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.