Growth Mindset: DARE

I'm trying to figure out how to use Canva, but here is my mindset acronym for this coming week. Hopefully I'll have Canva figured out by next week.

When I was thinking of this acronym it really encompassed my feelings for this weekend. I finally cracked my GMAT prep book open, had a good cry, and actually signed up for the test. There was a moment that I felt that if I started studying for my GMAT that I wasn't going to be able to focus as much on my classes and do well in them. Sure I am a senior, but I have always been the one to make good grades and be ahead of the game when it comes to classwork.

Defy
All
Roadblocks 
Excel

The Roadblock

Review

A video that I watched this week was a TED talk by Devdutt Pattanaik. I found it funny that in your short video info you included "yes, they have TED talks in India too" India is not chaotic. I love listening to TED talks and just wish there was more time in the day to do all the things I enjoy. I love to here podcasts and TED talks, because they give you different perspectives to think about this video encompassed everything that I noticed when I was growing up. As a person who has traveled to India so many times, but grown up in America, I was able to relate to this TED talk so well. I mean there is order in the disorder as my dad says. His concept that India is able to live in such harmony and people don't feel like outsider despite the numerous languages spoken. He capitalizes on the fact of distinguishing between seeking control or seeking out the patterns. Both routes lead to different choices and thus he ends his talk with the statement that each choice has a consequence. Overall, this was definitely the best 15 minutes I spent on this lovely Sunday. 

My favorite image I found was the image by Molly Hahnof Buddha Doodles, the image just really reminded me of how much I long for summer to be here and just enjoy the beach/pool/lake. I am the person who will put a pool chair out in my backyard and just lay out in the sun.

Happy Sunday All!

No Rush from Buddha Doodles

Topic Research: Greek Heroines

Hey All!

Today I'm going to expand on my topic of Greek Heroines. I strongly believe that the ladies need to be represented from Greek Mythology. I did some more research on a few different goddesses and will continue to search for more over the week. I am still debating whether to do a storybook or a portfolio. If I pursue this topic I would like to know what their origins were (i.e. parents, the city they were born in, who they married, any children) and focus the stories on what made them the heroines rather than just another average Greek. I would like to have the stories in a first-person view and be descriptive of the challenges they faced and connect two or three heroines in some way. For example, I might do a first-person narrative of Penelope and her struggles during her wait for Odysseus.

I want to focus my stories on:

Atalanta:

• Atalanta was an Arkadian heroine--a huntress and a favourite of the goddess Artemis.
• Atalanta swore to defend her virginity and when two Kentauroi (Centaurs) burst into her grove, she slew them with arrows. She later took part in the voyage of the Argonauts and defeated the hero Peleus in wrestling at the funeral games of King Pelias.
• The heroine reluctantly agreed insisting that a suitor must defeat her in a race and that the losers be put to death. Melanion--or Hippomenes--however, sought the help of the goddess Aphrodite who provided him with three golden apples to cast before the girl in the race.
• neglected to pay Aphrodite her dues. She cursed him and he was compelled to lie with his wife in the sacred precinct of Zeus, Rhea or Artemis where an offended deity transformed them into lions.

Leda:

• Leda was a queen of Sparta, the wife of King Tyndareus, who was seduced by Zeus in the guise of the swan.
• In the chronology of myth Leda was a contemporary of Herakles who placed her husband Tyndareus on the throne of Sparta.
• Leda was usually described as a daughter of Thestios, king of Pleuron.
• not really sure I like Leda's character so much at the moment

Penthesilea:

• Penthesilea was an Amazon queen who led her troops to Troy in support of King Priamos during the Trojan War.
• In the battles which ensued Penthesileia slew the Greek Makhaon (Machaon) but was in turn felled by Akhilleus (Achilles). 
• Penthesileia's name means "mourned by the people" 

Tyro:

• Tyro was a Thessalian princess who fell in love with the river Enipeus. As she was sitting on the banks of the river, Poseidon seduced her in the guise of the river-god.
• There were several alternate versions of her story. In one, after Tyro revealed she was pregnant by the god, her father Salmoneus refused to believe her, suspecting that his wicked brother Sisyphos was involved. He commanded her to expose the children as soon as they were born.

Stories will focus on bringing the importance of the heroines into the stories and making the readers knowledgable about the origins of the goddesses. Picked some that overlapped. Any suggestions and comments are appreciated!

Leda and the Swan

Extra Credit Reading Notes

Odyssey: The Cyclops Defeated: The Land of the Cyclopes by Tony Kline

Maybe create a multi-part story out of this for next week. Because this story does have approximately five parts, but each can be read alone. I am going to focus on the Land of the Cyclopes section for this extra credit reading portion. 

- Descriptions of the land first, no characters are described at the being

- no character dialogue

- scene is being set, provide details so the reader feels part of the setting

- describes the island of the Cyclopes, but we don't know the narrator yet

- there is some mystery in this beginning portion 

- at the end the narrator tells that they have reached the cave and spend the night there

- found is sought and ate 

- the narrator says they say smoke and heard voices from the neighboring land which stirred them to sail to the neighboring island 

- what they say was the Cyclops, but they described it as "There a giant spent the night, one that grazed his herds far off, alone, and keeping clear of others, lived in lawless solitude. He was born a monster and a wonder, not like any ordinary human, but like some wooded peak of the high mountains, that stands there isolated to our gaze."

