Izzy Perez-Poulson

Pilot NARRATIVE
QUARTER 4/SEMESTER 2
EXHIBITION DATE: 11.6.18
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Themes from Quarter/Semester - Page 2

Projects - Page 8

Subject Areas - Page 13

Transferable Skills - Page 16

Independent Learning Skills - Page 18

Bibliography - Page 20
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The Pilot this quarter has been stressful, I take that back, my life this past quarter has
been stressful. It is not just the Pilot that is overwhelming. I have been trying to balance my
studies, my mental health (not really), my classes and my extra-curricular activities (track and
Dance 32). It is too much for one person, or I am not mature enough to juggle all of these things
and be ok. Junior year is hard as it is and when I do more things than what is required of me and
extracurricular activities:

“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”
-Bilbo Baggins

I do feel like I have dropped the ball on a few of my studies. I have been prioritizing
traditional school and short term deadlines over the things that I actually care about which are
my Pilot studies.

Though amidst this chaos of pressure and anxiety, I feel that I know myself better as a
student and as a person. I have come to realize the best ways for me to learn in different
subjects. In English I need more structure than the Pilot offers. Though I love to write, when I
don’t have set deadlines or due dates it is hard for me to write without questioning my every
sentence. I do not plan to Pilot English next year (sorry Chris), which you can read about below
in the English Project Description.
I have discovered my limits the only way I know how, by adding and adding and going
and going until I burn out. Admittedly, I know that this is a very unhealthy way of determining
my limits as a High School student but, I wouldn’t have learned them any other way. It is in my
nature to try, and try harder, I can't just stop. I am frightened of how I will discover my limits
outside of High School. I think spending time next year working within and discovering the
possibilities of my limits will help me be health and happy in my life to come.

Self Acceptance

I have to say it feels nice, learning more about a group of people I identify with is
refreshing because for the longest time I felt like I did not belong anywhere. I felt like I was
supposed to hide who I was because I didn’t feel I would be accepted, I felt like I look “too white”
to be myself. Learning about the Chicano Movement this quarter was one of the most important
studies because it is a very sensitive topic. It brings out a lot of personal insecurities and it can
be uncomfortable at time I feel I am not worthy of the title “Chicana”. I still feel awkward
talking to people about my race because of the reaction they have, which is usually confusion or
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2-3 seconds of silence. The journey of self acceptance is a lifelong journey I am just glad that I
got to start it in the Pilot.
A couple of weeks ago U-32 decided to put up the Black Lives Matter Flag, in the week or
two prior to the flag raising ceremony there were many different discussion groups and panels
in callback about racism and the how different people felt about the flag going up. To be honest
I really didn't care it was going up, I had a lot of things to do besides caring about a piece of
fabric on a pole. I was only concerned about the school getting into any legal trouble. Monday
came and it was time to go to the ceremony, I still had a very neutral opinion about the whole
matter. Then the speeches started the students in BLAMM (Black Latino And Many More) spoke
of discrimination stories, feeling alone and not having people to relate to, they also spoke of
being proud of diversity in skin and culture. They voiced of all of the struggles I had been facing
this past year with the journey of self acceptance, that was when I lost it, tears were just raining
from my eyes. In that moment it was the first time that I had felt a sense of community because
these students my age wanted to be proud of who they are in a place where we are a minority.
Over the spring break in April I spent all of my
time with myself, relaxing, I know it’s rare. I
remember that I was making an english muffin with
butter and jam and a cup of coffee. I looked down at
my spread and admired how the light was hitting the
purple-red jam so I took a picture of it to put on my
Pilot blog. When I went back to look at the picture I
noticed that my stomach was poking out a little bit,
usually I would crop the picture because I have a lot of
insecurities about my stomach but in this picture I
couldn’t help but love it, I mean look she's so cute! This
little experience made me want to be ok with what I
look like, it made me realize that there is nothing
wrong with my appearance and it inspired me to make
a character that embodies that feeling you get when
you love yourself for all of your body’s curves and lines,
I named her Bee. I actually wanted to be satisfied with
the way I am which is not an easy thing to come by because my entire life I have been self critical
to the point where I didn’t ever feel like I was enough of anything. But when I made Bee, I felt
the wholesome feeling of knowing that I am enough of a person because I am alive.

