Frankly, my dears...

Have you ever felt like Scarlett O'Hara at the end of Gone with the Wind? When Rhett has had enough and finally heads for the door, she clutches his coat and begs him to stay, saying, "All I know is that you do not love me and you are going away! Oh, my darling, if you go, what shall I do?" You've probably heard about Rhett's famous answer, but the answer he gave Scarlett's not what you want to hear when you have a problem, is it? Most people would love it if they had someone at their beck and call to tell them where to find the answer or even to get the answer for them--like the "easy" button in the offfice supply commercials, but that really isn't how life works, most of the time. If life's not that easy, we need a plan to deal with problems when they come along, yes? Hm...

"To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who[m] could I ask?" Jim Rohn

Here's a good placed to start--the brainstorming. Take the questions in order. Make yourself a plan first; then, do the research. You would be surprised how much you can discover if you get out your metaphorical shovel and start to dig. Evidence also shows that independent learning is a beneficial process of a student's education. Take a look at this information from http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/policy/cels/el7.html:

"In this process, independent learners develop the values, attitudes, knowledge and skills needed to make responsible decisions and take actions dealing with their own learning. Independent learning is fostered by creating the opportunities and experiences which encourage student motivation, curiosity, self-confidence, self-reliance and positive self-concept; it is based on student understanding of their own interests and a valuing of learning for its own sake.
Independent learning is part of an ongoing, lifelong process of education that stimulates greater thoughtfulness and reflection and promotes the continuing growth of students' capabilities and powers. More than the rote learning of facts and skills, this approach to learning encourages students to make meaning for themselves, based on their understanding of why and how new knowledge is related to their own experiences, interests and needs.
Independent learning is a direction for the process of education, not an absolute standard; this process takes different forms for different students and it varies according to subject matter and students' interests and abilities in the subjects. Independent learning involves the teacher and learner in an interactive process that encourages students' intellectual development and their capacity for independent and reflective judgment. "

Now, I'm not including that information to say that I expect you to learn everything on your own--quite the contrary. I just want you to be aware of how well taking part in a process like independent research can actually benefit you. You will learn a lot by taking responsibility for finding information yourself, and then, you can go back to the Jim Rohn quote--step 3. To whom can I turn when I have questions?

That answer's easy. You have (or will have at least three Study Buddies) my email address, my website, this blog, and my cell phone number. Some people hesitate to use their buddies and especially me as a resource; however, it's a very sad thing when you hesitate to come to a teacher with a problem. That's what we're here for. It's a very positive sign to a teacher when you ask for help (not when you ask the teacher to do it for you, but when you've taken steps one and two already). It shows that you've already been resourceful and have already made an effort, and it also shows that you care about learning (or at least your grade) and that you're doing the responsible, mature thing by getting help when you need it and not allowing yourself to fall into an even bigger problem--the quicksand of failure. Teachers really love it when students make an effort and use all of their available resources to do the best they can! (NO JOKE!)

Rohn's basic message isn't rocket science--brainstorm, do the research, and ask for help. When you've got a problem, it's an excellent plan! Try it out! (And not just in English class) I'd be keenly interested in hearing your results. :-)

"Mary, Mary, Why Ya Buggin'?"

Hm...maybe Mary was "buggin'" because she was trying to grow something new in her garden, and it made her a little bit nervous, apprehensive, or scared.

I ran across this quote from Brian Tracy today: "Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new."

And after the week I've had, I agree with it completely. You see, I myself am in the process of learning something new--something completely foreign to me. When I find myself in a position in which I am not confident and/or in which I don't have very much prior knowledge, I tend to get a little nervous and shaky. Most people wouldn't believe that because they tell me that I don't have any shy bones in my body, that I'm very assertive, that I'm at least reasonably smart, and that I know no strangers (meaning I will walk up, say hi, and strike up a conversation with just about anybody).

I find all that odd, because when I'm in new situations like the one I described above, I feel very shy, scared, timid, retiring, taciturn, skittish, bonkers, and blunt as a post. Yep. I think it happens to all of us. But if I'm to take anything away from that quote, it's that the only way I'm ever going to get past that crazy feeling is to go through it--to be open to experiencing that and get out of what makes me comfortable.

For example, let's say I tried out for the game show Jeopardy! (one of my favorites, by the way--I have it pre-programmed on my DVR and have actually learned quite a bit just from watching). If the categories were things like "Shakespeare," "Vocabulary," "Famous Movies," "Romantic Poetry," "80's Song Lyrics," and "Broadway Musicals," I'd be very confident and fast to ring in on that buzzer! "Take that, Trebek!"

But if you made me play on the day that the show featured "Math 101," "World Geography," "Engineering," "Auto Mechanics," "Arthropods," and "17th Century Asian History," count me out. I'd sit there like moldy Cheez Whiz on a stale cracker.

At one point or another, everybody may feel uncomfortable; however, if you really want to grow, you've gotta go ahead and let yourself experience that weirdness, and it will pass. If I actually studied Arthropods, I might wipe out the entire category. Who knows? And so can you!!!!!

So what if, at this moment, you don't know the difference between past perfect and future perfect, between subjunctive and conjunctivitis, between romance and romantic literature, between pathetic fallacy and logical fallacy? You will--if you stick with it! At one point, you probably didn't know how to walk, dress yourself, eat with a fork, or tie a shoe, either, and just look at you now!!!

Here's a new nursery rhyme for you:

_____, _____ (Imagine me, filling in the blank with your name), quite quite wary,
How does YOUR garden grow?

And you answer---

With _________ (ingenious idea 1), _________________ (fascinating fact 2), and pretty ___________________________ (earthshattering epiphany 3) all in a row!"

Let's challenge ourselves to see how we can make our gardens grow this year, shall we?