THE WISE JOURNAL A LASTING REFLECTION

What do you mean when you say I have to keep a journal?

WHATEVER ITS PHYSICAL SHAPE, IT IS: YOUR LIFELONG REFLECTION ON YOUR PROJECT AND YOURSELF A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR MENTOR AND…. WHAT IS A JOURNAL?

Sample Blog ANY SHAPE AT ALL.

JOURNALS: Narrate Comment Describe Connect Compliment Critique Emote Question Give history Characterize Quote Record anecdotes Give details Reveal new discoveries Say what happened, what you did Make observations Photograph in words State relationships among Say good things about… Say less than good things about… State feelings Ask about issues Record relevant past events Catch memorable people in words Record exact words to remember Tell stories Be very specific to trigger memory Recount your own learning

AND JOURNALS: Chronicle growth Include mementos Include images List Allude to other knowledge Relate to other interests Face controversy Reflect on themselves Self analyze Create Mix and combine Travel with you Discuss changes in you Capture things Pictures often say more than words Classify/order/organize/memori ze Relate to reading, research, events Connect with the rest of your life Tell events and opinions honestly Revisit and reference earlier entries Talk about yourself Anything Synthesize Keep it handy and ready…you never know when…..

What do you hope to achieve and/or learn in this project? Describe, in detail, the physical environment where you work. Be specific in stating the feeling of the work environment etc. Describe the person you 've worked most closely so far. What role does he/she fill? What is his/her relationship with you? What types of personal qualities does one need for success at what you do? Why? How do you assess your project so far? What do you like most? What do you like least? What is frustrating? Satisfying? To what extent are you finding it easy or hard to maintain non-project commitments? Describe your relationship with your sponsor. How much interaction do you have, and how is that time spent? What would your sponsor say about the job you are doing up to this point? Why would he/she say that? JOURNAL ENTRY IDEAS

Write In detail about something you feel you have done well to date. Is your project different from school? Why or why not? Which "world” do you prefer and why? DISCUSS your biggest weakness doing your project. Write a lecture on your field you would give to experts showing you are one too. TEACH WHAT YOU LEARNED SO FAR TO 8 th graders. Looking critically at your firm, school, institution, what changes would you advise to make it a more efficient, more valuable, more interesting place? How has this experience IMPROVED YORU SKILLS OR CHANGED YOUR ATTITUDES? TO WHAT EXTENT HAVE YOU MET THE YOUR INITIAL GOALS? AND MORE IDEAS

P ICK a JOURNAL excerpt and do the following: 1. U sing The page entitled “Journals use active verbs”, LIST THE VERBS YOU THINK IT USES. 2. U sing The pages “POSSIBLE JOURNAL ENTRIES”, list the questions it has answered. TIME TO PLAY

Go to “Diary Of a Cat” and Either using text, IMAGES, or a combination, pick one of the Cat’s diary entries and turn it into a journal entry. TIME TO PLAY AGAIN

One day, when you are older and WISER, you will come upon this journal, open it and begin to smile from ear to ear. Then you will share it with your kids and grandkids and say… If it wasn’t for WISE, I wouldn’t have…. THE JOURNAL IS YOURS FOREVER.

…So far this experience has made my perception of celebrities and artists change dramatically. All of a sudden, these mega-artists with exceptional careers become just like any other human….They’ve given up any sense of normalcy and privacy for the benefit of their careers. In addition to my new found perception, I am starting to question if I can handle 5 day weeks in an office. I appreciate my dad’s career much more and now understand why he spends the majority of the weekend in bed. All of a sudden I understand why he has lost track of his HS, college, and past job buddies because his buddy is his work. He barely has time for us…. Even just over the past weeks I’ve lost touch with friends...and my mother complains that I am never home. How am I supposed to find a happy medium? When do you go from businesswoman to workaholic? How do you balance a family or a wife? I am starting to see how it is difficult for women to move up in this sort of environment….I am surprised to see that so much sexism exists in the workplace…. On the train home, I sat with some “Wall Street” looking men and felt like I was with my dad. All of a sudden I saw a side of my Dad’s life that I have never seen before and how out of place I imagined him and how hard he worked to get where he is. The men around me were all white with crisp designer suits. I remembered my father mentioning how many people said an immigrant would never make it on Wall Street, but he was ambitious and did whatever it took. I remember being 11 years old and waiting 'til 12 for my dad to get home and knowing that he got every morning. I admire his perseverance and everything he sacrificed. Anyway…the day is over.

What do you mean when you say I have to keep a journal?