Reflection for week 3

I remember in my senior year of high school waiting for my ride after school and these two girls that I had never talked to or even seen before came up to me and my friend and started to talk to us. At first it was just small talk about school and relationships but then one girl started to share how her mom’s boyfriend molested her and the self-injury she had done to try and deal with it and the other talked about her past addiction to cocaine and how she would do it everyday. The first girl’s story was hard to hear because she seemed so nonchalant about it but I could see that it was really hard for her and the other girl had gotten kicked out school for using drugs; it was all very overwhelming. I notice that people sometimes talk about their problems to people they don’t know that well because they might not be as judgmental or biased and they could give good advice or have gone through some of the same things. These stories affected me in a lot of ways. I was new to the school and transferring in my second semester of my junior year was more than hard. I had a lot of anger and frustration and I was holding it all in. When they expressed their problems I was more open to the idea of letting people in and giving them a chance to really get to know me. My senior year was a lot better. I had good friends and people accepted me. I learned that it’s ok to let your guard down sometimes because not letting anyone get through only makes things harder.

Reflection # 6

This semester was a lot harder and a lot more time consuming than the last. In the winter semester I only had three classes: math 15, psychology 101, and English 100. The English class was the only one that I had a hard time with so it wasn’t that stressful. This semester, I’m taking four which are: theater 100, child development, math 20, and reading. Theater and child development are more difficult because the material isn’t very exciting and it’s in the morning when I’m not fully awake and ready to learn. Although the reading class is also early, it’s a lot easier for me to get up and want to go because I enjoy the class and the people are fun to be around. This semester is also different because all of my classes are at Fullerton. I was taking classes at Cypress before. There’s a lot more students and the campus is more involved in things like clubs and wanting to inform people about important topics. When I started the semester here I looked forward to seeing what the classes would be like and how it would differ from cypress. Now that it’s almost over, I’ve realized that although I could’ve done better in some of my classes, overall I think I did really good and I can’t wait to continue going to school here. I didn’t really learn anything new about myself. I know my strengths and my weaknesses and I still have a lot to work on when it comes to prioritizing my time and paying attention even when I’d rather just go to sleep. School is something that I’m going to have to go through in order to do what I want in the future so I might as well give it my all.

Reflection # 5

With the semester almost over, I’ve realized that my grades are suffering and I’m starting to worry. I don't want to get less than a c in any of my classes but I already have one in child development and if I mess up, I know that it will drop to a d. I feel like I try my best but I guess there's always something more that I could do. My grades are a's in my other three classes but with finals and projects; it could change. To be successful for the next couple of weeks, I plan on doing all of my work and turning it in on time, staying focused, and studying for finals. My last interview for child development is due next week, my last play review for theater is due in the next weeks, the fifth exam for math followed by the final is coming up, and in this class I have to work on the lab contract and weekly homework. I haven't been working as much so I can't blame my progress on anything but myself.

The challenges that I face when trying to complete this semester are a variety of things. I feel like I have a huge load on my shoulders and I don't know if I have the energy or determination to deal with it. I'm the type of person that really tries in the beginning but starts to give up at the end. I want good grades but I don't want to put the effort in. I really want to learn how to push through even when it's the last thing I want to do and I hope that I get through this semester and apply what I have learned to summer and winter classes. This class has taught me a lot about the technique of reading and studying. The skills used in the myreadinglab program have helped when reading in other classes and gave me ideas about what to look for when being tested on certain aspects of reading/writing. I will definitely use what I have learned from this class to study for finals and when I take other classes; everything has been really interesting and helpful.

Reflection # 4

I decided to take all of the assessment tests and they seemed pretty accurate. The results from the personality test showed that I was: ESFJ which means extraverted, sensing/feeling, and judging. I didn't really understand the judging part but if it means that I’m judgmental or biased towards people I don't agree. I’m also more introverted when it comes to things like needing my space and expressing emotions. The outcome from the multiple intelligence test was interesting. My top three intelligences were: social, musical, and language. I think I’m social but can be shy at times, music is very important to me, and I love to talk so I guess it described me well. Right/left brain assessment was not what I expected. I thought that I was going to be more of a right brain thinker because I don’t see myself as being a logical or sequential; more random. The multiple intelligence test is the one that I think fit me the best and gave me a better understanding of how I learn and react to certain situations.

In regards to school, I think that the fact that I’m extraverted could cause distraction. I usually don't have the desire to do work that I’m not interested in and my attention span is very short so I tend to either procrastinate or not put 100% in every assignemt.On the other hand, thinking with my left brain could help keep me focused on what’s important and not what’s fun. Overall, I learned that I am who I am and I like it. = )

Reflection # 3

Studying new vocabulary words each week has expanded the words i use and has made it easier to understand difficult texts. If i don't know what a word means right away, i will try to think about the root and how its used in context and i usually am able to figure it out without using a dictionary. I still don't have the suffixes and prefixes memorized but i dont think thats really important. I am starting to notice the vocab words in other classes especially child development and my friends english and ethnic studies classes. i also love to impress my mom with words that she hasn't heard me use before. I've used fetid before to describe my garage from the old food and dirty diapers in the trash can and other words like procrastinate and facetious. The words also help me describe how im feeling in regards to school, work, and everything else that goes on.

There's not a lot of times when i can just use one of these words because im usually texting or talking through myspace/facebook so i usually forget most of the words from previous weeks. if i see them its easier to recall but i can't always remember the defintion when just hearing it. I would like to be able to have each word in my long-term memory and i think that i will if i keep using them and studying. I use spiral bound note cards for the tests so the vocabulary will always be there if i need it. Im excited to learn more.

reflection # 1

This week is going to be very hectic with work and other class assignments. I have to write a 3-5 page paper about one of many different types of theater that is due on Tuesday as well as an interview for my child development class. I also have to study for my math midterm on Wednesday and finish the homework and online quiz. On top of that, i have a child development test on thursday and i usually have a hard time with those so i have to make sure to have an opportunity to study. I don't know what my work schedule is for this week but i usually have at least three days off so i think that if i manage my time efficiently, i can get all of my work done. I've kind of started to make school a second priority and now i feel like everything is coming up and its overwhelming to try to stay on top of things.Its so easy to choose to go out to a party over staying home and studying or sleeping when i could be getting ahead. The only things that concern me about this week are my projects for theater and child development because i have to do research and interview children and my time is already limited.

Having a calender for this class is helpful in reminding me of everything that i have to do. I bought a planner but i dont really use it and i think that im going to start because i dont want to miss anything and have to turn it in late or not get credit at all. So my goals for this week are to use my planner and complete all of my required work and hopefully i can have a break next week.