Hi Everyone!

A little more about me. Hi Everyone my name is Andrea Kidd. I was name after my great grandmother from Mexico. I am half Mexican and Half Black. I was born in the California and raised in Lynwood. I moved to Louisiana when I was around 3 years old and attended Mainsfield Elementry School. Then when I moved back to California I didn't know any Spanish. So when I went to my grandmother house I would point to things I wanted, then she will tell me "no you have to say it in Spanish". So then ever since then I'm  glad to say I speak fluent Spanish because of her. I graduated high school at the age 17 from Firebaugh High School, located in Lynwood. After high I said to myself I don't want to be in California anymore I want to try something new. So then I applied to an university in Arkansas that is called University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. I did about a semester there then I came back home. Reason why was because I was getting home sick plus I felt grown because I had to much freedom and I did not know how to control myself when I got a lot of freedom, especially for me growing up in a strict house hold. Once I transferred back to my hometown I began attending Long Beach City Collge. I thought I was going to do better there because I was around different people and a better community but true comes to show I started doing poorly in school. For example, would come late for classes, didn't do homework and did poorly on my test. I knew then it was pride, I felt like I came from a University I should be going to no community college. I felt though as I was going backwards and I let my thoughts get to me. Until one day I finally realized I'm getting older and this was on my twentieth birthday. Since then I said to myself "I'm going to start strong at this next that I'm going to transfer to a not let my negative thoughts get to me I'm going to overcome them and do hundred percent better". Lastly, later on that semester I came to El Camino and so far I'm doing better than I ever did in college and I plan on it being that way.


Me and my beautiful mother 💖 (Then & Now)

I found two really great strategies that I can use in my life from the book Ten Skills You Really Need to Succeed in School. One of my strategies are Manging Your Time from chapter 4 and Taking Tests from chapter 8. Reading these chapter helped me learn new things thatade me change how I did thing s before. For example, I learned managing my time is every important when you are an adult or even in college. Reason why is because if we mangamge our time we will get a lot more things done other than waiting to the last minute to get it done. One way we can prevent that from happening is if we set up a planner and write on it everyday on what we have to do for homework and on what we need to work on to become better achievers in college. Then we have test taking. Taking a test has always overwhelmed me, I never really though clearly when taking a test I always be so frighten. But when I read chapter 8 in the book it was showing me how instead of writing everything down word to word just take keywords that you know connects to that concept. Then when you have the key terms and definitions write them on index cards so that way when you studying you have a better look on what we studying. I will definitely take these sources and use them wisely.

What is Kindness?
To me kindness is when you help someone that is gong through a stage or time that they can't help them selfs so we step in and give them an extra help. When I graduated from high school I was a Varsity Cheerleader. So I always had thoughts on coming back and coaching the cheer team. So that didn't happen because I left out state for school. But then when I came back I saw they need an assistant coach so when the teacher is not there. So I volunteer myself and helped the cheerleaders with their routines and stunts and also with competition routine. I had a chance to go with them to Nationals in Las Vegas and was proud to see that they took 2nd place home! Go Falcons!

Hi, my name is Alexandra Martinez, I am 18 years old and I live in Los Angeles, California. This is my first year at El Camino College. I attended Venice High School and I was part of the Varsity Dance Team from sophomore year to senior year, and it was the best decision I made. From elementary school to freshman year in high school I was extremely shy and quiet, I hardly had friends and feared speaking in front of others, but when I joined the dance team I changed dramatically. Being in that team required a lot of time, dedication and getting out of your comfort zone. The team had a positive effect on me because I was no longer shy, I could easily start talking to anyone and speaking in front of a large group was no longer a nightmare. Getting to know my teammates and working with them made it easier for me to let go of the shyness that honestly just weighed me down. I was able to easily start a conversation with anyone, and performing in front of the entire school helped me get over the fear of doing class presentations or anything involving speaking in front of others. It helped me gain the confidence in myself that I lacked, and the motivation to do better in school to stay in the team. As time went on I realized that I was able to get decent grades without studying for tests or making time to do assignments with dedication so I settled for C’s and B’s. I was passing my classes and was able to stay on the team without stressing about studying and putting effort in homework, and those bad study habits followed me. Because of my careless attitude and poor study habits I was placed in a remedial english class, when in middle school I was placed in gifted the gifted program and I had honors classes throughout high school. After reading Ten Skills You Really Need To Succeed In School by John Langan I realized the difference that managing your time well can do for the quality of your school work and the difference it makes in how you well you take notes and are able to process them to expand your knowledge and understanding. I learned a few tips that I will apply to all my future classes.

