This is a tough goodbye for me. Mostly because it wasn't really the full and complete goodbye we
It is for this reason that great reflection is in order; reflection that can help our next generation of upperclassmen--juniors and seniors--as they navigate through unfamiliar and uncertain waters and build upon their knowledge as IB scholars. Please know I will ALWAYS and FOREVER be in your corner, cheering you on, through all of life's challenges and celebrations! LOTS of love, gratitude, prayer and pride to YOU from me!
Take good notes when Mrs. Caraway introduces a new unit or a new novel. They will help you with ideas and concepts to use for your essays or finals for the units. - Cayman Webber
Remember to write down quotes as you are READING the novel. Don't wait until afterwards! It will be nearly impossible to find them again.
Use critical friends, they honestly see the flaws you can’t.
Ask for help when you need it! Don’t be embarrassed, your teachers are literally there to help you with whatever you may need, even if it seems stupid!
Keep your notebooks from both years. YOU WILL NEED THEM! and....Oh my God, do the
Find out about your assessment at the beginning of the unit so you can prepare for it as you go!
Read your books!! I know that some literary works and texts are more interesting than others, but if you don't read them, you will miss something. Language has many layers and meanings. If you skip over it or look at it at face value, you won't understand it.- Janay Moloney
Stay open-minded and excited! I know that school and assignments can get tedious, but do everything you can to make the most of of your learning experience and invest in yourself. YOU HAVE NO IDEA how precious these moments are!!-Lauren Hess
Don’t be afraid to voice your ideaStay open-minded and excited! I know that school and assignments can get tedious, but do everything you can to make the most of of your learning experience and invest in yourself. YOU HAVE NO IDEA how precious these moments are!!-Lauren Hess
Enjoy the moment. There's definitely going to be times when you are stressed and want to give up, but you're going to come out of this class with SO many
Keep up with the reading assignments. It will help you with your assessments and your DP exam. However, if you have trouble reading quickly, find an audiobook and listen along as you annotate the novel.
The DP Lang/Lit program is super amazing and you all have such a super awesome and knowledgeable teacher. The content we learn is super interesting and applicable to what we do every day so enjoy it! - Delaney
Do NOT procrastinate on your essays!! It makes class less fun!
Mrs. Caraway appreciates it when you type up your papers in Times New Roman, pt. 12 font.
Mrs. Caraway appreciates it when you type up your papers in Times New Roman, pt. 12 font.
Stay attentive. The most regretful thing you could do is not to pay attention in class. Year 2 is incredibly fun and interesting. The topics that we talk about are things you bring home and talk about with anyone that just so happens to be next to you. So, do take my advice and pay attention.
Always show up!!!!!
I know you want to just be done with everything but BELIEVE ME, it all flies by so much faster than you think. ENJOY IT. Don't slack. Make it count! Create memories in and out of class!
I HIGHLY recommend actually buying the physical books, versus online! It’s so much easier to follow along, and remember valuable quotes if you have the book in your hand.
ANNOTATE YOUR BOOK.
Do your share on group projects or you’ll be hated by groupmates forever. Just put in some
effort.
This course has taught me how to look at the plots and characters included in these pieces of literature in many different ways, and has taught me the importance of stepping outside of myself to analyze a situation.
I have found a love for tearing apart texts and trying to understand what the author is telling me, the reader, through going through the list of important stylistic elements. Because of this, I am now able to understand the importance of identifying the author’s intentions, but also how these intentions affect the reader and his or her interpretation of the text.
I have found a love for tearing apart texts and trying to understand what the author is telling me, the reader, through going through the list of important stylistic elements. Because of this, I am now able to understand the importance of identifying the author’s intentions, but also how these intentions affect the reader and his or her interpretation of the text.
Try to keep your notebook organized, you will get a lot of excerpts and papers you could use for the test or other things in class.
If you plan to go on a field trip, or miss class for ANY reason, talk to her first!!!
Be nice to each other and maintain a positive environment!!! Mean people make high school sad :(
HAVE A FANTASTIC YEAR!! You will LOVE this class...I guarantee, it will be a favorite. Mrs. Caraway is passionate about the literature and the language. You will get so much out of it if you put in the time and energy, I promise. :)
Okay, now it's time to reflect and respond!
Future Year 2 scholars: What piece of advice above really resonates with you? What advice or words of reflection would you like to add?
Year 1 Scholars: Welcome! What words of advice do you find most helpful or interesting? What do you see as your greatest source of anxiety and/or excitement? Why are you here, and what are you hoping to accomplish this year?
Year 1 Scholars: Welcome! What words of advice do you find most helpful or interesting? What do you see as your greatest source of anxiety and/or excitement? Why are you here, and what are you hoping to accomplish this year?
The most helpful piece of advice right now is to annotate my book. This summer I was going to try and just remember the details of my book, but after having to gather evidence to answer the questions I see how useful annotating is. My greatest source of anxiety is knowing that I've accomplished everything that I need to, but still feeling like I haven't done what I was supposed to do. I am here because I like books and I like to be challenged and this class has both. I am hoping that I can take at least one thing from this class that can be used elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe words of advice that I found the most helpful is to look at your assessment early on that way you can understand the end goal with the unit and prepare for it all throughout the unit. My greatest source of anxiety would be missing class for wrestling, but as of right now that doesn't appear to be a concern. I am hoping to take my writing skills to a further level beyond where I already am, and hopefully that will work to then strengthen my speaking skills. I am hoping to challenge myself by making it through this class with an A and learn valuable working skills from that challenge that I can carry on later in life.
ReplyDeleteThe advice I found most helpful was to record the helpful quotes you find right away instead of having to look back throughout the entire book. At the moment my greatest source of anxiety is missing assignments or not completing all of them on time, but once I get used to the schedule and the workload that will become less of a concern. I'm here to be introduced to a wider range of books and I'm hoping to be able to understand and dissect all the elements in literary works instead of working at the most basic level.
ReplyDeleteWhat words of advice do you find most helpful/interesting?
ReplyDeleteOne of the pieces of advice that really stood out to me was asking about the final paper/project when the unit starts so you can start preparing for it at the beginning of the unit. I found this really helpful because lots of times I struggle finding things to help me on my final papers/projects but hearing this idea seems so much easier.
What do you see as your greatest source of anxiety and/or excitement?
I find that my greatest source of anxiety school wise is finishing multiple homework assignments at a time (especially if I don’t understand what i’m doing) because I play club soccer and lots of times don’t get home until really late to do my homework. However this has also taught me to get as much of the homework done in school that I can.
My greatest excitement school wise is learning about topics that are really interesting to me, because it makes school all the more fun.
Why are you here and what are you hoping to accomplish this year?
If I'm being honest I am in DP language and literature because I think it’d be really great to try to get those credits for college, but I’m also super excited to improve my writing skills because writing is one of the subjects I struggle in the most.
