After being out of the classroom for a few days and hearing some great speakers who were incredibly motivational and inspirational, I thought I would pose a question to all of you.
How can a student go from good to great?
That's it. I'm curious as to what your comments will be.
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About Me
- Lisette Casey
- Instructional Technology Assisting classroom teachers and administrators to authentically embed current and emerging technologies into the classroom and school to create a collaborative learning environments.
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40 comments:
A student can go from good to great, by many means. You can pay more attention to your studies, and to get better grades. You can also improve by having a better attitude, towards school, your teachers, your friends, and yourself. You can do more with your life and get into more extracurricular activities. The most important thing to me is to have god time management skills. You can do all of these things, and much more if you know how to deal with stress, and if you know how to manage your time wisely.
Love, Rebecca
A student can go from good to great by just being themselves in the classroom. Of course academics play a role but speaking their mind would be very important. For example a student should challenge the teacher with questions that they may not know and the teacher should challenge the student as well. You are only as great as you think you are.
Garrett
i think that you could get those bean bag chairs you were talking about. because the we would be comfortable and pay attention in class
When asked how to turn a student from good to great, many would say it has to do with the students attitude. I disagree, for I believe the student cannot just decide to change their attitude and then they are a better student. I think that to turn a student from good to great, you must motivation. If the student is interested in what they are learning about and are exited to learn more, they will likely be motivated. Motivation can also be as simple as rewards and punishments. Many students are motivated to do their best and receive good grades because they know that if they do not, their parents will be upset with them and perhaps even punish them. Others are motivated because they know that they may be rewarded if they receive good grades. All students have the potential to be great, It is the one who teaches them who must bring out their abilities.
A student can go from good to great by applying themselves. They can study, do all homework, respect teachers, get help if needed, and participate in class. Also don't procrastinate it makes your life harder by stressing you out. Give it your all because this is the time for a good education.
Megan
Having an interest in their education is what dertermines the level of greatness in a student. The interest and desire is maily applied and in forced by parents. If the mother or father teaches the kid, at a young age mind you, that education should be a main/major priority the student is more likely to suceede. On the flip side, if a parent gives the impression that education is not a main priorty and that it is not something to worry about the student will follow the path set up for them most often.
I think that we need to not have so much note taking because it kinda gets old. I thinks we should do something else than take notes, it is kinda like health. Ask the class what they think about health. Maybe we could play a game, or do an activity.(Not one of those boring ones though.) It might help you get some thoughts if you opened the questions to the class.
Sarek "Biohazard" Starks
Sarek,
Are you saying you would be able to achieve greatness if you had more free time in which you were not taking notes?
Jesse, Becca, Garrett, Raine, and Megan -
You address some interesting points. How much of going from good to great rests in the student themselves versus how much comes from the outside.
In other words, does a student become great because of their own actions, another's actions, or is there a balance between the two? Your responses hit on all of these in different ways.
Woody - bean bag chairs would definitely help the cause. So would cool desks, document cameras, and a great projection system.
A student can do many things to go from good to great. It all depends what that person sees as great. You can improve in school, sports, ect. by trying your hardest but still enjoying doing those things. Even if you fail at something, you can gradually get better at it by practicing and trying again.
=)
Shelby
A student can become greater by giving it your all or as my old football coach would say give a 110%. What i mean is any one can be great by thinking logicly and doing all asignments on time.
A student can go fram good to grate is by being organized and redy for school. Another way is by doing what the teacher wants you to do. My last way would be to have all of your homework don.
To go from good to great as a student or even an adult you have to be willing to change the way you think and the amount of effort you put into your work. Instead of seeing something as an obsticle think of it has just something to work on and overcome, when you fail, think about it as you just learned one more way not to do it. Nobody can make you do something so YOU have to want to be great.
Now, you can't change without help. Talk to your teachers and find out a system with planners and learniong styles that work for you. If you are very active and don't like reading then sitting at your desk and reading a text book wont help you but maybe getting up and acting out a battle scene would be more fin. Ask your parents and friends if they would be willing to help you with homework.
Finally, teachers need to bring kids lifes into school. If a boy who loves skatebording in their class, and you are learing about the civil war have them do a project seeing if there was a "civil war" for skatebords and if there wasn't then how was it that they came around.
Going from good to great isn't just a one person thing, it takes a change in outlook and an effort on many sides.
I think a student can go from good to great in many ways. I think a stundent can go from good to great if they want to. I think anyone can be great if they belive in themselfs. I base my veiw of practice. You can never be to good at something. Or you can always improve. If its sports to acadimics if you have the desire to become great then you can achieve your goal with practice.