I am beautiful, I am smart, I am talented, I am enough.

I have never thought that about myself in the entirety of my life, it feels good to know
that I am these things listed above.
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Rule Breaker

This quarter I started to notice, with the help of Amy, that I was very strict with myself
when it came to painting. I even wrote down some rules that I had been following on my blog:

1. the colors should be matching if there is one color out of the ordinary it looks wrong
but if you make it match [incorporate it into other parts of the painting or drawing] it
will look better.

2. There should be a contrast in the lines you use, nothing should be too similar.

3. ugly colors on their own do not look good but when put together they look better [ One
example is, for a desert scene, a green-beige color that looks nasty when combined with
other colors of the desert does not look nasty, it looks like a desert].

4. if it doesn't look perfect start over, or tweak it until it is.

In my mind these rules are great for my larger paintings because I am very meticulous
about the way things should look, but once these rules get in the way of me enjoying myself, it is
time to step back and either rethink the rules or break them.
This idea of “should be and can be” is a theme throughout my projects. When I start the
Pilot each year I have a clear idea of what my studies will look like by the end, I set out to write
this essay or make a set number of paintings. I don’t write these thoughts down in my learning
plan because they are just influential thoughts on the back burner but I have expectations of
what my work should look like. Those same expectations that I have are the expectations that
make me ignore the possibilities of what each study and subject in general can be. I didn't know
at the beginning of the year that I would build the desire to advocate for Chicano education in
U.S. History through my Spanish study. I didn't know that through my Art study I would be
trying to accept myself as a whole human. I definitely didn't know that I would want to write to
the Social Studies Department through my English study. The study I had the most expectation
for is definitely English, because I was so set in my own head that my English study was for one
specific purpose I let that damper my love of writing because I judged myself so much. Here is a
graphic that depicts the downward spiral of self expectations that are too high:

High Self Expectation

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Self Disappointment (this one builds up) What things should be

Action

IT’S TIME TO BREAK THE SYSTEM!!!!!!! Next year in Pilot I will do it because I believe in
myself!

Limits

My biggest mistake this quarter was doing too many thing, I had 4 Pilot studies
(English, Spanish, Art, and Health), 5 classes (US History, Health, Driver's Ed, Algebra 2, and
Advanced Chemistry), as well as Track and Dance 32. Now that I am writing this down I see that
that is way too much for me to. Due to the overload of work I was having a hard time fitting in
Pilot work this last quarter, also due to the fact that in traditional classes there are set deadlines
and when you don't meet those deadlines there are very obvious consequences so I prioritized
short term deadlines over my Pilot work then those short term tasks took up most of my time.
What I learned from this is my limits, I have to accept that I cannot do everything, I cannot give
it my all all the time, I need breaks once in a while for the sake of my own heath.

A Final Thought

This quarter has helped me a lot, through painful experiences it has enlightened me to:
● My limits
I love working, but once the amount of work gets to a certain point I breakdown; just
like any other human. I know I have come to a similar realization before but this quarter
I came very close to giving up. I was so stressed I felt like my hair was falling out, I had
tension headaches constantly and it was hard for me to feel happy. Near the end it was
hard for me to feel anything. I felt dehumanized, disappointed in myself, exhausted and
there was a solid two weeks where I felt like I was about to have a mental breakdown. I
am not making any of this up and I am not exaggerating. I felt like I hit the bottom and
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stayed there for three weeks. I will not do this again because I know what being
overloaded feels like now and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
● That I need to be kinder to myself
I noticed this past weekend that I don't talk to myself in a good way, whether it is “you
didn't do that right”, “Try harder”, “That's not good enough”, or merely the lack of
positive affirmations, it is not ok to be so hard on yourself. I know that I don't sleep for
the recommended amount of time, I get 4-5 hours a night, I know my eating patterns
are messed up, when I get stressed out I don't eat or hydrate nearly enough and this
quarter I haven't taken a genuine break once.
● That I cannot do everything at once
Though I wish I could be Wonder Woman I am merely a human, I can do anything I put
my mind to but not all at once, and not in Junior year, Jesus Christ what was I thinking!
● My own expectations and how they hold me back
What things Should be and Can be.
● That I am enough
I am enough because I am genuinely trying, I am enough because I exist, I am enough
because I love people and I am enough because I care about my life, my education, the
people around me and my future.
● What I need to be able to work
Besides the human necessities, enough sleep, food, water, love, I need to believe in
myself, because when I believe in myself I can do anything within my humanly limits.
Beside that I need a challenge, because of I am not challenging myself THEN WHAT
THE HELL AM I DOING?

