Weekly Report #15

 December 15th- December 22nd

           This past Tuesday all students in the FISD Independent Study Mentorship program participated in the annual Business Symposium at Heritage High School.  Mr. Wysong was pleased to announce on Thursday how proud he was of the Liberty program as a whole. He said he received numerous compliments commending the students on their outstanding progress.
          I had a blast at symposium. My table included two skeletons, exercise equipment, dry needling needles, protein bars, flyers, an ipad with a slide show of information and, of course, my display board with lights. Luckily, I had help from many of my fellow classmates to help me set up and take down everything. Prior the the start of the event, I started to get very nervous and I started to doubt my knowledge. However, once the event got going and people started to come by to talk with me, I was in love with the atmosphere. I found I loved communicating with everyone and explaining my field of study. In a way, I felt like a sales person.   Maybe sales is another profession worth looking into!  With the conclusion of the Business Symposium the ISM students are finally able to relax for two weeks. 
-I spend approximately 7 Hours on ISM work this week.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

Weekly Report #14

December 8th- December 15th

              This past weekend I had an incredible opportunity at the MJP center to observe a trigger point dry needling certification program. I spent a total of 22 hours this weekend learning about the art of dry needling the body parts most in need of this type of therapy.  Unfortunately, I was unable to practice penetrating the skin with needles as the professional therapist around me.  I was, however, able to volunteer as to be demonstrated on.
              Throughout the weekend, we were exposed to many different areas to dry needle. There are “no no” areas, as the instructor called it, which consisted of the thoracic cavity and the front of the neck. The reason the thoracic cavity is dangerous is because the thoracic cavity contains the most vital organs of the body, including the heart, lungs, and kidneys.  In order for dry needling to be effective it is unnecessary insert a mass of needles. For example, the face area only requires four needles. The two needles are inserted into the frontalis muscles and the temporalis muscles.
             I learned so much this weekend and am eager to present my knowledge at the Research Showcase.
- I spent approximately 25 hours on ISM work this week.

Weekly Report #13

December 1st- December 8th

           Thanksgiving was a much needed break. I caught up on all my work and was able to work ahead to minimize future stress. This week I worked on my Research Showcase display board. Usually, the board for Research Showcase is the board for Final Presentation Night. I came to the realization that I will need to create a new board for Final Presentation Night because I want to incorporate a collage of the NFL combine athletes along with an explanation of my Final Product. Due to the fact the NFL athletes will not be at MJP until January 1st, and Research Showcase is on December 16th it makes it impossible to take those pictures before Research Showcase.

           Before I glued down all the parts for my board, I took a picture of it and brought it to class for peer edits.  I am thankful we did this exercise because, foolishly, I forgot to center my title. Mr. Wysong suggested I add a visual to my poster board. I am hesitant on this idea because I plan to bring a full scale skeleton and do not want my display to be overwhelming.  

- I spent approximately 7 hours on ISM work this week.

Weekly Report #12

November 17th- November 24th

 Due to the fact that Thanksgiving break was right around the corner we had a lot of assignments due. We updated call logs, wrote thank you note to people we interviewed, created a Showcase Invitational list with at least 15 people, and completed research assessment #6. In class we also worked on peer critiques for speeches. Each student was told to give positive and negative comments to three students. It was interesting to read the feedback from other students.

          

        Beyond the class work, I started my internship at the Michael Johnson Performance Center. I had a blast! They gave me my uniform (workout clothes) and immediately I was immersed into the upbeat environment surrounded by injuries and exercises. On the first day, I saw three knee rehabilitation including two ACLs and one MCL. Lance, my mentor, advised me to bring a notepad, something small enough to carry in one hand so I am able to do all the activities. He explained how the most successful people always carry around a notepad to jot down their brilliant ideas. 

-I spent approximately 5 hours on ISM work this week.

Weekly Report #11

 November 10th- November 17th

          This past week was the last week for everyone to give their speeches. On Tuesday, the majority of my day was spent in the ISM classroom. I listened to a total of 9 speeches. After looking over the feedback from my speech, I felt as if the weakest part was my introduction and conclusion. It was very interesting to listen to how my peers started and ended their presentations and I learned a lot.

