socialized, in whatever we do. My mask ties into my essay by symbolizing an everyday life for a typical girl and how she I socialized in a negative way. I have bold red words that symbolize what some people think of girls and names that girls have been called. Then there is make-up on the mask to show how girls "cover-up" and don't show their true identity. There is also a zipped mouth on my mask to show that since I am just a girl my opinion doesn't matter and I'm "just a girl." I have music notes on my mask because I have been judged because of what music I listen to. I have a cross on my mask because my parents are religious and I am not sure of what religion I am and I feel like an outsider. When you open my mask it symbolizes me breaking the social norm and being myself. On the other mask you see a self portrait of myself.
As a class we wrote our essays and got a lot of peer critiquing. I liked this a lot because I could see my essay in another perspective and could make it even better and really make beautiful work. I also learned a bout the state offlow. I learned a lot about the state of flow and how you can use it to concentrate and really get into your assignment. You can really create beautiful work. I also learned how to use my time wisely, as in not spending all my time on my essay and not having any time for my mask, or vice versa.
I am really proud of my digital portfolio as an animas high school student. As a person I am proud o f how I have handled the transition of going from a tiny middle school to a high school. I think that I have handled it very well and am doing great. I want to improve on how I organize my work time. I procrastinate part of the time, because I don't want to face the fact that I might not get the best grade so I just don't do my work. I am really trying to get out of this habit and do the best I can and really make beautiful work on everything I do.
By Caitlyn Mulcahy
Are You Original Or Society’s Creation?
“Do we have to we could always just camp here tonight?” “We will have to cross tomorrow morning then, we will have to cross it sometime. My mom a few friends and I took a 35 mile hike in the Weminuche Wilderness over three days. I remember when we had to cross a river to get to our campsite. I remember the river was running very fast and looked deep. I remember that the river pushed me and pushed me. It just made me feel small and hopeless. Then I went under. I tripped on a rock and all I saw was water. I felt wet and scared. I finally came back up to the surface. I got up and pushed myself, I knew I needed to get across and then I would be fine. I pushed and pushed and I got across. Once I was across I felt accomplished and satisfied. Like a bird flying in the wind or a fish swimming upstream and finally getting home. I learned that life will throw obstacles your way and you need to push as much as you can to overcome. You need to find the strength inside to realize that you can get through it.
I have been socialized in many ways both positively and negatively; by institutions, people, and cultures as a rich white girl. I have been taught to act a certain ways and do certain things because of my appearance.
I have been socialized in both positive and negative ways. Some positive influences for me are my parents, friends, family, volleyball, church, and school. My parents, family and friends have helped me through the ambiguous and the simple times. They are always there when I need them and I can trust them and always feel like I am getting an honest answer. Volleyball has helped me to stay fit, it keeps me from turning on the TV at home and I stay active. It also helps me to be social, I have made good friends through volleyball and I know a lot more people now. Church has also kept me social and active. I have some friends at church and there are a lot of activities that keep me active or I try to attend. The last one is school, I have made essentially all of my friends at school and I have come to love them, they all push me to do my best and keep me active and social. Unfortunately there is also a negative influence on me as well. One of my negative influences is family and friends, now I know this contradicts to what I said before, but my family can push me into doing things I don’t want to do or I don’t like doing and it doesn’t always prove to be beneficial. An example of how family has been a bad influence on me is when my mom and dad got divorced. They fought and it didn’t teach me the right way to handle anger or frustration. I was just taught to stay away from that person until it was time to discuss my problems and then yell and fight!!!!! Another is church, sometimes I disagree with what the are saying and I feel if I speak my mind I will get knocked down and people will think differently about me. I diverge with the fact that all of this should be put into your head at such a young age, you should go to church with your parents when you are young, but my problem is now that christianity is all I have known I don’t know what I believe. I don’t know that I believe in God because I believe in him or if its just because I have grown up with believing in him. I feel as though I should find what I want and be able to pursue what I believe and ask questions if I need to. I feel like I should be curious and speak without being scared of getting punished and judged. At my old church I was hurt by the words that people said about me. If I ever got asked where I went to church I would tell the truth. But when I did say where I went I was judged. I remember a girl asked me where i went to church. When I told the girl the answer, that i went to another church, and she got angry and scared for me. She told me that my parents made the wrong decision. That I should be going to the catholic not the christian church. She made me feel that I did something wrong and horrible. She made me feel that I had no choice on which church I went to. It was as if since I went to another church I was a sinner and I needed to change my life. Or else I was on my way to hell. After learning about the cycle of socialization I have realized many new aspects and perspectives. I thought in a different light. That is the problem with this cycle of socialization. You can’t think for yourself because you don’t really know what is your own thoughts in some situations.
