Derek's Blog

My Gleneagle Digital Portfolio

In-Depth Night 2021

Welcome! I’m Derek, and for my In-Depth project, I created a fictional podcast, called Played the Podcast. My mentor is Mr. Gosselin, my English teacher at Gleneagle. You can check out my podcast on my website using the link below! 

https://playedthepodcast.buzzsprout.com

Also, you can follow me on Instagram @playedthepodcast or click this link! https://www.instagram.com/playedthepodcast/ 

I would like to give a big thank you to Mr. Gosselin, Mr. Salisbury, Indah Del Bianco, and my family for making this podcast possible! As well, thank you to the music artists, Kevin McLeod, Esther Abrami, Joseph McDade, and Luis Sarro. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a podcast?

A podcast is typically an audio-only story or personal recording to entertain or inspire an audience. Podcasts can be focused on different topics, such as interviews, lessons, or stories! 

What is a fictional podcast?

Tying into the story section of a podcast, a fictional podcast is similar to an audio book. However, audio books are typically professional recordings of an already made piece of writing, and fictional podcasts are episodes overarching a main theme. Played The Podcast is a serial fictional podcast where each episode ties into the next, building on one main story world. 

What was the process you took to create Played the Podcast? 

My first steps of creating a podcast was to research and learn key components from already existing fictional podcasts. The main part of this process was to listen and observe what worked and what didn’t. I came up with the idea of setting Played the Podcast in the Pacific Northwest, mainly from my research. I wanted the theme of my podcast to be mysterious and so I found that the Pacific Northwest environment has an uneasy unexplainable feeling to it. Before I began scriptwriting, I needed to decide whether I wanted my podcast to be serial or episodic, but due to COVID-19, I thought it would be difficult to find different voice actors for an episodic podcast. I spent a lot of time scriptwriting. Each episode had over five drafts, with significant changes between. Most of my time was spent on refining the scripts and aiming for a realistic factor. As well, I met regularly with my mentor, Mr. Gosselin to discuss my progress, and to make edits and revisions. At the beginning of May, I began recording and editing my episodes, finding sound effects, and designing my website! 

What advice would you give to others wanting to make their own podcast?

If you are planning on starting your own podcast, I would recommend planning out each episode and making an exceptional outline in advance before beginning writing. Mr. Gosselin made this suggestion for me early on. For my podcast, I followed Mr. Gosselin’s advice and designed an outline in advance. By planning out my episodes, I had an overall idea of what each episode includes and the main components I need to touch on in order to advance the story further. Secondly, I would make sure you have enough time to write the podcast. Writing a podcast takes a lot of time. Mr. Gosselin pointed out that one page roughly creates one minute of dialogue. Each episode needs constant revisions and drafts before finalizing and designing a realistic script. 

What inspirations did you draw on?

  • The Shining
  • Lost
  • Lord of the Flies
  • Rounders
  • X-Files
  • Psycho
  • Parasite
  • The Sixth Sense
  • Twilight Zone
  • Stranger Things

If you would like to post a comment, please click the title “In-Depth Night 2021” to enter the commenting area. Thank you for coming!

CLE Interview

For my Career Ed Interview, I decided to interview my Dad, who worked as a Senior Vice President in Corporate Tax, and has his CA and CPA in Canada and the United States. I wanted to interview my Dad as I hope to go into business as a career in the future. 

He started out earning his Masters of Accounting at the University of Waterloo, and did a Co-op with a small accounting firm in Toronto. After graduation, he worked for two major accounting firms, Ernst & Young, and Arthur Andersen. From there, he worked at GE Capital as a taxation manager and then at Plenary Group as a Senior Vice President. 

One valuable piece of advice that I received from my Dad was to not be shy about asking questions and to have an open mind about how much you can learn from other people. He told me a story about how he received useful advice from a number of colleagues over the years. 

We also talked about courses and subjects that helped his career. He specifically mentioned Math, Accounting, Law, and Music. He highlighted the importance of balance in time management between studies and relaxation. His overall mindset is the “Work hard, Play hard” mantra. His time at Waterloo was exceptional preparation for his career as it taught him Case Law and critical thinking skills.  

Finally, we discussed the rewarding and difficult parts of his jobs. The hardest part of his job was communicating with people who didn’t want to cooperate or discuss issues in a timely manner. Often, he needed to complete one task before moving onto another, and was held up by colleagues who were working on other priorities and didn’t want to meet. However, the most rewarding part of his job was the feeling of contribution to the team and company as a whole. He felt like he was making a difference and really benefiting the entire organization. 