          I am still waiting to start my internship at the Michael Johnson Performance center. I have been in the counselor's office numerous times and they vetoed my request to have second period off. After this idea was not approved, my counselor and I applied for an off campus PE period. Frisco ISD does not offer an off campus PE for strength and conditioning or an off campus PE for volleyball. Currently, I am waiting on a response to see if there is another time where I can come in and workout at the MJP center. The change in workout time should not affect my internship.

-I spent approximately 4 hours on ISM work this week.

Weekly Report #10

 November 3rd- November 10th

My ISM speech didn’t come across at all as I had planned.  I ran through it several times at home for my family the night before.  The day of my speech I even did a practice run in front of AP Biology class in addition to my volleyball team.  In all my practice speeches I set up my laptop, a timer, and I put my professional dress on. I executed my speech and felt very confident.  I had a loud and, even more importantly,  remembered every example and story.  When it was time for my speech I was ready!  After I started I made an error, followed by another one, and I then got flustered.  I couldn’t work myself out of it. Walking out of class I was really upset with myself and the whole speech.  However, after watching the video a few times and re-evalutating, I realized this is only going to help me grow. I received a lot of constructive criticism from my classmates and teacher. The comment that stuck with me the most was my trying to be something I’m not.  In class, I am a very social person.  I can talk with people easily.  My speech was over professional, which is not my strong suit.  I should focus more on talking with the audience and smile.  Engaging the audience is something I will focus heavily on for the next speech I give. 
- I spent approximately 4 hours on ISM work this week. 

Weekly Report #9

October 27th- November 3rd

This past week I worked on setting up my Research Speech that I will be giving in class Thursday, November 6th, 2014. I have signed up to be one of the first people to give the speech. I looked at the schedule for other ISM periods to see who signed up.  I plan on sitting in on a couple other student speeches from different periods to get an idea of the flow of their information.  I am very excited to present to the class about not only my mentor, but also about my internship.

I also worked on my research assessment #5 and interview assessment #2. I will incorporate my research assessments and interview assessments in the Research Speech on the 6th.

With volleyball season coming to an end, I have been working  to change my schedule so that I can have a large chunk of time at MJP, yet manage all my other classes. I plan to change my schedule to have “A” days 100% focused on ISM work so I can maximize my internship opportunities. I plan to still work in ISM on B days to make sure I still get my work done.

-I spent approximately 3 hours on ISM work.  

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Weekly Report #8

October 20th- October 27th

In class on Tuesday October 21, 2014 we went over what a display board consists of.  Basically, a display board is the biggest visual we will use while presenting at Research Showcase and at Final Presentation night. It is very important to make it look organized and neat. Mr. Wysong required all the students to submit a rough draft  of what it will look like. Once the rough draft is approved, we will then create the actual board which will be 36x48 inches. On Thursday, I worked on my research assessment #4 and I finalized my Interview Assessment #1. This week I signed up for my research speech. I will be presenting my 10 minute speech on Thursday, November 6th. The purpose of this speech is to combine all the information from which the students have collected through the research and interview assessments into a well developed analysis.

In class, Mr. Wysong asked me a couple of questions about PT. Lance Walker. He wanted to make sure Mr. Walker would be a suitable mentor. After listening to all my responses, he then gave me permission to ask Mr Walker to be my official mentor. I am very excited because I am one of the first people who have been approved to have a mentor.

- I spent approximately 5 hours on ISM work this week.

Topic Proposal

As a topic of study this year, I am interested in learning about Exercise Science. At the beginning of the year my only desire was to learn about chiropractic medicine. After multiple research interviews, I have decided to switch my field of study to something less routine. Specifically, I would like to learn about Athletic Physical Therapy.

I have been an athlete since the age of 3. My father ran track at The University of South Carolina where he met my mom, who was also played for the Gamecocks, on the volleyball team. Being around athletes my entire life has given me an enormous amount of exposure to the good and bad moments in sports. The good being an athlete playing at his/her peak with the optimum amount of biomechanical training. On the other hand, I have also had a lot of experience with injuries. I understand how important it is to prevent injuries and how urgent it is to help heal injuries.

