3V That's a real word?

To me, motivation is an urge to accomplish something. It does matter what that urge is for, but it is usually something credible. Two words that I found this week were ineffable and elusive. Ineffable means unable to be put into words me elusive means not easily found. These words helped me this week in my history class and in inquiry. I had heard both used before, but had never bothered to look them up. Then this week, they were both important words in my classes and I found what they meant.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Ineffable?s=t

3B You actually like reading...?

For as long as I can remember, I have loved reading. It was so peaceful and it created an outlet for me to escape the chaos of life. I love how books have the power to bring you to a new world, full of adventure and excitement. Whenever I am stressed about school, I open one of the books in the Mortal Instruments or Infernal Devices, both series by Cassandra Clare. 

Throughout my childhood, I spent my free time reading. Usually children my age had video games or older siblings to play with. I was the oldest, and my parents were against video games. Actually, they were against technology. I rarely watched television, and spent my time on the couch reading instead of being glued to a screen. 

I am glad that I found a love for reading early, as it opened many opportunities for me. I joined book clubs, and always aced the reading tests in school. I am also an extremely fast reader, thanks to countless hours reading whatever I could get my small hands on. 

Many people question me when I say that I like reading. Pair that with wanting to be a history major, and people wonder if I'm actually all there. I am glad that I love reading, because it will definitely help me in college and when I'm a teacher.

Reading will always have a special place in my heart, and I hope that future generations value it the same way. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=stack+of+books&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&client=safari#biv=i%7C2%3Bd%7CB9ZUhqk79-gMgM%3A

3A Mr. William Shakespeare, Everyone!

I have always had a soft spot for Shakespeare, especially after we read Romeo and Juliet in my freshman year of high school. There was something intriguing about the language he used and the puns and jokes he made with language. Then, in senior year, I had to memorize Hamlet's To be or not to be speech. I got to work with the language first hand, and loved it. 

The quote "There is nothing good or bad, but thinking makes it so," is interesting, because it could be used for both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. It can be used for intrinsic because if you are going to do something, there is the possibility that you could convince yourself that is bad and be far less motivated to do it. The opposite can also be true, by thinking something bad is actually good and be motivated to accomplish it. It can be true for extrinsic as well, because you could be motivated to do something but peer pressure could convince you that it is bad and not to.

This quote can also explain fixed and growth mindsets. If you have a fixed mindset, you may be prejudiced against just finding the answer or end goal. If you have a growth mindset, you may already believe that the goal itself does not matter, but how the goal is reached is important.

This Shakespeare quote has many levels of thinking. It can be placed into many different contexts and still make sense. Many people are fixed in their beliefs, and may not even notice that they are doing what the quote says. Shakespeare quotes are, in my opinion, some of the greatest.

https://www.google.com/search?q=william+shakespeare&client=safari&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=RxozUvTSKPHa4APal4DgAQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAA&biw=1024&bih=672&dpr=2#biv=i%7C10%3Bd%7C0_eWv_0xE0qqMM%3A

2A 

Books and education are important? No way!

Books are probably one of the most important resources that we have. They hold infinite wisdom that can be unlocked by simply opening it. 

Kafka's books show just that. ""The idea is that when you're exposed to a meaning threat –– something that fundamentally does not make sense –– your brain is going to respond by looking for some other kind of structure within your environment," said Travis Proulx, a postdoctoral researcher at UCSB and co-author of the article."*

This shows how reading a book or short story by Kafka can actually change the structure of your brain. This not only strengthens your brain, it helps with creative problem solving. I thought this was extremely interesting, as when you read the book your brain has to make sense of what is written, and in turn makes new brain structures to help with the understanding. The article goes on to say that the effects would not be prominent, but would certainly be there. 

The same is true for education. If you have only studied one subject, you would consider yourself to be an expert in that field, right? That's what happened in the article "The 'Learning Knights' of Bell Telephone." 

Imagine the feeling of only truly knowing one subject, then going back to school and discovering that you have many more interests, none that are what you had originally known. "What’s more, the graduates were no longer content to let the machinery of business determine the course of their lives."** This shows how important an actual education is. You can discover who you think you are and who you want to be. 

I will definitely start reading more and try to keep an open mind about what I really want for my education after reading these two articles. They both brought up very important and interesting arguments. By focusing on those two, I can help myself become an independent thinker.

* http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915174455.htm

** http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/opinion/16davis.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&ref=opinion&adxnnlx=1283212898-Ot6WYK6hWbuoj3WowlOZzQ

2B

I Did Not Expect That

This week, I have tried to find a quiet place to study and do my homework. After visiting many different locations, such as the library and student center, I discovered that my dorm room was actually the quietest place. I could lay on my bed, put earbuds in, and start working on an essay that I had to do for English. 

I found that the student center was too loud and the library was actually too quiet. In my dorm room, I have a fan blowing which provides a soothing steady noise that the library lacked. There is also no loud footsteps of people walking up and down the many stairs in the student center. The schedules of my roommate and I work out perfectly for me to find time to do the majority of my school work. 

There are, however, some downsides. I find myself gazing out of the window often and there is always my friend who lives in the room across from mine who constantly wants to talk. Usually putting my music on and ignoring the outside world works the best for my short attention span. Also in my dorm room, I do not have to worry about there not being enough room or finding a nice place to work. 

My original goal was to find a new place to study, but I discovered, surprisingly, that the best place for me was my original place. There are many benefits- I have food in case I get hungry, I know where I keep extra pens and pencils, and I can dress as comfily as I want. The latter is the biggest benefit, as I like to be as comfortable as I can while doing homework. 

Even though I did not find success in discovering a new place to work, I am glad that I know now for future reference that I like working in my own room better. It will save time in the future when I am pressed for time and searching frantically for a place to study or, like in my position now, write an essay. 

2I

Dance!

An event that I went to was the Welcome Back Dance in the Adanti Student Center. It was on the 28th from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM. Me and my friends went to it and danced for a good 2 hours. We had fun with the lights of the glow sticks and the foam sticks that lit up. There was a guy who kept dancing with us, which we thought was strange, but funny. He kept trying to do funny since moves that involved the glow sticks, mainly waving them above our heads like lunatics. I also kept getting hit with the beach balls that were being thrown around, but took revenge by throwing it at others around me. The music was not the kind of music I'm used to listening to, and there were students everywhere. By the time we left, we could barely hear each other as our ears were used to the loud music. I had a lot of fun, and I hope that there are more events like this in the future.

2V 

Xeno- What?

To me, initiative is to act on a feeling or position before others do. For example, someone can take the initiative to run for a governmental office. The readings we took notes on this week talked about taking the initiative to read books to help our learning. In the sociology class that is paired with Inquiry, our professor asked us if we knew two words- xenophobia and xenocentrism. When he asked us what it meant, we all looked at each other with confusion. He went on to explain how xenophobia meant the fear of foreign things and that xenocentrism meant the belief that everything within your group is bad and everything on the outside is good. The latter reminded me of a dystopian society. These words helped us to understand the lesson better.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xenophobia