Have you ever seen the fascination that occurs when a group of people connect around a common goal? For me, teamwork has been an interesting force that has changed my life in many ways. I want to share my experiences and thoughts about the amazing power of teamwork and how it has influenced my journey in this personal blog. Power in Teamwork. I used to think that success in lacrosse/hockey came only from personal work when I originally started playing at a high level. I took great satisfaction and happiness in my ability to work independently and take on tasks by myself. But as I took on bigger and tougher projects, I came to understand that I could only do so much on my own. I realized then how powerful unity can be. When we worked as a team, I discovered that we could overcome challenges that would have been impossible for any of us to overcome by using our combined knowledge, expertise, and creativity. It soon became apparent that our combined efforts were significantly more effective than our separate contributions. Taking Note of Diversity My eyes had been opened to the beauty of diversity in teamwork. Working in a team introduced me to a wide range of experiences, viewpoints, and specialties. Differences could be difficult at first to work with, but I quickly learned to value the depth they added to our efforts. The team's varied points of view produced more comprehensive ideas, strong solutions, and well-rounded decision making. It became evident that accepting diversity sparked creativity and led to personal development for everyone involved. Communication as a Foundation A team's ability to communicate effectively is what keeps it together. My experiences being on many teams have taught me the value of respectful, honest, and open communication. We gained knowledge on how to give helpful criticism, communicate our ideas properly, and actively listen. The communication skills I developed in these collaborative environments proved to be extremely beneficial in both my personal and professional life, greatly improving my connections with friends and family. Success and Assistance Shared The mutual support and shared accomplishment that teamwork produces is one of its most beautiful aspects. There was a sense of accomplishment and togetherness when team members celebrated milestones and successes together. We were inspired to aim even higher by this fantastic energy. The team's assistance through difficult moments was also incredibly transforming. We would support one another, divide the workload, and offer encouragement when it was most required. This network of support forged a strong link that went beyond our projects. Overcoming and Adapting Through Challenges I learned how to be resilient and adaptable when faced with problems through teamwork. It's not always easy sailing, and resolving disputes and conflicts is a common part of teamwork. Nonetheless, these difficulties offered chances for improvement of one's character and abilities. As a team, we overcame challenges to fortify our determination and come out of them stronger and more intune with eachother than before. Friendships The power of teamwork to create long-lasting relationships is amazing. People develop relationships with one another when they work together on projects or share objectives that go beyond the current task at hand. Trust and friendship can be developed by sharing the highs and lows of the journey together, and these bonds frequently grow into long-lasting friendships. These connections are based on understanding gained from personal collaboration with others, mutual support, and shared experiences. The friendships we make via teamwork, whether at work, on a sports team, frequently turn out to be some of the most significant and long-lasting relationships we have, serving as a constant reminder of the positive effects of teamwork. In the end
My own experience with the transforming potential of teamwork has led me to feel that working together with people may take our experiences and accomplishments to new heights, regardless of where we are in life. My work and personal lives have been profoundly impacted by the things I've learned, including the value of communication, the strength of togetherness, the beauty of diversity, and the support and resilience we acquire. To put it simply, teamwork has altered my approach to problems and objectives. It serves as a reminder that we don't have to travel alone and that collaborating with people who share our values and purpose may be really powerful. Accept the value of teamwork, and you could discover that it has the ability to change your life. Taylor M.