People are socialized in many ways. Socialization is when an individual inquires a personal identity, social identity, and learns the social norms, behaviors, social skills, and the appropriate social position by an institution or a culture. The cycle of socialization starts when you are born you are this innocent child. The next step is referred to as first socialization. This occurs with your parents. Your parents raise you the in the best way they think is possible. Even though they may not know it and you don’t know it, they are putting ideas and beliefs in your head. Putting their opinions and perspectives on the world, the problems of the world, and ideas in general. Don’t get me wrong, your parents aren’t trying to brainwash you this is just how they know and have learned to raise you. They have no idea they are brainwashing you and aren’t trying to set up for a certain social life. They are putting ideas in your head by saying something like “boys don’t cry” or “you can’t wear boy’s shorts you're a girl.” The next step in the cycle is institutional and cultural socialization. When you go to church, hang out with your friends, go to school, or even doing sports at your high school you are being socialized, people are telling you how to act and telling you their opinions on subjects and you can get confused on your opinion on the subject. For example say you are walking down town with your friends and you see another girl from school. Your friend calls her a nerd because she has a Harry Potter shirt on you agree because you want to fit in. Now maybe you stood up to your friend in this situation, what if it was an adult or an authority figure? What if you're at church and your pastor says that the bible is the only book you should read. If you disagreed with them would you stand up to them or just nod your head and find an excuse to walk away. The third step in the cycle of socialization is enforcement. When you do something good you are rewarded, but when you do something bad you are punished. If you are in the army and you fought against the enemy for days and didn’t try to run, and maybe even save one of your fellow soldiers, you would be rewarded with a medal and have everyone salute you, you would feel good for the deed you did because you were rewarded. On the other hand if you choose to run from the war and retreat you would be punished. The next step in the cycle is results. You will be rewarded or punished for your behavior. If you are in the army and you stay and fight the enemy and maybe even save another soldier you will be rewarded for your deed, you will be given a medal and saluted. On the other hand, if you ran away from the war you would be punished. You would be tried for treason and will have a warrant for your arrest. The next step in the cycle is results. You will either go on with society and follow their norms and rules or will stand up for yourself and others. The last step is direction for change. This step is optional, its the step you take if you stand up against the bad parts of society, or choose to just go with society. (The Cycle Of Socialization)
There is also conflict and functionalist theories. The conflict theory says that society doesn’t work and will never work. Conflict theorists believe that society won't function because someone will always want more. For example if you divide up power equally someone will want more people won’t be able to function because they need a someone to tell them rules. They need a higher power. Once you get a higher power established someone else will want more power. People are greedy. People always want more. So then they get power and someone else is wanting more. The cycle goes on and on. Conflict theorists think of society as many lions fighting to be king. Functionalist theorists see society in a different way. They believe that society is perfect. There is no cracks and no broken glass. They think that society is kinda like of survival of the fittest. Whoever gets power and keeps it deserves it. then when someone else gets power than deserve it and the poor and powerless play a part too they help the others stay in power by how little power they have. They see society as a body or organism, all the parts work together to create a perfect being. I am both a conflict and functionalist. I don’t believe that society is perfect, but I also don’t believe that society can’t function. Therefore I am both functionalist and conflict theorist. (An Introduction to the Cycle of Socialization)
Girls are socialized in a way that degrades them and makes them not sure of themselves or feel great about their life and themselves as a person (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswJ4kO9uHc) or the complete opposite, it will make them feel great about themselves. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhjsRjC6B8U) It might affect them in a positive or negative way. The other day I was watching this show, this commercial came up and I didn’t see it at first what it was trying to sell, but when I thought about it after I saw how society changes us and brainwashes us without us even knowing. Whenever these commercials pops up you’re getting socialized, when your watching a movie or listening to music. Magazines and movies, or almost anything that has to do with social media, it makes girls feel not as good or as worthy because of photoshop and unachievable standards. In almost any movie you see, any music video you watch, or any commercial you see you see a model who seems to be “perfect.” The girls in the video are photoshopped. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM4Xe6Dlp0Y) They are pretty much fake because of all the make-up and photoshop. They create an unachievable standard and it keeps going up. Then they imply that you can achieve these standards when they show these models in commercials. Many commercials shown on TV are of a woman who is the socially perfect. There is positive though, some magazines show women a healthier lifestyle and show better ways to take care of themselves. For example the Oprah, Health and Lifestyle magazines all give advice on how to lose weight, what to eat that is healthier for your body, and how to prevent a cold.(http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Body-Acceptance-In-Praise-of-Flaws) Girls just need to accept that they are themselves and that is all they need. I’m not saying you should stop wearing makeup or telling you to delete your instagram profile or telling you to stop watching movies. My point is you need to be yourself. Stop and think. Is this your own thoughts? Or is this someone elses ideas for you? And I mean it for real this time I'm not just an inspiring quote on pinterest I’m a real person telling you to be you not a fake because society says thats cool. The point is that we can be ourselves and if someone doesn’t like us for us then they aren’t really your friend.
