When you are a student in college with other responsibilities; whether it is a job or family related. Your time is valuable and can be difficult to manage at times. In the article, “7 Time Management Tips for Online Students” by Kelsey Miller, she mentions how one of the best skills to have as students is time management and gives her advice on how to manage it. In this reading Miller emphasizes a useful idea to help keeping students organized, focused, and more importantly avoiding burn out. As students some of us tend to feel overwhelmed when trying to study for long time periods and get distracted from the school work. Kelsey Miller offers a solution called the Pomodoro Method to help students that struggle with this. This method helps the student concentrate for 25 minutes straight and then a 5 minute break, after 4 full sessions of this the student is rewarded with a 15 minute break. This is a method I will incorporate into my studies and in hopes of it benefiting my academics. Miller informs students to plan ahead for assignments so we will have a lay out and make time to attack each assignment accordingly. This can go hand and hand with the Pomodoro Method in making completing assignments easier and less stressful while managing our time in the best way. Miller did a superb job on advising college students on managing our time in the best way possible. Time is essential and when it is gone there will be no getting it back. Time management is the most important skill a student can learn and will payoff in the long run as students.
Author: Dawson B. Lockhart
In conclusion marijuana legalization nationwide seems like the inevitable outcome for the future. Whether you agree or disagree with the use of the drug you should agree nobody deserves jail time for using it recreationally or possessing it. Holding this against people as a crime is unethical in itself because it seems to be only targeted in minority communities even though it is evenly smoked by all races. This is a tool to hold back people of color and minorities because convictions withholds resources such as loans, educational, housing, etc. Thankfully, in recent news in NYC has been legalized and plans to expunge convictions from citizens is soon record is in the works. Alcohol is no different than marijuana if not worse. Both should be treated the same way and should be used responsibly. Since the drug was discovered it been used for medical purposes to treat illnesses until it was given a bad reputation which was fueled by racism against Mexican immigrants.
Richard Feldman âMarijuana should be treated more like alcoholâ Article – Indianapolis Business Journal (Vol. 40, Issue 41) Indianapolis Business Journal Corp. December 6, 2019
     In the article âMarijuana should be treated more like alcoholâ by Richard Feldman published on Dec. 6 2019; he explains his reasoning how using marijuana use is not as bad as it is depicted out to be and is proven by decriminalization of the substance by state. The article informs readers that marijuana is slowly gaining acceptance by lawmakers and the public. Even over half of physicians believe that medical marijuana should be legalized. Therapeutic benefits are proven to come from marijuana use for conditions such as chronic pain, nausea, inflammatory bowel disease, and even cancer. There can be risk of psychological addiction, mild physical addiction, emotional disturbance, memory difficulties. However, these side effects are largely reversible. When this article was made thirty three states have legalized medical marijuanna and eleven states have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Although some states like Indiana have not legalized medical marijuana, a poll was taken where seventy percent of Indiana voters favored legalizing medical marijuana. This is evidence that legalization is inevitable but might take some time on the lawmakers behalf. Also, at this time even in states where marijuana is not legal under any circumstance, there is no longer prosecution for small quantities of marijuana. Following this there will be no jail time, arrest or prison time for this. It will be merely as low level as a traffic violation. One of the main points of this article is to prove that there is no evidence marijuana is a gateway drug, any more so than alcohol. Imprisonment and convictions which will lead to being blocked from certain sources like education and loans is immoral. This article is well written and gets straight to the point . Introduces the idea that everything all comes down to the users responsibility at the end of the day. Based on Feldman background being a family physician, author, lecturer and former Indiana State Department of Health commissioner for Governor Frank OâBannon his information is credible and can be trusted. Feldman’s purpose is to inform readers and give some people a new perspective when they think about marijuana. Also, he might have persuaded some adults to use the drug, especially the people who deal with some kind of condition that the drug is used to help with.