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I was diagnosed with severe scoliosis at the age of 12, I thought it was the end of the world and I'd be alone forever. Which was not the case whatsoever. Scoliosis is an abnormal lateral (lateral = toward, from or side to side) curvature of the spine. There are 2 different types of curves, there’s C curve and there’s S curve, which is the shape of your spine from a rear view of the skeleton. A non scoliosis spine is a 0 - 10 degrees and a rotation under 5.I remember researching scoliosis as it's not something very commonly talked about, yet 1 of 10 girls have the condition and 1 out of 70 boys do. Most cases people are born with scoliosis and as they grow older the curve gets bigger and worse. I got diagnosed with an S curve, I have 3 curves the biggest one being 54 degrees with a rotation of 10, that means my spine isn’t only curved but physically twisted inside of me. Due to a severe curve I was placed in a Boston brace to slow its growth. I was told to wear it 23 hours of the day, I was only able to take it off for a shower everyday and physiotherapy .Due to having to wear the brace for many hours I had to quit gymnastics, dance and wasn't able to participate in my grade 7 gym class. Which was hard, sports were everything to me. They were something that connected me to others and made me feel a part of something more than myself. Yet even simple tasks like tying my shoes, picking up a pencil off the floor and even placing my arms by my side became extremely difficult. I'd ask others for help but many times people thought I was lazy and told me to do it myself.They didn't know it was nearly impossible for me. Scoliosis is a physical health condition, but no one ever talks about how it could affect someone’s mental health. It affects every person very differently. For me personally it caused a lot of anxiety, it was this feeling of being alone. I never knew anyone who was going through what I was going through. It also made me very conscious of my left side, due to my middle curve being the biggest of the three, they over corrected my third curve to hopefully help the second curve even out a bit. While it was helping me it made me self conscious. One side of my body was like it used to be and the other side was the shape of an hourglass. I’d do everything to hide this, but I now wish I embraced who I was with my scoli brace. I wish I knew there are many teens that are going through the same thing I was.
Therefore I now spread awareness about it. Catching it early on is the key to prevention. Olivia H To learn more about scoliosis : https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/scoliosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350716 I am dyslexic, for me this means I have a hard time spelling and a hard time doing simple math along with other things. I did not always know I had dyslexia, when I was in grade 3 I was diagnosed with having a learning difference. To kids my age that just meant i was different or in simpler terms i was dumb. When you are in grade 3 all you really do is add numbers and subtract them, you even start multiplying them and spelling tests are very frequent at a young age. When those things are the only real thing you learn it can be very challenging for a young kid who can not do those things very well. Things like quick math problems that get asked to you in front of the whole class where they can all see how long you take and how correct you are. I remember being in fourth grade when my teacher asked me a simple math problem in front of everyone, something like 8+5 and I could not do it inside my head so I started counting it out on my fingers and said my answer quite confidently to my teacher and the whole class my teacher then told me politely I was one off but “better luck next time”. I was already not feeling great when the boy next to me leaned over and told me i was stupid, I got up and left the room crying. Just then realizing I didn't fit it with my peers or at least I felt like I didn't. I managed my way through elementary school having an easier time as class got more complicated and things were less about the easy stuff. Half way through grade seven i was scheduled to get re-tested to update my IEP (individual education plan) to prepare for me to go into high school which stated I had a “learning difference” which really meant I learned differently from others. After my testing i was diagnosed with dyslexia, at the time i really didn't know what that meant but it seemed lots of others did especially teachers. When I finished getting tested the specialist who tested me recommended a high school that specializes in kids with learning differences and dyslexia. My mom looked into it and decided it would be a good fit for me for at least a year. She enrolled me for my first year of high school. After a year of going to a school where everyone was just like me, I learned strategies and ways to overcome challenges I faced on a daily basis. There was one strategy though that I still use to this day. I learned to advocate for myself. Advocating for yourself means speaking up, for example telling teachers you don't understand and asking for the help I really needed. I started to enjoy school again and it became easier and easier to navigate. After my 8th grade year me and my family decided it would be smart for me to transfer into SDSS a much larger school then my old one with a lot more freedom when it comes to learning. At SDSS it's really up to the person on whether you learn things in school or not. In a school as large as ours no one is there monitoring how you're doing and what problems you have in class, yes teachers can give you advice back but a teacher telling me to watch my spelling on assignments wasn't going to be very helpful. Throughout all of grade 9 I grew as a person by learning that I can do well in school. It just might be a bit harder. In grade 9 I worked hard in all my classes to achieve straight A’s and to be able to have my strategies block removed for grade 10 so I was able to take more electives. To this day i still can't do 6+7 in my head and i have to sing a song to remember how to spell ‘because’ but now i know i need to talk to my teachers at the start of every semester and tell them what i struggle with and what accommodations i need to succeed in class. I still get the strange looks from students in my class when i get handed the notes in class instead of having to right them like everyone else and when the math teacher asks me a quick math question that i have to count on my hands to be able to answer but now i know i'm not that different I just learn different.
Marin M |
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