The word of advice I found most helpful as well as interesting was to keep your notebooks from both years. This piece of advice was really helpful because a lot of the times I throw away all my old work because it is no longer that school year. The greatest source of anxiety academic wise would be finding the balance and time to complete my assignments especially in time crunches. My greatest excitement would be exploring and learning about new topics that I have yet to hear about. I decided to take IB language and literature because I love challenging myself and it is one of my favorite subjects. This year I'm hoping to correct my grammar and analyzes because I struggle forming those topics.
ReplyDeleteThe advice that I found most helpful was to not be afraid to say what I want to say, and to not overthink things too much. I found this piece of advice helpful because I have a tendency to keep quiet about the things I actually want to say, and instead just nod along and agree. I also have a tendency to either take things at face value, or to overthink, and I need to remember to keep the balance between the two. My greatest source of anxiety regarding this class is my fear that I may see a task as "too big" and panic, and not put forth my best work as a result. My greatest excitement would be learning how to better analyse literature. I'm in IB Language and Literature because I wanted to get to know some new people, and I thought that it would be a very fun experience overall. This year, I'm hoping to learn how to better analyse literature, and improve my writing skills.
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ReplyDeleteEncouragement to maintain an open line of continuous and consistent communication with my teachers were words of advice that were particularly helpful. Additionally, I believe that everyone needs connection with others and a support system to feel safe and able to be themselves with. One of my greatest challenges is the feeling of being out of control. Intellectually, I realize that the certainty of the future is unrealistic and I am learning to let go of some of my fears by accepting responsibility for the choices I can make. A choice I have made in my academic life to help with this issue has been to acknowledge that I worry about feeling disorganized and unprepared. Therefore, I prepare myself for uncertainty by doing something constructive with my concerns by making it a priority to stay organized. My greatest source of excitement occurs when I feel a sense of relief about a task that I was fully invested in and realizing the process I had gone through to reach my goal. Lastly, I chose IB Language and Literature to enhance my understanding of differing cultural perspectives, to develop and expand my analytical and critical thinking skills as well as strengthen my writing.
ReplyDeleteThe advice that seems the most valuable to me right now is the emphasis on annotating your book and writing quotes as you go. I have always hated and dreaded doing those things. It just felt like it took away so much of my experience as I read the book and it took so much time. But looking back I can see how much harder it is trying to find things like literary devices for assignments after you’ve finished the book already. Work smarter not harder.
ReplyDeleteGreatest anxiety: Not being the best I can be whether that’s with my assignments, analyzing, communication, or being on time. I want to work hard in all of my classes but it’s so hard for me to find a balance.
Why am I here/ what do I want to accomplish? I love to read but I always feel like I never have the time to. But now I can study incredible literature and I can’t make up excuses for myself. I also really want to improve my writing because I feel like it has never been very strong.
The most helpful words of advice for me were to 1) be attentive at the beginning of the unit to identify concepts and prepare for assessments, and 2) not procrastinate on assignments. This advice sounds easy in theory, but is something I and many other scholars struggle to actually follow through with. "Front-loading" is a valuable skill that I need to develop. The mindset of "I'll do it later" only leads to unnecessary stress, and that is something I need to work to avoid these next two years. My greatest source of anxiety is finding balance between life and school. Dedication to my schoolwork tends to consume my life, and this can make learning seem completely overwhelming at times. My greatest source of excitement for this class is getting the opportunity to dive into classic pieces of literature and understand the world through the lense of the authors. I am here to uncover new perspectives in order to make me a better reader, writer, and overall contributor to the community around me. (The opportunity to earn college credit may have been a deciding factor as well...) I am hoping to gain more confidence in myself and the arguments I wish to convey. I want to master critical thinking and writing technique so that whatever career I enter, I can be fully equipped to contribute in valuable ways.
ReplyDeleteGreat goals! Finding balance is something we all, at every age, constantly strive to do. That is an excellent goal to keep at the forefront of your mind. :)
DeleteThe advice that stuck with me the most while reading the quotes was definitely taking notes and writing down quotes as you go as well as not procrastinating. Personally I procrastinate a lot. Which in a way is partially due to me not taking notes and writing down quotes as I go instead of at the end. I feel as if I make life harder for myself when I shouldn't be. I'd rather enjoy school and make it less of a chore.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest anxiety for all of my classes at the moment is having to do everything at home. I tend to distract myself as well as I feel less motivated. Being at home is for sure a completely different environment. Just having people around me motivates me.
I've always been pretty naturally decent at writing even though I don't typically enjoy it at all. I do like reading if the book captivates me, which happens more often than I think I realize because I don't find myself reading too often and I haven't read too many books I didn't enjoy or find interesting. Hopefully this year I can continue to grow my writing skills and love for literature.
The advice that resonates with me the most is to not procrastinate my assignments. I’ve always struggled with postponing things that stress me out, so because of this I tend to push it to the back of my mind and wait until the last minute (I know, it totally doesn't make sense). It’s a pretty damaging habit, and I hope it’s one I’ll be able to break! I’m pretty anxious about being able to manage all the schoolwork I will be given and my own personal life and hobbies. I find it pretty difficult to be able to strike a good balance between the two. I tend to let my school life consume every waking thought. I hope to be able to find a good balance where I can excel in school and pursue my personal goals at the same time. I am very excited to be in this class and I look forward to building strong relationships with my peers and my teachers! I wanted to be in this class because I am always looking for ways to improve myself both personally and academically. I knew this class would be challenging, so I figured taking it would be a good way to really push myself. I truly hope that I will be able to improve both as a writer and as a student so I can better prepare for my future. I can't wait to see what we all will accomplish!
ReplyDeleteYour excitement inspires me! I love your positive attitude. :)
DeleteThe advice that was most helpful to me was to understand the end goal or assessment so that you know what you are working towards. I think that my greatest source of anxiety right now is being able to handle all of my classes and the coursework that comes with them. I worry that I will start to feel overwhelmed, but I think that as long as I don't procrastinate and I pay attention in class I will be okay. In this class I hope to learn how to develop stronger critical thinking and analyzation skills. I love to read and after reading my book choice for the summer assignment, Pride and Prejudice, I realized that classic books are more than just books we have to read and analyze in language and literature class, they have a great story to them too. I hope to be able to read the books this year with more of an open-mind, to both enjoy the stories inside and to better understand the stories through analyzing them.
ReplyDeleteThe advice that stuck out to me the most was know the end goal to get you there more efficiently and sooner than last minute. This applies to procrastination. Know what you want to do, how to get there, and when because if you dont, the end will be that much more dreadful and long. Being prepared and ready to go is such an important thing and I have both seen and experienced procrastination, being unprepared, and not knowing why I am doing something.
ReplyDeleteWith this being said, my greatest source of anxiety is not having my cup full(enough energy). I am currently working two jobs until I can pass my training at another and being burnt out is a big thing for me. I love being able to pour love and energy on other people and have tons of passion in my work, but if my cup is not full I cannot empty it for other people. It is only what overflows that I can give off and I am nervous that this will affect my passion and love for school.