Third A.B
Becky Little. âWhy the U.S Made Marijuana Illegal; Fear of mexican immigrants led to the criminalization of marijuanaâ Blog Post- History Aug. 31st 2018
In this post âWhy the US Made Marijuana Illegalâ by Becky Little published on Aug. 31st 2018 we get an origin story of how the criminalization behind the drug started and racism somehow playing a role in the decision. From what the author wrote it is known that the drug was not always prohibited in America. During the 1830âs Anglo-Americans and Europeans knew about the benefits of marijuana. In the late 19th century cannabis extract could be purchased and doctors offices to treat illness like stomach pain, inflammation, headaches and other ailments. The author emphasizes if something has been good for medical purposes in the past does not mean it is still good to use now. Then proceeds to state that marijuana has been proved by research to have real benefits by modern research. Despite marijuana being medically beneficial, attitudes towards the drug changed. This was partly motivated by Mexican immigration to the U.S around the time of the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Author Eric Schlosser of âReefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Marketâ wrote,âThe prejudices and fears that greeted these peasant immigrants also extended to their traditional means of intoxication: smoking marijuanaâ. He also wrote for The Atlantic in 1944 stating,âPolice officers in Texas claimed that marijuana incited violent crimes, aroused a âlust for blood,â and gave its users âsuperhuman strength.â Rumors spread that Mexicans were distributing this âkiller weedâ to unsuspecting American schoolchildrenâ .Thus where criminalization of the drug began even though research has shown alcohol to be more dangerous than marijuana. Though marijuana was not proven to arouse violence or give superhuman strength twentynine states outlawed marijuana between 1916 and 1931. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 banned the drug nationwide despite disputes from the American Medical Association related to cannabis usage. This act was passed a year after the film Reefer Madness warned parents that drug dealers will lure their children to take the drug. This was to instill fear in parents and further put a negative light on marijuana. From this point on the federal government kept increasing punishments on marijuana charges until the late 1960âs, when the law began affecting white upper to middle class college students. The author of this article believes marijuana prohibition came from racism and xenophobia whose principal effect has been to ruin generations of lives.This post was informative and helped me understand the reason marijuana was deemed illegal by the U.S in the first place. Before reading this I would have never thought Mexican immigrants was the reason for making marijuana illegal. Becky Little is a journalist in Washington D.C, Who has written for HISTORY, Smithsonian, National Geographic, The Washington Post and more.The author brings the reader back to the past to help them understand why marijuana became illegal nationwide. The author’s purpose was to show how racism in America is largely what made marijuana illegal. The author is credible because she has written for many companies and uses other sources to support her claims which are the strong points in this post.
âWhat Cannabis Decriminalization Really Meansâ, Huff Post, April 10th 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRSiO4TYwZs
In this video it mentions the recent bill that Governor Coumo signed making it legal for marijuana to be used recreationally. It was said that cannabis offenses in New York were specifically targeted in minority and marginalized communities. Melissa Moore who is an New York State director claimed it was never about the cannabis plant being illegal but using it as a prohibition tool to target communities. This video claims there have been over eight hundred thousand arrests made for low level cannabis offenses; majority of the arrests being latino and black New Yorkers. Even though cannabis use is at about the same rate within each race group. But time and time again the communities that get more attention are the low income communities and communities where people of color are the majority. Melissa Moore goes into detail about how the smallest offense can withhold a person from a lot of resources such as education, housing, loans, and employment. These sources does not usually get stripped for other worse offenses such as drunk driving and sexual assault. However, the new legislation is designed to help the communities that criminalization affects. Communities hardest hit by criminalization from marijuana offenses will receive forty percent of revenue made by programs to rebuild and educate their community. People with prior marijuana convictions will have them expunged from their record in the near future. Further allowing them access to resources that they could not have before. The bill promises to deliver future cannabis business licenses to fifty percent of citizens as a social equity license. Which means a person who is or from a community that was affected by disproportionate criminalization. This video explains how the communities will educate the youth and citizens about cannabis instead of representing it in a negative way. This video helped me further understand the bill and educated me about what is to come in the future. Before this video I thought the bill will do nothing to help those affected by marijuanna convictions but now I realized they have been taken into account. Melissa Moore did a great job on giving examples when she had made a claim to further give the viewer an understanding of what has been going on in our justice system. Melissa Moore has fifteen years of experience focused on criminal justice reform, community led international development and resource rights. Her knowledge on marijuanna convictions and plans to further solve the issue is highly credible. Her style is to educate New Yorkers about what is going on and how we can benefit from it.
Introduction
If America is a united nation, why is it that we donât t carry out marijuana regulations consistently throughout all the states? Why are people facing jail time for marijuana distribution while others profit from it? How is this allowed to happen? Marijuana is only legalized for recreational use in fourteen states. One of these states includes California, which marijuana farms are grown. But, in New York the smallest amount will result in you being arrested and based on your previous offenses will lead to serious jail time. I believe the same rules should apply to all states regardless. Recently, there has been steps to make marijuana legalized for recreational use but there are still people sitting behind bars for it. What will it take to let these people free or pardoned? Does the President of the United States have to step in or can it be resolved within state. I don’t believe it is ethical for these people to still be behind bars.