Many people see caucasian girls, like me, as the “typical white girl.” This offends me because I am my own person and not the “typical white girl.” I don't drink Starbucks every day and don’t have a rich family. Many people know the term “white girl” and the picture that pops into their mind is a picture of a rich white blond girl with starbucks in her hand and a gucci bag on her shoulder. This isn’t what I am and certainly not all caucasian girls. I know plenty of girls who haven’t even had starbucks their life. This is also offends me because I am not rich. I live in a neighborhood for low income families and my parents can barely even afford groceries and paying the bills. There is also the discrimination on women in general. Women are used in commercials and movies and pictures as an object. In a commercial for the Bissell vacuum it shows the mom at home taking care of the kids. Then while doing exercises with the children the daughter sneezes. The mother thinks that it is time to vacuum and goes to get it. The daughter comes and takes the vacuum out of her hands. Then goes and does the chore. Once they are done vacuuming the daughter mentions that it was “fun” and “easy”. The daughter is being socialized that she needs to be the one to do the chores and take care of the family. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi1zFiFvfWQ) This teaches people who watched this add that women are supposed to love the domestic life. They are supposed to take care of the children, clean the house, make all the meals, and still be able to keep that “perfect” complexion. So the point I want to make is that not all people are how society says they are. Many people have another side to them that other people don’t know about. They keep it locked up. They hide it from the world because they know they will get judged. They will be thought of differently because of how they act and think. They save it for the people who really matter and are their true friends.
Work Citations
http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Body-Acceptance-In-Praise-of-Flaws Oprah Winfrey “5 reasons you should be in Awe of Your Flaws” article Trademark of Harpo Inc. 2004-2014.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NswJ4kO9uHc How the media and society failed women in 2013. 10/3/13.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi1zFiFvfWQ Commercials that show how society and the media. 10/3/03.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM4Xe6Dlp0Y Model talk about how the media has affected her and how she is effecting young women. 1/16/13.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhjsRjC6B8U Women talks about everyday sexism and how it needs to stop. 1/17/14.
An Introduction to the Cycle of Socialization Matt Dooley, all pages 9/18/14.
The Cycle Of Socialization, Harro, Bobbie, pages 4-8, 1982.
Socialization is when an individual inquires a personal identity, social identity, and learns the social norms, behaviors, social skills, and the appropriate social position by an institution or a culture. You are affected by society in everywhere in every way. When you talk to your families, friends, teacher, your neighbor, or even the cashers at the store. People are telling you their opinions and thoughts that effect how you think and see things. When you see things in magazines at the store or an add while watching a video you are also being socialized. This is telling you how to look and think and do. Every thing in your life is giving you a way to think and a way to live your life.
My essay talked about how I have been socialized positively as negatively as a female. I wrote about how we have been "brainwashed" by society. I also wrote about the ways we get socialized negatively. How when we watch a video or look at a magazines we are being socialized. This influences our everything because we are always being socialized, in whatever we do. My mask ties into my essay by symbolizing an everyday life for a typical girl and how she I socialized in a negative way. I have bold red words that symbolize what some people think of girls and names that girls have been called. Then there is make-up on the mask to show how girls "cover-up" and don't show their true identity. There is also a zipped mouth on my mask to show that since I am just a girl my opinion doesn't matter and I'm "just a girl." I have music notes on my mask because I have been judged because of what music I listen to. I have a cross on my mask because my parents are religious and I am not sure of what religion I am and I feel like an outsider. When you open my mask it symbolizes me breaking the social norm and being myself. On the other mask you see a self portrait of myself.
As a class we wrote our essays and got a lot of peer critiquing. I liked this a lot because I could see my essay in another perspective and could make it even better and really make beautiful work. I also learned a bout the state offlow. I learned a lot about the state of flow and how you can use it to concentrate and really get into your assignment. You can really create beautiful work. I also learned how to use my time wisely, as in not spending all my time on my essay and not having any time for my mask, or vice versa.
I am really proud of my digital portfolio as an animas high school student. As a person I am proud o f how I have handled the transition of going from a tiny middle school to a high school. I think that I have handled it very well and am doing great. I want to improve on how I organize my work time. I procrastinate part of the time, because I don't want to face the fact that I might not get the best grade so I just don't do my work. I am really trying to get out of this habit and do the best I can and really make beautiful work on everything I do.