Overall, I learned more about my Dad and the business world as a whole. I am still interested in going into business as a career, and am excited about the possibilities and my future. 

In-Depth Blog Post #6

Over the past four weeks, I have been busy writing and refining my script for episodes one, two, three, four, and five. Each episode is roughly fifteen pages and about fifteen minutes long. During spring break, I also met with Mr. Gosselin twice to discuss the episodes. We talked about character interactions, the overall flow between episodes, and plot considerations. 

On top of the story development process, I have sorted out which microphones I will be using, as well as identified a safe spot in my home to record with little noise pollution. Going forward, I will be testing out different recording software, and choose the one that works the best in terms of both sound quality, and ease of use. 

During my meetings with Mr. Gosselin, we have discussed numerous concepts involved in maintaining audience attention. For example, Mr. Gosselin has highlighted the importance of dialogue and flow within a story. Early in our meetings, Mr. Gosselin pointed out that the dialogue spoken by the main character and the narrator needed to be distinct and the switch between them had to flow well in order for the audience to distinguish who is speaking. A further concept he introduced was the need of an outline for the podcast as a whole, as well as each episode. One of my struggles early on was not having a complete and logical outline for my story. A final concept that Mr. Gosselin and I discussed is the use of cliffhangers and suspense. Mr. Gosselin gave a good piece of advice, where as I’m writing the end of an episode, I need to ask myself “Why should the audience tune in for next week?”. I greatly value Mr. Gosselin’s feedback as I think he is an amazing editor and has a lot of valuable advice. 

In Chapter ten, De Bono wrote about the importance of considering both action and perception alternatives. For my podcast, one action alternative Mr. Gosselin suggested was the use of templates and outlines to help structure or develop the story. In one of our meetings, Mr. Gosselin told me the story about where he proofread work for his colleagues. He would read over their script, and then ask for their outline. He could tell when they hadn’t used a template or outline, and told them the importance of planning everything out first. In contrast, a different mentor may have an alternate view on outlines and templates. The creative process is unique to each person and their methods vary greatly from one writer to another and from one script to another. One famous screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin famously claims that he has never written an outline for any of his plays or movies. According to Sorkin, he brainstorms the first scene and attempts to “walk in the dark with a flashlight.” 

Similarly, for my podcast, one perception alternative that Mr. Gosselin gave me is that my protagonist should lead the plot as much as possible. The main character should be actively searching for the next plot device instead of stumbling upon it. Overall, I tried to follow Mr. Gosselin’s advice with regards to the protagonist, however, sometimes, the opposing perception made better sense from a plot perspective. 

My learning centre will consist of a dedicated website highlighting key aspects of my In-Depth project. Specifically, I plan to include:

  • An introduction to my podcast
  • A link in which people can download podcast episodes
  • A short teaser trailer 
  • A quiz and/or infographic 
  • Social media links where people can follow/share or access my podcast download link in a different way

As my In-Depth topic was very broad and had multiple elements, my learning centre will focus on the creative side. I believe focusing on the story and writing process will appeal more to my audience than the technical components.

I hope that my audience will learn that script writing is difficult and takes a lot of time. It is impossible to write a perfect script on your first try. Each of the podcast episodes consist of multiple drafts and rewrites that reflect notes and advice from my mentor, Mr. Gosselin. I also hope that my audience will be entertained. During the pandemic, many people are always looking for new and different forms of entertainment and I hope that some people will enjoy listening to each of my episodes. The objective of my In-Depth project was to be inherently interactive with the audience and I am optimistic that my podcast will find an audience that will enjoy and stick around. 

In-Depth Blog Post #5

For weeks eight and nine of my In-Depth project, I concentrated primarily on completing an outline that summarized my ideas for the entire podcast series. I found this process difficult and time consuming. I was surprised by the complexity I faced while organizing all my initial ideas regarding characters, plot devices, and changes in setting. I ended up writing and rewriting my outline several times to refine and revise the story. To be honest, I am still not completely satisfied with my outline and expect there will be further revisions this week. 

I met with my mentor, Mr. Gosselin on March 3rd, to discuss concerns about the outline. I transcribed a portion of this meeting below. 

I started my conversation with Mr. Gosselin, with a blue hat style question. (Organization/focus/purpose)

DL: What do you do if you discover something in the outline is not working? 