Managing your time wisely can be hard to do, and I personally have always struggled with that. In this chapter about managing your time Langan gives various types of helpful ways for you to stay organized and have time for all that is important. He talks about using your syllabus, having a big monthly calendar, making a daily “to do” list and keeping a daily planner. I’m one of those students that would never read a class syllabus because I thought it wasn’t useful so I would just get it and throw it in my bag and forget about it. As i went through high school I realized that they actually contain a lot of useful information, like due dates and helpful tips (only some though). So, I would occasionally turn to them when I was curious about due dates and what the class was going to cover. When I was in middle school I used to have a big calendar and write down when certain homework was due, fieldtrips, tests, and other things I felt were important. This actually made a big difference in my performance in school because I was up to date and new how much time I had to finish assignments. Naturally like any middle schooler I would get lazy and let a few things slip but had it not been for that big calendar, man, I would’ve been flooded with homework and projects up to my neck. I never actually made a “to do” list for myself, the only list I would make was the “what to get” list for when I go grocery shopping with my mom. And let me say, it is pretty helpful. I never used a planner either, I tried a few times but I never stuck to it. Now in order for me to remember to do something and have time for it I make an alarm on my phone, and it works well with me. There are so many ways to help you manage your time, it’s all about what works best for you because time can either be your best friend or your worst nightmare.

Taking GOOD notes in class is one of the easiest ways for you to succeed in school. Notes are what are going to help you study for tests and complete homework (that is if they are well taken) because our brain can’t remember every lesson you learn day by day, “Studies have shown that within 2 weeks most people forget 80% of what they heard!” (Langan 90) Now isn’t that crazy! So imagine giving your brain all the work to remember everything you heard in all your classes, that wouldn’t work. Good notes don’t have to be written word for word, because if you didn’t understand the concept then most likely when you read your notes you might not even understand what you wrote. What I have learned to do is paraphrase what a teacher writes or says into my own notes that I understand and will make sense of when I’m studying, and it has helped me a ton. Something Langan said stood out to me because I can relate to it and it was, “You can also use the notes of another student, but those notes cannot make up for the experience of actually being in class and hearing the instructor talk about key ideas.” (Langan 89) It makes a huge difference when you go to class and take notes of your own because you can write things your own way that you know you will understand later on. Plus, the experience of listening to your teacher explain also has to do with how you understand the lesson. Using other people's notes might not be so helpful because their note taking strategies could be way different than yours or their handwriting is illegible, so now you’re stuck copying something you don’t even know what it is. The best thing that can be done is making sure you go to classes, especially when the teacher says it will be a note taking day. In general, having good attendance is the key to succeed in school.

What is kindness?

Kindness is showing care towards those who hurt. Smiling at random strangers in the street because a smile can change someone’s day. Kindness is offering help to an elderly person who is having trouble reaching an item on the lower shelf of a grocery. Kindness is visiting your grandparents and cooking a meal with them. Kindness is helping your parents do something without them asking so they have less to stress about. Or translating something for someone who doesn’t understand english. Kindness has the power to make someone’s frown turn upside down. But most importantly, kindness has no limit.

Salvador Silva

Hello my name is Salvador Silva. I am a 19 year old Hispanic male born and raised in South Central Los Angeles. I grew up playing soccer for as long as I can remember because my father loved the sport. For a while, I did enjoy the sport but ending middle school I grew a bit of a hatred for it. I felt like I was being forced to play by my dad so I stopped as soon as I entered high school. I began to skateboard then because of people around me up until 11th grade when a friend suggested football to me. Now, what a lot of people don't know about me is, I had been short and aggressive  my whole life but after the previous year I went from 5'0 feet to 5'10. I saw this growth spurt as an opportunity to, I guess, let some aggression out. And what better way to do it then a full contact sport! Another huge factor that helped me aside from my height was my speed, I have always been a slim guy so I had to avoid some bangs somehow. Along with these school sports came being a student. I wasn't the smartest kid in school but when it came to a solid grade I could pull it off. Only thing is I tend to leave things till last minute. I am currently working on bettering this because it isn't something I can pull off in college.

