Well, it's been awhile since I wrote, and I wanted to talk about the beginning of the new school year. I once again found that the summer break was nice, but I was eager to get back to school. I really enjoy working with young math students and feeling like I am productive and helping … Continue reading Back to School!
encouragement
Do your own thinking
As I mentioned in the previous post, you need to use the talents you are given, otherwise they are lost. Make sure to exercise your mind every day. Always question things that you are told, so that you deal in facts, and make up your own mind only after doing so. You should never say … Continue reading Do your own thinking
Exercise your mind
I was listening to a video made by Jim Rohn, and I highly recommend for you to listen to his amazing messages. Mr. Rohn said that the percentage of people who have a library card is about 3%. In other words, 97 out of every 100 people can't be bothered to go to the library … Continue reading Exercise your mind
Collaborate with others
In the last post, we talked about the benefit of competing against yourself. At the same time, one of our basic needs is to be with other people. Often in schools, students sit in rows of desks, and work individually a lot of the time. I believe learning almost always involves working with others. I … Continue reading Collaborate with others
Compete with yourself
As people, we place so much emphasis on competition with others that we set ourselves up for failure in our lives. The reason is simple; it is extremely difficult to be the best at anything with so many other people to compete against. I think the secret is to focus on competing instead with yourself. … Continue reading Compete with yourself
Choose your own attitude
It has been said that an optimist is aware of the choice they have while a pessimist doesn’t see the choice at all. Do your best every day to be positive about your situation. You can’t always choose what happens to you, but you always can choose your reaction to it. As an example, when … Continue reading Choose your own attitude
When am I ever going to use this?
It is good to be back writing again after my break. I have been meaning to write more than I have, but June was a busy month for me. I want to get back in the habit as I know how important that is, along with planning the exact times I will sit down to … Continue reading When am I ever going to use this?
Problems are Opportunities
In the book ‘Reinventing Yourself’ the author Steve Chandler talks about the importance of problems in your life. He says solutions are a good thing, but you can’t get a solution without a problem. He also reminds us that most games are really problems, but they are considered fun instead of work. Perhaps this is … Continue reading Problems are Opportunities
Mastery takes time and effort
It has never been easier to access information, thanks to the internet. We live in a time where people get things immediately, often with very little effort required. It is no wonder then, that students expect to learn things right away, without making a serious effort, over time. This is a bit like expecting to … Continue reading Mastery takes time and effort
Teach and be yourself
I recently told my class to work on a new assignment, by reading the questions and answering them on their own. Almost immediately, some students voiced the concern that they hadn’t been taught how to solve the problems. My response was this, “If everything needed to be taught, then nobody would have ever discovered anything … Continue reading Teach and be yourself