I have found that I really enjoy the social aspect of a physical therapist’s daily schedule. I am a very outgoing person and I have a desire to meet new people every day. Being in the Frisco Independent School District for 12 years has taught me many things. In my opinion, the most important concept I've learned is that I never want to be on a routine schedule.  I never want to be in a job where I sit at my office desk all day and count the hours before it is time to clock out. I want a job where everyday is different. I want face new challenges and enjoy a new adventure each day.

Weekly Report #7

October 13th- October 20th 

This past week, I decided to change my field of study from chiropractic medicine to physical therapy. After an interview on Wednesday, the Michael Johnson Performance center has offered me an incredible opportunity to do an internship at their center in McKinney.  On Friday after school, I met with Principal Warstler and spoke to him about changing my Liberty class schedule to accommodate everything I want to get out of the MJP experience.  After volleyball season is over, in approximately 2 weeks, I will be change my schedule so I have ISM all day on A days and have my core classes on B days.   This will allow me to have an internship with a mentor physical therapist and a workout session all in the same facility on A days.  My schedule will be finalized on November 4th and I will be able to begin my internship on that date as well.   In addition, the internship will offset the cost for my workouts.  I am very excited about this incredible opportunity!

On Wednesday I worked on my topic proposal. This was challenging to do because after I met with the directors and trainers at MJP my topic of study changed. I had to research the difference between physical therapist and chiropractors. There are a few differences but in reality they are more similar than they are different.  They both help people who are in pain return to their healthy, normal activities.
-I spent approximately 4.5 hours on ISM work this week.

Weekly Report #6

October 6th- October 13th

The purpose of this week is solely to prepare for business symposium. In class we did exercises to practice networking and practice mock interviews. 

On Monday, I decided to skip lunch and work on my ISM portfolio. I put everything in order and organized it according to the rubric. On Monday evening, I called Rickey Richards. He is a very close friend with Michael Johnson of the Michael Johnson Performance Center in Allen. I set up appointment to meet with Rickey Richards on Wednesday, October 15th, at 8:30 am who will then introduce me to Mr. Johnson. Hopefully, this meeting will go well and I will be able to meet the head physical therapist along with Mr. Johnson. On Wednesday, I worked on my research assessment #3. On Friday, we had the business symposium. It was fantastic! I was so comfortable talking and meeting new people. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed talking to people until the symposium came to an end. Meeting people was definitely my favorite part. Networking is similar to putting a puzzle together.  Everyone has a piece of information and it is my job to figure out how the pieces all fit together. I am very excited for our next big event!
-I spent approximately 5 hours on ISM work this week.

Weekly Report #5

September 29th - October 6th

I met with Dr. Graves for my second research interview at Graves Family Chiropractic in Frisco. He was very sweet. He is a very busy man so he did not have much time to meet. Luckily, I was able to ask questions that he could offer a lot of information, making the best use of his time. He offered me a job working in his practice, possibly to help file papers. He was not entirely sure what the job would be, but it would allow me to be in the office and observe as well as work.  Unfortunately, I do not think I will be able to take the job. With my schedule completely preoccupied with academics and volleyball, adding a job to the equation would not be a smart move. This Thursday we were told to bring supplies to set up our portfolios in class. Mr. Wysong pushed the due date until next class.  I believe this is so everyone has a chance to gather all their things. We also got our due schedule for the second six weeks and I am happy to report, I have completed many of the assignments already. By completing two research interviews and writing the reports, I feel like I am organizing my time very efficiently.  With the business symposium coming up there will be a lot to do.  The business symposium is Friday, October 10th,  and I am very excited to meet all the professionals and develop new contacts as well as work on my interviewing skills. 
- I spent approximately 3.5 hours on ISM work this week

Weekly Report #4

September 22th- September 29th

We made an enormous amount of progress in the dynamics of our class this week. We have a great group of students, but not everyone is comfortable enough to participate as much as we can be to get the most out of every class. I suggested we have a party in class!  Since our class is during lunch everyone brought food.  The party was a big hit!  Everyone brought something unique.  My favorite were the donuts Tiffanie brought which were the flavors of bacon, Oreo, and M&M.  People definitely broke out of the comfort zone and we all got to know each other better.  I think this activity will benefit everyone as the class progresses over the year!   

