Megan Synnott
English-101
14 October 2010
Through Tony Robbins’s lecture as well as using the “right” side of my brain, I will take full advantage of the opportunities I have to better my happiness in education.
Through Tony Robbins’s lecture as well as using the “right” side of my brain, I will take full advantage of the opportunities I have to better my happiness in education.
I’ve always had a hate for English whether it’s reading, speaking, or writing. None of my teachers growing up helped me improve in my English though I struggled for years. I even attended writing centers, extra help sessions, yet those never helped and I gave up. “When people fail to achieve their goals...what are the reasons they give? I didn’t have the right manager; I didn’t have the Supreme Court. And, what are all those included the Supreme Court have in common, they are a claim to you having missing resources.” When Tony Robbins says this statement he is explaining exactly what I said. We make excuses for why we don’t succeed or why we failed to achieve something. One of my strong subjects is math because I am good at logic and analytical questions opposed to critical thinking and questions that involve reading. Math has always come as second nature to me and I never really struggled with it. Hopefully English will become second nature to me in time.
Math is my best subject because it comes naturally and is something I find to be interesting. I do not want to pursue a career in Mathematics, though I’d love to incorporate math into my life more. When applying for classes next semester I would love to apply for additional math classes because I excel in the subject. I would love to take accounting, pre-calculus, and hopefully calculus just to keep my math skills sharp and on point. I am a very logical and analytical person and I am able to apply that to math and problem solving. I am also good at memorizing formulas and applying them, opposed to reading something that's long and requires me to retain a large amount of information for a period of time.
I have never done well in English whether it involves reading, critical thinking, or writing. I hate reading because I am unable to retain a large amount of information for a period of time. I think with the right part of my brain. One of the characteristics of right-brained thinkers is that they are Holistic which means that you look at bigger picture, rather than specific details. I am a lot better at seeing main ideas opposed to specific details while reading. When I read my mind gets lost and I cannot stay focused. When I have to think and apply how characters were in a novel or a play I have so much trouble. I cannot write papers or essays because I don’t know what to write or how to organize my papers so that they flow and make sense. I am terrible at grammar and forming sentences properly. I did poorly on the SAT’s for the simple fact that I had horrible grammar on the essay, and I did not know how to tell if sentences were grammatically correct. On a positive note I am good at 2 types of English class that I did take senior year of high school which was Gothic Literature and Poetry. I believe that I succeeded in Poetry because that topic is based on analyzing each line and stanza of the poem and interpreting it. I also believe that I succeeded in Gothic Literature because they’re short stories that are taboo and they grab attention easily.
I want to better myself as a student and in life by trying to do better in English class as well as keep up my Math skills. “If we get the right emotion, we can get our self to do anything”. When Tony Robbins says this quote he is telling us that we can do anything we want as long as we have a positive attitude. We don’t need money, or technology, but if we have the right emotions and feelings towards our goals or towards something we are striving to achieve that we will find a way. This video has shown me that I need to have a positive outlook on English. Possibly by taking classes that are not based on just writing and reading. If I go to the writing center and try to get my essays read by another person they can provide an additional point of view, and critique my paper so that I can better my writing. I want to become a teacher and unfortunately I’ve realized that I must take many more English classes to pursue this career. I’d love to get better in English so that I won’t struggle as much, and maybe I’ll enjoy it more. I am going to make a strong effort in English this semester and not be bias against reading and writing. I will try to apply myself better and try to focus on what I am reading instead of letting my mind wander. Taking notes while reading is an idea that I will try because it will help me remember instead of trying to retain all of that information at one period of time. I don’t know how I will ever understand how to tell if sentences are grammatically correct or not, because I’ve had trouble with that since 2nd grade. Using different techniques will definitely help me improve my English skills.
My goal is to be able to succeed and do well in both English and Mathematics because they are both core subjects for becoming a teacher. Trying to apply techniques and apply myself to English as much as I do with Math should help. Trying to reach out for extra help from writing centers, other classmates, as well as a tutor might enable me to become successful. English is not a subject that I cannot avoid but by working at it I can make myself happier in my education.
Word Count: 1,021
I have never done well in English whether it involves reading, critical thinking, or writing. I hate reading because I am unable to retain a large amount of information for a period of time. I think with the right part of my brain. One of the characteristics of right-brained thinkers is that they are Holistic which means that you look at bigger picture, rather than specific details. I am a lot better at seeing main ideas opposed to specific details while reading. When I read my mind gets lost and I cannot stay focused. When I have to think and apply how characters were in a novel or a play I have so much trouble. I cannot write papers or essays because I don’t know what to write or how to organize my papers so that they flow and make sense. I am terrible at grammar and forming sentences properly. I did poorly on the SAT’s for the simple fact that I had horrible grammar on the essay, and I did not know how to tell if sentences were grammatically correct. On a positive note I am good at 2 types of English class that I did take senior year of high school which was Gothic Literature and Poetry. I believe that I succeeded in Poetry because that topic is based on analyzing each line and stanza of the poem and interpreting it. I also believe that I succeeded in Gothic Literature because they’re short stories that are taboo and they grab attention easily.
I want to better myself as a student and in life by trying to do better in English class as well as keep up my Math skills. “If we get the right emotion, we can get our self to do anything”. When Tony Robbins says this quote he is telling us that we can do anything we want as long as we have a positive attitude. We don’t need money, or technology, but if we have the right emotions and feelings towards our goals or towards something we are striving to achieve that we will find a way. This video has shown me that I need to have a positive outlook on English. Possibly by taking classes that are not based on just writing and reading. If I go to the writing center and try to get my essays read by another person they can provide an additional point of view, and critique my paper so that I can better my writing. I want to become a teacher and unfortunately I’ve realized that I must take many more English classes to pursue this career. I’d love to get better in English so that I won’t struggle as much, and maybe I’ll enjoy it more. I am going to make a strong effort in English this semester and not be bias against reading and writing. I will try to apply myself better and try to focus on what I am reading instead of letting my mind wander. Taking notes while reading is an idea that I will try because it will help me remember instead of trying to retain all of that information at one period of time. I don’t know how I will ever understand how to tell if sentences are grammatically correct or not, because I’ve had trouble with that since 2nd grade. Using different techniques will definitely help me improve my English skills.
My goal is to be able to succeed and do well in both English and Mathematics because they are both core subjects for becoming a teacher. Trying to apply techniques and apply myself to English as much as I do with Math should help. Trying to reach out for extra help from writing centers, other classmates, as well as a tutor might enable me to become successful. English is not a subject that I cannot avoid but by working at it I can make myself happier in my education.
Word Count: 1,021
Works Cited:
Hemisphere Dominance Test determines if your left or right brain is dominant.1995-2009. Intelegen Inc. 14 October 2010 <http://web-us.com/brain/braindominance.htm>
Robbins, Tony. Tony Robbins Asks Why We Do What We Do.TED2006, Filmed February 2006, Posted June 2006.