What next, Now that you have come to all of these realizations?

Next year I am not doing as many classes, I am taking a less challenging science class, I am
piloting Spanish, Painting and Pottery, and I am going to make an effort to take care of myself
because how I felt this quarter was not ok in any way shape or form.
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It will be ok.

These are the Goals I set for myself this quarter:

for Health:
1. meditation daily or daily practice
2. Zazen Kai, all day meditation, read ways to start a day

for English:
1. Finish essay about Chicano Movement
2. Timed writing every other day for 30 minutes to an hour
3. Have written pieces about sentiment

for Spanish:
1. Meet with Tata at least once a week
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2. Presentation to Adams Spanish Class

3. Record conversation with Tata
4. Read Abraham Lincoln and Mexico, Viva La Raza, and Twenty Love Poems and a Song of
Despair

for Art:
1. Finish All paintings you started
2. make three small pieces a week

PROJECTS
Portfolio: http://ivpp.weebly.com/

Art

The goals I had for this year in Art were these questions, and throughout this year I have learned
how to answer them:

1. How do I do undertones in skin and landscapes?

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You mix the color of the undertone in with the background or skin you are trying to paint. To fit
my style of painting I don’t think I should just use the color of the undertone anywhere. With
skin tone it's a little different because there are different
undertones for different ethnicities and everyone has different
undertones besides that. It's a long and complex journey to find the
right colors.

2. How do I make expression?

I still don't know how to paint specific expressions, I didn’t focus all
of my energy on this specific goal, maybe next year.

3. How do I paint metal?

Again I didn't put that much of my focus into this particular goal.

4. How do I paint hair?

You paint hair by painting the base color then the highlights and branch the highlight out in the
direction of the hair.

5. How do I make something look translucent?

The painting I was planning to practice this on took a different path.

6. How do I paint different positions?

You paint different positions by painting different positions, I don’t have a specific technique
for this but looking at anatomy books definitely helps.

