Getting Into the Habit
I'm not one to regularly look back and think, "Oh! I should analyze my goals and check off the ones I did!" Sure, some people might argue that it's beneficial, and they're probably right. Doing these quarterly English blog posts forces me to reflect on the quality of my work and the effort I put into the class (in a good way). By doing so, I'm getting into the habit of subconsciously comparing my work this quarter to the previous one, which allows me to slowly improve, maybe without even realizing it.
For this blog post, I'm looking back at my accomplishments, assessing whether or not I actually completed my goals, and reviewing and perhaps revising my goals for next quarter.
I'm not one to regularly look back and think, "Oh! I should analyze my goals and check off the ones I did!" Sure, some people might argue that it's beneficial, and they're probably right. Doing these quarterly English blog posts forces me to reflect on the quality of my work and the effort I put into the class (in a good way). By doing so, I'm getting into the habit of subconsciously comparing my work this quarter to the previous one, which allows me to slowly improve, maybe without even realizing it.
For this blog post, I'm looking back at my accomplishments, assessing whether or not I actually completed my goals, and reviewing and perhaps revising my goals for next quarter.
Accomplishments
Quarter 3 is known as the legendary quarter- every student suddenly loses all motivation to work and they begin slacking off. It makes sense, doesn't it? Quarter 1 leads into a new grade, and students are really excited at this point. Quarter 2 is a bit slower, but students work hard to reach Winter Break. Quarter 4 means it's nearly the end, and it's here where students race to the finish. Quarter 3 is just... there. Nothing is incredibly special about it, and I have to admit, I've been a bit lazy.
All the work ethic I thought I had vanished, which didn't serve well, since the number of projects and assignments we had in English increased.
Despite all this demotivation, I've accomplished so much this quarter. The literary elements presentation and test were both complete successes, and I significantly improved in the analysis of texts we read in class. I am able to point out literary elements and discuss their meaning and importance very easily. This, in turn, has helped me on countless assignments.
The blog post series I previously did on "My Favorite Things" turned out to be really fun to do as well, because for once, I could rant all I wanted on my passions, and no one could tell me to stop. It was hugely satistfying, mainly because I could choose which topics I wanted to write about and post them at any time, so long as they were each a week apart. There were no limitations. I felt I did very well overall in this series, and I'd definitely love to do something like this again.
Quarter 3 is known as the legendary quarter- every student suddenly loses all motivation to work and they begin slacking off. It makes sense, doesn't it? Quarter 1 leads into a new grade, and students are really excited at this point. Quarter 2 is a bit slower, but students work hard to reach Winter Break. Quarter 4 means it's nearly the end, and it's here where students race to the finish. Quarter 3 is just... there. Nothing is incredibly special about it, and I have to admit, I've been a bit lazy.
All the work ethic I thought I had vanished, which didn't serve well, since the number of projects and assignments we had in English increased.
Despite all this demotivation, I've accomplished so much this quarter. The literary elements presentation and test were both complete successes, and I significantly improved in the analysis of texts we read in class. I am able to point out literary elements and discuss their meaning and importance very easily. This, in turn, has helped me on countless assignments.
The blog post series I previously did on "My Favorite Things" turned out to be really fun to do as well, because for once, I could rant all I wanted on my passions, and no one could tell me to stop. It was hugely satistfying, mainly because I could choose which topics I wanted to write about and post them at any time, so long as they were each a week apart. There were no limitations. I felt I did very well overall in this series, and I'd definitely love to do something like this again.
Next Quarter
Quarter 4 is coming up fast, and based on my past experiences with goals, it's probably better to set a few in order to steer myself in the right direction.
Procrastination shouldn't even be a quarter goal anymore- it's more of a longterm goal because it seems like I'll never master it. Procrastination is as deadly as it is common. I come home late at around 5:00, and at this point, I'm exhausted and really don't feel like opening up my laptop and working after 7 hours of doing just that. This leads to the "10-minute" break, which I admit is a complete lie. Next quarter, I really wish to have more control over myself and finish essays and blog posts earlier.
I have been keeping up with Membean, however. This is definitely an improvement from last quarter, and something I wish to keep up in the following quarter. You've served me well, reminder sticky notes.
Quarter 4 is coming up fast, and based on my past experiences with goals, it's probably better to set a few in order to steer myself in the right direction.
Procrastination shouldn't even be a quarter goal anymore- it's more of a longterm goal because it seems like I'll never master it. Procrastination is as deadly as it is common. I come home late at around 5:00, and at this point, I'm exhausted and really don't feel like opening up my laptop and working after 7 hours of doing just that. This leads to the "10-minute" break, which I admit is a complete lie. Next quarter, I really wish to have more control over myself and finish essays and blog posts earlier.
I have been keeping up with Membean, however. This is definitely an improvement from last quarter, and something I wish to keep up in the following quarter. You've served me well, reminder sticky notes.
To Be Honest
As I've stated earlier, I've met a few of my goals, but not all of them.
Membean was one of them, which I spoke about before.
Another was properly managing and splitting up essays and projects. For the most part, I've been able to work on little chunks of each assignment given, which has made it immensly easier for me, even though I do those chunks late at night. I'm getting there, slowly but surely.
I'm not too positive about this one, but I feel like I've improved presentation-wise. The volume of my voice has increased if not by a tiny bit, and I don't feel as nervous when presenting something in front of the class, which is definitely saying something. This was more of a personal goal that I'd set for myself- nothing that I ever specifically decided for English. Nevertheless, so long as I know the topic I am speaking about well enough, I can speak confidently.
As I've stated earlier, I've met a few of my goals, but not all of them.
Membean was one of them, which I spoke about before.
Another was properly managing and splitting up essays and projects. For the most part, I've been able to work on little chunks of each assignment given, which has made it immensly easier for me, even though I do those chunks late at night. I'm getting there, slowly but surely.
I'm not too positive about this one, but I feel like I've improved presentation-wise. The volume of my voice has increased if not by a tiny bit, and I don't feel as nervous when presenting something in front of the class, which is definitely saying something. This was more of a personal goal that I'd set for myself- nothing that I ever specifically decided for English. Nevertheless, so long as I know the topic I am speaking about well enough, I can speak confidently.
Overall
I'm getting pretty good at this goal-setting thing, if I do say so myself. I can't wait until the end of Quarter 4 and see how I've improved from the beginning of the school year!
I'm getting pretty good at this goal-setting thing, if I do say so myself. I can't wait until the end of Quarter 4 and see how I've improved from the beginning of the school year!