Mr. Gosselin’s reply started with a yellow hat approach. (Insights on how and why something should work)

MG: That should’ve been figured out in the outline stage: if it’s not working, then you figure out on the spot essentially. A lot of the time scripts are messed up and we have to go back and fix them, sometimes if they’re so broke, you have to go back to the outline, but if you can mend it, we call it doing ‘surgery on the draft’, then you can do that, but if it’s beyond surgery, you have to bring this thing back from the dead before you start the draft. 

He then transitioned into a black/blue hat answer. (Critical thinking/advice on why the information does not work/purpose)

MG: If there isn’t something working in the outline, then you need to fix the outline before you draft for sure. If there’s something already wrong in the outline, it’s just going to get worse in the draft. 

I continued the conversation by asking a green hatted question. (Productive/Asking for creative ideas/alternative solutions)

DL: How do you suggest handling tropes? 

MG: I don’t know, what is a trope?

DL: Kind of like where when people hear a story about a crazy dad who is trying to kill his son, people think “The Shining”, so you know, how should I go against that kind of thing?

MG: Like they think you’re ripping it off?

DL: Yeah

Mr. Gosselin responded with a yellow/green hat style answer. (Insights/Ideas/Creative Possibilities) 

MG: I mean, there’s only like 7 different plotlines that exist in the world. I think that if you’re all out stealing, then it’s obvious. If you’re doing your version of something, every story is a version of something, or a version of stories that have conglomerated and come together to tell one story. So as long as you’re being true, and you’re taking a story idea and you’re doing your version of it, but you’re not stealing any original ideas from anybody else, it’s completely universally fine. 

Overall, I tried to ask many questions to Mr. Gosselin. I specifically followed the recommendations within De Bono’s “How to have a Beautiful Mind,” in our conversations. I feel that we had a very productive conversation and that I learned a lot through listening. I really appreciate that Mr. Gosselin is taking the time to mentor me with this In-Depth project. 

I anticipate that the next four weeks will be very productive and busy. I will be starting to write full scripts of my podcast once my outline is finalized. 

In-Depth Blog Post #4

After several weeks of steady progress, in week six, I hit a wall. I was in the middle of writing episode two when I realized that I didn’t like my protagonist. The character was becoming boring and didn’t have any room to develop. I was stuck. I sent my mentor, Mr. Gosselin, a copy of my most recent draft and asked if we could discuss it. 

During my meeting, I tried to be an attentive listener. De Bono describes a good listener as “paying attention to what is being said”, “respect[ing] the speaker”, being “genuinely interested”, and finally, appreciating “the value from what is heard,” (De Bono, 66). For this session, I was able to record parts of our conversation, and have reviewed the recording to help me generate further ideas. 

One valuable piece of advice that I received concerned how much each character knows at any given time. Mr. Gosselin suggested that “you have to decide… how much Dad knows,” before moving forward. He also recommended that I figure out the last scene or line of the podcast so I could structure the entire plot leading up to a big reveal. 

I realized from these discussions with Mr. Gosselin that I needed to plan out the entire podcast before I started writing further episodes in detail. 

Another suggestion was to avoid unnecessary details such as describing what my characters are eating, unless there is a payoff in the end. For example, in the first scene of my podcast, an interaction between two characters included cute details that were fun but not crucial to the plot. Mr. Gosselin pointed out the potential issue which could have affected timing and audience interest. 

In week seven, I took a big step backwards and reconsidered the overall theme of my podcast. I spent time detailing out each character’s strengths and weaknesses, wants and fears, beliefs, appearances, backstories, and motivations. I revised my vision board to layout all of the characters’ qualities. Below is a blurred out photo of one of my vision boards (blurred to prevent spoilers)

Currently, I am working on creating an outline for each of my episodes. I am already compiling a list of questions to ask my mentor next week. For example, I would like to ask my mentor what in his opinion is more important: plot or character. I feel right now that I have created interesting dynamic characters who have individual motivations and personalities. However, I have a lot of questions surrounding my plot. How concerned should I be about tropes or predictability? Can I leave some details unexplained? I like the thought of my listeners having to solve the mystery along with the protagonists, but currently am struggling to integrate this. 

Although I did not reach my goal from my last post, I feel I still have made significant progress and have learned that creative struggle is healthy and necessary. See you in two weeks! 

 

In-Depth Blog Post #3

It has been a very busy but productive two weeks since my last post. At school, quarter two came to an end and I received a new schedule for quarter three. This quarter, I have English/Socials with Mr. Gosselin, my mentor, so I can regularly check in with him more easily now. 

