Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Elishah's Farewell Address
Hello and good evening, students, teachers, tutors, and parents. My name is Elishah, and I am currently in my third year of AVID as a ninth grader. The classes I am taking are Biology, Spanish II, AVID, Honors Literature, Honors World History, Geometry, and Personal Finance.
From the first day I joined AVID, there has been improvement in my schoolwork. On my first day, I already knew two people who were in my class. It was pretty complicated, and I had no clue of what I would do and learn in AVID. So, the two people I could easily talk to guided me along the way until I made things just right. It wasn't easy getting used to the binder checks, notes, and tutorials in the beginning. But, as they always say, practice makes perfect. And soon I was used to making the tutorial questions, had better scores on my binder checks, and constantly wrote notes from each of my classes. Oh, and also in the beginning, I had absolutely no idea of what AVID meant because I'd never heard of it until I heard Ms. Pienta ask me "What does AVID stand for?" My face was blank and finally she called on someone to tell me the answer, which was Advancement Via Individual Determination.
From the first day I joined AVID, there has been improvement in my schoolwork. On my first day, I already knew two people who were in my class. It was pretty complicated, and I had no clue of what I would do and learn in AVID. So, the two people I could easily talk to guided me along the way until I made things just right. It wasn't easy getting used to the binder checks, notes, and tutorials in the beginning. But, as they always say, practice makes perfect. And soon I was used to making the tutorial questions, had better scores on my binder checks, and constantly wrote notes from each of my classes. Oh, and also in the beginning, I had absolutely no idea of what AVID meant because I'd never heard of it until I heard Ms. Pienta ask me "What does AVID stand for?" My face was blank and finally she called on someone to tell me the answer, which was Advancement Via Individual Determination.
I thought the best thing about AVID was the Socratic Seminars. Everyone gathers around in one circle to open up their minds. You talk about a certain topic and put together everyone's thoughts about it. I'm pretty much the silent type of person, so that means I'm not very active in it; I just listen to the different statements and learn a lot.
My advice for students is this: I know this may be simple, but always take notes. They may seem like nothing, but they are a good source for studying. Trust me, it's easier than cramming an entire novel into your brain, when you can just grab the important pieces of it. I mean, you can reduce a novel to probably about three pages of notes.
My plans for the future are not fully decided, but I might focus on getting a job in the medical field. Also, I have no idea on which college to attend but maybe one that is in the state of Florida, where I am moving, or California.
Thank you to all of my AVID tutors, teachers, and classmates. I'll never forget you!