My biggest excitement is being in this class and advancing in my writing! When I picked my book for summer reading I genuinley was nervous because it is hard for myself to love and attach myself to a book, but reading 2 of the books you had on your list and absolutely loving them excites me for what you have in store for the year. Your "taste" in books is similar to mine and also from what I have seen so far, you are so so incredibly passionate about what you do and about the scholars that it actually calms my anxieties.
I'm here for the challenge, my education, and overall to get my passion back. I hope to have an open mind on what I am reading and get out of the box that I am stuck in inside my head. Im hoping to be able to analyze text differenlty in the end than when I came in.
I so hope to help you find that passion, and I am grateful and humbled that you see that in me. Yes, I love words, and stories, and helping others love them and appreciate them too. Online learning tends to zap my energy and make me a little sad, too. We can encourage each other!
DeleteWhat advice that stood out to me was comments about maintaining a positive work environment and and being nice to one another. While reflecting on that, I personally believe that the environment that you and your classmates is very important for how your year is going to roll... is it going to be smooth and easy as everyone is working together or is it going to be more tough when everyone is against each other? The atmosphere/ attitude of the environment we work in is extremely important. That was my favorite advice I saw a above.
ReplyDeleteAdvice I would add is: The effort you put in, you will return back to you. The hardwork pays off and vice versa. You always get what you deserve. Seconfly I would add is do not stress. You can easily fall down a rabbit hole of always doing school work and not having a personal life. Make time to have personal time and get your mind off of school work. When stressed, pray to God and take a personal break and get back to the work after in reasonable time. Yes school work is important to complete but dont forget about your emotional and physical wellbeing!
Agree! We have to take care of ourselves, and mind our emotional and spiritual health, too! It is all so important!
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ReplyDeleteI find the advice about being organized to be the most helpful because I am not. I am really looking forward to this class to see if I can get an appreciation for literature. I'm excited to develop in many ways this year and to grow as a scholar of Odyssey.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I found all of the procrastination tips and advice the most interesting and they were something that really resonated with me. This is because I have personally struggled immensely with procrastination and finding the motivation to complete assignments. Therefore, I would say that I find my own weaknesses/feelings of ineptness to be my greatest source of anxiety (procrastination and feeling almost powerless to it). However, now that it has been declared one of my greatest anxieties, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that it also doubles as one of my greatest excitements. This being true for the times that I am able to get my work done in a timely manner and feel great about doing so. Nothing can quite compare to that feeling...except maybe a good book. Anyways, I’m here in this class because of my passion for reading and language & literature in general. I’m hoping to get better at analyzing text and just generally getting every bit of information I can out of a piece of writing. I’m also hoping that this class can help to teach me that there is a better way of living life rather than procrastinating all the time.
ReplyDeleteI still cannot believe you, one of my former preschoolers, are here, one of my juniors! :) So excited to get to know you again and work with you in language and literature class. Hopefully, we will all be back in the classroom together, soon!
DeleteI find that the best advice for me was to not procrastinate. Especially in these times it is easier than ever to procrastinate because there is no in person accountability. My greatest source of anxiety will be trying to maintain a high GPA as I am going to rely on scholarships for college. I am here trying to Make my GPA as high as possible and that is why I went with DP. My goal is to maintain A's in the classes I am enrolled in but enjoy this school year.
ReplyDeleteThe most helpful piece of advice for me would be to annotate my book, in the past I have struggled with this because I felt that I never understood what I was supposed to be annotating and why, but over summer I choose to take notes on my book using my own methods, and it ended up being greatly helpful in completing my summer reading assignment, so I intend to continue doing so into the year.
ReplyDeleteWhat words of advice do you find most helpful or interesting?
ReplyDeleteThe most helpful piece of advice for me personally was to enjoy every class and to be grateful for school and all of the people around you. It is so easy for me to stress myself and become overwhelmed with all that comes along with school, but this quarantine and the advice from the seniors made me realize that all of these moments are precious! So this year I am going to try and not take any of my classes or school events for granted!
What do you see as your greatest source of anxiety or excitement?
My greatest source of both anxiety and excitement is the future and getting into a good college. It causes me anxiety in school because I want to get into my dream college and I want to be successful! Another source of anxiety is trying to complete multiple projects or homework assessments at a time. This is stressful and really causes me to be super organized and have good time management!
Why are you here, and what are you hoping to accomplish this year?
I am here because 1. I have always loved English and reading and 2. I want to challenge myself and gain a deeper understanding of English and how to better communicate with others. I am hoping to learn more about where the English language came from as well as digging deep into new novels and learning how to communicate effectively!
The advice that I feel more helpful would be the critical friends tips as I know that there are flaws in my work and what I do, however I don't see them as well as my friends would and by having them help me, I can realize my errors and fix them. I also thought that the say your voice advice could be useful as if I feel I could say something helpful or if I need help I should ask and not stay quiet as doing so will only hurt me more.
ReplyDeleteYes! NEVER be afraid to ask questions. It's how we all grow. :)
DeleteThe piece of advice that really resonates with me is: stay attentive. With us doing distance learning right now, this is really important. My advice would be to actually read the books. When we have discussions in class, some good connections and it becomes more fun if you have actually read the material!
ReplyDeleteThe piece of advise that I found most helpful was to not overthink. I really struggle with always thinking about the worst case scenario, completely forgetting that there is a positive side to every situation. If I could add something to this list of advise it would be: Don't be so concerned with what others think of you, most people are too concerned with their issues to focus on the things you do and try to keep a positive mindset. As cheesy as that sounds it really makes a difference!
ReplyDeleteThe advice that I found that was most helpful was about getting a physical copy of the book, since I have a tendency to just look up a PDF of the book, which can make annotations and note taking repetitive. My greatest source of anxiety would probably be my tendency to procrastinate when faced with a big task, which can be a large essay in a class like this. I am in this class because I felt that I would be able to take the things that I learn in this class to outside of the classroom, and I believed that while I do fairly well in most English classes, I might be pushed to do better and work more effectively since it's a DP class.
ReplyDeleteI think that the advice I found most helpful was that friendly reminder not to procrastinate. I tend to wait until the last possible time for me to get my work done and I stress myself out over things I could have done earlier. My greatest source of anxiety probably for DP in general is keeping up my grades. I'm one of those who is deeply concerned when I receive a B+ on an assignment. I am actually looking forward to being able to realize that I can't be perfect at everything but still trying my very best. I am in this class because I have always loved English class, I love to read, write, and I do tend to talk a lot when you get to know me. I also am excited for the challenge and the fact that it is a two year course so I get close to Mrs.Caraway :) I am hoping to become better at my essays and being able to make my writing flow better, as well as expanding my vocabulary because I love learning new words. I'm so excited for this year and I'm glad I get to be here even if its online.
ReplyDeleteLOVE that you love English class. It was always my joy, too, and still is! Let's keep fingers crossed we will all get to be together soon. I look forward to that day, and to the fun of getting to know you, too! :)
DeleteThe piece of advice that I found most helpful was not stressing about the IO because I have been doing that since the last semester of last year. If I had to add another piece of advice to the list it would be always take notes even if you don't think it is important now, in the future it might be.
