Mid-SSP Reflection

As expected, transitioning from a regular school schedule to my new SSP routine has meant far more freedom and independence. And at the beginning of the spring, I was keenly aware that both things can be a double-edged sword. While I often found myself yearning for more self-agency and unstructured time during the winter, I also harbored plenty of doubts about spending large portions of my day left alone to my own devices. For one, I was unsure of how to feel about spending so many days and hours alone. Secondly, as a person who craves and thrives off of structure, I worried about successfully making the most of all the unscheduled portions of my SSP.

 

So far many of these concerns have proved untrue. For example, despite no longer spending my mornings and afternoons at school, I’ve found countless opportunities for connection across my various SSP activities. My community service pillar, volunteering as a “Meals on Wheels” Driver in Arlington, is one such example. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays I drive around Arlington delivering lunches and dinners to homebound elderly residents. Many of the customers I deliver to experience issues such as language barriers, poor health, and difficult living situations. However, I often find great conversation and company with the people I meet. I’ve also met people through my political campaigning internship, through which I recently attended a fundraiser for Congressional candidate Tram Nguyen. I was able to meet state representatives, city council members, and even the former mayor of my town. Other activities on my schedule such as my board game seminar and math class have helped me maintain a sense of belonging and community at BB&N. 

 

My newfound independence has also, by and large, been a positive change. There are many things about my schedule I appreciate, from going home for the morning after my Monday math class to handpicking the sources and subject matter that interest me most in my United Kingdom History seminar. Much of my work for my internship and seminars is also asynchronous, meaning I often get to choose what I work on and when I do it. I’ve tried out several different work locations, from my local library and coffee shop to the BB&N quiet room. On the flip side, the openness of my SSP schedule has proved challenging at times. Because many of my hours are asynchronous, I sometimes have trouble staying on top of my various responsibilities and making the most of my time. During a busy second week of my SSP I lost track of the work I had to do for my board game seminar and failed to prepare for our meeting on a Friday. As a result of my mistake I found myself scrambling to learn the game 7 Wonders on the fly, causing quite a few headaches for Ms. Wallace and my fellow board gamers. I’ve also failed to remember my math homework until the last minute on some occasions, and am trying to be more proactive about completing assignments early during the third week of SSP. Most glaringly, I recently missed my mentor meeting with Ms. Glazer in the process of adjusting to my schedule. It is my hope that going forward, taking care of my SSP commitments will help me improve my time management skills and sense of personal responsibility.

 

As I mentioned in my initial SSP proposal, one of my primary aims this spring is to discover novelty in the world around me. Although only one of my activities is officially classified as a new experience, I created my plan hoping that each of my spring commitments would be new experiences in their own rights. So far, this has certainly been the case. I’ve found my two cooking-related seminars, Learning to BBQ and Breads & Spreads, to be particularly exciting. This past weekend my friends and I traveled down to Cape Cod to barbecue and prepared a batch of skirt steak tacos. I prepared a marinade for the steak and grilled it for our group, an effort that turned out surprisingly well. Unfortunately, my early efforts at bread making have not been as successful. While leaving my bread to rise overnight I failed to cover the whole loaf, leading to an explosion and a final product that closely resembled a brick. I look forward to continuing to sharpen my skills in both seminars, and to hopefully experiencing a wide range of foods and cooking styles.

 

Another key part of my SSP is my time spent with the baseball team. This season is my first on varsity after two (largely unsuccessful) years spent playing JV. While I was somewhat nervous coming back to baseball this spring after not playing for some time, being a part of the team has easily been one of the highlights of my spring. I’ve been able to improve my skills and grow more comfortable with parts of baseball that once gave me trouble, like tracking down a fly ball or sliding back into a base on a pickoff attempt. Most importantly, I look forward each day to stepping into the locker room and spending time with friends and new faces. Baseball is an extremely social sport, and it’s been gratifying for me to share conversations and bus rides with my teammates. 

 

For all the joy my SSP has brought so far, I recognize that I have plenty of room for growth in making the most out of my last weeks at BB&N. Perhaps my greatest goal this spring is making the most of the limited time I have left in high school. Thus, looking ahead to the rest of the term, my focus is on two things – living with gratitude and living with urgency. In my eyes, the two ideas go hand-in-hand. This past week it’s dawned on me just how precious the gift of time is. I have time to dive into stories and subject matter that excite me in my UK history seminar. I have time to attend fundraisers and campaigning events when I would otherwise be poring over pages of homework. I even have time to spend time with my friends on weeknights and make the most of our final days at school together. I realize the greatest way to show appreciation for these privileges is to live with intention and to value the time I have left. And I hope the remainder of my SSP will reflect that gratitude.