- Marijuana legalization
- Abortion
- Higher education
- Global warming
- Solitary confinement
- Post vaccination life
- Treatment of the elderly
- War
- Transgender in sports
- Homeless in the U.S
The Traditional Research Paper Is Best
Alexandria Lockett argues that the internet is the main reason some students and professors get frustrated because it results in unoriginal research papers; which then lead to disappointing grades. Students are more likely to run to the search bar on google rather than going to the library simply because it easier and more convenient.
The internet changed the game behind creating research papers. Back then doing a research paper was more time consuming and was a physical activity. From making your way to the library and looking through hundreds of books to find the right one. Not to mention having to walk up flight of stairs and interacting with employees at the library for help. Nowadays all you have to do is google what your topic is and millions of suggestions will come your way.
In the article Alexandria Lockett claimed Wikipedia has a team of editors that adds informations for the sight and steps are being made to add Wikipedia to educational institutions. Sine elementary school almost all my teachers have told me never use Wikipedia as a source for assignments because of editors. This made me think of them in a different way
Wikipedia Research
Wikipedia defines research as a collection of data organized to have a deeper understanding of a topic. Also, the scientific study of research is called meta-research. Metascience increases the quality of scientific research while reducing waste.
The word “research”is derived from the middle french which it means “to go about seeking”. The scientific method I learned is research. Most students have learned and been involved in this. The scientific method is structured in the following; finding a topic or problem, hypothesis, gathering data, analysis of data, testing and conclusions.
Wikipedia breaks down different types of research whether it being artistic, historical or scientific. I would not have thought it was so complex. I really only associated research with science for the most part. This made me realize that it is much deeper than that.
When thinking about someones ideal intellectual home, a desk with enough space for a text book and composition notebook and a comfortable chair to sit in may come to mind. However, the ideal place to study or get the best academic work done can vary by person. Some people can do their best academic work while in a public area and not be affected by the public noise. Some can only get their best work done in an environment where everyone else is focused and getting work done like a library. My intellectual home resides at my dining room table around 2:00 PM. The table in the dining room is spacious providing space for my binder and laptop, the temperature in the room is not too hot or cold bust just right, and I like to get work done around 2:00 PM because this is when the house is most quiet due to my parents being at work and brother being in school. My motivation for doing my work is to be as smart as I can be which helps me become the best version of me. While my intellectual home centered around the dining room, the author Sherman Alexie of “Superman and Me” does his best reading anywhere he sees an area containing words and is motivated by not wanting to become some unintelligent Indian boy.
In order to explain this comparison, I will first examine both Sherman Alexie and my intellectual home and how they are different. Secondly, I will point out similarities between our motivation to do our best academic work. Then I will briefly go through my process of doing my best work and show how it can compare to Sherman Alexie’s own process. Lastly, I will describe what my “dream” intellectual home would look like and why I believe this will improve my academic abilities.
As mentioned before my intellectual home is at my dining room table. When thinking of home I think of the a place where I let my guard down which makes me comfortable. Which is why my best work can be at home. I choose the dining room table because it is cool, a lot of space for supplies on the table and a comfortable chair. Most importantly it is a quiet area. Since the noise level is an important factor when getting work done; time management is important. Around 2 o’ clock is when I like to study because my family is not in that area due to my parents leaving for work and my brother being in school. In “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie it states, ” I read books at recess, then during lunch, … I read books in the car” This shows that Sherman Alexie did not have to be in an certain area he just needed to be where a book was to get to his process of becoming a better reader.
Self improvement and striving to become the best person I can be is what I want to say I accomplished when my life is all said and done. I believe everyone should strive everyday to try to become the best version of themselves. I can not see another way to live. This idea that having this mindset will inevitably put me in positions and places I could only imagine being is what keeps me going. Sherman Alexie motivation for reading has some similarities to mine. In the text it states, “As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non Indian world… I refuse to fail. I was smart.” This shows that Alexie was motivated to become the best version of himself because when you refuse to fail in a world where you are expected to fail.
My process to do my best academic work is quite simple. The essentials is being in a quiet area with a bottle of water within reach and my phone away to prevent distractions. Sometimes when I feel like I am in a “flow” academically; I play music or put on a basketball game for some entertainment without getting distraction. This allows my to study for longer periods of time and makes it more enjoyable. Sherman Alexie took a different approach in his process of reading. The article says, ” I pretend to read the words and say ‘Superman is breaking down the door.’ In this way, I learned to read” This shows that Alexies process of reading consisted of reading words aloud whereas I decide to remain quiet.