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ReplyDeleteThe most helpful words of advice to me was to enjoy class. Before Corona I commonly had a hard time with this thinking of it more like I had to be in class and that I would rather be doing other things instead. The pandemic helped to put into perspective for me how much I actually enjoyed going to school as I now miss it. I am going to try and start looking at attending school more as an opportunity and not just a chore even in this new online format that we currently have to use.
ReplyDeletePersonally my greatest source of anxiety comes from large and or many assignments and it even causes me to consider dropping DP as a result of it but I always try and do my best to remember that I will be okay and to persevere through it.
I am in this class because one, some of my close friends decided to take the course and I wanted to make sure I would be able to enjoy my last years in high school with some of my best friends which I figured would also help me to have a more positive outlook in class and school in general. Two, I wanted to challenge myself with a harder class which I knew if I worked hard and kept up with all of my class work I would be able to complete the class. The final reason of why I am in this class was that I figured since I currently have to attend school that I might as well work towards getting some credits that I may also be able to use in college.
LOVE your reflection about a changed perspective about attending school. My children have all said the same. It truly makes us appreciate those precious moments of being together!
DeleteI like the quote that mentions "please enjoying the rest of your high-school experience", I find that in times like this being narcissistic is the easy option but, to challenge myself I have been looking towards the positives this experience could potentially bring. I identified with this quote because its simple to say but complex to follow through, being positive requires a willing person and i'm more than willing. Overall the quote inspired me to dictate my Senior year not the Corona Virus.
ReplyDeleteAnother quote that reiterates my mindset this year "is just show up" this mentality will prove to relentless in getting help that I need. Also with the constant changes in events, in attempt to not overwhelm my self.I will just take it one day at a time. The song that hits my blog home is ride by 21 Pilots.
The most helpful comment was to not procrastinate. I tend to procrastinate and it's not a good thing. If we just got things done when they're supposed to then you'd have less stress and anxiety, that is the probably the biggest source of my anxiety. I am hoping to learn about how to analyze literature more than I know how to at the moment.
ReplyDeleteThe pieces of advice I thought were most helpful were to annotate your book, to write down meaningful quotes as you see them, and not to take your high school experiences for granted. I often get caught up in the book and forget to annotate or find quotes for an essay so this s a great reminder to help me stay on top of things as the year progresses. I also find that when I feel overwhelmed with assignments I forget to go out and enjoy myself which, as the seniors stated, I will regret when high school ends.
ReplyDeleteI feel my greatest source of anxiety will be the workload and not completing assignments on time. However, this is also what I'm excited about. I'm excited to push myself and face the challenge of DP (and to read Pride and Prejudice!).
I am here because I feel that my writing skills have a lot of room for improvement and this class would be a great way for me to improve before entering college. I have only heard good things about Mrs. Caraway and also wanted to have her as a teacher. This year I am hoping to become a better and more confident writer and to expand my vocabulary to encompass stronger words.
Aww, thank you for saying that! I hope I live up to the hype! :) I am always excited ot hear that scholars want to work on their writing, but I love that you added you wish to become a confident writer. This is key.
DeleteYou will love Pride and Prejudice, I think! I am so excited for that unit. The keynote is beautiful, and we intersperse the film with the reading, which adds that extra element that really brings the literature to life. Enjoy the moments!
Words of Advice I found most helpful was not procrastinating and to have fun during the course! This makes me excited again fro school but also prepared to do the work and start learning again. My greatest challenge may be getting assignements started right away, but my greatest excitement is all the fun activities we will have that relate to literature we will read. I am here to start this 2 year IB language and literature course and to finish it successfully, I want to accomplish understanding literature to a deeper understanding.
ReplyDeleteCurrently, the piece of advice I think is most noteworthy for me is to not procrastinate, as I happen to do that a lot. My greatest source of anxiety would be trying to reach out to others, may it be to possibly arrange an activity, or just to ask a question, as well as sharing what I have created. This year, I hope to be able to learn how to analyze text more critically and possibly apply the thing I learn here into my own work.
ReplyDeleteGreat goals, Anders! I will help you in any way I can to meet those goals! :)
DeleteWords of advice that I found most helpful was that the IO isn't as bad as you think. Currently I'm struggling to find a good topic, but the advice allowed me to ease my worrying and realize that through time with evaluating pass texts as well as receiving new exerts, I should be fine. The procrastination advice is also helpful. The majority of last year I stayed on top of things and its just as important to stress to stay on top of things your senior year, especially with IB testing etc. For the year 1 scholars, I'd recommend to always pay attention in class because the analysis that Mrs. Caraway provides adds a whole new element to texts that you might have missed :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Zack! :)
DeleteWords that i found the most helpful was that OI isnt as bad as you think and to enjoy our last year of high school. Both of those have been very hard for me this year as i wish we could go back and have a normal high school experience. On top of that OI and DP have taken a lot out of me as they are very stressful but i enjoy being in the program. For year 1, always pay attention and study when you get the chance but dont forget to have fun, school is important but so is your mental health.
ReplyDeleteThe pieces of advice that resonates with me the most is to keep my notes organized and in folders, to not procrastinate any outlines or essays, to write down quotes that I think are going to be useful for my essays, and to not freak out about the IO. I really hope and expect myself to be on top of my assignments this year and to do the best I can to get the best grade I can.
ReplyDeleteTo year 1 scholars, pay attention, take good notes, and do not procrastinate because doing these simple tasks will help you become a better Language and Literature scholar. Also, if you need help, ask your peers first and if they do not know then answer ask Mrs. Caraway. But most importantly, enjoy being in Mrs. Caraways class, she is such an amazing teacher and is very knowledgeable, you will definitely learn so many new things!
Awww, thank you, Brooke! I hope so! :) xoxo
DeleteThe advice that resonates with me most is to maintain a positive environment. I believe with the current global situation, it is hard to find the good in things. While I am sad about how my Senior year is beginning, I also realize that it is what you make it. While it is easy to focus on the negatives so far, it will only make your year worse. There is still many things to be grateful for and new ways to enjoy this year. Advice I would also offer is to make a list of your top priorities. In DP, it is easy to become overwhelmed and feel that you can't accomplish anything. Whenever you feel like this, its best to just stop and list out the most important assignments and which ones are due first. Once you knock those out, then you can slowly accomplish the extra assignments. This was you get everything done in a timely manner, instead of procrastinating because of the stress of how much total work you have.
ReplyDeleteFiona - I share the attitude struggle. I also battle the sadness of not being where I love, in the classroom. Let's encourage each other when we need it. :)
DeleteI found the advice to not procrastinate and to enjoy the moment very helpful. It is nice to have a reminder to not procrastinate mainly because I procrastinate more often than I should, but to hear that it’ll be fun and to enjoy the moment is nice to hear so that I don’t stress. I find that my greatest source of anxiety would be when I get multiple assignments from different classes and sometimes I just get overwhelmed it. I am here because I believe that this class is a good opportunity for me to improve my reading and writing skills further.