 

  I learned a lot of things from the chapters read in Ten Skills You Really Need To Succeed In School such as skills. For example, chapter 4 gave me very helpful skills that i most likely be using next semester to keep track of what needs to be done and when. Using the syllabus is a huge thing, i did not use it at all throughout this semester but now looking back i see it would of been a big help. it is well organized and tells me exactly what i hav and will do. Setting up a calendar with all important dates is also something to take into consideration. You will see it everyday and it should remind you what important things are coming up and what you should be worried about. 
   Also chapter 8 gives you great test taking skills that people should use. Learning exactly what needs to be studied and what parts can be skimmed over is something a lot of students need to do so that they don't spend to much time going over the wrong things. this can be done by setting an objective, or a goal, for the exam. Taking notes and capturing key terms then emphasizing them so that studying them will be easier. Personally, I have used these skills a couple of time and the times that I have used them they have been nothing but help.
   My idea of kindness is really anything you do that will positively affect another person or a group of people. Something as simple as helping someone pick up papers they dropped can be an act of kindness and can lighten up someone's mood. An act of kindness cant really have a label to it in my perspective, as long as the person doing it isn't doing it to benefit themselves in any way but with the intentions of helping another person and sincerely meaning it

 

Knowledge Is The Best Tool For Success

Hello my name is Jesus Meza I am currently attending El Camino college. After 1 year off school I decided working a minimum wage full time job was not going to get me anywhere. I decided one night that  I would quit my job and enroll at El Camino College for fall 2016 semester. I loved to play soccer, its a sport that can unite all races and cultures. Ever since I was a little boy my dream was to go pro but the older I get the more I realize its harder to fulfill my dream. But I refuse to give up on my dreams and each day i work harder and harder to get one step closer to it. In High school I was not one of the best students in my class but I always passed my classes with As and Bs. I now realize what my teachers meant when they told me and my classmates that in college the professors were not going to accept all the excuses and complains we would use. Most excuses in high school were about homework but in college if you do not have your homework the professor will not ask you why you do not have they will simply just give you a zero and not worry about it. In college you make your own choices from how many classes you want to take to whether or not you are in class ready to learn and prepared. My first year of college has gone by so fast maybe its because of the experience and the people I got to meet made it a fun and enjoyable year. Although it was an amazing year it has not been very good because I am struggling with school and work. Many people believe college is all parties and games but in reality it is very stressful if you do not give the necessary time and effort to school. School is the best tool someone can use to become a better person.

Ten Skills You Really Need To Succeed In School

In Chapter 4 of Ten Skills You Really Need To Succeed In School it explains how easy it is for you to fail your class when you fail to manage your time. The first thing every college student should learn is how to make to for school but also they have to make time for themselves. Many students get stressed because all they do is worry about school and their next test or quiz. Sometimes they just need a couple hours off school so they won't stress so much. Every or most professors give their students a syllabus and on that syllabus there is all the information you need to know about that class. It shows you what you will be learning every class and it informs you when there is a quiz or test. It is important that you keep this item safe and you always look at it everyday. I learned that by never looking at this syllabus you can just grow away your time. Sometimes your teachers will expect you to know that you have a quiz next class so they do not tell you and when next class comes you are surprised and fail. I learned how benefit from this syllabus thanks to this chapter. I ignored my syllabus and now I am on the verge of failing one of my classes. I did not think the syllabus was so important, in high school I never had to use it which made me think I would not need it in college too. Every student needs to learn how to manage their time if it is either with work or with friends and school.