Students certainly need the desire to learn and the thirst for knowledge. Without this thirst not many kids would persevere being a good student. But the learning environment is also critical. If the class around them is not absorbing, fun or new the kid doesn't care to be a part of it. I've been in dull classes that would drive any regular student nuts and I've been in some of the best and most exciting and I can tell you I'd rather be in the latter. But not only is the students surroundings important but so is the encouragement they get from home, the discipline. Once students get past these larger barriers the have to face the smaller ones like making expectations for one's self, setting goals, believing in one's self, taking on new classroom challenges, and not getting bogged down by other students who haven't even bothered to cross these barriers.
You are all right. Greatness takes many shapes and forms. You are all capable of greatness if you decide you want to achieve it. Cat is right, it starts with you. You also have a number of people who will support you to get there. Parents, friends, teachers, principals. All of us want to see you reach your potential.
Motivation is a challenge. Jesse is right that without motivation you probably won't want to work that hard. But, the choice is still yours. If you are only motivated by things that are fun and exciting, you will have a tough time achieving greatness. You need to develop a strong work ethic and apply it to your dreams.
Greatness does not come without hard work and sacrifice. Ask anyone who has achieved at a high level. It takes lots of hard work, which can be boring. It is the end, the dream, which makes it all worth while.
Now, school may not always be the most exciting place (Except Mrs. Casey's class, of course) but it is the place you learn the skills, knowledge, and discipline to achieve greatness. You may not always know it, but at school you are preparing yourself to seize the opportunities that will come you way later in life. Besides, if school was always fun and games they would call it play!
The last thing to keep in mind is that greatness is not a place or a thing. It is a state of mind, a way of doing things. The attitude you take and the way you approach things determines how much you can achieve.
Set the bar high for yourself and you will get there. You are all capable of greatness.
A student can go from good to great in a few ways. One is they can be a slacker and then try their very hardest to get straight A's. They can stay organized and stay focused in class and try their hardest. They can study and not pick fights with others around them.
Also dealing with mental bars and fences is a big challenge, for almost anybody. Infact I don't know a single person who hasn't had to struggle with this. As many of my classmates have said, there are many ways in which to help yourself become better. But there are also ways in which that others can help you too. Many people learn by example. The people you admire should try to set a better example for you and for others. When you complain that school is too hard, then you are telling someone else that it is ok to do the same. The blocks arent in how hard the homework is, but how hard you refuse to believe that you can't do it.
In many aspects of my life I simply think sometimes that my life is just too hard, and so is everything that I learn. But when I dig into myself for answers to my frustration I find that it is all inside. True you can't change your attitude about something instantly, but it can be done, after much practise of believing you can do it.
"People only see what they are prepared to see." Ralph Waldo Emerson once said. People only believe in what they want to believe. People only hear wah they want to hear. Human beings are the only creatures that have to disguise who they are. If you can get past all of your mental blocks and choose to accept yourself, those around you and your responsibilities, then we, as a race of beings together can achieve greatness.
Wow, Mrs. Casey and 8th grade students... this is GREAT. I am impressed by your thoughtfulness and insight. I can't wait to hear about your progress as a part of a class that moves from good to great!
Dear Manitou Springs 8th graders,
Hello from Coppet, Switzerland!
As a 44 year old manager in a global engineering company - I often reflect on all the times in 8th grade - when I wish I had paid more attention to my teachers. It's hard to be a good listener. I mean a REALLY good listener.
This is a secret to going from good to great: Learn to listen.
This is the essence of science, I think. To observe the world and make models to help understand it better. It all starts with the observation part. Rather than trying to imprint ourselves INTO the world around us - scientists need to get good at really observing carefully.
There is always noise in the world/data you observe. Most of the time that noise has meaning - but our knowledge is not yet sufficient to figure it out. So we call it 'Noise'.
So listen to your teacher. Learn to be quiet. Try to go to a peaceful quiet place and observe a natural phenomenon carefully and quietly for a LONG time. Focus on just one small thing. Don't write anything down. Just look, listen, smell, etc. Then go to sleep.
Then go back and repeat it.
Then start writing things down and comparing it to other things you've seen, heard or observed. That's a model. You can use math. You could compare it to a song, or a feeling, or a food. That's a model. A way to explain something in terms of something else.
That's my model for how scientific progress has been so amazing. It builds new observation models on the past models that have been shown to 'work' best. We got from apples dropping out of trees to landing on the moon in about 300 years, and if homo sapiens have been around for 50,000 years, that means it only took us less than 1% of our time to do something that cool.
Enjoy your science class! Listen up.
Paul Carson
Basically a student can go from good to great in a few simple ways. Your grades directly reflect how much effort you put into something. It is also a lot esier to accomplish things if you don't procrastinate. Being smart helps, but study skills and hard work turn a student from good to great.