ReplyDeleteWords of advice that I found most helpful was that the IO isn't as bad as you think. Although it is still months away, I can already feel the stress and anxiety of it coming upon me. Deep analysis of texts is not exactly my forte' but that piece of advice helps me to understand that in the grand scheme of life, the IO is a small part. It also relaxes my nerves more to where I can orderly plan and prepare for the IO rather than stress and become overwhelmed easily. I also found the advice on procrastination helpful and inspiring because I tend to procrastinate a lot with school as my life becomes more busier as I get older and responsibility increases. The advice reminded me to prioritize assignments from this class more and give them more time and patience because you can't rush literature, and it can become messy if you try. As for the first years, my advice would be to have an open mind to the topics and opinions discussed in class. Be accepting of others' views and interpretations of things and to always treat others with respect, including Mrs. Caraway. Another would be to prioritize your work and classes. Although DP can be overwhelming, remember your teachers are here for you and want to help you succeed. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI loved having your sister! She grew so much as a writer and her confidence in herself as a literature student really blossomed. I am honored to have the privilege to get to know you and work with you this year! :)
ReplyDeleteThe words of advice that really resonated with me were “Do not procrastinate”. I know it’s a simple one but you really can’t hear it enough! I say that as i’m writing this at about 10 o’clock at night which is probably why it really stuck out to me! I have to do better! Anyways, I definitely see myself getting excited about our future discussions on the literature that we’re reading. There is no other feeling like sharing your opinions and being passionate about a great book! When the novel is amazing (and everybody knows it) it leads to great discussions that are fueled by real feelings and emotion, and that is what i’m looking forward to this year. I’m here to become a better writer and text analyst. I love writing but sometimes I feel like I could do better. Almost as if something is missing, and that’s why i’m here. Along with being a better writer I would like to become better at analyzing text so that when the time comes to have a good debate I know the text in question inside and out. I hope to reach a level of text and writing this year and the next that can really transcend what i’m doing at the moment. -Ethan Lauer
ReplyDeleteThis is Claire Barragan-Bates, if my name doesn't show up. I really resonated with the pieces of advice regarding relishing in the learning experience of IB Language and Literature and not procrastinating. As a senior and someone who genuinely loves to learn, this is one of my favorite classes I have ever taken and has given me the opportunity to explore concepts I have been wanting to explore. To really do well in this class, I think you really have to be someone who cares about global issues and have a love for discussing them. This really is a global class and I really appreciate how we are taught to look for commonalities between different characters because it teaches us to be better people.
ReplyDeleteThank you!! xoxo That is always the goal. :)
DeleteThe piece of advice that stuck out the most to me was to write down quotes as you are reading the novel, it will make things easier in the future. I personally relate to this piece of advice since I have had to struggle to find quotes when I need to write essay, sometimes it is difficult to remember where a specific quotes is. To add onto the advice I would say an easy way to do this is to simply write the page number down on a doc for that book with a short blurb about the quote. It is especially useful when you are reading a long book and there are similar scenarios making it even harder to find the quote from a specific scene.
ReplyDeleteThere were two pieces of advice that most resonates with me, the first piece was the quote that says "Don't panic about the IO, it's not as bad as you think!". This resonated with me because the IO is making me worry and stressing me out so to hear someone who has already completed it say that really helped me. The other piece of advice that resonated with me is to not procrastinate. I have always had a bad habit of doing that but I have gotten better throughout the school year. I really think that annotating your book is super important because otherwise you are going to be looking through your book at the end and it is nearly impossible to find the exact quote that you were looking for, also if there is a question that you have to answer after you are done reading a book, read the question first and then read your book.
ReplyDeleteThere were many different pieces of advice that I found very helpful, and even a few that surprised me. Perhaps the most helpful and the one I will try most to live by is the idea of enjoying my time in the class. Even though we may not be in school physically, I truly want to make it a goal of mine to enjoy what time I have left in high school.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things about this year that gives me the most anxiety has to be the overall idea of online learning. I do hope that it won't turn out quite as bad as I am expecting right now, but the idea of not being in class and able to ask questions right when something comes up is unnerving for me. I am very excited to learn more about writing and fix some grammar and analytical issues I may have in my writing.
I am in DP Literature to improve my writing abilities, and to better my analysis of different texts. I am hoping that by the end of the year, my writing will have gotten to a point where I can truly be proud of it and that I will have considerably better grammar and sentence structure. I would really like to get a lot of feedback so that I can improve. -Allyson Bill (Just in case my name doesn't show up)
Out of all of the pieces of advice the one that stuck with me and resonated with me the most was do not procrastinate. I used to do what I call productively procrastinate, instead of writing that essay that I needed to write, I would clean my room. I would do other activities that needed to be done and seemed productive, but it would still be to procrastinate on doing the assignment that I was nervous about. Over the course of high school I have gotten significantly better at not procrastinating because I have realized that it never makes me feel better and never is beneficial in any way. I still struggle with it on occasion and that is why it’s one of my main goals to work on.
ReplyDeleteMy greatest source of anxiety would probably be the worry that I am not and will not be good enough at analyzing or writing in order to be successful in this class. I am worried that I may fall behind and miss due dates. Despite all of this I am very excited to put all of the effort I have into growth and learning in this class so that by the end of these 2 years I will have grown as much as possible and will have made positive relationships with the people around me.
I am here mostly because I have always loved language and literature, I love reading and writing. However, mostly I love learning to the best of my ability, in this case that means that I take the highest level classes I can find because I know not everyone has such great opportunities and I want to make the best of what I am given while I can. I am hoping that by the end of this year I will have grown as a scholar and a person, and also I would like to be able to read and comprehend more complex pieces of text. I can not wait to really begin class!
Ally, I do the same to avoid tasks that overwhelm me! I can totally relate to that. I also cannot WAIT to "really" begin the class. Hopefully, we will all be together soon, and I know that I will appreciate that so much more after all this. :)
DeleteThe piece of advice which most resonates with me is the dont over think things too much. This is valuable to me as i am prone to overthinking in every situation and it takes control of my mentality. One piece of advice that i would give is work smarter not harder and just have fun with it.
ReplyDeleteThe piece of advice that stuck out to me the most is "I know you want to be done with everything but BELIEVE ME, it all flies by so much faster than you think. ENJOY IT. Don't slack. Make it count! Create memories in and out of class." The start of this year had me bummed out a lot because of it being online and fall sports being cancelled. The things I had looked forward to the most for senior year were my senior season of volleyball and the beginning senior festivities. However, I can still make memories and happy moments of my senior year even if we are all online :D. I'm still hopeful to be back in physical school one day, but for now I have to be thankful for what I have and what I'm given.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason this piece of advice sticks with me is because I'm in this sort of mindset where I don't want to leave high school but I also want to go to college and start my adult life, before I know it I'll be paying taxes and complaining about the younger generations. I should just try to slow down and enjoy not having to pay for groceries or rent yet.