Finishing Paintings
At the beginning of quarter 4 I set a goal for myself to finish the paintings that I had
started this year because I am planning to enter my pieces into the art walk in Montpelier. I also
feel uncomfortable when I have unfinished paintings to take home for the summer. Over this
past quarter I have been painting when I have time to, I will often write painting as something
to do everyday if there was time to. Quite often there was not a lot of time to, and when I did
paint I felt forced. There was a point this quarter where I felt like I almost lost my passion to
paint and the once vibrant colors I was using now appeared bland.
The only paintings I needed to finish were Mother and Child, Giants, and The Laughing
Woman. Mother and Child is a tribute to all of the caring Mothers in the world and a thank you
to my own. She is strong, smart, hardworking, loving, and kind. I owe everything to her
because she gave birth to me, and surrounded me with love as I grew. Mother and Child has
gone through a lot of changes, it was the one painting that I was making up as I went. I changed
the sky color three times, from purple, to blue then finally to orange. In my Mom’s paintings she
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uses a opposite colors to create contrast and make the picture interesting to the viewer. I
decided to incorporate that idea into my piece by making the clouds a turquoise blue, which
when seen next to the orange sky has a similar effect as some of my Mom’s paintings.
Giants is a painting that I started last year, I had a vision of it, meaning the image
flashed into my head at one point and I felt obligated to recreate it. When this happens I usually
don't have a distinct meaning for it at first, the meaning comes as I spend more and more time
creating it. As I was working on this painting the week before the art show the meaning the
unveiled itself as how we see ourselves. The Giant behind the mountains is how the boy in the
foreground would like to project himself as. The Giant has an air of pride and power which I
tried to convey with the body positioning, the head is tilted up making the viewer feel like the
giant is bigger. He is made of sand being carried away by the wind. He's being is a mirage
because you cannot see where his feet touch the ground and the blue of the sky is bleeding
through his sandy body. I was afraid that the meaning this painting would take up was
something related to god or a higher power so I added cacti in the foreground to take away from
the intensity of the Giant. I have not finished this painting but I have gotten a good chunk of it
done. A side note, this is the first non commissioned painting I have done of a man.
The Laughing Woman is a painting depicting a Mexican American woman in the desert.
She is exuding pride, happiness with self and she is growing into her individualities, like her
smile lines, her skin color, all of the features that make her her. The woman is standing in the
desert in mid day, there is a metal 2 dimensional heart nailed to her chest with blood dripping
down her sternum, and her arms are transforming into cacti. I have heard my art being called
edgy, angsty and art a teenager would definitely make, but I do not include gore into my
paintings to get a reaction out of people. The painting I create is the painting I saw and the
blood does not give the painting a negative connotation in my opinion. Blood in my life has for
the most part has not been a bad thing. The meaning that I got from this piece was self
acceptance, pride, happiness, and having so much light inside of you you could explode. The
feeling I get when I think of this painting is like there is an earthquake on the surface of my
skin, I feel a swelling of energy in my ribcage, and like there ocotillo branching out of my each
of my vertebrae in my spine.

Bee
As I mentioned before Bee is a character I created over the spring break in April. She is a
chubby little woman with root arms and puffy hair who never opens her eyes. I made this little
one because I wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin, and she embodies the feeling when
you are ok with the way you appear. Bee was a big step for me because before that moment I
was focusing most of my energy in acrylic and pencil drawings, Bee is made of watercolor, a
very new medium for me to try. I liked manipulating the water to make shapes and layering the
pigment to make a gentle being. She is peaceful, soft and always in a meditative state. The best
thing about Bee was that she got me out of a rut, at the time I felt like I was going through a
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form of artist block, painting was feeling boring, and the things I liked doing before like mixing
paint and shading things over and over again felt dull. When I started creating Bee I became
interested in creating again, and I looked back on my painting habits before wondering why I
was so strict with myself. I had questions and notes for myself, about my process, about my
rules and about how I was so judgmental of my own artwork, here are the questions and notes (I
wrote these down on a Sticky note):
1. When did fun and happiness become priority #2?
2. Why am I not ok with drawing girls in bathtubs?
3. It doesn't have to be realistic
4. Once you become so set on improvement in your way or vision of improvement
you will not get anywhere, because you forget about silliness and laughter, about
smiling and doing things to make yourself happy.
5. Paint is for fun! Have fun! It's not super hard!
6. Be creative! Be silly! It is what you are good at!
7. When did I stop feeling satisfied with the simple, the childish, the innocent, the
absurd word where girls can be smaller than fish.
Bee helped me have fun again, she made me realize that I was closing myself off to the
world of what art can be, and limiting myself to what art should be.
Honesty, only painting large scale super strict paintings after a while gets so boring! Art
is meant to be fun, it is meant to embody the emotion of the creator but it is also just a way to let
all of your jiggles out.
This quarter what worked was having time to paint and painting during school time.
When I am at school and in the painting zone there are a lot less things to distract me than if I
was at home. I liked making Bee, and the lesson she taught me, art if for fun sometimes.
What didn't work for me this quarter in this study was not having enough time to work
on my pieces and get into it. I think this has to do with the amount of things I had to do as well,
the amount of things I was doing also contributed to me not feeling the intense need to paint.
Next year in the Pilot I plan to continue my painting study, I plan to build up my
portfolio for college and I am not setting any goals to improve in any specific skill because when
I set those goals I ignore them for the most part, or I feel like they hold me back.

