Where I Have Been, Am, Will Be: Senior Reflections on Life Part I
Senior English
Mr. Burke (with thanks to Mr. Letofsky and Mrs. McLaughlin)
The Nine Ages of Man
Not old enough to know better
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“What goes first on four, then two, then three legs?” riddled the Sphinx
“Man,” answered Oedipus
--from Oedipus the King
Overview the following information is intended to build on and complement what we have been discussing the last few days. It will prepare you for the forthcoming autobiographical essays we will be writing in the coming weeks by generating material from which you can work. It will also be part of the larger work that I have roughly titled A Personal Portfolio. This portfolio is meant to be a collection of material that reveals who you are and what is important to you and will include other documents--e.g., a resume--that will prepare you for future school and work. This assignment is also being done in most of the senior English classes; so if you end up transferring out for some reason, you should be right in step in someone else’s class.
Step 1 Journal entry (one page): Explain the future as you see it. What does it mean to you? What does it look like? If you were going to compare it to something, what would it be--and why?
Step 2 Where have you been
- Dates: born, crawled, spoke, walked, tied shoes, went to nursery school, etc.
- List everything you have accomplished in life so far--no matter how small or large
- List all the important conflicts, obstacles, or problems you have faced and how you solved them (or why you haven’t)
Step 3 Where are you now? Make a list of the following and then arrange them into a positive/negative graph.
- all current conflicts or problems or obstacles
- all of your finest qualities
- all of your worst qualities
- all the things that make you angry
- all the things that make you happy or that please you
- all that things that need to be changed
- all the areas where you make your own decisions
- all the areas that you are truly confused about
- all the things you believe in
- all of your failures
- all of your successes
Step 4 Where are you going? List
- every dream you have had for yourself (not material belongings)
- your current dreams for yourself (not material belongings)
- all the possibilities you have thought about for a career for yourself
- all the major decisions you will have in the next five years
Step 5 Write a letter to yourself telling what graduating means to you.
Step 6 Covey excerpt: “Hey, it’s your funeral, Mac.” What do you want people to say about you at the end of your life. (see attached paper)
Step 7 Interviews: you must interview two people who are at least 25. Your brief interview should find out (at least) the following:
- what did they think they were going to do when they graduated from high school?
- what did they end up doing in the five years after high school?
- if given the chance again, would they make different choices about what they did after high school? Please explain.
Step 8
(optional) Sit down one-on-one with different friends, relatives, or teachers and share with them what you have written and thought here so far. Ask them if they agree with your assessment of yourself and what words they would use to describe you as a person.
DUE This assignment--all the notes and writings as required above--is due Monday, September 16th.