They piece of advice that designated with me the most would definitely be about procrastination. For me, I have always procrastinated and it has turned into a bad habit that is hard to break out of. This last year was really hard for me as I did procrastinate most of my work until the last minute. This year, I am trying to work on my work before it is due because I feel like that will remove so much stress off of myself and others. A piece of advice I would like to put forward would just be to not stress because as Mr. Arnoldy told me, when you stress you tend to put things off. Last year, I had built up so much stress that it was hard for me to not be anxious. This year, while I try and get everything done before it’s due date, I will also be relieving a lot of the stress that I would’ve left on myself if I had chosen to procrastinate. (Reese Padgett)
ReplyDeleteI would have to say the piece of advice that resonates the most with me would have to be the advice about making sure to take down a list of quotes from each book we read. I found this advice to be extremely important especially with having to write the year 2 summer assignment. This is a piece of advice that I will take with me when reading any book for school so I can stay organized and maybe even just for fun so I can remember all my favorite lines in the books I've read. I know this piece of advice will serve me well when writing the rest of my essays this year and I look forward to feeling stress free when looking for quotes.
ReplyDeleteThe one piece of advice that resonates with me the most is "do not procrastinate". Even though I know it is not good to leave things up until the last minute, it's a good reminder to see just how important it is to finish work ahead of time so you won't be left in the dust. Being able to juggle multiple things in high school is a job in of itself, but also managing to get those tasks done on time is a whole other story. If you are able to get things done before the last second, high school and everything you do in the future will become second nature in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe words of advice I find most helpful is the reminder to not procrastinate. This is what stuck out to me because I have heard this many times however never quite been successful in accomplish it so I will try and listen yet again hopefully with more success this time.
ReplyDeleteI am most anxious about the workload. I am worried that the aforementioned procrastination will cause me to mess something up and have it thoroughly ruin my grade.
I am here because I was recommended to take this by my elder sister and because I think I will be able to make it through this class and I hope to get better at writing this year.
Love that. :) Your sister gives great advice! I am really excited to work with you this year!
DeleteAfter reading all of the pieces of advice in our final years of high school, what resonated with me most was being kind to people and having a positive learning environment. I've learned throughout high school that positivity can drastically make a difference in your high school experience. Another important piece of advice is staying organized. Knowing when things are due and where you put things is extremely important and can ultimately make or break your grade. Overall, I've realized that the most important thing you can do is to remain positive and don't let bumps along the way discourage you!
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the responses given by the former seniors one thing that seemed to resonate with all of them was organization. In the past I've had trouble keeping my work and homework organized which caused me struggle a little in class. Another thing is that we shouldn't stress to hard about the IO, that's one thing I've been nervous about since junior year and it's nice to hear that we shouldn't stress to hard about it. I've learned that you can't slack off in this class or any DP class for that matter, once you start to fall behind it's hard to catch up again so stay on top of your assignments.
ReplyDeleteAs a year 2 scholar, the piece of advice that resonated with me right now is to not stress about the IO. As someone who isn't a public speaker I hope that I find a way to not stress about the assessment. As a piece of advice to the year 1 scholars, I recommend building friendships with everyone in class. Eventually you'll work on something with each one of your classmates and projects are always more fun when people are talking than when they're sitting like awkward ducks! DP Language and Literature is such a fun class, I know you'll enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteOne piece of advice that stuck out to me was one by Lauren Hess where it said to be open-minded and excited while also making the most of your learning experience.Going into senior made it feel like high school just flew by and one thing I wish I did more was appreciate my time in high school. I think Lauren said it best when she said, "You have no idea how precious these moments are." One piece of advice I would add is to find any way to make your school work fun and enjoyable. A lot of the times work will be long, tedious and not very interesting but if you try to make some fun out of it, then it will be a much more enjoyable experience.
ReplyDeleteOne piece of advice that stood out was don't panic about the OI. I have been kind of stressing about the OI because I am really bad a public speaking but I really liked hearing that it isn't as bad as I think it will from someone who has took it because that means they had the same fears as me but they were fine. A piece of advice I have is be in the moment because everyone said it would go fast and I didn't believe it but now I'm a senior and it is crazy.
ReplyDeleteThe advice that most resonates with me is don't procrastinate, you will regret all that extra stress from procrastinating after you realize it would not have taken that long, or that you could have done it over the few days you procrastinated. Overall I am just saying don't procrastinate. Also enjoy your junior year while you are in it, as it will just fly by.
ReplyDeleteOne piece of advice that stood out was to ask questions. I feel that I have been just going with the flow and that when I do have questions I don't think they are quite important. But I think since the way that learning has changed that I should be more confident in myself so in the end, I can truly benefit then be left in confusion. On to words of reflection, I would add that truly don't be mean and don't put yourself in a toxic environment. When you stay positive and something toxic comes your way just ask to be left alone. I think that being in an environment where you aren't being harassed will help you be healthier as well as you will have a positive outlook on school work and future plans.
ReplyDeleteWords of advice that stuck out to me was to not procrastinate. Especially because I have found that by working long-term assignments in shorter chunks rather than cramming it all at the last second allows for not only better quality work but also an easier time managing my time when working on the assignment. My greatest source of anxiety going into IB Language and Lit, as well as any other classes, is the quality of my work. This is because I like to try to put my all into the task at hand, and can be overly cautious when it comes to the work I am putting out. At the same time, my source of excitement would be experiencing these classes and gaining skills and experience from them that I will continue to use further down the line. I am here because I like books and reading. I also like to believe that I am somewhat experienced when it comes to matters involving language, literature, and English in general, and I would like to further advance myself to prepare for later education and life in general.
ReplyDeleteWords of advice I have learned from previous DP students is to be on top of assignments and to not overthink because sometimes the answer is right in front of you. I found it interesting that a lot of the students talked about taking notes while reading books or just the amount of comments about diligently working with your books and no matter if you like the book or not to fully read it and try to be engaged because it will help with what’s to come later in the year. My greatest source of anxiety is probably going to be my blog. I saw a comment about setting a reminder to do your blog because you will forget and since I have already started to forget about my blog I’m definitely going to take their advice and set an alarm or a reminder to write my blog. This year I am hoping to develop a deeper understanding of literature and to identify what other authors I like and to just develop as a reader so I can be better prepared for college.
ReplyDeleteThe advice that stuck to me the most was definitely the taking notes and keeping a good communication with my teachers. I feel like sometimes I get confused on where to find things or have a hard time remembering certain things so writing it all down is great advice. I've also learned that being able to have a good communication with your teacher is really helpful just in case I ever need help or have questions. I think what stresses me out the most is just having to do everything online now just because I'm more of a hands on type of learner who would rather be in person when learning. I'm here because I've always have had a love for literature and being pushed to do more. What I hope to accomplish is to simply expand my knowledge and be able to apply what I learn in my everyday life.
ReplyDeleteI also have no idea why it didn't capture my name but this is Kamyla Acosta!
