Awhile back I decided I needed to get away. From work, life, you name it. So I found a place in the mountains where I would have complete solitude. No cell service, no cable, no people. This trip took some planning on my part. I had to map out the route (remember, no cell service, therefore, no GPS), time my trip so I would arrive before it got dark, buy food, gas up, pack for the weather, etc. I made a list of everything I would need ahead of time and checked each item off as I completed it. It went really well. I got some much needed writing done and spent some time working on me. I only forgot one thing. I forgot to research plants in the area and came back with a nasty case of poison oak that about drove me insane with itch.
What is my point? We have entered a new semester and with that brings new teachers, classmates, expectations, rules, etc. But first we need to evaluate how last semester went. I’m not talking about grades, that one speaks for itself. I’m talking about habits. And this takes some honest reflection. Were you the student that you wanted to be? If I were your employer and evaluated your performance, how would I rate you? How would you rate you? Did you take on too much? Did you slack more than you should have? How was your time management? Jot your answers down or type or speak them into a memo.