Thursday, October 22, 2009

A New Semester

As this semester winds down, I find myself becoming excited to start anew on Monday. The beginning of the school year was unpleasant for most teachers at the Bay. Rather than starting the year off with new hopes and goals, we started with feeling dejected and already run down. The new semester gives everyone another chance to create a more positive outlook on the rest of the school year.

Here are some ways that we call can make the rest of the year a successful one:

1. Approach every day with positivity. I know I sound like a caffeine infused self-help guru, but our mindsets have a huge impact upon how we perceive everything.

2. Come to school ready to learn. You are all getting a free education. And, it is a pretty great one. This is not the case for many people around the world. Take advantage of the benefits that are handed to you on a silver platter (Oh, wait, this is Wes-ton, the platter is probably gold :).

3. Bring a sweater to school. No, really, I am serious. We are rolling around to that time of year when it will start to get chilly. Not cold, but chilly. It never ceases to amaze me when a kid walks in to class in shorts and a t-shirt on a day when it is 55-60 degrees outside. How am I supposed to teach walking icicles?

4. Laugh at yourself. It took me a long time to learn to do this, but when I did, my life improved tremendously. Humans are essentially funny. You may not think you do anything at all that is humorous, but odds are, you do. Laugh at these eccentricities and you will be all the better for it.

5. Work beyond your potential. I can't tell you how many kids I have watched become complete imbeciles because they were lazy. It seemed that with each lazy act, a little bit of their intelligence slipped further and further away until they were just an empty shell. Don't let me watch you do the same. It kills me a little bit every time I see this - and to be honest - I don't know how much more I can take!

I think this is a fine beginning. I could probably go on and on but I know after a while you will stop reading (see I understand my audience). If I have forgotten any tips, add some in your comments.

10 comments:

Arias, J said...

I understand what you feel Mrs. Stoklosa, since my mom is also a teacher. She comes back from school in Miami everyday exhausted. Even on the first day of school, which was not supposed to be hectic she came home with no energy. I like that you have a positive attitude which will help you and also your students...

P.S. (this first quarter we did have a bunch of assignments)

Anonymous said...

I am also excited to start the second quarter. It’s a fresh start and a second chance to try to maintain an A in your course. I enjoyed the list of tips. I find them to be helpful, I will definitely bring a sweater and try to laugh at myself more often. Although I enjoyed the first quarter I am ready to move on to new beginnings and start all over

Moccia said...

These tips are really helpful. I know people who are always complaining about how much work they get and they end up being lazy and getting bad grades. Keeping a positive attidude is definitely the best way to succeed in school.

Springer. K said...

Yeah, I'm really excited for the new semester so i can get a fresh start on new grades. I think i speak for most of us when i say that getting back into school after a long summer is not as easy as you think. I totally agree the new semester hopefully will go better and thanks for the tips..

Proenza, C. said...

Those were some interesting tips Mrs. Stoklosa. I will try t use those tips to my full advantage in this quarter, the next semester, and the rest of my school career. Thanks a bunch for the tips. I also agree with the sweater thing. I use to be the person entering class without a jacket when it was 55-60 degrees outside. I paid the price by geting bronchitis last year. I won't do that ever again...

Anonymous said...

I too am excited to start a new semester on Monday. I feel that each semester is a fresh start a new beginning for both students and teachers. Some kids have lazy snaps or just a rough 9 weeks and don't have a good semester. When the new 9 weeks start it is like turning a new leaf. I took a while thinking about your tips and i have realized that not only are they really helpful for the new semester but they also can help us with social situations. Laughing at yourself can help you not take things to seriously. I also think that when you said to approach every day with positivity can help in situations where you know something like a big test or presentation is coming up that day that you feel you are not 100% ready for thinking positive thoughts like "It can't be that bad," or "Its sunny out maybe thats a sign." will help you feel better.

Griffin.C said...

Its hard to have a positive view on school when it starts so early! And I can't wait until it gets cold, I have had it with this 90 degree weather. Its October give me a break. But I do like that you have a positive attitude about learning it helps me want to learn in your class. But then I go to third hour and that all changes.

citcioglun said...

Mrs.S i feel u on this one, i think that we should take the upper hand of this free education and use it. I am a very lazy kid but since i know your class is challenging it helps me out on a lot of stuff. Also thos kid who come to school with shorts and little shirts on a winter is ridiculous. Mrs.Stoklosa i'll see you tomorrow make this weekend easy for us thank you.

JLowe said...

I'm glad that we're done with this quarter. It's nice to know that school is already 1/4th done with. Personally I can't wait til next semester where after a few class changes I'll have all electives. Being done with this also showed me what I had to do to get an A in my classes (like showing up for a missed test) and the work to come. I am one of those people who come to school in shorts when it's 50 degrees. It doesn't bother me too much. I mean sure it's cold but not cold enough to make me put a jacket on.
Coming from western, Cypress Bay is a lot different. We had deka cookies, but to us Western kids they were just cookies sold over the counter on Wednesdays. We didn't have any of this Aftershock business, or a morning show. I find it to be a nice little change coming from Western

WestA said...

I have to agree with you about the lazy people in this world. It also drives me insane. Most of them are really intelligent, but they're just to lazy and don't care. Okay, I'll admit I can become a slug at times and not do an assignment because I'm just too exhausted. But, I got a lot to deal with on my "gold" plate.
Hopefully, this semester will be much better then the last. (It probably won't be considering the amount of work that will soon pile up, but I'm trying to be optimistic.) One thing I do to keep my stress level down and to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed, I hang out with my friends every Friday night and either all day Saturday or Sunday. Being by the pool or seeing a movie with my friends gives me something to look forward to all week long and keeps me focused.