Bullying

What does bullying have to do with success or failure?

I am not sure...

I think that educational success, and study habits, are associated with bullying  many ways.
Bullying sometimes starts even before we begin school.  Daycare is the place we first learn how to interact with bullies, or when we become bullies.

Buck tooth, loser, pencil neck, four eyes....these were all things I heard growing up.   I took some teasing and bullying; I dished out some bullying and teasing.   Little did I know that bullying wouldn't go away.  In fact, it is more prevelant today.

I have a close family member in middle school. Two students from the school took their own lives due to excessive bullying directed at them.  I was truly sorry to hear about this situation, but it was determined that the cause was that they were being excessively bullied at school.
I see people being emotionally bullied, and we all know of someone at work or in our social circles that is the narcissistic bully.   We try to avoid them, but despite all the avoidance work, they can still affect our lives, if we let them.

So what does this have to do with study skills?

Be aware of bullying, especially when choosing your course of study, or even when choosing to attend college for the first, or second, time.  Life is full of naysayers and bullies that will try to derail your course of study choice based on socioeconomics, fear, and their own insecurities.   Study the subject that you love, and don't let the bullies, or negative voices, get in your way.

The fact of the matter is that bullies exist, and choosing to be aware is my best defense.

I have a growing list of free web sites that I like to use to help with questions outside
of my area of study. Math is a subject I find challenging, but appreciate all of its uses
in life.  When I have a question, or want to review a process, and math is all about processes, I go
to: www.math.com.  It is a great resource that I utilize often.

I am in the process of relearning some conversational Spanish, and I use this link: http://www.onlinefreespanish.com/ for practice.

I hope these links are helpful!   Good luck on your studies!

List of study techniques that helped me.

When I returned to college after working in construction, I came up with a list of helpful things that made my second attempt at college successful.  Many of the items will read as being common-sense based actions, that most successful students make, but I want to share the list as a way of showing what I changed, and how those changes affected my success in my my second attempt at college.

• I decided to treat my classes like my job.  My last job before returning to college was working on the road as a construction worker.  Our work week was 5:30 am to 10:00 pm Monday through Saturday.  When I returned to college, I still socialized and had fun, but I made sure that no matter how much fun I had the night before, I would still attend my 8 am class.
• I picked a major that was my passion: English Literature and Writing. During my first attempt at college, I majored in film studies, archaeology, photojournalism, and sociology. I also didn't attend class regularly, and switched majors like most people switch shoes...which is to say very often.   The writing classes held my attention, and studying for class meant reading great literature and writing; these are two of my favorite things.
• I lived in campus housing.  Living in campus housing helped with many social and educational factors.  I lived close to my classes, so I couldn't use all the familiar excuses for not attending.   I met other students, and learned from them, and also studied with them.   I also made friends in my classes, and formed study groups so we could help each other with assignments, and also as support on the nights when we wanted to blow off studying.
• I took a work study position at the college library.   This position helped me in many ways.   It was a great job that made me familiar with the research process, and it also allowed for study time during my work shifts. It may sound too good to be true, but many works study positions, such as working at the writing or tutoring center, or working in the campus library, allows you to make money and study at the same time!

More tips to come in my future posts!

“I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate.” – George Burns

Find something that you like to do everyday, and turn it into your course of study. It can based on a hobby or some other skill.   Treat your education like a job, and if you pick the right thing and keep a goal in mind, your schooling will come easily.