Roman Mosaic of Cyclops

Feedback Strategies

Well, We Are Working On Becoming Better Writers

In a post by Gravity Goldberg titled, "Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters A Growth Mindset," she talks of very useful strategies on providing feedback. I honestly wish my previous teachers had used this approach as I was learning to become a better, stronger writer. I have always felt that my writing was never good, no matter how many hours I spent writing, revising, and proofreading, and having others revise, I was never able to include everything that the teachers' wanted. I really liked how she was emphasizing the idea of learning the habits and writing styles of students and building on what is there. Showing how writers can improve with what they have instead of trying to get them to do something that is not there, which I completely agree with. She does say you can't change what you can't see in a mirror, power to people who think like that, my papers would probably have had much better grades if my teachers thought that way. Overall, I loved this article and I definitely will be taking from her to provide feedback on what is there and focus more on what the writer has done.

My other article I read was an article by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman titled, "Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise?" In this article they discussed about how managers felt when they needed to provide feedback to others in their team. They found that colleagues value and put a great deal of emphasis on receiving positive feedback. So much so that it might effect the relationship with one another more than negative feedback does. Additionally, they found that giving back only negative feedback decreased the leader's effectiveness in the eyes of others. A couple of pieces that stood out to me that I will definitely be applying to when I give feedback are: "Some employees have described this as, “Quick to criticize and slow to praise.” Giving positive feedback is really quite simple. It’s OK if it’s brief – it just needs to be specific, rather than a general remark of “good job,” and ideally occurs soon after the praise-worthy incident. Our findings suggest that if you want to be seen as a good feedback-giver, you should proactively develop the skill of giving praise as well as criticism." Overall, this article was a great read as far as describing that there needs to be a balance between negative feedback and praise and that not everything is viewed from one perspective.

Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad, Part B

Iliad: The Rousing of Achilles by Alfred J. Church

- Powerful descriptions

- capitalize word to emphasize a point 

- Body is being dragged away by the enemy...Ajax comes forward and shield the body: "Greater Ajax came forward, and put his big shield before it. As a lioness stands before its cubs and will not suffer the hunter to take them, so did Ajax stand before the body of Patroclus and defend it from the Trojans. And Hector drew back when he saw him."

- Hector is essentially told he didn't fight like a man and that due to his inability to fight, others will not assist them in battle 

- Zeus is watching from above, we get a bit of the story from his perspective

- Achilles still doesn't know that Patroclus is dead and the war is being fought harder over his body

- Achilles weeps and his mother, Thetis, comes from the depth of the sea and asks why he is crying

     - goes back to Zeus earlier remark that once he has nodded his head that the good or bad cannot be changed and now Achilles suffers 

      - Achilles answered: "All that you asked from Zeus, and that he promised to do, he has done: but what is the good? The man whom I loved above all others is dead, and Hector has my arms, for Patroclus was wearing them. As for me, I do not wish to live except to avenge myself upon him."

Pulled from the story "The Rousing of Achilles"

Reading Notes: Homer's Iliad, Part A

Homer's Iliad, Retold by A. J. Church

The Quarrel: 

- I liked the dialogue and then the inserting short pieces of information to set the next scene. 

- add details to explain relationships in the beginning so you don't have to explain the relationships over and over again

- in initial encounter with King Agamennon is what sets the whole stage for this story

- emphasizes who has the power

- explains essentially how desperate they are through their actions i.e. splitting the spoils (women) among the men

-  every time Achilles is about to do something/feeling powerful emotions the goddesses make an appearance, but just as quickly disappear. 

     - I need to include the original connection on how the gods/goddesses know of Achilles

- use of descriptors is very important, help with the visualization 

- setting remains as one area, but you are very easily able to Achilles tent area near the water. 

- there are multiple aspects to the story but the main focus should remain on the temperaments of each (King A and Achilles)

- Need to progress Ulysses trip back to Olympus with the priest's daughter. For this story I need to include his background information, define the role he plays, and if he is headed somewhere make sure to end the story properly

Still figuring out this notes thing... But I am going to stick close to the storyline here and mirror my story on the event that occurred, but with a bit more of an explanation of the characters in the story. 

Pulled from the short story "The Quarrel"

Tech Tip: Google Timer

Hey all!

Let's be honest we are here to learn some life skills that will be useful later on post graduation. Lots of teachers will teach us stuff that will become irrelevant after college, but Professor Gibbs is giving us resources that will be incredibly useful in the workforce.

How do I manage my time, by keeping an agenda/planner/calendar...I typically have my phone calendar synced with canvas, which is also synced with my laptop calendar. I like having the physical planner because it helps me to visually mark off items and tackle items on my to-do list. The electronic calendars help reinforce due dates and sometimes might even cause a me to have a freak out moment thinking I forgot to turn something in lol. I'm going to give this timer a try and see if it'll help me stay on track of time instead of getting distracted easily.

Happy Tuesday all!

Here's a picture of my niece and I!