February 1, 2017 Reflection (Personal Finance)

We got back our quizzes today, and I know how to correct my mistakes. A few hours after I turned in our quiz from last class, it suddenly hit me how to do the last problem. I'm disappointed that I didn't get it right when I was taking the quiz, but at least I know how to do it now. As for the other question I got wrong, I should have trusted my judgement. I was inclined to choose the right answer (although, I must confess, I didn't know why) but chose a different one instead. I like this exercise of correcting my mistakes, because it means that in the future, I'll know the right answer. But most importantly, I'll know why it's the right answer.

After correcting our quizzes, we discussed budgeting. I really liked the idea of asking my parents for a fixed amount of money per month and then not asking them for money again. It will force me to budget properly as well as know how much I spend. Speaking of budgeting, I don't think the way I've been doing it this past month will work out. I'm continuing up until January 31 to remain consistent, but starting from next month I'm going to change the way I budget. I hope that's okay, Mr. Bisset! Still trying to figure out which way is best for me.

January 25, 2016 Reflection (Personal Finance)

Today's class followed much of the same routine as our previous classes, but for one difference: a quiz. We began, as usual, with silent reading. I made progress with the novel I'm reading. It's taken quite the turn for tragic, and I'm stuck in between the difficult feelings of wishing to continue and wishing to stop. I think I'm going to continue, just to see what happens.

Next was going over the article. When I was reading it over the weekend, one phrase that I highlighted seemed to stand out over the rest. You owe it to yourself to make sure your money is going to the things that matter to you. In a society as materialistic as that one we're living in, it's important to make sure that my money is going to the right things, and not just to frivolous things. Spending on things that matter, things like healthcare, is what is important.

When it came to the quiz, I was confident on the first side but not so confident with two questions on the back. We'll see. I'm glad we get to make it up at least.

January 23, 2017 Reflection (Personal Finance)

Today's agenda was similar to the past few PF classes we've had. First, we looked at the article we read for class about compounding, discussing what we found interesting and important. I found myself participating more this class. I definitely feel like I've become more accustomed to and comfortable with the class, its people, and the format of our discussions. We talked about investing early, and about how once we'd invested some, we'd learn that it might become less complicated.

After working on the article, we started talking about budgeting. Mr. Bisset passed out a handout -- a letter to give to our parents. The letter had information regarding what we needed to do for the rest of the semester -- manage our own budget. Every day until May, we need to record what money we spent. One thing that I noticed was that I already don't do a lot of the examples Mr. Bisset gave us to save money. I bring my own lunch, rarely take taxis, and don't have a data plan for my cellphone. This is definitely important because I'll need to be extremely aware of what I'm spending. I'll have different categories from most of my classmates, but I suppose that's part of the challenge! 

January 18, 2017 Reflection (Personal Finance)

In class today, we discussed Compounding. Using a website called moneychimp, we compared interest rates, principal amounts, and annual additions to see which combination would give us the highest return value. While I'd had a vague idea of what compounding was, it was interesting to see the calculator return the value right in front of me. In Precalculus, I learned about the math behind compound interest and annuities, but the moneychimp calculator showed me right before my eyes the return amount. The calculator helped me see the value of compounding, as well as starting to invest early. 

It was a good example that helped me visualize what the article we read for this class was talking about. I also believe that learning about the math behind it in Precalc was helpful, because it didn't seem like a number pulled out of thin air; there was logic behind it. As someone who is going to college soon, I'm going to be able to apply this knowledge for sure. Also, since I'm planning on entering the Computer Science sector, I'm anticipating that I will have a lot of money that I could invest in the stock market.

January 16, 2017 Reflection (Personal Finance)

My second Personal Finance class started off with fifteen minutes of silent reading. I'd been looking forward to it since Tuesday -- even as a second semester senior, I still have a lot of work to do and rarely get time to read. I'd been trying to read it since the beginning of winter break, but I was bombarded with countless other distractions. Three weeks passed, and my book was still unread. The fifteen minutes was just enough time for me to get into my novel, Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. I'm glad I had those fifteen minutes to read, because those fifteen minutes let me read fifteen pages of hilarious writing.

I was almost sad when the fifteen minutes were up, but it didn't last for long. It was exciting to get started with finance. Going through the article we had to actively read was also fun. I got to learn about my classmates' viewpoints on the article, what they found important and interesting. Learning about compound interest and what Dow Jones Industrial Average was also really interesting. Even though I learned a little bit about the stock market through my Precalculus money project, I hadn't learned about indexes in much detail.

As always, I'm looking forward to sitting in the room wallpapered by magazine covers, learning yet another way to improve my financial choices for the future.

