Bouquets of Pencils

Don't you just love going back to school? No, I'm not being sarcastic. Summer can be both refreshing and boring at the same time. For me, the beginning of the school year is a time for a fresh start, new possibilities, and a little apprehension. I hope you will find this blog a fun way to communicate and express yourself. Below are some beliefs that I have about education and learning. I'll be anxious to see what your thoughts are.

I believe...

education is the way to escape poverty and other life situations that you may not be thrilled with.

a good education greatly determines your future.

students should always know WHY they are learning what they are learning.

students should have a say about HOW they learn best

practice makes perfect, which means that we aren't done learning something just because the chapter ended and we took a test. Even brainiacs don't catch everything the first time.

being a successful person means being able to express yourself well- through writing and speech.

problems are not solved with yelling and gossip, but with respect.

Blogging and Netiquette

Blogging is a relatively new phenomenon- probably one you've all taken part in before. The difference between your blogs and this one is that this one is an "academic blog".

What this blog is:

• a place for poems, short stories, and other original writing
• a place to comment on and ask questions about class assignments, deadlines, etc.
• a place to post upcoming school events that promote spirit
• a place for sharing great books
• a place for constructive comments

What this blog is NOT:

• a place for negative comments
• a place to talk to friends about weekend plans, boyfriend/girlfriend stuff, bash others, etc.
• a place for swearing

Now some tips for proper "netiquette". For those of you who don't know, "netiquette" is the accepted way to behave while communicating online. Below are some dos and don'ts.

• Do post comments that are helpful. (You don't have to enjoy everything you read here, but you do not have a right to be rude. There is a civil way to say everything.)
• Do not TYPE IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE IT FEELS LIKE YOU'RE YELLING!
• Do stick to the topic the blog was about when posting a comment
• Do not use IM language. For example, do not use "bf", "L8er", etc. Remember this is an academic blog. Punctuation and full words are expected.