As I mentioned in my previous update, I wanted to research the more technical components of running a podcast. I identified options for editing software, sound effect sources, and microphones. 

Editing software Garage Band, Adobe Premiere Pro, Audacity, Logic Pro X
Sound effect sources Epidemic Sound, Freesound
Microphones Blue Yeti, Blue Snowball

I have also begun phase two of my In-Depth project. Phase two includes planning and developing characters, as well as the overall details of my story. Over the last two weeks, I wrote episode one of my podcast. I have developed a backstory for some of my characters as well as further developed setting, plot, and devices. After I had drafted episode one, I contacted my mentor, Mr. Gosselin for his feedback. I had asked Mr. Gosselin whether we could record our session, however I was so excited to share my work with him that I forgot to press record. I will try to remember going forward. 

Overall, Mr. Gosselin seemed pleased with my first draft but also had a few valuable suggestions. During our meeting, he read my script aloud to check for flow and vocabulary. At the beginning of episode one, I had originally envisioned a fast forward montage that would preview future episodes as a teaser. Mr. Gosselin recommended that I should keep future scenes a surprise, as well as the montage could be confusing for listeners. Also, in some areas of the script, we noticed that the flow between the narrator and one of the characters was not smooth and could be improved. Mr. Gosselin advised to use sound effects as a key indicator of a new scene or speaker. His recommendations opened up more possibilities in my mind of how my podcast would be shaped. These better transitions will also keep the listener entertained and curious for more. Plus, there is a benefit in having a variety of speakers and sound effects. Finally, we discussed the last scene of episode one. Basically, Mr. Gosselin was not a big fan of my ending. I made a real effort to listen to his criticism and after our meeting, I decided that he was right. I started a rewrite and will continue revising episode one to incorporate more of Mr. Gosselin’s suggestions before moving onto episode two. 

In the next two weeks, I hope to revise episode one and complete the first draft of episode two.

In-Depth Blog Post #2

In my introductory blog post, I outlined four overlapping phases for my In-Depth project. This month, I have been mainly focusing on phase one, researching podcasts. I listened to the opening minutes of a number of different podcasts and highlighted some key aspects below. 

From listening to the different podcasts, I observed the following. 

  • Mainly science fiction/horror genres
  • Evenly split between serial and episodic
  • Most were 20-25 minutes
  • Two focused on missing friends 
  • Most used first person point of view
  • Only one used humour as a literary device

Based on my research, I have also identified the following qualities that I need to decide on for my own podcast. Some of these qualities are:

  • Serial/Episodic
  • Genre
  • Theme/Message 
  • Premise
  • Perspective/Point of view
  • Setting
  • Backstory
  • Characters
  • Time period

In order to map out my ideas, I set up a vision board using different coloured post-it notes, and printed images. After some thought, I decided on a mystery/horror/thriller genre. I started developing a premise with outlines of characters and settings. With these preliminary ideas in mind, I contacted my mentor, Mr. Gosselin for more guidance. 

During my meeting with Mr. Gosselin, we discussed a number of the issues listed above. I tried to practice how to genuinely agree by setting aside my own ego and actively listening to Mr. Gosselin’s advice. First, we began discussing the advantages and disadvantages of having a serial vs. episodic format for my podcast. Although I entered the conversation with my own opinion, I did my best to look at both sides. Since Mr. Gosselin has extensive experience in scriptwriting, I felt that he has “special experience” (de Bono, 8). That being said, Mr. Gosselin does not have specific podcasting experience and so I thought discussing the pros and cons would be more worthwhile than just asking him to recommend or choose one. On this topic, my mentor and I reached a point of agreement that having a serial format would be the best approach. By having a serial podcast, I could develop one specific set of characters, and would not have to find new voice actors for each episode. 

The length of the podcasts was another issue that we discussed. I wanted 20-30 minute podcasts. However, Mr. Gosselin provided advice based on previous experiences with screenwriting. Mr. Gosselin pointed out that a 20 minute script would be over 20 pages long. He voiced his concern that a 20-30 minute podcast with 5 or more episodes would be a lot to handle in my amount of time. Overall, I found following de Bono’s advice on “how to disagree” challenging because I do not have personal experience within this topic. Furthermore, as I am just starting to research and understand the writing portion of my In-Depth project, I do not have much insight yet. However, this discussion ended with a compromise where we agreed to start off slower and work our way up based on past performances. I accepted the difference in our opinions as I recognized that I cannot really estimate the optimal podcast length prior to actually writing it. 