My dining room currently is the best place I can be when I have an important paper to write or studying to do. But in my head I can imagine a greater place. If it was up to me I would have a desk in my room complimented by a comfortable gaming chair. My desk would be spacious and placed by a windowsill with a plant sitting on it. A lamp would be on my desk to light up my area for late night cramming before a test. In my room would be walls plastered with motivational quotes, role models and a vision board. At times i feel like the environment that I am in suppresses my potential because I dont have enough space to do what I want to do.I feel like my “dream” intellectual home is where I can continue and get closer to my goal of the best version of myself.
To conclude my intellectual home and Sherman Alexie intellectual home are different but is where we get our best work done. Our processes are different when getting work done. l like a quiet area whereas Alexie’s likes to read aloud. Also, our individual motivation to strive for greatness differ but it helps us become the best versions of ourselves which is the end goal.
Dawson Lockhart
Going back to about the 5th grade, I remember a time all my friends and myself were excited on making the basketball team. I had played basketball for fun but never took it too serious. The day of the tryout arrive and I believe I am playing good but it was clear that was not the case. I was one of the select few people that did not make the team. I watched in anguish as the rest of my peers celebrated making the team. It was one of my earliest experience of heart break that I ever experienced. This caused my confidence to become low an d not want to play basketball again. Every time the team would play and lose I would unknowingly feel a sense of satisfaction because I was not on the team. Which was a petty thing to do but I guess it was my way of coping with the disappointment. The following year I am now in middle school and I am taking basketball more serious. I am playing almost everyday and watching tutorial videos to learn the game more. In March of 6th grade there was tryout for the basketball team. Although i thought i was prepared I feared of not making the team so I cowardly did not go to tryouts. I regret making this decision. As my friends talked about the tournament I was forced to not talk about the topic because I could not relate. The summer going into the 7th grade I played basketball as much as I ever did. Almost everyday I was playing pick up games in the parks. I was volunteering to play all types of age groups. I felt and saw myself become better each week. I was very proud of myself. Basketball had grown on me and I fell in love with the sport. I watched how slowly I became better than or on the same level of my peers in the span of 2 months. My 7th grade year I joined a professional 14u team where my skills were developed and learned the game even more. Also, 7th grade tryouts came around for my school and this time I made sure I attended. This time around the drills were easier and I did exceptionally well during the scrimmages. I was prepared, I took the game serious now, and my confidence sky rocketed. I was placed on a team in the 7th grade tournament. I felt accomplished and proud of myself. This accolade boosted myself esteem and made me more happy at the time. During the game I scored about 9 points and at that time that was a lot. My friends was impressed sed with how my performance increased throughout a short period of time. I was not surprised at all because I knew how much work and training I had put in. But my journey did not stop there. I continued to play basketball, watch basketball, and learn more about basketball. I played basketball the rest of my middle school years and high school years. Without basketball I donât know where my life would have went. It is still crazy to think with my first experience from basketball came from heartbreak to not making the team in 5th grade. To using that pain to become the best player I can be. This goes to show if you really want something it can be achieved with hard work, determination, and belief. Whenever I feel like I can not achieve something I think back to the sad kid in 5th grade and realize there is nothing in this world I can not accomplish.
Dawson Lockhart
âWhen I Learned to Readâ by Salvatore Scibona was published in The New Yorker on June 13th and 20th 2011, and it talks bout Scibona struggling throughout his teenage years. In high school Scibona found himself lost and in a slump academically, despite having an interest for reading. He was able to use this interest as a path to land himself in his âintellectual homeâ that improved his overall self. Scibona mentions escaping the addiction of watching too much t.v by going into a backyard shed to read or at least he attempted to. He describes not really knowing what he was doing but still came away with a sense of happiness. Which is supported in paragraph three where it states,âI didnât really know how to read. Reading messed with my brain in an unaccountable way. It made me happyâ. His senior year of highs school he would discover the place âSt. Johns Collegeâ where he found his âintellectual homeâ. From the time Scibona read and looked at the brochure to St. Johns he knew this was the place he needed to to be. The text states,â I would scrap everything and go to that place and ask them to let me in. It felt like a vocation. It was a vocation.â This further proves that St. Johns was the authors âintellectual homeâ and the best place suited for him. By Scibona senior year at college he grew used to reading and it no longer felt like a difficult task. Along his years he was surprised he was able to form friendships throughout his time. This was a major improvement from his high school years and probably could not have happened if he had not found his âintellectual homeâat St Johns College. The author concludes by going back to his teenage hardships and how his life was going in the wrong direction. Until he was able to use his interest in reading to get into college where he reinvested himself and changed his life.
Dawson Lockhart
