Co-Op Leadership

Co-Op has been an interesting experience for me. I came into this program not really knowing what to expect and who was in the class. Now that I'm near the end, I've become really good friends with a lot of the people in the class! 

In the first half of the program, we went to a lot of different field trips, which was new since fieldtrips in high school aren't exactly expected. We had the opportunity to go to the Food Bank, the sewage treatment plant, the e-exit rooms, and curling. My favourite experiences would be going to the exit room and going curling with the seniors. After our work experience "break", we really had to push in order to get through the academic curriculum. We've had less fieldtrips in the second half but we've also had more of an active part in the school/community. Our co-op class had the opportunity to host grade seven students in a bridges program, which allowed the students to ask questions and get a feel for what high school would be like. 

Through Co-op, I've had the opportunity to develop my leadership skills. Also, I've been able to use these new skills in other mediums. Through student council and the community photography project I am a part of, these newly developed skills have given me the confidence to have my  voice heard. 

Work Experience

    With the Leadership Co-op Program that I am currently a part of, we have 5 classes instead of 4. One of those classes is Work Experience. This program allows us to halt all school-related activities for three weeks and to actually go out in the real world. For my work experience period with Co-op, I chose a retail path since I'm hoping to get a part-time job with the skills and knowledge I'd gain. Therefore, I got to spend three weeks at Old Navy.

OLD NAVY

    On my first day, I was introduced to the managers, other associates, and other work experience students from the district. The other work experience student and I got the basic training, which included our daily routines, key terms, and just things that will help make our job as sales associates easier. Through the duration of the three weeks, I had the opportunity to help customers, develop new skills, and practice my folding. I did A LOT of folding. Additionally, I got the chance to get to know a lot of the employees that worked there already. Everyone was incredibly friendly and understanding. One thing that I really enjoyed about this opportunity was that I was forced out my comfort zone. By talking to customers and getting to know the other associates, I was forced to develop my social skills. I'm usually quite quiet around new people, but I had to move past that. Over the period of three weeks, I gained more confidence when it comes to talking to new people.

Response to LOTF Discussion Questions

1. Individuals are basically evil and must constantly fight against their violent nature.
    I disagree with this statement mainly because it's suggesting that all humans think alike and develop in the same way. Some people choose different paths which may lead them to have a more dominant, and violent persona. While others may choose paths that lead them to being more peaceful and neutral. This statement also suggests that babies are fighting against their violent nature. The only thing violent about babies would be their smell, otherwise they wouldn't hurt anyone. I don't believe any one is born with a violent nature, it's something that may develop over time. As we grow older, we are faced with more challenges and limitation that could force us to change our character. Basically, over time we are forced to choose which path we wish to take. For example, in "The Lord of the Flies", Jack and the other savages were faced with challenges that forced them to take on a more violent nature. In present society, it can be peer pressure that forces us to do things we normally wouldn't do.


2. Individuals will go along with any type of activity, no matter how violent, when pressure by their peers.
 I agree to this to a certain extent. I do believe that nowadays, peer pressure plays a great antagonist to many people when it comes to doing things outside of one's comfort level. The pressure to fit in can and will make people do foolish things. For example, in an episode of "Grey's Anatomy", high school students forced their so-called friend to jump in a pool of fast-drying cement. The "friend" obviously wasn't keen on the idea of doing that but his longing to fit in forced him to make an unhealthy decision. On the contrary, I disagree with this statement as well, because I believe that many people opt to using their own brain and they can think for themselves. With that said, people should be able to think critically and realize that their actions could have consequence. We, as humans, have the ability to know right from wrong. We are raised to identify and label actions as being appropriate or inappropriate.

3.  The human race is destined to destroy itself. 
    I agree with this concept to be true because there are years of evidence that can aid in proving this to be true. Through events such as WWI, WWII, and all the expeditions for more land, it proved that humans are selfish and only fight for things that will help them gain more power. The greed for land has caused millions of deaths from the expansion of the Roman Empire to the building of new homes in our own neighbourhood. With the example of building new homes, one would need to cut down trees to create space. Through this, there is a decrease in natural resources, the same resources humans need to survive. There is no balance in ecosystems for different environments when humans out weigh the components that are needed to sustain human life. In short, humans are creating dead ends for themselves which will eventually get caught up with us. Through the world wars, it's been proven that humans will go to any length to "win". With the creation of new weapons, more deadly weapons, humans are just making it easier for self destruction.

4. Rules and punishments are absolutely necessary if we are to maintain a civilized society.

  I agree with this statement because without rules and punishments people believe that they are invincible which inevitably leads to trouble. Any society needs set guidelines so the civilians know their limits and no one will cause too much disturbance. In an ideal world, no society would need these kinds of strict restrictions but unfortunately, many are faced with events that will force them to transform into a more evil and violent being. In the early years of humanity, it was proven that rules and order were crucial in maintaining a society. Therefore, by learning from the generations before us, we have adapted regulations that will keep our world      structured.

5. WE are our own worst enemy!
  I agree with this statement. Over the years humans have proved their selfishness in the world by believing that everything else should function around them, that all other organisms are below humans. Humans feel a lot of pressure from their daily lives which could inevitably take control of our moral compass. It is said that newborn babies are the purest of all, with their moral compass facing that "nice and good" side. Over time we develop the capability to face the "bad and violent" side and sometimes we remain facing that direction until it's too late. Humans are often blinded by their own emotions, which could result in a disastrous downfall. Once again, through the world wars, humans have proved their destructive behaviour and how they have the ability to let that overrun their conscience.


