My Important Plan for Improvement

A new year has begun for Innovation Lab, and the best way to get motivated and measure success is to develop a set accomplishable goals. I decided that I would set a short, medium, and long term goal that I would use to fuel me this year and beyond. My short term goal is to start off my junior year the way I intend to finish it. That means I plan to make sure I’m prepared for all quizzes and complete all assignments on time.

In fact, I even made a personal challenge to myself to see how far into the school year I can make it before I goof up and forget an assignment. I hope to make it the entire year without forgetting anything. Last year my failure to write down assignments anywhere cost me a few zeros, which I can easily avoid this year by keeping track of what is due and when. I’ve been using the reminder function on my laptop so that I can just swipe with four fingers and everything I need to do will pop up before me.

My useful tool in combating disorganization

My medium term goal, which depends heavily on having completed my first one, is to finish my junior year with all A’s. That wasn’t something I accomplished last year, but I was close enough that I am confident I can do it this year. It’s a big goal and I know it will require me to be very disciplined all year. Things that might aid me in accomplishing this goal are studying for tests and quizzes further in advance than I have done in the past.  My over-ambitious belief that I can learn all of the material on an assessment in one night has negatively affected my test and quiz grades, especially during midterms and finals.

Procrastination in general has been my fatal flaw throughout my entire career as a student. It’s not very often that I will start something in advance if I have another day to work on it. This is a problem I’m constantly trying to overcome, but it’s a real challenge. The immediate satisfaction that comes from watching youtube videos while work piles up sometimes overpowers the wiser voice telling me to do my work. If I can get my procrastination under control, it would be a huge step for me as a student, and a future adult.

The message my brain ignores

My long term goal is to be able to get into a college of my choice. My success in achieving the first two goals will contribute greatly to my last one, which is further incentive to complete them. Although college is a long way off, everything I do this year matters, and I need to stay on top of everything. In addition to my InLab academic goals, I am also looking to develop my strengths and interests more both inside and outside of class so I have a better idea of what I would like to study and have a better chance of choosing a college that is right for me. My opponent in  reaching all three of these goals is only myself, but I believe that I am motivated and I can overcome my internal Homer Simpson and complete all of these goals I have set for myself.

My Hopes and Dreams

My Summer Reading

1984 is a novel by George Orwell, written as a warning to the future from the year 1949. Although the year 1984 has since passed, the message it teaches remains present in today’s society. 1984 is a very important book both to modern literature, and society as a whole, since it was one of the first dystopian novels of its time, and while reading it, the reason for its legacy becomes obvious. The book was written as a warning to society against the dangers of unquestioned leadership, and a reminder to not believe everything the government tells you. In my opinion, this message has never been more relevant than in 2017, a year in which the leader of the free world can spout “alternative facts”, similarly to how Big Brother can dictate that “two and two make five” (PDF Page 351) or that “Eurasia had always been at war with Oceana” (PDF Page 363), even though it is clearly documented otherwise. Although it’s not likely that the United States will dissolve into a dictatorship anytime soon, 1984 is so important because of its warning to past and future generations.

A Warning for the Citizens of Oceana

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a timeless science fiction novel written by Douglas Adams in 1979. The book is famous due to it’s hilarious yet absurd humor, and the marks that it has left on pop culture are hard to avoid. It was written as a complicated social commentary on nothing in particular, but the genius and heart of it never failed to capture my attention. A quote that related both to 1984 and the world of politics in general was “It is a well known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” The story is brimming with witty yet thoughtful quotes, and picking just one was difficult. The book follows Arthur Dent, an Earth man who finds himself traveling through the strange galaxy with his alien friend Ford Prefect, feeling entirely out of place. The main character is so likable because he is so relatably clueless to the surreal world that has replaced his old one. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is overall the best book I have read this year so far, and I hope more people get the chance to experience it.

The Now-Famous Words Inscribed on the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy