Growth Mindset

I am usually pretty good at pushing myself to go farther. If I feel overwhelmed though, I will resort to only doing the minimum. This remains true across the board. If I am really enthusiastic about something, I am more inclined to push myself.               

I definitely do not look for praise or reward. I am very self-motivated. I used to be too hard on myself, but I have gotten better about it. Of course, it is encouraging to get outside praise and/or reward though.

I am very bad about wanting to stay in my comfort zone. I am not completely opposed to try new things, but I need the right kind of motivation to do so. The motivation must come from the right person and the right place in order to be effective in leading me to branch out. I am one to play it safe as opposed to making risks more often than not though. I used to hate change, but I have become more open to it lately. Parenting teaches you to roll with the flow.

Inspiration, online source

I focus on both my grades and my learning, but I hate to say that I focus more on my grades. This is different if I am taking a course which I am actually interested in though.

I am good at seeing both the short and long-term perspective. This is another thing that becomes difficult when I am overwhelmed though.

I do not like others to make my decisions for me. I will sometimes let it happen if I feel too shy and won’t speak up, but I am very good at setting my own goals and, more importantly, sticking to them. My bashfulness and social anxiety keeps me from asking some questions that I have and causing me to rely on sticking to what I know, but motherhood is helping me get past this issue. I am less scared to ask questions now.

I usually have a good idea of when I am good at something and when I am not, but I don’t let that knowledge get me down. I will keep trying to get better, unless it is something that is not important. I don’t usually feel bored or frustrated unless I am tired. I have a pretty enthusiastic attitude toward life in general.

Of course, I am more likely to choose what is easy as opposed to what is hard, but I can also see what will be “easy” in the long run. I will not make the “easy” decision if it means a more difficult future. I tend to want things to go “right” the first time, but I have no problem working on something if need be.

Motivational Baby, online source

I was a never a procrastinator until I became a mom. Now, I am the queen of procrastination. I have really been struggling with that this semester, and I keep telling myself that if I can only make it to spring break, I will do better for the remainder of the semester.

In all honesty, I am not good at taking constructive criticism. It is a weakness of mine, and I tend to be defensive when I get it. I am trying really hard to get better at it though. I used to be a perfectionist, but I am a fairly eager learner. I will take others’ advice into consideration to improve my work; I just may not take it well in my head at first. Although I get defensive, I will always use my mistakes to improve in the future. I don’t usually compare myself to others, but I do learn from others’ successes and mistakes.

                For the remainder of the semester, I am going to do my best to resist the temptation to only do the minimum when things get overwhelming. I will push myself to continue to give my best effort. I need to branch out and try new and different writing styles with my stories to help me get better at branching out from my comfort zone. I need to do better about sticking to the schedule I set for myself to get things done. I am good at setting a schedule… I just need to get better at following it! I will continue to work on not taking criticism personally and use it to improve my work.

Week 8 Reflections

Reading:

I think I have done a pretty good job with my reading selections so far. I have found something interesting in every collection of stories I have read. There have been some stories throughout the collections that I was really tempted to just skip over, but there was always a great story or multiple to make it worth it. The reading I have enjoyed most was the Arabian Nights reading. The whole story inception thing really captivated me. I need to do better about setting aside a time to do my reading though because I have been bad about doing them at the last minute which makes it less enjoyable.

My reading notes are extremely helpful each week. I usually already have my story planned out after I write my reading notes post. I think I am doing very well with reading like a writer. I have all kinds of ideas about my own stories flowing through my head as I read.

The Cherokee readings sound intriguing for weeks nine and ten. Almost all of the stories for weeks eleven and twelve sound enticing! That is going to be a hard decision! The same goes for week thirteen and fourteen. We are ending strong for sure!

Writing:

I am happy with the stories I have written this semester. I have learned that I am very fond of dialogue and need to get better at adding descriptive details. I usually ask my mom for help with my writing because she was an English teacher for many years and has her masters. I trust her advice completely.

I am very excited about my Storybook! I have it planned out very well, and my first story was such fun to write!

I would like to try writing a story in a script format. I saw that in a storybook, and it made me remember doing a script in a creative writing class in high school. It was a lot of fun, and I would like to try it again. Like I mentioned earlier, I need to get better about adding descriptive details and imagery to my stories. I think one of the best ways to develop my writing skills is simply to practice, read others’ stories, and get feedback- all things we do in this class! 

Connecting:

I usually admire the novel ideas that others have of which I would have never thought. I have noticed a lot of grammar issues, mainly run-ons and comma issues that I really hope to avoid in my writing. I think I have gotten better at feedback as the semester has progressed. I want to start reading others’ stories a bit more critically because I am usually a bit too complimentary, which isn’t always that helpful, although it is nice to hear.

Image Info:

Books, online source

Pen and Paper, online source

Connections, online source