Life Almost Straight?

The goal of wanting to succeed is quite natural for everyone. It is not unjust to assume that all students want to become successful as well. However, some students are more determined to succeed than others and take extreme steps to do so. Richard Rodriguez’s The Scholarship Boy discusses the issue with scholarship students. He argues the overachieving student has an eager obsession with learning. Although Rodriguez addresses the scholarship boy obsession with success, he fails to describe the undergoing stress of the overachieving student.

She recalls the struggles, the fun, her failures and even her success in the end (Harding, 2011). The personal story shows the real road it takes with decisions we make “when entering college, Harding wrote that she began college because she felt it was expected of her”(Harding, 2011). College students often make choices based on what they perceive as pressure to do so by others like councilors, parents and even society. They enter college thinking this is what my plan should look like and not making choices that are the best for them. Harding said that in the end “ we all become graduates of one of the finest universities in the world- and already, nobody much cared how we got there”(Harding,2011). To me this shows that even if you pass by the skin of your teeth, you can still fail in the end. A diploma is not the end result that maters the most. Students need to choose colleges that appeal to their needs and goals and not just go to get a diploma. If students spend no time studying weather boarded or not liking their studies, then what difference does the diploma make in the end. Students would just have a degree that often goes unused in life but the costs is ever mounting to these students. The financial cost, the cost of failure, loss of energy and time, causes many students to never finish their education or even to avoid going in the

“Conquering the Freshman Fear of Failure,” by David L. Kirp, main idea id that every student starts college with the overwhelming feeling that they have to succeed. “This fear of failing hits poor, minority, and first generation college students especially hard. (pg.1 p.3)” I am the first person in my family to go to college in my family, and I am so driven to make them proud, and make every cent they are paying worth it. The idea of succeeding means so much to me that I would become devastated if I got even a “C” on an exam. I pressure myself to become an example to my brother and sister, so one day they will have the influence and courage to become something great in the life. I am trying to reach for the stars, but my biggest fear is my

In this editorial it states that many students are influenced by their communities and their, “Lower expectations.” Because of these lower expectations, which create a lack of competition, students no longer have the urge to succeed or to be better than another. There is a major difference in the, “Environments

Throughout our lifetime we go through a variety of challenging changes that may affect our future, Joseph O'Connor, a Lee high school graduate, and I are just a few of many examples. In his article, “A View from Mount Ritter”, O’Connor shares a horrific life changing experience on a two-week expedition in northeastern California. O'Connor a regular stubborn teenager, gets trapped in a frightening storm on the second week with another expeditioner. As soon as the storm starts to calm they starts to search for the driest place to set camp, realizing it was the worst night of his life O’Conner decides to turn his life around by turning his poor academic grades around and deciding to go to college. O'Connor's purpose is to inform and educate his readers to realize how precious life is and how it should not be taken for granted. He supports his purpose with a personal experience, concluding with “No man knows till he has suffered from the night how sweet and how dear to his heart and eye morning can be”. Based on O'Connor's experience and my own, the quotation reveals a truth, a truth that people must endure a struggle in order to appreciate one's life.

Countless countries and beliefs were made possible because of hope. This is the same in literature. Most ideas and actions or risks are based upon hope, and is usually proceeded with persistence. Through the school year many units were covered that would be able to defend that statement. The “Slavery and Civil War” unit was one that talked about the hope of being free. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck told the story of two men with a big dream of having no worries. Finally, Stanley Gordon West’s, Until They Bring The Streetcars Back was a novel that was about how one boy did everything he could to help some stranger.

Some of the goals of schooling and society in the United States are to develop students and citizens, who have high aspirations, believe in their capabilities, are hopeful they can realize their aspirations, and are optimistic about their future in general. Such characteristics are important because each leads to overall well-being (Bandura, 1977; Scheirer & Carver, 1985; Snyder et al., 1991), student achievement and higher graduation rates (Snyder et al., 2002) through a personal sense of urgency which allows them to take control of their life, challenge themselves, persevere through difficulties, and cope when obstacles arise (McBride, 2012).

A student who succeeds is one who encompasses the bravery and courage to start anew. Even knowing that, I was a student who feared every little action I took in high school because of the consequences I was afraid to face afterwards. The uneasiness of carrying out plans alone shaped my character into an indecisive clutter about everything inside my mind. But even with that hindrance, I tackled one of the hardest choices I had to make: choosing Case Western Reserve University over University of Georgia.

In Mary Sherry’s essay “The Praise in the “F” Word” she discusses a technique that should be used to motivate students to do better in school. Sherry argues that the threat of failure motivates a student to apply themselves in school in order to succeed. Students who have a healthy fear of failure tend to be motivated to do better because something they desire is a risk. Many high school teachers have also awarded students with a passing grade although they actually deserved a failing grade simply because of pity. The fear of failure is the best tool to use on students in order to help them succeed and to push them for a brighter future.

In this video, Brene Brown explained to me to what is hope and how can we become success from being failure again and again. She said that hope has three piece ,which are goal, pathway, and agency. Also, she explained that failure and practicing can help people to do better or learn. If I want to be master or familiar with calculus student, I should do what Brown told me to do. First, I have to set up a goal, which is getting an “A” on the next exam or the total grade. Then, I have to set up a way or plan about how I can improve my grade or be more familiar with calculus, I should practice more. In addition, I have to have a feeling or thought about believe myself that I can do it and I am able to solve those problems. Even though, I may get

As one analyzes the reasoning behind the title “Life Almost Straight”, they may derive that experiencing life is important. In John A. Roush's article “College should be an adventure”, he explains why one should experience their life and not focus completely on making sure their

According to Bill Gates, “It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” Failure should not be feared in the education system because it is vital for students’ success. It compels students to be successful because they realize that there are consequences for their actions. Unfortunately, education systems are lacking this crucial asset, since educators and parents surmise that it is damaging to recognize a child’s failure. This is relevant in both articles, “In Praise of the “F” word” by Mary Sherry and “The Speech the Graduates Didn’t Hear” by Jacob Neusner, which both expound on the effects recognizing failure has on students and communities.

Hope is relevant to one as it is an abstract noun that every individual has within them. Most people desire love , success or change

The image of a high school journey as a “path” is a barrier because it implies that, like a pathway, there is a stable, predictable course ahead. However, learning journeys do change, they are unpredictable because of the unknown and because of our natural instinct to change our mind or ideas about our future. Even when adding in the metaphor of a bend within the path, the image created is still one which continues to embed in our minds the ideas of visibility, stability and predictability.

Well here it is, the biggest assignment of the Collegiate curriculum. The assignment that I have been informed of since Kindergarten. In my early years here, I would consider the good life consisting of making a great amount of money, having a massive house, retiring at forty, and having a wife and two kids. However, as I have matured throughout the years, the good life has become more about internal success, and a solid foundation for my future. Along with the maturity, came aspirations, both great and small, from graduating, to getting into madrigals, from finding a close group of friends, to getting to know a new student. These aspirations, regardless the outcome, success or failure, taught me a lesson, and directed me through early stages