fighting for the finish (7B)

                So far this semester I’m doing pretty well in the majority of my classes, however I’m not doing the greatest in chemistry. Since we go through a chapter a week and need to remember all of the information and methods to solve the various math problems I find myself struggling to keep up with the information. While I am not failing the class (as far as I know) I certainly need to bring my grade up in order to get into the nursing program. In order for the program to accept it I need to have a C+ or better and I would guess I have a C- or D+ which is far below the grade I am used to getting in my science classes.

               This week I have spent an extra half an hour a day on studying chemistry. However I won’t know if this strategy will help me retain the information until after my next test. However it should allocate more time for my brain to process and retain more of the information I receive. I also went to his office hours for extra help in order to further understand the class materials.

               I am not the type of person to give up on things I have started. Once I start something I push through to the end no matter how long or difficult the task is. One example as proof that I don’t give up is that I am an eagle scout. This takes years of effort and hard work. In the end my final service project took about a year to complete. Other than my education I have never spent so long on any given task. I will fight to raise my chemistry grade until I have at least a B in it. I will fight till I succeed and that’s all there is too it.

societal failure (7A)

               In today’s society failure is strictly forbidden. If you fail a test everyone is disappointed in you, and if you succeed, oh well that’s the expectation from birth. Kids are not the only ones able to fail at something. Adults too can’t do anything wrong at work of they will get fired. This world, at least in America has turned into a world of tests. If you succeed (or pass) the tests you are given you succeed in life, if you fail them you fail at life. I think this world has developed into a place where failure is not an option. For example is school if you fail just one test it can ruin your whole grade for the semester. This leads people to want to be successful at everything the first time.

               

               Parents are so afraid of their children failing that they become over protective. While this creates their success in certain areas kids can grow to rely on their parents too much. Also if they never fail then when they are older and do fail for the first time they won’t be able to cope and will just crumble apart at their disappointment of themselves. This is one downfall of society’s lack of tolerance for failure.

               

               Another problem with today’s view on success and failure is that everyone needs to be successful very quickly. Everyone is expected to get it right the first time. “We would estimate, very roughly, that a master has spent perhaps 10,000 to 50,000 hours staring at chess positions”. This quote is about how it takes years of diligent practice in order to truly master something, yet in our society you’re expected to master chemistry or statistics in a few short months. In my opinion failure is not allowed in society because it is not possible, one cannot “make it in life” with any failures under our current system.

failure without learning (7V)

               Failure to most people is not succeeding at a given task. While this is technically the definition of failure it is not totally correct in my opinion. If you don’t succeed at something but learn from your mistakes then it is not a total failure, however if you fail at the task and don’t learn anything then the whole task was pointless. To me failure is being unsuccessful at something but simultaneously failing to learn anything at all.

            

               This week in chemistry I learned the following terms:

Internal Energy- The sum of the kinetic energies and potential energies of the particles within a system.

Kinetic energy- Energy of motion.

mindset level: Grit (6B)

           Throughout this semester in my INQ class we have read an assortment of articles ranging from delayed gratification to note taking strategies. But for this post I will compare mindset to the grit test. Mindset is where if you think you can do something you will be more likely to succeed at the task. For example if you think you’re going to fail a test you will probably go in and fail it, but if you have some confidence in yourself you are more prone to do well. This also goes for if you think intelligence is something you can grow on, rather than it being a set aspect about yourself.

“In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits.”

“In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point.”

(http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html)

Grit is essentially your perseverance level. If you have a lot of grit you stick with things until you succeed. Angela Duckworth talks about the grit test and how those who are “grittier” that others are more likely to succeed at challenging tasks.

“At the elite United States Military Academy, West Point, a cadet's grit score was the best predictor of success in the rigorous summer training program known as "Beast Barracks." Grit mattered more than intelligence, leadership ability or physical fitness.”

(http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/tomorrows-college/grit/angela-duckworth-grit.html)

Now to compare the two, Grit is the result of your mindset. If you have the mindset that you can and will complete something the chances of you finishing it are much higher. However if you believe that something is impossible, the task then becomes impossible to you. If you have the correct mindset throughout your life then you will be successful it whatever you attempt.

Stress :S (6I#3)

One of the health centers biggest concerns is stress. This is because stress itself isn't bad, but because it leads to illness and has many detrimental side effects. Some major stressors of freshman include- leaving home for the first time, forming new relationships, the desire to succeed, and managing finances. All freshmen will encounter at least one of these stressors. Stress can weaken the immune system making people more prone to illness such as colds or the flu. Other symptoms include: feeling fatigued, being disorganized, changes in eating habits, and forgetfulness. These can lead to poor grades and poor health which is obviously not wanted on campus.

persistence (6V)

Persistence to me is the will to keep going without giving up, no matter the road blocks you come across. When I get a bad grade on a test I don’t despair, I simply look over what I did wrong and study harder for the next test. Some people see they failed at something and just wither away from the task. These people don’t have persistence. Those who push through to success, those who work to get what they want rather than take handouts have persistence.

This week I learned 2 words in Spanish.

Abburirse: means “to get bored”

Instalarse: means “to settle down”

Forever alone (6A)

When I was in eighth grade I attended a parochial school with a class of 8 kids, and 6 of them graduated. These were the same eight people I had known and been friends with since kindergarten. We all had known each other and didn't really have friends outside our school. Naturally I was nervous for high school because it was always explained as a scary “sinful place” and that I would have 300 kids in my class instead of 6. That the rules were very different and I was going from the top of the totem pole to the bottom.

Only one kid from my school was going to attend the same high school as me. We had one class together and I had no other friends or acquaintances. I not only had this but my older brother Jared who I have always been very close too left for college a few days before I started high school. I felt so out of place when I sat alone at lunch the first week or two and my life seemed to have turned upside down. My grades went from As and Bs to Cs and Ds. I was no longer the smartest kid in my grade but was now below average with no friends. What made making friends really hard was that everyone knew each other from our towns’ public schools.

Of course it all worked out but it was not easy. At the end of high school I had a GPA of 3.1 and many friends compared to the virtually no friends and 2.7 GPA freshman year. Today I’m proud the way I came out of that experience. I’m stronger, more social and have infinitely more confidence in myself. I’m no longer the timid alone boy; I am now a strong independent man.