Contrary to Popular Belief, I didn’t get to Smith and Harvard on My Good Looks Alone or
Ways to Demonstrate Initiative and Intellectual Curiosity
· Ask me for related readings
· During class, look up unfamiliar words in the dict. or on the comp immediately
· Don’t ask me to repeat directions, things written on the weekly calendar or on the white board--Try 3 Then Ask Me—check before asking out loud
· Wait until I finish speaking and THINK before asking clarifying questions
· Ask me for book recommendations
· Read for pleasure no matter how busy you are—even just 15 minutes
· Take your drafts more seriously
· Take advantage of my email or
· Make an appt. to work with me during block 1 or after school
· Come into class and open your nb to the homework
· Stop talking during announcements
· Approach me at a good time to find out what you missed when absent instead of mobbing me at the beginning of class when I have to take attendance, organize, and complain about the computer not working again
· Start thinking symbolically and look for patterns
· Sit next to someone new or unfamiliar
· Keep a tally of how many times you contribute during class on a scrap paper—you will be surprised at the results
· Dazzle with your sense of humor, not just verbally but in papers
· Stop being modest and show off how smart you are in discussion, in papers and on tests
· Use more sophisticated vocabulary in conversation and in drafts
· Multitask when you can but recognize when it is better to focus on one thing and then do it
· Be kind even when you really don’t want to—see other points of view
· Maintain perspective—it’s hardly ever about YOU
· Pay attention to everything around you—observe, read, listen to people, TV, radio, movies, magazines, newspapers, internet, nature; watch jeopardy, play Trivial Pursuit, will yourself to remember
· Be interested
©2008 Schmidty U