January 12, 2017 Reflection (Personal Finance)

As of January 9, 2016, I am officially a second semester senior. Most of my classes are year-long, so I didn't have much adjusting to do, but I have one new semester class: Personal Finance. I suppose I know most everyone in our class. That is to say, I know of their existence, but I've never spoken to most of them: a few words exchanged here or there (Hey, could you pass this down? or I think this worksheet is yours), but never a full conversation. I'm really looking forward to getting to know them better.

Coming into class not having spoken to many of my classmates before, never having learned about finance but the classic Save, don't spend! was actually pretty exciting. It made me realize how much I enjoy being the "new student," putting myself in that slightly uncomfortable situation, forcing myself to meet new people and opening myself up to learning new things. After being at SAS for nearly five years, it's almost a relief to feel unfamiliarity seeping through the walls.

Of course, it wasn't completely unfamiliar. I'd had Mr. Bisset as my World History teacher way back in freshman year - it was the class where I learned how to write a strong essay, how to give confident speeches, how to spell the word "occurred" (2 r's!), and gained an interest in history, something a geek girl like me might not have enjoyed before. I was excited to come back into Mr. Bisset's room, to look at all his magazine posters on the wall (I absolutely loved those as a freshman, and I still love them now -- especially the clown nose), and to learn something new from him as I always have. Or to learn how think about everyday things in a new light.

It happened within the first ten minutes. I learned that curiosity is the most important trait I should develop. That before investing in anything I should invest in myself. Maybe not directly related to finance, but they definitely resonated with me. As a computer scientist, as an engineer, as someone who loves to solve problems, it was important for me to hear. Without curiosity, without the drive to find out what makes things work, I wouldn't have anything to do.

It was a good start. I'm really excited for what next class will bring.

Notes:
You should know, Mr. Bisset, that I'm quiet for the first few days of class. I don't remember what I was like in freshman year, you might, but I've noticed that it takes me a day or two to get used to the dynamic of the class, to figure out how to form my sentences before I speak. 

And you should also know that even though I no longer participate in debate, I am still actively involved with public speaking! I'm part of the Oral Interpretation team, and I've given multiple speeches last semester. I suppose the reason I didn't like debate as much was because a) I was concerned about the impromptu aspect of rebuttals and POIs, and b) I was finding it difficult to juggle many things that year. While I know both aren't good enough reasons for my stopping of debate, and that I would have definitely improved, I'm still glad that I'm finding time to voice my opinions still.

Sorry, Emily Dickinson, It Was Inevitable

Working in a group has helped me gain some insight. I learned that writing is not only about myself. It is about the people who will read it. Some writing is personal - my journal, for instance, allows me to reflect on my day and sets aside some time for introspection. Most writing, however, is for an audience. Whether an essay, a novel, or a poem, someone is bound to read it at some point. Even Emily Dickinson, as introverted as she was, couldn't escape that fate.

When people other than the author read the author's work and analyze its meaning, it's a testament to the writer's skills if the readers are able to correctly interpret the purpose of the piece. Writing doesn't come as easily to me anymore. I take this as a good sign; instead of just putting any words down on the page, I am focused on choosing the right ones. I'm taking the time to find ways to express my purpose clearly.

My most recent workshop piece - a narrative titled Only the Ground is Constant - is a forage into my head. It is the only piece I can remember that with every sentence, thought of my objective. I'm not too satisfied with the title, but I suppose once the narrative has been workshopped, it shouldn't be too difficult to find a new one. 

my narrative plan; purpose is blocked out just in case you're reading this before you read my story!

As for working individually, that has helped a lot too. First drafts are eked out when I'm writing individually. They're godawful first drafts, that's for certain, but without them I would never write anything at all. Sitting alone in my room, listening to Spotify's Deep Focus playlist, I find that I'm most productive. It also gives me a chance to look back on past journal entries, think back on my week, write unintelligible things on scraps of paper. Those unintelligible things are almost always story ideas that I fear I will lose if I don't write them down.

The reason I can never do these things in a group is because when I'm alone, I am able to focus a lot more. I can experiment without being self-conscious or distracted. Experimenting with new metaphors (especially since I need to improve my figurative language use), with story ideas I'm not too comfortable sharing with an audience yet.

Writing individually has helped me become a better writer because when I'm alone, I'm more likely to try new things and see for myself whether I like it or not. Writing a story in a new style is great, and stepping out of my comfort zone is great, but if I know for certain what I have attempted sucks, I don't feel comfortable sharing it with other people yet.

I've already noticed an improvement in my own writing; I find myself employing what we learned in class for my college essays. Personally, I believe my workshop submission reflects my improvement as a writer. I hope that my readers feel the same way.