Great literature transcends time because of its inherent qualities: the author has a clear purpose, the author achieves that purpose, and the purpose is a worthwhile one.
Tuesday
Discussion Topic #4
Mrs. Vilkas needs your input! In 100 proofed words, post a comment that offers freshman advice. The prompt: What I wish I knew when I was a freshman.
Abuse that fact that gym class doesn’t count towards your average. Don’t complain about freshman seminar; everyone had to take it. Try not to harass your teachers unless you want junky college recommendations. From day one of high school you’re being taught to bow down to the Regents god. None of them actually require you to study if you pay attention during the year. (As opposed to taking twenty-minute bathroom/cafeteria breaks or talking to someone you won’t even be friends with next week.) As for English, those essays are horrible writing so be prepared to stop writing like that after the regents.
Oh and if your blog sounds so cheesy it could be stitched on a pillow and sold, please don’t post it. *cough* Nick *cough*
It is had to believe I am a senior already. I am not the one to give advice, but I have insight on many aspects of High School I rarely share. Your Friends, enjoy them. You will not hang out with them in college. Cherish every memory, good and bad. Or if they are bugging you a whole lot or you dislike people, remember in a few years you will not see them again. A polite attitude will take you far. If you hate a teacher so much, because of some stupid reason just put a smile on and be nice to them. It will help their opinion of you and maybe you will end up liking the teacher. Just treat them the way you want to be treated. That goes for everyone. Don’t let people hold you back from your dreams. Follow them. I rather do something that makes less money and I love, rather than having a lot of money doing something I hate. And do not do things to follow the crowd, because in the end you will do something you will regret. You can’t escape Mr. Mittelstadt and Mr. Bores. You will at least have them once in high school to graduate. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me it means having Mr. Mittelstadt three times for three different classes. Don’t get to comfortable being a senior. Right now, I love being a senior and having more freedom. I am on top right now, but in a year or so I will be back on the bottom and a new environment to explore. Visit a College. I know this sounds funny for a freshman, but I wish I did this sooner. I feel after finding the college of my dreams, I have an incentive now for going to school and doing well. I really want to go to this college bad. Now I am putting 110% effort in, instead of the 100%. Lastly I want to say you will always be a child. Most of high school students want to gain independence badly, but when you gain this independence you will want to feel safe again. Your parents are the most important people in your life. They will love you no matter what. Try to remember not to yell at them, because they have equally amount of stress that you do. Try to take time out to have coffee or better yet eat dinner with them. They are not as bad as you think.
Oh, to be a freshman again. Truthfully-- not a fun year. Sophomore year is definitely the best. Just wait for it! The single best piece of advice that I can give is to READ. For your own sake, (especially in 9th grade English Honors!) read the texts you’re assigned. In biology, instead of just reading the questions and looking for the answers, actually scan the chapter. While it may seem pointless to read the texts now, starting young, when the work is simple, will break you into a good habits for when reading is essential. AP World-- that’s all I have to say. Looking even further into the future, the only way to even pass in college (nevermind succeed) is to develop good reading habits and take proficient notes on text book chapters. It’ll be that much harder if you force yourself to learn how to concentrate and read that late in your academic career.
And in response to Mike’s “...you don’t have to be a great writer to join Tiger Times...”, I beg to differ. We accept only perfection from the newspaper staff....
As a freshman, I wish I had known many things. My advice to you is as follows.
Join any and all clubs or sports teams the interest you. You will rarely be disappointed if you choose something that is interesting to you, and it helps when filling out college applications. Plus (yeah, this will sound cheesy) you can make new friends (who doesn’t like having friends?) just by interacting with different people.
Do homework. Yeah, it’s tedious and pointless most of the time. But not doing your assignments will hurt you. Besides, not getting such easy grades is stupid, and they can be helpful in preparing for tests and quizzes.
Ask questions. If you don’t know something, ask. If you still don’t get it, ask it again; don’t just pretend that you know it. When will you feel dumber: when you have to ask the teacher to explain it again, or when you get the lowest grade in the class?
