Personal Profile

Dr. Oakley
Freshman Seminar (W)
September 2006 Never Judge a Book... I am an examiner, an adventurer, an investigator and an observer. All of these qualities come forth prominently through being a student. Life is a journey of learning, I believe in being a student throughout life and I will take a front row seat. Through being a student, I've learned not only about the concepts at hand, however about myself as well. To perform optimally, one must discover what motivates them. I am a student who is motivated by a desire to acquire knowledge of anything and everything. Curiosity of the unknown inspires me to learn, I want to know what I don't already know. Also an underlying but important motivation is financial need. In our society it is nearly impossible to survive or provide for a family based on an income lacking a college degree. Also an inspiration of mine as a student is setting a prime example for my siblings of how very important an education is. With glamorous images of professional athletes and rock stars flooding the media, the concept of education being so valuable is often undermined. Though I feel that being a student can be fun, the hard work will result in the accomplishment of completion of a degree which will be rewarding for all of my life. Being educated is a valuable quality that no one may take from you. I am motivated to be a desirable asset in our society's work force. My intentions through learning as a student is to one day become a teacher. Every aspect of being a student, whether it be reading, writing, or being taught present opportunities to explore beyond facts and into the depths of your own mind and thoughts. Being a good student means allowing one's self to let go of preconceived notions and acknowledge other points of view and information, which is also important as a teacher. Learning comes most easily to me visually. Observations

References: are pulled from my mind like folders from a file cabinet, relating my ideas to concepts and memories from real life experience. A high school teacher of English assigned a project that taught me to produce my work in that manner. "Pull out a sheet of paper and just write, for now there can be no flaw in your thoughts" she said. Hands raised and a chaotic chatter erupted as our class had never been given an assignment similar to this. "Write whatever you 're thinking, as long as your mind allows you thoughts you may continue writing," she persisted. As I dug through my scattered desk for more clean paper, it was only then that I truly discovered the power of the mind and its continuous cycle of thoughts. Allowing your mind to guide your pen without any inhibitions is a skill that is priceless to me as a student. The editing process allows for this free writing without worry of format or grammatical accuracy. Writing is a release; it allows me to disperse my scattered thoughts into a coherent reading for someone else to get a snapshot into my mind. Every individual 's mind contains beliefs, views, feelings, and opinions that are otherwise contained unless verbally released or done so in written form. Whether it is in a notebook, a diary, even through a thesis, writing allows the mind to purge emotions and ideas onto paper for others to digest. I feel that being ashamed or embarrassed to display your writings can be a disservice to others, as they may learn a valuable lesson from you or simply take comfort in that someone feels the same way they do. Reading the works of others is eye opening to me as well. Open mindedness is a theory that I adopt first and foremost as I read. When I embark on reading a new book, first and foremost I do not judge the book by its cover. "You HAVE to read this book," my Mom insisted as she set down a novel on my desk. The cover looked bland and wasn 't sparking any desire in me to open it. I let that book get buried under piles of junk as I packed my bags for college. As I arrived and unpacked, I found the book crushed under some clothes with the cover peeled back and creased open. After a long day of orientation, I had some down time and decided to settle down and read. The Lovely Bones is now among my all time favorite books, judging the book by it 's cover kept me from unlocking it 's intriguing tale inside. The cover is but a small glimpse at what the literature has to offer. While I have been reading since age four, I 've taken it for granted for most of my life. Reading has only been a truly appreciated part of my life for the past few years. As I find myself emerged in the writings of others, my own opinions are occasionally challenged. A different perspective provided by another writer offers a new way of perceiving a concept. Challenging my own opinions often keeps my ideas fresh. Deep concentration on another 's work allows my mind to explore new tunnels and pathways through concepts that I may have never taken myself. Reading any type of literature twice is important to me. A second analysis of literature often helps me to absorb the information more readily and pick up on the previously overseen details as I already have an idea as to what to expect. Throughout my life I have grown tremendously as a student. I 've come to acknowledge that the letter grade at the top of the paper isn 't always the most important thing. Though it is a testament as to your performance, it is not always efficient in showing true inner growth and connections that students make with the skills from the classroom to the society outside. Perhaps the most important knowledge we take from the classroom can not be taught from a textbook. While learning basic skills such as reading and writing, I have also learned more complex skills. Analyzing literature and critical thinking are among the proficiencies that being a student has provided me. Applying things I 've learned in becoming a good student have carried over into my everyday life. I am more inclined to meet new people without any inhibitions, just as I am in regards to opening a book I 'd never seen or heard of before. Being a good student requires knowing yourself, your motivations, and weaknesses. Motivation influences people to act; it gives us a reason to perform our best. Though I have only taken my schoolwork seriously in the recent few years, I have discovered my inner passion for learning and one day teaching others. I am a student of life and I welcome new experiences and the knowledge I can take from it.