The biggest lesson that I learned this quarter was that I have prejudice against
my own artwork and I want to change that.

Buddhism
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This quarter in my buddhism study I have gone to the Shao Shan temple with Amy and
Owen to meet with taihaku or Kenzan. During our meetings we start off with a greeting bow
where Owen, Amy and I bow towards Taihaku and say “Yoroshiku”, the Tauhaku bows and says
“Dozo Yoroshiku”. After this we do group meditation, usually we sit on our mats facing away
from each other but for our last meeting we put our meditation mats in the middle of the room
to face each other, this lasts for 10 to 20 minutes. We then go into the kitchen area for a
discussion about 1 or 2 of the 10 Buddhist precepts and plans for the future. Once discussion is
over we go into the meditation hall to practice setting up the alter, in our last meeting I did it all
by myself, I lit the candles, placed the incense and replaced the water. Depending on how long
the meditation in the beginning of the meeting was we meditate again or practice bowing and
chanting.
Besides meeting with Taihaku I made an effort to meditate every day for 10 minutes but
at the end I was getting too stressed out to focus on anything. At those moments in time I was
thinking about two days before yesterday, two days after tomorrow and a little of the present.
Once the stress got really bad I started bowing in my room. I would be crying in my bed for
some school related reason then get up and go to the carpet where I paint and do two or three
bows in the direction of the small buddha Taihaku gave me at our last meeting.
This study throughout this year has helped me become more genuine in my actions and
has helped me start to manage my stress. When I am interacting with people in the back of my
head I hold the 10 precepts and try to follow their suggestions. I do have to admit that if I am
stressed out I have a hard time being genuine because I lash out because of my own frustrations
and problems.
Though I will not be continuing my study with Taihaku I will keeps these teaching
within me for as long as I live. I will also try to visit Taihaku and Kenzan at community events at
the temple.

English

What I planned to do this quarter was to write an essay about my artistic process and a
persuasive essay about how the Chicano Movement should be included in the High School U.S.
History classes. I didn't do these things, I spent most of my time doing timed writing and
researching about the Chicano Movement. The reason I did timed writing was because I judge
my writing very intensely while I am writing it and I never get very far into any essay. Over the
spring break I took home the Book “What it is” by Lynda Barry, a book about writing that also
has techniques to help with writing in the back. I took notes on the different ways to write and
have been using them for my timed writing. Timed writing is a good way to leave judgment till
later on in the writing process, allowing you to just get all of your ideas out onto a page before
being so critical to start off.
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I wanted to write the Persuasive essay to the Social Studies department because I
noticed that in the entirety of this year we have not learned about one Mexican American. we
haven't learned about the Mexican War and we haven't learned about the Chicano Movement
two things that greatly affected this country. The Chicano Movement was at one point a
national movement and I really don't understand why it is not included in the curriculum. I do
get that in a class that is supposed to cover the history of the United States you have to skip over
some things because there are too many influential things that happened in the history of this
country. But nevertheless the Mexican War and the Chicano Movements are two incredibly
important events in my opinion and next year I will continue to advocate for the inclusion of
these historic events. I did not get to write this essay this year, I have been busy with classes and
my other pilot studies. Due to the amount of work in my traditional classes combined with the
discouraging writing process I had I did not spend a lot of time working on this essay.
I think one of the reasons I was having so much trouble with writing this year was
because for English I need more structure than the pilot offers. Like I said in the first section of
my narrative it is hard for me to produce writing when I do not have set deadlines to meet. I
also need to accept it within myself that it is ok to do normal classes if you need more help or
structure to your education. I am sorry Chris for ending my Pilot English reading journey, but I
will be in you Future Lit and Art class next year.