Do your best on assignments. Putting that little extra effort can really boost your grade. On tests and quizzes, study ahead of time.
Actually Study. This seems simple, but I can recall plenty of times that I thought I knew something when I really didn’t and bombed the test. Sure, there are some tests that you can get away with just reading the chapter once or even just listening in class. But make sure you really know it before you blow off studying.
Don’t worry about what others say about you. I’m amazed at students who get into arguments over little things (like being moved in on the bus, for example). That’s not to say you should go around yelling profanities at people because you don’t care what they do. Rather, you should judge whether the conflict is worth your time.
Nice to see some animosity on the blog again. What's to be said about people who are in Impressions AND Tiger Times? (Besides that they are awesome of course)
-Don’t do what Johannes tells you. Your opinions don’t get you straight A’s or get you into a decent college. KEEP THEM TO YOURSELF. Just read the books, regurgitate the information and cruise through life. Being a sheep is the best way to go. TRUST ME. Johannes is a depraved man who wears a kilt to school, ties Megapope knots for his own amusement and juggles when he’s board. He is not a role model and has no success to “impart”. There should be a law against being him. DO not be an individual- your social life DEPENDS on it. Don’t do drugs and always wear pants to school. (Also, should it come up, you might not want to let your best friend date your former crush- bad chemistry, won’t even get into it.)
Johannes, that's stupid. Yes, you're a profoundly talented writer, but you only refuse to join the paper because you're afraid it'll be to much like work.
I would suggest to the freshmen that they should take the classes they want to take. Many people only take classes because their parents tell them to take them. Using your time finding out what you like is most important. Whatever you like to do, learn to do it well and concentrate mostly on that subject of learning. Other average suggestions are to not wait until the last minute on every project. You will be relieved when you finish a project a day earlier than it is due because you feel like you are done. You all will do fine. Good Luck!
It's important to determine which students are good at which subjects, and fast. Although highly discouraged, it's inevitable that one day or another you'll find yourself missing a homework assignment, struggling with a project, or unprepared for a quiz or test, and during these times you'll need to turn to that "friend" who specializes in this particular subject. Categorize the kids in your grade in your mind: the one with the best vocabulary is 'English', the student with a spanish background is 'Spanish', while the nerdy kid with the glasses is 'Math'. Do this early in the game and rarely will you find yourself with a zero for a homework assigment or a failing grade on a test or quiz. Master this skill and for the rest of your highschool career find yourself stress free and content.
I’m going to have to disagree with Christiaan. I suppose taking “that route” works for some people, but are you really going to enjoy doing any of that? It’s worthless to work all day and have no free time. Sure, it’ll make your transcript look better, but who really cares that much anyway? Do things you enjoy; don’t do things just for the sake of doing them. If you really think that getting into college A over college B is that important…then I guess ignore what I’m saying. But if you are of the breed who likes to enjoy the ride and not obsess over the finish, take it easy and enjoy it.
OK you’re in high school. You’re still not allowed to drink, drive, smoke, do drugs, or vote. What to do? First, you should not attempt ANY of the above things because starting them so young (especially YOUR age) is so detrimental to your mental and physical capacities it’s ridiculous. Don’t do it because your friends do it. Knowingly caving in to peer pressure SHOULD make you feel like a weak, horrible person. It is very likely you will hate the people you are friends with now in 1-2 years. Don’t think about it now, but don’t plan on counting on them forever. When people talk about you behind their backs, understand they are usually jealous of you. Feel bad for them because they have nothing better to talk about, and relish in the fact that you’re a hot commodity. Remember your parents. If you chose to lose their trust at such a young age, you are “screwed” when you get older. Do your work yourself for yourself. Know that each thing you put your name on signifies something you have certified as your own. Copy all you want, but expect a harsh realization at the end of the road when you have accomplished nothing in four years. Just remember your place. You’re starting as new high school student, so don’t try to be older. Enjoy the limitations of your environment, the expectations, and your newfound freedoms. When you wait for more to be granted to you, it feels much better than having taken a peek when you weren’t supposed to. Last of all, try and figure out who YOU are. Don’t wait for others to comment on your Myspace about how “hott” you are in your new mirror shot. Learn about yourself from yourself.
