Have you ever had that feeling? The feeling of arriving back home after a long trip, only wanting to share the best of those newly-made memories with your family and friends? The IA has been that long trip for me. And whenever someone asks me about my time spent in the IA, the memories I have created, and everything I have ever learned through my experiences within, I can truly say that it was the best two years of my entire educational experience, not only as a student, but also as a person. Whether it was from learning how to lead my own learning during iWeek or even getting out of my comfort zone to present a TED Talk in front the FDR high school community, I couldn't wait to share my experiences with others The point taken here is that I have grown; moreover, I have changed for the better--all of us in the IA have--and the beauty of how we did it was that we did it together. The funny thing is I still remember the day when I walked into the IA classroom for the first time. It was around the time when Randy Scherer came to talk to us about the design thinking process. The first couple of days I sat quietly listening, waiting for the best moment for myself to pitch some ideas. However, it wasn't until we began prototyping our ideas that I finally felt like I was becoming a part of something much bigger than just a regular class at school. I was becoming part of an educational Innovation. However you need to know that we faced many hardships along the way, like any true entrepreneur does. Although we have started our own company at school BlendZ, sometimes we miss the bigger picture that we started the IA alongside our CEO Mr. Topf. Our founding class was a prototype and we have worked hard throughout all the hardships to make it what it is today. And now we have teachers and even students contact us from different countries to see how we do what we do and how we can teach them. Not only was it incredibly educational to be part of such a reform, but I've also learned so much about myself along the way. For example I now clearly understand how to lead my own learning at my pace. Think to yourself for a second or two, but if you think deeply you’ll realize that learning is like a race. You will always have your Usain Bolts who can finish things at an almost supernatural pace; however, if you actually take time to find your own pace where you believe you can still create beautiful work, then you will be able to lead your own learning. After understanding this, I know that planning long term is definitely something that will serve me for the future when I go off to college to learn on my own. Take a look at Pablo Picasso or any painter for a matter of fact: when creating a painting they take months, sometimes even years to complete some of the most recognized work on the planet to this day. By this analogy I don’t mean to take years on completing an assignment, what I mean is that I need to give myself the time in advance to always be able to create the best of my work. It is when I create my best work that that I will truly learn to grow. Moreover, some might say that it is easy to lead your own learning; however, I can tell you that for all your procrastinators out there, myself include, it is a difficulty beyond belief. Although with the help of the IA, I have truly been able to find my own pace to leading my own learning and understanding the depths of being autonomous. And for me that is one of the greatest takeaways I need to keep close to my mind for when I am off on my own for college. As I shift onto the next chapter of my life at Rider University in New Jersey I know that this trip will always be remembered because I will be utilizing all of my experiences and memories here with what I am planning to pursue in the near future: business and entrepreneurship. And as our senior class, the prototyping class started the IA and helped make what it is today, I know that both like in a business and in life we all have to face pivots no matter what, but we learn from them. I learned this lesson not only through an educational perspective in The Lean Startup by Eric Ries, but also in more personal way in The Secret of the Seven Seeds by David Fischman. In saying the last good-bye I have to mention that after having shared this trip of two years with the most phenomenal people, I am heartbroken since they have been like a second family to me. They have helped me grow, by telling me and showing me strengths I never knew I had and weaknesses that I know I can fix for the future. Moreover, I know that it might seem like the last good-bye for now, but it’s the end of this trip and the beginning of our new one. And that is when we start to get that feeling of wanting to share our newly-made memories again, but now we are sharing them with the IA family rather than experiencing it with them. So for now, this is the last goodbye. And the next time we all see each other, I hope we've all resisted the urge to stay the same. Change. :) "They know us as the Innovation Academy, but they don't know that we are like a family--through work and play we are there for each other."
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BloggerMy name is Stefan Stangl and I am originally from San Francisco, California. Currently, I am senior at Colegio Franklin Delano Roosvelt in Lima, Peru. My passions are sports and art. Personal: @Stefan6 School: @fdrinnovationacademy ♫Tweet me ♫
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June 2015
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