In Chapter 5 of Ten Skills You Really Need To Succeed In School by John Langan we learned how to improve our note taking skills. When I was in middle school I would use this method called cornell notes which is almost like the method taught on page 98. I would use this method when my history teacher would tell us we were going to take notes on a very long power point. It made it easier for me to learn what the sides were about. Almost identical to the image on page 98 I would write down questions, comments, or my reactions to the notes I would take. Sometimes I would write down the title of the side so that I could know what my notes were going to be about. But to take notes of course you have to be in class. Missing class is makes it difficult to understand the next time you do decide show up to class. As Chapter 5 illustrates there is some ways you can in a way get by missing one day of class which is by reading the book on the chapter your class is learning. But the professor might not go over the book that day and might decide to do another activity unrelated to that chapter.

Kindness is something every person deserve to experience. I try my best to show and give kindness by showing everyone they matter. Just like those less fortunate than use. If a man with no home, no family, or no place to go asks me for money while I am buying something or while I am stopped I give them either food or if I have money whatever I have to spare. Not only that but I also donate clothes that no longer fit me so that some people may use them. Kindness is something the world deserves to spread more and more each day. It feels good knowing you made someone else warm and not be starving. If you have not yet done any of these things try it and you will see how amazing it feels to see someone else smile and feel special.

          Hey, my name is Garrett Iwamoto, I'm 18 years old and this is my first semester in college. I lived in Westchester, CA for most of my life(near LAX) and moved to Torrance my sophomore year. I attended West Torrance until I graduated last year. I played basketball and baseball when I was younger and played football in high school. I like making videos with my friends and to entertain people. In school, I was a smart kid back in middle school. But once I got into high school, I got kind of lazy and didn't really do the best in school. Because of that, I wasn't able to get the grades that I wanted. Also football took a lot of time from me and I was hard for me to focus after practice.
          In chapter 4, it talks about time management and how you can manage your time better. In the book, it tells you to use your course outline, to keep a monthly calendar, make a "to do" list, and a daily planner. A course outline is syllabus of everything the class is going to do and focus on until the end of the semester. I tells the students what to expect in the near future. A monthly calendar is a way to put the course outline on the calendar to see what is coming up instead of looking at a piece of paper. A "to do" list is a list that helps you organize and manage time. And a daily planner is a little book that you can write things that are due down and can put your course outline into. These are all important and useful tools to help you manage your time better. For me though, I think I used one of these throughout my entire high school career. I used something I like to call, the hand manager. because I was in football, for the most part I only had 5 real classes. I would number each finger as a period, for example, my thumb was first period, my index was second, and etc. What I would do is for each class that I went too, if we had an assignment due, I would put up one of those fingers to remember that I had an assignment in that class. And at the end of the day, I would remember a weird hand gesture that would signify the assignments I had for the day. some days I might have a "shaka" sign or a "rock out" sign or even the "F U" sign. Its weird I know but it worked for me for 2 years. Its surprising that I actually remembered assignments because of it and I still use it today.
           In chapter 5, It talks about note taking in class. In order to take good notes, you want to sit at the front, write your notes in a systematic way, watch for signals of importance, write down examples and connecting information, read your textbook and review your notes. Sitting in the front of the class is a good way of paying attention. There are less things to distract you and you focus on the teacher more.  writing notes in a systematic way means having notes nice and neat. Use regular line paper to write notes and date each note taken. Watch for importance means recognize when information given by the teacher is important. The teacher isn't going to write something on the board for no reason unless they specifically say its not important. Writing down examples, these are important because it shows you a similar problem that is on the assignment or on the test. Reading the textbook is another important task to do. Teachers usually test and give assignments on everything that is in the book. It will help you in the long run. And reviewing your notes. If you write down the notes that you've taken in class for an hour, dont you think its important and might be on the test. Looking at your notes will help you on homework assignments but also help you on tests. For me, I was a great note taker. anything the teacher wrote down, I wrote it in my notebook. It was simple as that. But their were time where the teacher was going too fast and I wasn't fast enough to write it down. Also because they were going fast, my handwriting was very sloppy and even I had some trouble reading my own notes. other than that, I wrote down everything the teacher asked me to take notes on.