Spanish

I have been Facetiming with Tata once in a while, I made a goal to Facetime him more
often but this quarter things just got to be too much and I didn't pull through on that promise. I
have also been using Duolingo, Quizlet, and NewsinSlowSpanish to practice my Spanish
vocabulary.

Durante el semestre pasado me dar cuenta de cómo los Mexicanos Americanos no son
en la clase de Historia de Estado unidos, y en mi opinión es un poco irónico. Porque “El
Movimiento” es cerca de mi corazón y mi familia, quiero propugnar por la inclusión del
Movimiento Chicano, la guerra de México y Estados Unidos, el Repatriación de
Mexicanos en 1930’s, y los Disturbios de Zoot Suits en 1943. Mi plan es escribir un ensayo
persuasivo a el Departamento de Ciencias Sociales diciendo es importante para incluir la
historia de otras razas además de Anglo y Africano Americanos. Dentro de cada evento
son muchos ejemplos de personas probando a entender ¿Que es el significado del
término “Americano” y porque no soy?
Además de esto hace dos semanas U32 decidió elevar la bandera de Black Lives
Matter. A el ceremonio de elevando la bandera un grupo de estudiantes se llama BLAMM
dieron discursos sobre sus experiencias de la discriminación, y como quedaron la
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escuela de U32 ser una lugar de la aceptación. Yo llore porque en este momento senti
como era una comunidad y podría relacionarse con personas sobre nuestra cultura.
Abrace muchas personas.

As well as that I am having lunch with Karli, another Pilot student every Monday third
band. We make food from either Spain or South America and speak Spanish for 30 to 45
minutes. It is always a good time with Karli, we have become better friends because of this
meeting, A few time that we have done this I have just opened up to her about my life and
what's going on and she kindly listens as I just vent to her. We have had some deep
conversations about body image, labels, love, and relationships. I am going to miss her
cheeriness next year.
What worked for me this quarter was using the different apps to help me expand my
vocabulary. What didn't work this quarter was not having enough time to work on practicing
speaking with Tata or just not having enough time to practice in general. Next year I am
planning to continue my study of Spanish and I would like to stop in on a few of the Spanish 4
classes just to have a little more structure.

I feel that I am starting on the journey of the acceptance of my own culture that I have ignored
for most of my life.

SUBJECT AREAS

English

Credits: 1

This quarter I have been researching the Chicano Movement and other significant
events for Mexican Americans in the U.S. I have also been doing timed writing to help myself
create a healthier and more productive writing process. A problem I run into when I am writing
about a certain historical event or events is I over-research. I am so scared of getting something
wrong so I try to see this historical event from as many points view that I can.

Writing

● I have done timed writing to improve my writing process

● I have written reflections on pieces of writing my Tata has sent me
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Listening

● I have listened to my Tata as we spoke about the Chicano Movement

● I have read opinions from different authors about the Chicano Movement, Yolanda
Alaniz advocates for the the Chicano nation to have rights of a nation which in Glenn’s
opinion is a very radical writer. About the Mexican War Michael Hogan speaks of the
war as a violation of the Constitution.

Reading

● I have read Viva La Raza by Yolanda Alaniz and taken notes

● I have reald Abraham Lincoln and Mexico by Michael Hogan and taken notes
● I have read pieces of writing that my Tata has sent my about the Chicano Movement
● I have watched Chicano! The History of The Mexican American Civil Rights Movement and
taken notes
● I have watched Dolores and taken notes

Speaking

● I have spoken with my Tata on occasion

(I have not spoken a lot this quarter)

Art

Credits: 2

For these 2 art credits I am finishing the paintings that I started this year and I am also
creating a small character named Bee. The goal for this quarter was very straightforward and I
Put is as much time as I could to finish my paintings and well as experimenting in new
mediums (watercolor).