I will continue to work on planning the structure of my podcast as well as researching more of the technical components. Mr. Gosselin suggested scheduling our next meeting after I have laid out more of my story. 

 

In-Depth Introductory Post

For my In-Depth project this year, I will be learning how to podcast. Podcasting is “the collaborative making of audio stories to be made available online” (Paul Bae). There are many different types of podcasts, from interviews to audio documentaries. Different audiences have different preferences on what they find engaging and entertaining. I imagine creating a podcast that appeals to a diverse audience, across age and other demographics. My project will be to develop a fictional storytelling podcast. I intend to write my own stories and learn how to develop them into podcasts. My specific goal for my In-Depth project will be to produce at least one podcast episode, release it to the public, and have at least one listener. 

We are living in challenging times. COVID-19 has disrupted our lives in so many different ways. Although school is a struggle, I feel there are other people facing greater challenges due to COVID-19. My grandparents are currently in lockdown in Ontario and I haven’t seen them for so many months. Many seniors have been unable to go out or see loved ones face to face. There have been many efforts within Gleneagle and our community to entertain and connect with each other, but often seniors have trouble joining in. Many seniors do not have a computer or do not have the skills to join a zoom call or watch a Instagram live stream. With this in mind, I looked for an In-Depth project that could help address this need. My intention is to create a podcast that everyone in the community can listen to easily, even on their phone or a tablet.

Podcasts have always been something I’ve been curious about. They are a unique way to convey a message in that they can’t rely on visual images to tell the story. I see my In-Depth project as a blend between learning technical skills, as well as exploring creative ideas. On the technical side, I will learn about production logistics, which includes recording, editing, and uploading recorded material. Podcasts are more accessible for creators as all you need are a microphone and a laptop to get started. I will research the best type of equipment to use, and various podcasting apps. I look forward to learning how to use different editing software to create my podcasts. 

I also chose podcasting for my In-Depth project as podcasting does not have as many limitations due to COVID-19. Last year, my In-Depth project was severely affected when COVID-19 shut schools down. I was required to pivot as I could not sell my product without in-person school. This project I expect to be able to complete at home even if COVID-19 shuts schools down again. My final presentation will be fully online. 

In the fall, I was given the opportunity to improve my creative writing skills by working on a number of short stories and poems. I really enjoyed learning about archetypes and elements of a short story. I chose my In-Depth project as a way to utilize and expand my storytelling skills. Specifically, I hope to learn how to script effective dialogue that tells the story and builds realistic, interesting characters and worlds. I will also develop my artistic ability in building a supporting website. 

My mentor is Mr. Gosselin, my TALONS English and Humanities teacher. Mr. Gosselin has shared many personal stories about his experiences with screenwriting and experience writing  dialogue. I respect his opinions and advice deeply and feel I can learn a lot from working with him. Although Mr. Gosselin does not have podcasting experience, he has offered to play a more story consultant role. I sincerely look forward to working with him. 

Overall, I have broken my project into four overlapping phases. Phase one is mainly research based. I will be listening to a variety of podcasts, researching equipment and technical components, and developing a style and overall theme for my podcasts. I will also be reading a number of podcast scripts, articles on how to podcast, and elements of a story. Phase two will be planning and developing characters, themes, settings, and plot for my podcasts. During this time, I hope to meet with my mentor more than once for feedback and advice. Phase three will include steps such as finalizing my scripts and finding voice actors for various roles. This phase will also involve recording and beginning editing music and sound effects. Finally, during phase four, I will be meeting with my mentor to finalize the podcasts and designing a website before releasing the episodes to the public. 

Eminent Person 2020: Anthony Bourdain

Good evening and welcome to the Night of the Notables 2020!

I am Anthony Bourdain. I am a cook, storyteller, adventurer, and provocateur.

Interview #1: Who is Anthony Bourdain? What makes you eminent? (Click my image to find out) 

Interview #2: What are some early memories of food and travel? What led you to become a chef? (Click my image to find out)

Interview #3: Tell us about your first book, Kitchen Confidential. How did the success of Kitchen Confidential change your life? (Click my book to find out more)

Interview #4: What do you think will be your legacy? What advice would you give to people? (Click the map)

Still Hungry for More? Leave Questions in the Comments.

Developing the Leaders Around You

Session 1: The Law of Magnetism

According to Maxwell, The Law of Magnetism states that “Who You Are is Who You Attract” (Maxwell). For example, if I want to attract positive, creative leaders, I need to demonstrate those qualities myself.  