A student can go from good to great in many ways. If you pay more attention and actually try instead of just slacking, i think everyone would be surprised about what they can accomplish! Working hard isn't always easy but you know for a fact that if you try, you can get to great places in life. If you have more confidence in yourself you can accomplish many great things!
-Grace
First and foremost, I agree with Woody. But I also believe that a student can go from good to great by wanting to do well themselves. Teachers cannot make students WANT to do well on a test or turn in that homework assignment. We, as students, need to WANT that. Striving for greatness is in our hands, no one elses.
-Emma
A student can go from good to great in different ways. One way is students could make a game out of studying with friends. Also it's not all the student's job sometimes If there is a really boring subject the teacher could think of a way to make it really fun to get the students involved. Also going from a good student to a great student could be knowing your limitations cause if you stay up for ever just studying for a test and don't get any sleep you might do worse.
A person can go from good to great in many ways.first, you can pay attention and want to succed in the real world.second,you can want to become a your dream.lastly,dont be afraid to become better at some thing your good at.
leave more time for homework and get motivated to do more than what is expected of yourself.
I think a student can go from good to great not just by his or her actions but by the interest of the class. So if the class was boring the student wouldn't really want to learn about that subject. Not only by the subject but who is teaching the subject. Like someone who talks in monotone all the time will probably will put the students to sleep. But someone who does fun and exciting stuff probably won't have that problem. Also to have homework that is easy to understand. Also the teacher has to open minded to some of the students requests to learn about as long as it is reasonable. Also on tests use you should have a study guide that has every thing on the test.
A student can go from good to great, by doing a lot of things. Some of those things are studying for tests a head of time. If you do just this you will get a better grade on your test which will raise your overall score. This shows time management. Another way a student can go from good to great is by turning in all your homework. This shows responsibility. One last reason I am going to share is picking up trash in the environment. If you do this it would make the Earth a better place to live. This shows great character.
A student can be great in the classroom several different ways. They can pay attention and take notes on the subject they are learning about. They can participate in class and question what they are learning about. They can sit back and soak in the information they are hearing and remember it for later. A student can be great in many ways. You may not agree with what I think makes a student great. But that is the point. a student's greatness is all based on the point of view. The teacher's, the classmate's, their own. So in many ways, every student is great.
I think you can go from good to great by, doing the things you like and maybe get a scholarship to a good college, and maybe get a really good job. but to do this you must do your home work and study and get good grades. you must also have a good attitude towards your studies and extracurricular activities.
-Josh
I enjoyed reading all of your comments. All of you have great insight into what makes a good student great.
Becca - your comment "The blocks aren't how hard the homework is, but how hard you refuse to believe you can do it." Really stood out to me. I truly believe that we can accomplish things if we only believe in ourselves.
I agree with Woody I think that we should get bean bags chairs in class. It might make us pay more attention in class. Also it would be really really cool.
HELLO MRS.CASEY ITS MEGAN W.!!!!!
I think that ways to go from good to great are, pay attention!!!!! give us candy and cookies!!!
=)
Love,Megan Walters!!!
A person in genral can go from good to great just by having confidence. Being great can just by being yourself. Like me for example, I am a Anime loving computer geek and proud of it! So I guess I am great! ^_^
I think what make a good student be great is focused on motivation. I think without motivation you can't get anywhere. I know that if I can't get motivated I don't even feel like looking at whatever I have to do. I think if friends and parents help out with this then it can help this problem of lack of motivation. Things like studying hard with a buddy are great but you have to make sure that you actually study instead of goofing off. Parents help a great amount with this also. Maybe offering something special if you do well and get good grades or something along these lines. Teachers can do the same whether it's a fun day off or a piece of candy it could help.So anyway the main point I think is that motivation is what makes a good student great!
If anyone wants to see what I've put, check out my blog!
Kailah =D
Rebecca, I loved your thoughts of going from good to great. Figuring out how to deal with stress, for me, is an every-day struggle, so when you've got it figured out - please let me know. Mrs. Dudley
Raine, I believe you are right on. So, work hard and keep education first. Mrs. Dudley
Passion is one difference between a good and great student. A good student has a good work ethic and learns the topics as required. A great student has passion to learn a topic or topics. The passion can be for a topic or be a broader passion to learn or achieve goals.
Debbie
A student can go to good to great in many ways. For example, you could get after school help, join more challenging classes, and just getting help from teachers and family. going to good to better also depends on the student. they have to be willing to be a better studnet first of all, and they have to try. all these things can help a student go to good to better. I also think Woodys comment are right, I think students would have to be comfortable to learn :)
I also disagree with Jessie because it mainly depends on the student and his attitude.
i also disagree with garrett becuase a student cant always be himself to be a better student. if you were a lazy not caring person, being your self wouldn't help you be a better student.
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