On Monday, Mr. Wysong allowed us to start calling contacts from our call log and start setting up interviews.  I scheduled an interview with Dr. Milton Mize for Saturday afternoon. Dr. Mize and I met at a Starbucks off of Coit and Spring Creek and spent about an hour discussing his chiropractic business. I felt the interview was fantastic!  Not only did I get answers to the questions I had, but Dr. Mize was very helpful in giving me other information I hadn't considered.  Although the interview assessments are not due for another few months, I have already typed my assessment while everything was fresh in my mind.  I also made contact with Dr. Groves, who is very nice, but very busy.  He said he would like to do anything to help and is more than willing to let me interview him. The demands from internships he oversees from Parker University is going to make it difficult for me to squeeze into his schedule.  Outside the ISM classroom, this week I announced to everyone that I will be playing volleyball at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. I will be signing my letter of intent in November during the early signing period. I am very excited!  UMass Boston has a fantastic science program where I will be majoring in Health Science and Minoring in their Entrepreneur program. 
 -I spent approximately 4.5 hours on ISM work this week.

Goals

Short Term-

1. Graduate High School With a 3.74 GPA
2. Get a full scholarship to a university - Volleyball, Academics, Extracurricular
3. Get into Rotary Club Foreign exchange program
4. Maintain a 3.8 GPA in college

Long Term-

1. Graduate from chiropractic college with a 3.8 GPA
2. Start and own a practice within a year or graduating
3. Partner with a physical therapist to own a cross-fit gym and have clients get adjusted before and after they workout

Weekly Report #3

 September 15th - September 21st


On Tuesday we had a discussion on how to properly talk to adults over the phone. Our teacher needed someone on the other end of the demonstration phone call so I volunteered to help show how a correct phone call should go.  Following the first call, we practiced what should be avoided in a poor phone conversation.  After the exercises were over, we created a short paragraph to use as a guide for when we start making phone calls to set up interviews.  I found this information beneficial and it was helpful to practice holding a conversation.   Conversations are extremely important and in a business where building relationships is crucial, learning how to communicate is a skill I am glad to be strengthening.

Thursday we brought our rough draft resume to school and participated in peer editing in class. We all reworked each other's resumes making sure we were constructive with our criticism. This was also a beneficial activity because now, after so much feedback, I feel like my resume is a very strong and is an accurate reflection of myself. With business symposium seeming to creep up, we also worked on our business symposium outfit. It was a little difficult trying to put together a mature outfit but not something my grandma would wear.On Thursday we were assigned to wear our full professional outfit that we will wear on the business symposium, research showcase, and final presentation night. Unfortunately, homecoming week was last week, so instead of wearing a pants suit, I wore a hula skirt and lae as it was “Tropical Thursday”. Instead I brought a full length picture of my outfit to class and got it approved that way.  School spirit is always important.
-I spent approximately 4.5 hours on ISM work this week.

Goals to Accomplish this Year

• I would like to learn about the mental aspect of healing and how it correlates with the physical adjustment of the body.  
• I would like to learn about how flexible a chiropractor's work schedule is (week by week).
• I would like to learn the best thing to major in while completing an undergrad degree.
• I would like to learn what the most beneficial class in high school is that will help with becoming a chiropractor.
• I would like to learn what the future outlook for this career is. Will the need for chiropractors rise or drop?
• I would like to learn how often the salary fluctuates, being that it is a private business.
• I had a difficult time finding organizations for upcoming chiropractic students to join. I would like to learn about some local clubs and organizations in my area.
   