The best advice I can give anyone, let alone a high school freshman is that one’s personal success is based on his drive to succeed. By the same token, there is no way “personal success” can be measured in GPAs and merit badges. High school is just a small part of four (give or take a couple) important, but certainly not the most important years of a person’s life. Therefore if nothing else it should be viewed as an option that is advantageous to keep open. So do the worksheets, put batteries in your TI-83 and please read the book.
First... This is going to be a long one so I apologize in advance, but it is the things I think are MOST important to succeeding in HS.
As I sit here reading all of these blogs, I am nodding my head agreeing with just about all of them. The more I read the more things I come up with. If you’re anything like me, you’re not going to listen to any of this. Everything I am about to say was told to me at least once and I never listened to it. It feels so weird talking to the freshman of NS because, honestly, it feels like just yesterday I heard all of this and just shrugged it off like most of you will do as soon as you walk out of the classroom.
1. Dr. Bovino’s speech; don’t just listen to it and joke about how you can recite it word-for-word. Although it is true, take each word and think about it,. I sat there year after year thinking about how stupid it was to hear him talk about the saddest words he ever heard a senior say, “What if I had…” I know find myself becoming a little “pride and respect speech” clone. EVERYTHING Dr. Bovino says in that auditorium is 100% true. Looking back as far as tenth grade, I find myself saying if only I had done this assignment or taken that test more seriously, maybe I wouldn’t be stressing out now, feeling helpless in my own future because of stupid mistakes I made back when I was 13 or 14.
2. JOIN EVERY CLUB POSSIBLE. Not only does it look good for college, but you’ll meet new people and it’s always good to have multiple groups of friends that are completely different. Don’t feel like you can’t join a club because you’re not good enough or because people will laugh. Look at me... I’m in Video/Broadcast Club, which is basically the nice way of saying the AV geeks. As you get older you begin to not care about what other people think. People change and instead of having one group of 120 of the same kids, you begin to have 120 groups of completely different people, liking different things. You know that kid you hate that sits next to you in English class or Global?? Yea, you know the kid I’m talking about… be nice to them... you’ll wind up being pretty good friends with them when you’re a senior. No one cares about social groups when you’re a senior.
3. Respect EVERY one of your teachers no matter how much you dislike them. It’ll go a long ways, help for college (I know everything is college, college, college and I know your thinking its way too early for that... BUT ITS NOT!! START NOW!! It’ll make thing sooooooo much easier) Also, I recommend that everyone befriends a teacher. Get to know them, it’ll make class more enjoyable and you’ll always have someone to talk to and joke with. Mrs. Carm and Ms. Malin are good for this .
(only 2 left….) 4. Take a variety of classes. This will help in deciding what to do with your life. It will tell you whether you definitely want to pursue it further or you’ll say to yourself, “what was I thinking?”
At last but not definitely least… THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL… 5. If you have a bad year, don’t just say it was because you didn’t like your teacher. Figure out what YOU, yes you, did wrong and fix it for next year don’t just think, “oh, it’ll be better next year!” because it wont!!
One more word of advise... When in Ms. Bratt's class and you feel like it'll never end, just remember, she is one of the best teachers and she knows what she is talking about. The end of the year will come quick and you'll be cramming for that exam at the end. If you did your work all year and listened and cooperated with Ms.Bratt, you'll do fine and you'll look back at it like I do and be thankful that you stuck with it.
Yea, really, sleep is lame. Shower at 3 am and cook grilled cheese at 1:30 am to keep you going. You'll get into a cycle where you can do it everyday without feeling it until like 9-10 pm each night, when you almost breakdown. Once you pass that hour, you'll be ready for another 6 hours of lucidity.
20 comments:
Abuse that fact that gym class doesn’t count towards your average. Don’t complain about freshman seminar; everyone had to take it. Try not to harass your teachers unless you want junky college recommendations.