DeleteOh, gosh, me too! Online is SO far away from my ideals and how I want our class to run! I am thinking positive thoughts, and praying that we will all be together in class very, very soon! :)
DeleteThe piece of advice that stuck with me the most was to not procrastinate on assignments. This stuck with me the most because I have a very unfavorable way of finishing work, whether its early on time or waiting till the last minute. I feel heavily pressured to be a good student by myself and others as I want to have the best chance for my dream job(s) that I get wrapped up and place other things such as Scouts, Sports, and other personal activities in front of School. This in itself is pretty counter intuitive, which is why this year I plan to break this habit. I tend to fall short often when it comes to completing assignments. This year I hope I can grow in my own personal understanding and time management and putting my time to a better use. I'm planning to utilize more resources such as calendars, a notepad that'll always sit by my desk, and of course helping give and receive due date information to friends and other fellow scholars. I plan for this year to be one of growth and that I can learn to finish my work on time, or early so I can re-purpose my time to be with friends and be stress free knowing I completed my work for my classes! Language and Literature has always been a class that I can be free in a sense that I don't feel restricted by numbers or weird symbols, it's just lovely pieces of literature. I'm super excited to grow in my skill of breaking the toxic habit of procrastination and I can develop as a student to form new healthy routines.
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DeleteI have every confidence that you can do anything you set your mind to! :)
DeleteThe advice that really resonated with me from the many quotes above was about writing down quotes for essays. I don't know how many times that has saved me for essays because it is very difficult finding the right ones sometimes so I stand by that one always and forever. A piece of I would leave is to "keep moving forward" just as Walt Disney said. You may screw up at times, but learn from your mistakes and make better decisions and keep moving forward so that you may have a better tomorrow.
ReplyDelete-Mason DoVico
The piece of advice that resonates with me the most is the one which encourages me to not be afraid of what I want to say and overthink. I find that I do this way too often, and then I just don't say anything out of fear of being dumb or not showing my understanding. If I were to add anything to this piece of advice, it would most likely be to not be quiet while doing group projects as communication is key to effectively presenting ideas and contributing to any discussions that may be had.
ReplyDelete-Alex Coreas
The piece of advice that really stuck with me was to not procrastinate and to not be afraid to say what I want to say. I do both of these more often than I probably should and hearing it from older students truly showed me that I need to break out of that shell. Communication is key and if I don't tell people how I feel, then the problem can never be resolved.
ReplyDeleteSo important to learn! A thought that is unexpressed cannot be addressed. :)
DeleteWhat really stuck out to me was the advice to not procrastinate. I’ve always been bad at time management and not saving things till the last moment. It’s only been a week and I’ve already started to realize how impossible procrastination is in the Full DP program! I’ve already been trying to start new habits and become more organized to help with this, but seeing all the seniors say not to procrastinate really helped motivate me to continue to make those changes, knowing it’s going to help me a LOT in the long run. I’ve always loved Language & Lit, and I’m really excited to be challenged in this course!
ReplyDeleteYay! I love it, too! ;)
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ReplyDeleteThe piece of advice that was most helpful to me was to annotate my book and note down important quotes. I found it was easier to find the evidence and quotes I needed so I was able to finish my essay in a faster time that I would without annotations. My greatest source of anxiety comes from just talking to people. I am hoping to improve my analytical and creative writing skills this year so I can do well in this class, the DP exam, and my other classes.
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ReplyDeleteThe piece of advice that was most helpful was to write down quotes as your read sot hat you don't have to go search for them later. My greatest source of anxiety is from talking to people. I am in this class to see if I can learnt to appreciate literature.
ReplyDeleteThe piece of advice that resonates with me the most is to not procrastinate your essays because it makes class less fun! From my experience, class can be super interesting and insightful if you're paying full attention instead of worrying about assignments that you let yourself fall behind on. My advice would be to get an outline ready for your essays (especially the summer essay) as soon as they are assigned so you'll have a decent start right from the beginning; it makes the rest of the work a lot less stressful.
ReplyDeleteThe best advice that I saw was to not be afraid to ask questions or to ask for help. I am usually very quiet in class and don't voice my ideas or questions often which has been worse than having the courage to speak up. This year I want to be better at asking questions or sharing my ideas because most of the time they will help other people out too or show others a new side to the same story.
ReplyDeleteThe piece of advice that resonated with me the most was the time management/not procrastinating. I struggled with that a lot in the past and since this year I have more on my plate I will try to be better with my organization. However I would like to add that the Juniors should keep detailed notes about the books they are reading because they will need those later on. No matter if you think you won't, trust me you will, and I doubt they want to reread books.
ReplyDeleteThe piece that stood out the most to me was the time management. In the past I have struggled with time management but this really showed me that I could do better. This year I’m going to use my planner a lot more so I don’t fall behind on online class assignments.
ReplyDeleteThe words of advice that I found most helpful, or at least most relevant to me (because I can’t speak to their helpfulness yet) was to set reminders for future blog posts and to take notes when new topics are introduced. I am very forgetful, and though I don’t often recheck my notes the very act of writing them down cements them into my memory. It may seem obvious to take notes but with online schooling, I have been having trouble reminding myself. My greatest source of anxiety would be missing or late assignments. I get distracted easily and have trouble focusing while working so I’m worried I won’t pay attention enough to keep up with expectations, both my own, and those of others, and will fall behind. I am taking this class because out of all the subjects in school English has always come the easiest to me. I love reading and writing, and I enjoy expressing myself through words. Though I am unsure where my carrier path will lead, or even if it will be expressly related to Language and Literature, having a deeper understanding of different types of texts and being able to communicate efficiently and effectively through words are valuable skills. I honestly just hope to make it through this year with a passing grade. Thinking about stuff in the bigger picture scares me right now, but I know if I try my best, and apply myself to the work in this class that I can at least do that.
ReplyDeleteThe words of advice that I found most helpful, or at least most relevant to me (because I can’t speak to their helpfulness yet) was to set reminders for future blog posts and to take notes when new topics are introduced. I am very forgetful, and though I don’t often recheck my notes the very act of writing them down cements them into my memory. It may seem obvious to take notes but with online schooling, I have been having trouble reminding myself. My greatest source of anxiety would be missing or late assignments. I get distracted easily and have trouble focusing while working so I’m worried I won’t pay attention enough to keep up with expectations, both my own, and those of others, and will fall behind. I am taking this class because out of all the subjects in school English has always come the easiest to me. I love reading and writing, and I enjoy expressing myself through words. Though I am unsure where my carrier path will lead, or even if it will be expressly related to Language and Literature, having a deeper understanding of different types of texts and being able to communicate efficiently and effectively through words are valuable skills. I honestly just hope to make it through this year with a passing grade. Thinking about stuff in the bigger picture scares me right now, but I know if I try my best, and apply myself to the work in this class that I can at least do that.