This concept resonated with me as it really made a lot of sense. Last year in TALONS, I was a member of both successful and dysfunctional groups. In one group, we had a mutual respect for each others’ ideas and opinions and approached the project with a positive, supportive attitude. Everyone in the group felt comfortable to brainstorm ideas and offer suggestions without judgement. Our group completed our assignment on time and were happy with the result. However, in a different group, right from the start, I encountered negativity towards the project in general. Not every group member saw value in the assignment which was hard to work with. I felt my ideas were disregarded and in return, I was inclined to listen less to them. Attitude, whether positive or negative, is contagious. If a leader is positive, they will attract people with the same attitude. 

In the future, I will try to be self aware that my attitude, energy level, values, and body language are contagious. I will ensure that I am demonstrating the leadership qualities I want in my team before expecting others to do it too. If I find that I am still not attracting the leaders that I would like in my group, I will take action by seeking guidance from a leader I respect. 

Session 2: Momentum Makers vs Momentum Breakers

John Maxwell highlights the importance of momentum and identifies the type of people who affect momentum. Momentum is similar to inertia. If a group’s progress has stopped, it’s hard to get going again. On the other hand, if a group is working well together, they can easily overcome obstacles that get in their way. Maxwell says that Momentum Breakers are the type of people who get in the way of effective leaders. These Momentum Breakers stop progress through their attitude, actions, and disinterest. Momentum Takers say and do tasks that drain momentum. They don’t bring their own energy into the group, but rely on the leader to take them through it. If the momentum stops, the momentum takers usually do not start it back up again. Momentum fakers appear to have momentum but are really takers in disguise. Finally, Maxwell identifies Momentum Makers as leaders who start momentum. Momentum Makers have a clear goal, focus on the future, are willing to take risks to continue momentum, and are appreciative of people around them. 

I feel this principle is a life lesson, as I will always be working in groups for my entire life. Being able to identify the different types of people that affect momentum and learning how to motivate and lead them will be crucial to get tasks done. 

In future group assignments, I will self assess my own personal momentum and the energy I bring to the group. I will aspire to be a Momentum Maker, by maintaining a clear vision, showing gratitude to my group members, and taking action against obstacles. 

Session 3: Travel Agent vs Tour Guide

In session 3, John Maxwell introduces an analogy, “The Travel Agent vs The Tour Guide”, to distinguish two types of leaders. A travel agent sells people on a destination without actually having been there. They sell the idea, and then their work is done. In contrast, a tour guide needs to be an expert about a destination, and lead their followers from start to finish. 

I connected with this idea based on experiences in TALONS. During planning the TALONS Garage Sale last year, I asked my friends to bring in donations for us to use. They often said back to me, “Why don’t you bring your own stuff?”. I realize now that I was being a “Travel Agent”, as I had not brought anything in either at that point. However, I later became a “Tour Guide”, after I canvassed my neighbourhood, and collected a lot of items.

For future events, I will consider whether I am experienced with a task before I ask of others to do it for me. I need to make sure that I stick to the “Tour Guide” model. As well, I will make sure that I am actively involved in the process that I’m leading. I need to prove to who I’m mentoring that I am responsible and a credible leader. One of the most important aspects of a good bond between the mentor and the mentee is trust. Finally, I will share my advice and personal stories from past experiences to my mentees. 

Session 4: 

John Maxwell stresses the importance of the relationship between an apprentice and mentor in modelling and leadership. Specifically, he suggests that both the apprentice and the mentor ask themselves two questions: are they compatible, and is there mutual respect? 

I agree that being comfortable with the person you are working with boosts productivity. During my In-Depth project last year, I asked Mr. Bingley, a teacher at Gleneagle, to be my mentor. At first, I was intimidated by him. However, after a few mentoring sessions, I realized that we had a lot in common. I found myself looking forward to meeting with Mr. Bingley, and was sad when COVID-19 prevented us from meeting in person. I respect his advice, especially after he told me stories of his work in the business world. I tried my best to apply his advice to my Tri-Fold business. As well, I am currently a mentor to the Grade 9’s in planning TALONS events. I think Makenna and I have compatibility because we are both adaptable and proactive learners. For example, in planning our Cirque Du Soleil event, Makenna came in to help design and create the goodie bags even though she didn’t have a block 1 class that day. I tried to pass on skills and knowledge I had learned from my TALONS 9 year, such as being proactive and completing required tasks in advance. 

In my future experiences, I will seek out commonalities with my mentor, and mentees. I will share my personal stories to foster an environment of respect and supportiveness. 

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