Developing Craft

● Figure drawing classes a few times

● Experimenting in a new medium (watercolor)
● Working on my paintings is always a way of developing my craft because I tweak them
over and over until I get the image right
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● I tried to make smaller pieces of art every week, I eventually forgot about this goal due to
the workload

Performing, Presenting, Producing

● I had my art in the Spring Art Show

● My work was out at the mentor appreciation night
● Live painting during the school day and Spring Art Show

Connecting

● I have been connecting my artwork to my mothers a lot recently and in my head have
made it a goal to emulate her style more.
● The Laughing Woman painting has been very representative of my experience with
cultural self acceptance

Responding

● It has always been hard for me to respond to other artists, I have not done a lot of
responding to other artist, I have been mentoring Sage under the radar.

Buddhism

Credits: .5

I am Studying Buddhism with Amy and Owen, a branching out student and my friend. I
am participating in the cultural practices such as sitting meditation, walking meditation,
bowing, setting the altar, and chanting. I have been trying to incorporate these practices and
stress management techniques into my day to day life.

Standard 5 Influences on health:

Analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology and other factors on
health behaviors.

● I will study and participate in some buddhist practices, and learn about ways of thinking
and beliefs. I will see how participating in these things will affect my mental health. (5
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a&b)

Standard 3 Physical activity and fitness.

Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing
level of physical activity and fitness

● Apply stress-management strategies (e.g., mental imagery, relaxation techniques, deep

breathing, aerobic exercise, meditation, yoga, strength training) to maintain balance.

Spanish

Credits: .5

For my Spanish study I am learning Spanish with my Tata by meeting with him
occasionally. I am using different apps to expand my vocabulary. I am having lunch with Karli
every Monday and speaking with her in Spanish for 30 to 45 minutes.

Culture

● I am getting reconnected to my roots through this study and I am realizing that when
you are in a place where you are a minority and you look like the majority it is hard to
express yourself.
● I am making a presentation for Adam’s Spanish 3 Class about the Chicano Movement in
hopes to educate them about this Movement that is very important to me.
● I have been making food from Mexico and Central and South America

Communication

● I have been communicating with Karli in Spanish every Monday

● I have communicated with my Tata in Spanish occasionally
● Over the Spring break I communicated with my Mom in Spanish

Connection

● Karli and I have become better friends, Yay!

● I have become closer to my culture, my family, and myself
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TRANSFERABLE SKILLS

Creative Thinking and Problem Solving

● Tweaking paintings to match the image I saw in my head or what I want them to look
like
● Timed writing
● Self analyzing my artistic process
● How do I take care of myself reflection

Effective and Expressive Communication

● Speaking with Karli in Spanish

● Meetings with Amy every Monday
● My blog
● Meetings with my content Advisors

Engaged Citizenship

● Meeting with Taihaku speaking of the different precepts, respecting boundaries,

speaking truthfully, etc.
● Participating in seminar
● Making a presentation for Adam’s Spanish 3 Class about the Chicano Movement
(presentation still in the making).

Working Independently and Collaboratively

● Researching the Chicano Movement, Pure Precepts, and the Mexican War
● Working on my paintings and having meetings with Meg
● Lunch with Karli

Informed, Integrated, and Critical Thinking

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19

● Chicano research, I looked at multiple different sources to get different viewpoints

● Conversations with Karli
● Presentation for Adam’s Spanish Class

Self Awareness and Self Direction

● The goals I set for myself at the beginning of this quarter

● Using my calendar
● Keeping myself accountable with my Blog
● Painting ideas and execution
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INDEPENDENT LEARNING SKILLS

Perseverance

This semester I have persevered through an overload, I know that it was no one but me
who did this and now that i have gone through it I know that I need to do things in moderation
in the future. This quarter the way I handles obstacles was just gritting my teeth and pushing
through it, now that I look back I think I should have taken more breaks. At one point this
quarter I started using bowing and walking meditation to help manage my stress when it was at
its worst.