From day one of high school you’re being taught to bow down to the Regents god. None of them actually require you to study if you pay attention during the year. (As opposed to taking twenty-minute bathroom/cafeteria breaks or talking to someone you won’t even be friends with next week.) As for English, those essays are horrible writing so be prepared to stop writing like that after the regents.
Oh and if your blog sounds so cheesy it could be stitched on a pillow and sold, please don’t post it. *cough* Nick *cough*
It is had to believe I am a senior already. I am not the one to give advice, but I have insight on many aspects of High School I rarely share.
Your Friends, enjoy them. You will not hang out with them in college. Cherish every memory, good and bad. Or if they are bugging you a whole lot or you dislike people, remember in a few years you will not see them again.
A polite attitude will take you far. If you hate a teacher so much, because of some stupid reason just put a smile on and be nice to them. It will help their opinion of you and maybe you will end up liking the teacher. Just treat them the way you want to be treated. That goes for everyone.
Don’t let people hold you back from your dreams. Follow them. I rather do something that makes less money and I love, rather than having a lot of money doing something I hate. And do not do things to follow the crowd, because in the end you will do something you will regret.
You can’t escape Mr. Mittelstadt and Mr. Bores. You will at least have them once in high school to graduate. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me it means having Mr. Mittelstadt three times for three different classes.
Don’t get to comfortable being a senior. Right now, I love being a senior and having more freedom. I am on top right now, but in a year or so I will be back on the bottom and a new environment to explore.
Visit a College. I know this sounds funny for a freshman, but I wish I did this sooner. I feel after finding the college of my dreams, I have an incentive now for going to school and doing well. I really want to go to this college bad. Now I am putting 110% effort in, instead of the 100%.
Lastly I want to say you will always be a child. Most of high school students want to gain independence badly, but when you gain this independence you will want to feel safe again. Your parents are the most important people in your life. They will love you no matter what. Try to remember not to yell at them, because they have equally amount of stress that you do. Try to take time out to have coffee or better yet eat dinner with them. They are not as bad as you think.
Oh, to be a freshman again. Truthfully-- not a fun year. Sophomore year is definitely the
best. Just wait for it!
The single best piece of advice that I can give is to READ. For your own sake, (especially
in 9th grade English Honors!) read the texts you’re assigned. In biology, instead of just
reading the questions and looking for the answers, actually scan the chapter. While it may
seem pointless to read the texts now, starting young, when the work is simple, will break
you into a good habits for when reading is essential. AP World-- that’s all I have to say.
Looking even further into the future, the only way to even pass in college (nevermind
succeed) is to develop good reading habits and take proficient notes on text book
chapters. It’ll be that much harder if you force yourself to learn how to concentrate and
read that late in your academic career.
And in response to Mike’s “...you don’t have to be a great writer to join Tiger Times...”, I
beg to differ. We accept only perfection from the newspaper staff....
As a freshman, I wish I had known many things. My advice to you is as follows.
Join any and all clubs or sports teams the interest you. You will rarely be disappointed if you choose something that is interesting to you, and it helps when filling out college applications. Plus (yeah, this will sound cheesy) you can make new friends (who doesn’t like having friends?) just by interacting with different people.
Do homework. Yeah, it’s tedious and pointless most of the time. But not doing your assignments will hurt you. Besides, not getting such easy grades is stupid, and they can be helpful in preparing for tests and quizzes.
Ask questions. If you don’t know something, ask. If you still don’t get it, ask it again; don’t just pretend that you know it. When will you feel dumber: when you have to ask the teacher to explain it again, or when you get the lowest grade in the class?
Do your best on assignments. Putting that little extra effort can really boost your grade. On tests and quizzes, study ahead of time.
Actually Study. This seems simple, but I can recall plenty of times that I thought I knew something when I really didn’t and bombed the test. Sure, there are some tests that you can get away with just reading the chapter once or even just listening in class. But make sure you really know it before you blow off studying.