Top 10 Most Destructive Human Behaviours

Macbeth Post Mortem Monologue

I, Macbeth, have forgotten what it's like to be a noble man. My wife, Lady Macbeth, continuously questioning my manhood has led me to make some unwise decisions. Her obsession with power had developed into my own personal hell. Not that I can blame her, power can be welcoming and blinding. Soon after, her obsession became my obsession. With the three prophecies making my vision obscure, I made some decision that I normally wouldn't have. I killed actual people. Not exactly something I'd do on a regular day. Also, not exactly something I'd want to be remembered by. The greed for endless power made me misjudge and isolated from my conscience. The closer I got to reaching my greedy ambitions for power, the more further away I got from my humanity. The guilt of taking a human life lured my beloved wife into taking her own life. Some how, I believe that it's my fault. I should not have planned other deaths without consulting my wife. Per chance she could've stopped me from making more mistakes.

Macbeth Themes/Motifs: Connections to Contemporary Society

Through the duration of this Shakespearean play, many themes come more and more prominent. Macbeth proves the theme of ambition through his need for power and more control. Along with this, the theme of reality is tested when Macbeth sees the ghost of Banquo. The themes of fate and free will are displayed through the witches prophecies,

Power of Ambition

Firstly, ambition is a driving force that can cause people to do things they normally wouldn't do. Macbeth had enough ambition for power to cause him to commit homicide multiple times. He normally wouldn't do this but his ambitious persona caused him to do such actions. This can also be revealed when politicians go out of their way to win an election. Politicians become corrupt and may perform horrible deeds in order to win. Another example would be how some athletes take performance enhancing drugs to do better in competitions or tournaments. Normally, they would realize that they shouldn't be doing what their doing but they are forced to continue with their actions.

Example of corrupt political actions

Lance Armstrong


Secondly,  the themes of Fate and Free Will are present in our world because many people believe in psychics and their ability to show us our future. If a psychic were to tell us that something good may happen, it could force us to perform certain actions in order to make the assumption true. If a psychic states anything that could be remotely relatable to anyone, it could spark curiosity. Once that curiosity kicks in, we would want to explore other areas of our lives and the psychic could provide reassurance or support.


Thirdly, the theme of appearance and reality can connect to ambition in our world. While being driven by ambition, one's reality can be altered since they need to be able to justify their actions. This can be visible, once again, through corrupt politicians since they might believe that their appearance may be better if they win. Appearances and realities could also be deceiving. Verbal irony is a great medium to express falsified impressions. For example would be in Macbeth, where Lady Macbeth and Macbeth seem eager to host King Duncan but really their plotting his murder. Another example would be online dating can be dangerous since many people hide behind a fake profile and it could turn out dangerous. Some people may choose to take on a fake persona to lure in others.

Macbeth: Superstitions & the Supernatural

The superstitions that I believe in are mostly those that mainly the older women in my family warned me about growing up. If we were driving and a black cat ran across the road in front of us, we would turn around and take a new route even if that meant we would be late. In ancient Egypt, cats were always respected no matter what their fur colour was. However, during the Middle Ages, cats were seen as a symbol of the devil and were considered companions of witches.

The number 13 being unlucky wasn't really considered bad with my family but I was exposed to it with the media.  Many of the  TV shows or movies I would watch would have an opinion saying that the number was unlucky. A lot of these programs were played during the Halloween season. I used to think that the number 13 was unlucky, but now I'm more hesitant in believing that a this one double-digit number has the potential of ruining something good. The origin of number 13 as a superstition started biblically. 

A superstition that my family still believes is that it's considered unlucky to sneeze before going outside. Growing up, my mom would make me wait inside for at least 5-10 minutes so the sneeze wears off. The origin of sneezing is considered a superstition comes from people believing that sneezing releases a part of one's soul.

 Another superstition that has been passed down throughout my family is that it is considered to be unlucky if one step overs someone else. For example, I used to get yelled at for jokingly stepping over my little cousin's legs. The adults in my family would scold us for doing so by saying that it can make the victim shorter and they won't grow much anymore. The only "antidote" to this would be to go back over them. By doing so, it undoes the unlucky action. This started as a Russian Superstition:

 Even though some may think that superstitions aren't necessarily true, many continue to follow the "anti-dote"of the superstition. I think that superstitions started off as a way for humans to find an explanation for mishaps that may occur. In human nature, we're always looking for excuses as to why things are happening the way they are. For some instances, science is a great way for people to express their reasoning and give evidence. Many "mysteries" have been solved because along the way with human intelligence because humans have developed theories as to why something may happen.  In a way, superstitions can be used as an excuse when science doesn't back an occurrence up if it happens more than once.

Personality Profile Summary

 Over the years, I have taken multiple personality quizzes and they're usually all similar. After doing the Jung & Meyers Briggs Personality Quiz, I got the results INTJ (I-introverted, N-intuitive, T-thinking, J-judgement). For me, I think this is fairly accurate. I've done this test twice over a period of time and I've gotten the same results both times. As I was reading through the characteristics and descriptions of an INTJ individual, I noticed a lot of similarities that I see within myself. I did find it surprising that it's extremely rare for there to be a female INTJ. Only 0.8% of INTJs are women. Some famous INTJs include: Arnold Schwarzenegger, John F. Kennedy, and Vladimir Putin. Some famous, fictional INTJs include: Katniss Everdeen, Gandalf the Grey, Walter White, and Gregory House.







After taking the Multiple Intelligences Quiz, my top three intelligences are : Spatial, Self, and Linguistic. I've always been a visual learner, even throughout elementary school. Although, I do think I can work well within a team and don't always need to work individually. For some projects, I'd rather work individually while with other assignments I work best when with a group of people