ReplyDeleteThe words of advice that I found most helpful was from Lauren Hess. She said that no matter what, even if you have tedious assignments that you don't want to do, you should make the most out of everything you have. I agree completely with Lauren because life is short. We can not dwell on all of the negative things in life, instead we should be looking at all of the blessing we have and all of the positivity we are surrounded with. The advice I would give to any one would be to never give up. It is an addition to what Lauren said but with a bit more. To start off, never give up because you are much stronger, smarter, confident, and braver than you thought you are. Life may seem like its tough but the best way to move on is have a positive attitude and move on. The only way you will ever win in life, is when you are able to take an L and learn from it. Learning is very useful skill to have in life because not only will it make you improve but you will feel more accomplished and happy in life. Another thing to add on is never listen to anyone else. People will be negative in your life and make you want to quit the things that you love, even if you aren't good at the time. Listen to your heart and work hard to prove to people how much worth you have and how much you actually have to offer. Never give up.
ReplyDeleteA piece of advice that really resonated with me was to ask for help when you need it, because that is something I really struggle with. During specific classes if I need help with understanding a concept I feel embarrassed asking a question if everyone else already understands, and that is something I need to work on in order to be successful this year.
ReplyDeleteSome words of advice that stood out to me was the importance of annotating your book. Im not a big fan of annotation as it takes a while but its important because your not their to just read the book but to analyze it.This year ive also come to realize the importance of critical friends as there comments not only improve certain assignments but make you a better writer. I also appreciated what was mentioned about the IO as I stress over big assessments but I know Mrs. Caraway will prepare us for it.
ReplyDeleteThe piece of advice that resonates me the most is "don't overthink things TOO much". This resonates with me because I know from my 17 years of life that I absolutely overthink everything and my mind is always racing about tons of things at once. I need to continue to recognize this in the moment and calm myself down and just focus on what I need to do or to not take everything so seriously where I am thinking about every possible outcome or path I can take. Some advice that I would like to add that I am just now applying to my school life is to not procrastinate until the very last day. I did this for nearly 3 full high school years and I can tell you that my life now where I don't procrastinate contains far less stress then when I procrastinated everything. It is also very helpful, especially in Mr. Arnoldy's history class to be diligent and always read the readings that you are assigned so that you know the information when an assignment or questions come up and makes studying and school work far easier. Also, another reflection and piece of advice I would like to give is to always ask questions when you are confused because if you continue to be confused, you will either have trouble on the assignment or will have to end up taking more time to ask or search for an answer when it is easier to just clarify in the moment, even if it feels embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic testimony for everyone - especially our year 1 scholars. Thank you for sharing this reflection on what you have come to learn and discover! VERY helpful! Maybe it will save others a lot of frustration. :)
DeleteThe piece of advice that i found the most helpful is where they talked about how not to stress out about the upcoming essays and deadlines such as the IO because ever since I found out about it I have been going crazy and have been stressed out since it is confusing. If I had one more advice to list onto this, that would be to always pay attention in class and make sure you write down all the deadlines and the steps you can take to make those deadlines easier to accomplish.
ReplyDeleteI find annotating my book the best peice of advice. I hate marking inside of a book. But I also find that when I dont write anything down I miss important imformation and regret it after I've already turned in an assignment. My biggest anxiety moments are all bits of imformation into something without being irrelevant or "fluffy". Im here to build my skills as a reader and learn how to read more critically. I hoping to enjoy reading again. I fell off the track because my time is so all over the place. I want to learn how to motivate myself to spend my freetime reading instead of watching youtube. I also hope to learn how to schedule my time even more efficiently then I do so I still have time for the activites I love while staying on track with school and staying mentally and physically healthy.
ReplyDeleteI find the best piece of advice to be to do the blog, as this blog often slips my mind and it can harshly detract from my grade in the future.
ReplyDeleteAidan Switzer: I find that the reminders on keeping my notes and sources organized are the most helpful to me and resonate with me the most. I tend to become very disorganized, which ultimately leads to forgetting about assignments and becoming stressed out. My greatest source of anxiety is being able to keep up with the workloads of my Junior year as a whole. I feel like I could potentially fall behind, but I know I will eventually catch up properly. For English, I’m not sure what to expect from my papers or the exams, but those are pretty far away. I’m hoping that I can develop a new love for reading in general, I would love to buy more books and read the ones that I already own more often.
ReplyDeleteI would say the advice I most related to was the procrastination because, I have struggled with that on some essays and those essays, I am always disappointed in, so just start your work ahead of time. If I had to add any advice, I would say go back and refresh your brain on the books you have read because when I was trying to write my practice paper 2, I sat for a while trying to refresh myself on the details of what happened in the book.
ReplyDeleteThe piece of advice that stood out to me the most was to not be afraid to say what I want and not to overthink. I have a habit of holding things back for fear of being wrong or made fun of. I also overthink and over-stress everything even though it always turns out fine in the end. I think seeing it mentioned in the blog post just gives me a sense of a little extra security that school should be a safe place where I can take risks, find myself, and have fun. In the future I hope to become more outgoing in the aspect of expressing myself and my ideas. If I had to add a word of advice to the blog I'd just say that resilience is key, always be ready to bounce back up again after all of the failures that you will inevitably encounter in your four years of high school.
ReplyDelete-Jessica Herrera
Personally when reading this I would say the advice I most connected to and needed to hear was the aspect of procrastination. In school procrastination wasn't the worst however due to our current situation with classes on zoom, this will a factor that I will need to keep more attention on. For example, specifically the essays I have procrastinated on those and those seem to be the ones that aren't the best. If I were to add advice I would say after your first year or in the final stages of class before the tests to go back and refresh yourself with the books from earlier in the year and last year. This will benefit you to the fact of how when thinking for a quote of scenario in any book, it would come to you with ease instead of going on a quote hunt.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite piece of advice was about annotating a novel/ text you are reading. In the beginning of the year, I didn't see the purpose in annotating because I just wanted to continue reading without having to stop. It seemed like a lot of work to underline and write notes, but what was even more overwhelming was to find the author's purpose and stylistic devices in an empty book. I realized that while given the time to read the book and annotate, it makes the book seem a lot shorter to look through if you have everything organized. It makes essay writing straightforward if you underlined evidence and already wrote "commentary" in the margins. Also, it's important to annotate everything that other students or Mrs. Caraway says about the book because it becomes incredibly insightful and brings diverse ideas to your essays.
ReplyDeleteThe best advice I got was about procrastination. Procrastination has always been a problem of mine, and now especially so with the whole school at home part. Especially on bigger projects and essays, I have trouble getting started, but the advice given should help to remind me to finish of this year strong. Some advice I would pass on is to set a specific date to start working on something, even if you are only doing a little bit that day, if you have that start date in mind, it will help out a ton with creating a schedule of when you want your work done by.
ReplyDeleteFrom being in this class last year, after reading those post I would definitely have to say for myself at least that the best advice would probably be to properly annotate your books and to keep your notes organized. The best advice I could offer anybody else from my experiences is that you should make sure not to procrastinate and to turn things in on time
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