Don’t worry about what others say about you. I’m amazed at students who get into arguments over little things (like being moved in on the bus, for example). That’s not to say you should go around yelling profanities at people because you don’t care what they do. Rather, you should judge whether the conflict is worth your time.
Johannes...you only wish Mr. Popken let you join our staff...
Nice to see some animosity on the blog again.
What's to be said about people who are in Impressions AND Tiger Times? (Besides that they are awesome of course)
-Don’t do what Johannes tells you. Your opinions don’t get you straight A’s or get you into a decent college. KEEP THEM TO YOURSELF. Just read the books, regurgitate the information and cruise through life. Being a sheep is the best way to go. TRUST ME. Johannes is a depraved man who wears a kilt to school, ties Megapope knots for his own amusement and juggles when he’s board. He is not a role model and has no success to “impart”. There should be a law against being him. DO not be an individual- your social life DEPENDS on it.
Don’t do drugs and always wear pants to school.
(Also, should it come up, you might not want to let your best friend date your former crush- bad chemistry, won’t even get into it.)
Johannes, that's stupid. Yes, you're a profoundly talented writer, but you only refuse to join the paper because you're afraid it'll be to much like work.
And exactly WHAT are those alleged "prodigious" talents, Johan? Tiger Times has no place for constant taunting or feigned wisdom.
I would suggest to the freshmen that they should take the classes they want to take. Many people only take classes because their parents tell them to take them. Using your time finding out what you like is most important. Whatever you like to do, learn to do it well and concentrate mostly on that subject of learning. Other average suggestions are to not wait until the last minute on every project. You will be relieved when you finish a project a day earlier than it is due because you feel like you are done. You all will do fine. Good Luck!
It's important to determine which students are good at which subjects, and fast. Although highly discouraged, it's inevitable that one day or another you'll find yourself missing a homework assignment, struggling with a project, or unprepared for a quiz or test, and during these times you'll need to turn to that "friend" who specializes in this particular subject. Categorize the kids in your grade in your mind: the one with the best vocabulary is 'English', the student with a spanish background is 'Spanish', while the nerdy kid with the glasses is 'Math'. Do this early in the game and rarely will you find yourself with a zero for a homework assigment or a failing grade on a test or quiz. Master this skill and for the rest of your highschool career find yourself stress free and content.
Oh, and never, ever take AP Bio.
One last comment, do not get caught up in outside relationships too early, get accustomed to High School before focusing on love interests.
I’m going to have to disagree with Christiaan. I suppose taking “that route” works for some people, but are you really going to enjoy doing any of that? It’s worthless to work all day and have no free time. Sure, it’ll make your transcript look better, but who really cares that much anyway? Do things you enjoy; don’t do things just for the sake of doing them. If you really think that getting into college A over college B is that important…then I guess ignore what I’m saying. But if you are of the breed who likes to enjoy the ride and not obsess over the finish, take it easy and enjoy it.
And Justin: for the record, we most definitely do have a sauna.
Wahbah?
OK you’re in high school. You’re still not allowed to drink, drive, smoke, do drugs, or vote. What to do? First, you should not attempt ANY of the above things because starting them so young (especially YOUR age) is so detrimental to your mental and physical capacities it’s ridiculous.
Don’t do it because your friends do it. Knowingly caving in to peer pressure SHOULD make you feel like a weak, horrible person.
It is very likely you will hate the people you are friends with now in 1-2 years. Don’t think about it now, but don’t plan on counting on them forever.
When people talk about you behind their backs, understand they are usually jealous of you. Feel bad for them because they have nothing better to talk about, and relish in the fact that you’re a hot commodity.
Remember your parents. If you chose to lose their trust at such a young age, you are “screwed” when you get older.
Do your work yourself for yourself. Know that each thing you put your name on signifies something you have certified as your own. Copy all you want, but expect a harsh realization at the end of the road when you have accomplished nothing in four years.
Just remember your place. You’re starting as new high school student, so don’t try to be older. Enjoy the limitations of your environment, the expectations, and your newfound freedoms. When you wait for more to be granted to you, it feels much better than having taken a peek when you weren’t supposed to.