Inquiry

I have generated ideas by having rainstorm sessions, a rainstorm session is when I play
rain audio in a cool room with dim lights. I haven't generated a lot of ideas this quarter I set
goals at the beginning of the quarter and I have been trying to follow them to not stress myself
out too much. Other than that in the meeting with Amy, my content Advisors, and even my
friends in conversation I purpose ideas and see how the other party feels about that idea. I
remember bringing up the idea of adding something to my schedule and immediately Amy said
and I quote, “No, you are not allowed to”.

Time Management

Time management was very difficult this quarter, trying to balance that many things
this quarter was not possible for me or a lot of people my age. I tried to make calendars but each
time I would try to follow the schedule I would forget about a track meet or a test I still needed
to study for. Which made the Pilot work my second priority.

Accountability

I think this quarter I have been very accountable with my meetings with advisors and
with Amy. The only things that I am probably not accountable for are some of the goals I set for
myself at the beginning of the quarter and how late my narrative and website are.
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Demonstration

I have always made it a priority to document my work on my Pilot blog, but this quarter I found
it hard to motivate myself to write blog posts. Other than blog posts I try to demonstrate my
learning through my meeting with Amy, I tell her what I have done throughout the week and
how I am feeling.

Self Advocacy
This quarter I have seeked out help in my meetings with Amy, I have been expressing
more recently that I have not been feeling ok, that I feel spread thin and that I need help. As well
as this I am advocating that I take English classes next year to provide structure to my
education.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Annotated MLA format citations of all media and people you have used this semester. (Use
easybib)

Scherbatskoy, Meg. "Painting Mentor." Interview. n.d.: n. pag. Print.

Meg is my painting mentor, I worked with her last year and I am working with her this year as well.

Perez, Lucia Angela. Interview. n.d.: n. pag. Print.

Lucia is my mom and she will help me with painting

Google Arts & Culture. Google, n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2017.

I will use this site to look at other artist's work.

Wade, Adrian. "Art Advisor." Interview. n.d.: n. pag. Print.

Adrian will help me with painting

"Available Images." Alma Gilbert. N.p., 01 May 2015. Web. 01 Oct. 2017.
I will use this source to look at other artist's work.

"Home | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Met's Heilbrunn
Timeline of Art History. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2017.
I will use this source to look at other artist's work.

"Timeline." Salvador Dali Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2017.

I will use this site to look at Dali's paintings.

"The Getty." The Getty. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2017.

I will use this to look at others artwork.

The Hidden Masters. Danbury, CT: MasterWorks, 1984. Print.

I will use this to study other people's artwork.

The Hidden Masters. Danbury, CT: MasterWorks, 1984. Print.

I will use this to study other people's artwork.

Bordes, Philippe, and Jacques Louis David. Jacques-Louis David: Empire to Exile. New Haven, CT: Yale
UP, 2007. Print.
I will use this to look at techniques of painting.
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Hogan, Michael. Abraham Lincoln and Mexico: A History of Courage, Intrigue and Unlikely
Friendships. San Diego, CA: Egret.com, 2016. Print.

"Buddhist Mentor." Interview by Kenzan. n.d.: n. pag. Print.

Hartman, Zenkei Blanche. Seeds for a Boundless Life. N.p.: Shambhala Publications, 2015. Print.

"Buddhist Mentor." Interview by Taihaku. n.d.: n. pag. Print. Works at Shao Shan Temple

Marti̕nez, Elizabeth Sutherland, and Enriqueta Longeaux Y Va̕squez. Viva La Raza! The
Struggle of the Mexican-American People. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1974. Print. I will
use this book to research the Chicano Movement.

"Learn a Language for Free." Duolingo. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2017. I will use this to improve my
language skills.

"Quizlet." Quizlet. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2017.

I will use this to help me memorize words.

"CONJUGUEMOS." Home Page || Conjuguemos. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2017.

I will use this to help with conjugating.

"Testimonials." News in Slow Spanish | Learn Spanish Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Oct. 2017.

I will use this so I can understand it when people talk.

"Spanish Mentor." Interview by Roberto Perezdiaz. n.d.: n. pag. Print.

Tata is my spanish mentor.