This blog post talks about the many different activities that I undertook during the IB well Fridays and the weekends. The IB well Fridays were two Fridays, given as holidays, by the school to reduce the amount of screen time and increase the activity, creativity and wellness levels of their students and teachers. During the last IB Well Fridays, I believe that I effectively used the time provided to me to improve upon myself, show perseverance and develop new skills in the process.
Creativity:
For the creativity part of the Fridays, I practiced my keyboard for my upcoming exams. I played some pieces like ‘Wade in the Water’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’. I also reviewed some chord progressions and a few scales. But, after I played the pieces that I had previously learnt, I moved on to a new piece which was quite challenging. It was a Beethoven piece and I struggled to fluently play the melody after an hour of trying. I found this piece quite challenging, since the tempo of the song was quite high and the melody itself was quite complicated. In certain areas, it was simple and easy to play, but in others, there would be counterpoints (where there are two melodies). I tried playing this piece in the weekends and I slowly started to learn the patterns and over time, I got to play only the melody. Through this experience, I identified my own strengths and I developed areas of personal growth. Furthermore, I also demonstrated commitment and perseverance in my CAS experiences.
Activity:
For the activity section, I did a personal workout with the weights. On the first IB well Friday, I focused on upper body and performed bicep curls, tricep extensions, pushups, flies and shoulder presses. Since, I had only two pairs of weights, I decided to do a 2×15 rep cycle. I was really sore after this workout since I hadn’t worked out in a long time. In the next IB well Friday, I did a lower body and core workout. Some of the exercises that I did were dumbbell squats, dumbbell lunges, V-crunches and sit ups. I was not as sore as last time since my body had become less stiff after the last workouts.The CAS learning outcome that this addressed was undertaking challenges and developing new skills. I had not worked out for a long time and I think that these sessions reignited my motivation to keep in shape.
Wellness:
For the Wellness aspect, I did not do anything significant but I believe that I achieved this aspect through the small things I did throughout the day. I avoided my phone and my mac for the majority of the day and I listened to music to relax to release some of the stress that was built up during school. I felt more refreshed the next day I woke up and it was really helpful for my mental health. For this aspect, it can be said that I showed commitment to the CAS learning outcomes by participating in the IB well Friday.
I recommend to take this IB well Friday seriously since it is genuinely helpful and helps you relax and take your mind of the busy schedule which school presents to you.