Last of all, try and figure out who YOU are. Don’t wait for others to comment on your Myspace about how “hott” you are in your new mirror shot. Learn about yourself from yourself.
Join Gaussian Elimination Club.
Becky Gessler
The best advice I can give anyone, let alone a high school freshman is that one’s personal success is based on his drive to succeed. By the same token, there is no way “personal success” can be measured in GPAs and merit badges. High school is just a small part of four (give or take a couple) important, but certainly not the most important years of a person’s life. Therefore if nothing else it should be viewed as an option that is advantageous to keep open. So do the worksheets, put batteries in your TI-83 and please read the book.
First... This is going to be a long one so I apologize in advance, but it is the things I think are MOST important to succeeding in HS.
As I sit here reading all of these blogs, I am nodding my head agreeing with just about all of them. The more I read the more things I come up with. If you’re anything like me, you’re not going to listen to any of this. Everything I am about to say was told to me at least once and I never listened to it. It feels so weird talking to the freshman of NS because, honestly, it feels like just yesterday I heard all of this and just shrugged it off like most of you will do as soon as you walk out of the classroom.
1. Dr. Bovino’s speech; don’t just listen to it and joke about how you can recite it word-for-word. Although it is true, take each word and think about it,. I sat there year after year thinking about how stupid it was to hear him talk about the saddest words he ever heard a senior say, “What if I had…” I know find myself becoming a little “pride and respect speech” clone. EVERYTHING Dr. Bovino says in that auditorium is 100% true. Looking back as far as tenth grade, I find myself saying if only I had done this assignment or taken that test more seriously, maybe I wouldn’t be stressing out now, feeling helpless in my own future because of stupid mistakes I made back when I was 13 or 14.
2. JOIN EVERY CLUB POSSIBLE. Not only does it look good for college, but you’ll meet new people and it’s always good to have multiple groups of friends that are completely different. Don’t feel like you can’t join a club because you’re not good enough or because people will laugh. Look at me... I’m in Video/Broadcast Club, which is basically the nice way of saying the AV geeks. As you get older you begin to not care about what other people think. People change and instead of having one group of 120 of the same kids, you begin to have 120 groups of completely different people, liking different things. You know that kid you hate that sits next to you in English class or Global?? Yea, you know the kid I’m talking about… be nice to them... you’ll wind up being pretty good friends with them when you’re a senior. No one cares about social groups when you’re a senior.
3. Respect EVERY one of your teachers no matter how much you dislike them. It’ll go a long ways, help for college (I know everything is college, college, college and I know your thinking its way too early for that... BUT ITS NOT!! START NOW!! It’ll make thing sooooooo much easier) Also, I recommend that everyone befriends a teacher. Get to know them, it’ll make class more enjoyable and you’ll always have someone to talk to and joke with. Mrs. Carm and Ms. Malin are good for this .
(only 2 left….)
4. Take a variety of classes. This will help in deciding what to do with your life. It will tell you whether you definitely want to pursue it further or you’ll say to yourself, “what was I thinking?”
At last but not definitely least… THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL…
5. If you have a bad year, don’t just say it was because you didn’t like your teacher. Figure out what YOU, yes you, did wrong and fix it for next year don’t just think, “oh, it’ll be better next year!” because it wont!!
One more word of advise...
When in Ms. Bratt's class and you feel like it'll never end, just remember, she is one of the best teachers and she knows what she is talking about. The end of the year will come quick and you'll be cramming for that exam at the end. If you did your work all year and listened and cooperated with Ms.Bratt, you'll do fine and you'll look back at it like I do and be thankful that you stuck with it.
Yea, really, sleep is lame.
Shower at 3 am and cook grilled cheese at 1:30 am to keep you going.
You'll get into a cycle where you can do it everyday without feeling it until like 9-10 pm each night, when you almost breakdown. Once you pass that hour, you'll be ready for another 6 hours of lucidity.
Becky Gessler
Ah yes, Johannes...the little finger that managed to break a walking stick...every night...talent right there!
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