Study Aids

Every semester I encourage my students to find creative ways to study. It may be creating stories, building models etc. The internet is also full of new and creative ways to present concepts. One of my current students, Beta, found a video that she felt was helpful in aiding in the understanding of cellular signal transduction. Scroll down through the Youtube videos and take a look. Tell me what you think.

Fear Factor

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, in his inaugural address stated, "....the only thing we have to fear is fear itself...." What are YOU afraid of? Some fear success. Some fear failure. Some fear commitment, while others fear a lack of commitment. It is said that the fear of public speaking is the greatest fear of all. (From my personal vantage point, I find this difficult to comprehend). In my years on this speck in the universe, I have; however, come to one undeniable conclusion: Fear can either be a paralyzer or a motivator and THAT is dependent on you.

A few semesters ago, I had a bright student that was working on her last prerequisite for the nursing program. Three-fourths of the way through the course she disappeared. Several weeks later she contacted me to explain that, due to a domestic situation, she and her two children were now hiding in a shelter and she was planning on moving out of state and re-enrolling. (This was a situation that had been repeated for a number of years.) Her fear of an abusive individual was keeping her and her family on the run and away from her goals. Nothing that I could say could overcome the fear that she possessed. I failed that student that day as did the institution for which I worked. But just like every aspect of your life, eventually you have to turn and fight that fear.

Paralysis comes when you give into the fear. You can't make decisions, can't focus on the resolution, you just keep running (like a hamster in a wheel) and never get to your goal. You fear drives your every waking moment. If I don't pass, I can't get that job. If I don't get that job, I can't pay my bills. If I don't work, I can't pay for school that will lead me to a better job. If I don't tell this person how I feel, I'm going to loose them. If I don't fight for what I want, I'm going to loose everything.

Motivation comes when you recognize your fear and take steps to overcome it. A fear of failing is a great motivator to study, seek help, review problems, and create a plan of attack. If I need childcare, how can I get it and still afford to go to school? If my transportation is lost, how can I still do what I need to do? If I find this situation too difficult, what steps can I take to improve or change this situation?

Notice the difference between the two previous paragraphs? Paralysis leads to statements. (That many of us take as facts.) Motivation leads to questions about possibilities.

When someone else controls your fear you are NOT powerless. When you control your fear you are NOT powerless! Logical constructive planning will ultimately conquer your fear and drive your success. Which aspect of fear will you embrace?

App Happy

For those of you that wanted an App to help you study, one of my former students gave me the info. The app is called GFlash. It comes highly recommended. Give it a try and let me know what you think about it. And as always, good luck studying!

Project: Green Peas Mobile Nutrition

Obesity, Cardiovascular disease, and Type II Diabetes are the top three diseases that are helping to drive our current “Health Care Crisis” all of which can be controlled with proper diet. My proposal is to create Green Peas Mobile Nutrition Center. I intend to refit a recreational vehicle with a greenhouse, demonstration kitchen, and meal planning center. Not everyone has access to a garden, but almost anyone has access to a flower pot. By driving into communities and teaching container gardening, cultivation, and meal planning, many can supplement diets with healthy choices that can not only stretch their budgets, but help their health. The key to combating poor health is to eat healthy and the key to eating healthy is education. I have not been able to find the right platform for the various crowd funding websites currently available. However; if you would like to donate to this project, we will handle this the same way. The first thirty individuals that contribute will receive a bound scrapbook of the people that we help during our first year of operation. Tell me what you think about this project. (And no students, if you decide to donate....it does NOT count toward extra credit.) I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you!

May Your Energy Last

It's hard to believe that another semester is almost over. Seems like we just got started. Each of you have worked hard to get where you have gotten today. I will admit that the work has been difficult and the hours long, but look at what you have accomplished! You are now one step closer to being able to make a difference in someone's life and health. One of the best compliments I have ever received came today from a student that has been having a particularly difficult time. Ms. T informed me today that, "I'm really glad I came today.....I learned something!" Wouldn't it be great if we could view everyday that way. I will leave you with a blessing that I received from yet another student this week, "May your energy last five minutes after the class is over." That about says it all.

Cutting-edge Learning

Every day is a learning experience. How many times have you heard this? Usually this comment follows a bad experience. Why can't we learn from good experiences? Actually you can. Recently I attended a training session on McGraw-Hill's Connect website. This thing is touted as the next big thing in education. It creates individualized interactive learning. How cool is that! The students work at their own pace on assignments that you the teacher create. You can either use material questions supplied by the publisher or you can incorporate your own material. The student is guided through the material and is given constant feedback on his/her progress. The instructor receives regular progress reports as the students assimilate the material. Together the student and instructor can target problem areas of learning and areas of needed concentration. The Connect caters to multiple disciplines and I encourage you to check it out