This is a short video me and my friends did to represent kindness. The moral of the story is "what goes around, comes around"

A Farther look into Khadijah

Well hello, my name is Khadijah Sheffield and here is a brief introduction of who I am. Well, Khadijah is actually Arabic who was one of the wives of the Prophet Muhummad. I am born and raised right here in Inglewood, Calif., I am the youngest of four girls, and was pretty spoiled growing up. I have always been a cheerful, kindhearted and friendly person. In High School I cheered for a year, as well as involve with other activities. I was never a troubled kid, so my parents really did not have to worry about me being in any sort of trouble. After graduating from High School I jumped right into college, not quite too sure what it was exactly what I wanted to do. This is my first year at El Camino College, but my third year as a college student. Despite my first two years of college not being the best I was determined to continue my education.

One of many things that I have learned from our textbook "Ten Skills You Really Need To Succeed In School" by John Langan happen to be managing your time. Back in High School and even starting my journey into college I was never really good at managing my time very well. Having a planner as well as a daily "to-do" list and even having a monthly calendar has really helped me organized my time much better. I have always been a visual person, so having a daily planner with a monthly calendar along with a "to-do" list has limited a lot stress about getting assignments done before the deadline. Procrastination and cramming things in at the last minute has always been my best friend , up until I have learned how to manage and organize my time. Having a daily planner has to be one of the best thing I could have possibly invest in, it has made things for me that much better.

Another strategy that I have learned from our textbook happens to be taking notes in class. Like many students taking notes in class was a bit impossible, because I would never know what was "important" to write down, or even missed what was said. Watching for signals and reading notes right after class has really helped get a better understanding of the material. I can be a forgetful person at times, so reviewing notes after class really helps keep the material fresh in my mind. Even watching for signals helps, because instead of me trying to write everything down I can look for signals of the more important notes. Watching for signals and reviewing notes after class helps me get a better understanding, and know what exactly to focus on more when I study.



What is kindness to me:

Mariah Correa

Hello, my name is Mariah Correa and I am a freshman at El Camino College. I grew up in Hawthorne, California with my two parents and three siblings. I enjoy photography which actually led me to take an Art 150 class here at El Camino College. Volleyball has always been a sport that interested me. Back in middle school I was on the varsity team for three years straight. I also enjoy reading. One of my favorite books is titled Nobody's Fault. My goal in life is to become a forensic scientist. The road ahead to reaching my goal is long and tough, but I am willing to put in the work. My schooling from preschool to high school consisted of me being in advanced classes. Although, during my junior and senior year I had began to slack off. I chose to participate in other activities rather than focus on my school work. However, seeing my friends succeed in the areas I was not actually pushed me to better myself in school. I knew I was capable of doing so much more. I just needed to put in the work and effort to achieve success. Being in a remedial class during my first year in college has made me reflect on my past mistakes, therefore I will strive to succeed and not fall back on my bad habits. I know now that attending class is crucial to my success.



"Ten Skills You Really Need To Succeed In School" by John Langan has greatly impacted the way I approach school. Chapter 5, Taking Notes in Class, informs us of the importance of attending class. If we do not attend class we will miss key ideas of the course. If we miss those key ideas we will not learn anything. We also learn about recall words which has helped me with my study methods. Recall words are key words or phrases. By using the margin space at the side, or top of each page, I write down a series of key words or phrases that help me remember the important ideas on the page. This has helped me greatly in my Art 150 class as I turn the key words into questions and study off of that.



Chapter 4, Managing Your Time, has taught me the importance of how to use my course outline. At the beginning of the semester our professors will give out course outlines. The course outline is the key to progress and doing well in the course. Chapter 4 encourages us to use a large monthly calendar. In my experience, this has helped me greatly in becoming organized and prepared for class. My calendar reminds me of important dates and due dates for my assignments. It also lets me know when I will be having a test so that I may begin to study.


Every year on Thanksgiving Day my mother and I participate in handing out food to the homeless. We have always contributed by bringing in our homemade tamales. Which we always prepare a day before. I am looking forward to this coming Thanksgiving tradition and giving to others. The feeling of spreading kindness towards those who are less unfortunate is an incredible feeling. I believe many more people should contribute to helping others. Kindness can go a long way if people are willing to spread it amongst themselves.