  
  

Weekly Report #2

September 18th-September 15th

This week flew by!  I am starting to get a rhythm of how to manage college classes, stressful due dates, and varsity volleyball.  Instead of the approach I have taken in previous years of reacting to day to day assignments, I am developing a schedule to work in advance and it is turning out to be much more beneficial.  I now start the assignment as far in advance as possible to ensure success on that assignment and give myself the opportunity to revise and edit when needed. This week, I completed my contact list of possible mentors.  Surprisingly, this list took a lot longer than expected.  My contact list is composed of 25 people with names, phone numbers, emails, web addresses, office hours, travel distance and much more.  I will use this organized list to help narrow down all the possible and well qualified chiropractors in the North Texas area. In my ISM class it has become a regular thing to introduce ourselves to our peers and have a short but informative conversation with them.  I found it very easy to start and hold a conversation, but I really struggle with ending a conversation in a polite professional way.  Ending a conversation will be one of my main goals for the next few weeks I am beginning to see improvement in the way I participate in conversations and I am excited to try out my new conversational tools at the business symposium on October 8th from 8am-1pm.

-Outside of the classroom, I spent approximately 5 hours on ISM work this week.

Weekly Report #1

August 25th-September 8th

It is hard to believe the first two weeks of my senior year are complete!  These first two weeks were a bit stressful in trying to manage between two different schools and where no two days have the same schedule. However, starting the Independent Study Mentorship program, ISM, has been very exciting. Over the summer students had access to the syllabus of work that would be required the first six weeks.  I have taken advantage of having those assignments and tried to work ahead of schedule.  ISM has started off strong with numerous tasks including a career forecast, speech, blog, and mission statement.   A career forecast consists of questions that I answered about the subject I want to focus on in college and what I want to learn this year, my final one at Liberty.   Although I have thought a great deal about what I want to major in at college, to go through the exercise was surprisingly difficult as I realize how much I have to learn and how fast my last year at Liberty is going to go.  The second task was to write and give a speech without reading it.   The speech had to be about what makes me who I am and my goals for the upcoming school year.  I found it is hard to define myself and what I want to do in a speech others would find interesting and not boring.  There is definitely a talent in holding the attention of the room and making what you say important yet entertaining enough people want to listen.  Our third task was to set up a Google Blogger account. I didn’t realize how many details it takes to set up a blog. I now have a greater appreciation for professional bloggers!  Beyond setting up the skeleton of the blog, I added the color scheme and uploaded my first post.  At this point, I have also developed my mission statement and found a quote that is an extension of me.   Again, like the blog page, it was more difficult than I originally thought to come up with a statement that succinctly describes what I want to do how I want to get there.  In trying to stay ahead of my ISM assignments I have come up with a list of questions to use when I interview professionals.  Beyond the obvious questions like, "What did you major in?" and "How many years did it take to get your degree?" I have done research to come up with questions they may not expect.  I'm hoping to get the comment "That's a good question" at some point during the interview.  Next week I plan to compile my contact list. This list will consists of names, phone numbers, emails and approximate travel distance of possible mentors I could work with this year.  Whew!

- Outside of the classroom, I spent approximately 6 hours on ISM work this week.

Mission Statement

By increasing my knowledge of the science of chiropractic medicine through an Mentorship, my mission of the Independent Study Mentorship program is to experience and research the components that aid in the mental and physical adjustment of the human body.

Quote

“On one hand, we know that everything happens for a reason, and there are no mistakes or coincidences. On the other hand, we learn that we can never give up, knowing that with the right tools and energy, we can reverse any decree or karma. So, which is it? Let the Light decide, or never give up? The answer is: both.”

Yehuda Berg

Most quotes have one rule to follow, but much like in life, one way simply does not apply to everything. This quote is significant to me because it shows the importance of using a mixture of actions to determine the right path. Not all situations are the same. Therefore, quotes and ideas that guide us, should have the ability to see different points of view.  I feel we should have many quotes and role models to follow based upon what is happening in our life. It is important to examine each situation and to take action depending on the specific circumstances.  There are instances when it is best to sit back and hope something good happens, and there are occasions where it is best to take action and never give up.  My year in the ISM program is going to be a mixture of both philosophies.  There will be many times where I will be driven to do everything it takes to accomplish the goals I set for myself.  Yet, there will also be situations where I must realize that not everything is in my control.

Greetings

My name is Tia Nayar and I am a senior at Liberty High School.