Amanda Vasquez

Written Reflection
We should not judge people by their peak of excellence; but by the distance they
have traveled from the point where they started. To me this quote by Henry Ward
Beecher could not have been more accurate in describing the journey a person endures
to get to their destination in life. Whether we are close or far from the end of our
journeys it is often the road we travel that helps shape and form the people we are at
this moment in time.
Keeping this quote and associations in mind I am creating a Journey
notebook/project that will capture my journey thus far. The cover of my Journey Journal,
(nicknamed by me), is greatly influenced by semiotics. I used symbols that I associate
with the people who have helped me throughout my life journey. For example,
sunflowers signify my mother, cactus signify grandmother and my hometown in Texas.
Other symbols such as the Virgin Mary are not as cryptic but do signify the faith I have
in myself and my religion. Using a combination of medias such as paint, pencil, glue and
other miscellaneous objects I will form my Journey Journal.
The pages within my journal are narrative. They tell the story of failures and
accomplishments Ive encountered. I am choosing to glue several pages together and
only adding a few pieces of imagery throughout. This concept will help emphasize the
story Im trying to share with my Journal. By gluing pages together, it will show that
while small steps and memories did occur the ones that are expose are the steps that
influenced my Journey the most.
The Journey Journal is something I would like to implement in my future
classroom. I want my future students to have an understanding of their life journey. I will
more than likely encourage them to use a journal as basis but will not limit their

Amanda Vasquez
Written Reflection
creativity. I find that this journal will be useful to my students because it will give them
the opportunity to express themselves in a way that causes them to perform selfreflection. I know Ive said this before but I stand by it when I say that in order to
understand the world around you, you need to understand who you are first.
Concepts and content that I have learned that I would like to use within high
school population includes, becoming an artist (and understanding what an artist is),
narration, semiotics, and the use of imagination. I will adapt these found concepts in
several ways, one through the use of the Journey Journal. Another way to incorporate
being an artist, narration, symbols, and imagination is through definition, and projects
that include understanding what these words mean to the students, and the art world.
Although I do not have a list of projects ready at this moment in time I do plan on
performing research that will help highlight the concepts I have learned. I will also ask
for help from my fellow teachers and artists for suggestions on implementing projects
that encourage the use of these concepts.