Bienvenue

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Everyone's dreamed of one day seeing the city of lights: Le Louvre, Le Tour d'Eiffel, La Seine, etc. Many plan to go abroad and experience French culture, but most don't intend to learn how to speak the language. Then, there's moi. Il était une fois quand j’avais appris d’art du français et la monde, mais je n’étais jamais la fille qui rêve de vivre en Paris ou Lyons. I've always been fascinated by other cultures and planned to learn at least 5 languages by high school. It wasn't until my freshman year that I was able to take a French class, but from day one I was hooked.

No More Spanish

In preschool I learned to count from zero to one hundred in Spanish. In the first grade, I learned there are many regional dialects of Spanish, and until the fourth grade the different teachers would alternate between Spaniard Spanish and Mexican Spanish. I proceeded to learn nothing until the fourth grade when the newest teacher my class in Cuban. For the first time since age 4, I could understand Spanish. Chicago is a rather diverse city and in the neighborhood I lived in most people spoke fluent Spanish. I was hopeful, when suddenly, she was replaced. Our newest teacher, and our youngest, taught us in Argentinean. I cannot explain why it's a bad idea to rotate language teachers and the dialect they speak every year, but even then I knew it simply was. 

My Many Interests

I've wanted to travel the world since before I can remember. Libraries were stocked full of interesting books and documentaries: The Edo period was full of samurai and women wore beautiful kimonos and yukatas; The pharaohs of ancient Egypt were buried with their brains pulled out through their noses, surrounded by gold to bring with them to the afterlife; and The Great Wall of China helped prevent many invasions by the Mongols. All of these far away places were my future homes but there was no where for me to learn how to speak to their people when I arrived. At some point, I decided that Japanese would be the best to learn, because the music was so beautiful. Europe was never on my mind.

Bienvenue

I vaguely remember my first French class. There were many confused young ladies and the word "Bienvenue" hung over the whiteboard. I wanted to learn a language that I would use in my daily life in my future travels. Unfortunately, the only options at the high school were European languages. From those options, French was the only on that made sense. When I transferred, I chose to stick with French, but was sad when the classes were cancelled. I was challenged by the grammar and the unusual pronunciations. I was fine not being obsessed with the culture, like my classmates, and enjoyed the learning process. This is not a magical story, but it's the truth of when I welcomed francophone culture into my life. 

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Helpful Hint:

My high schools required a language, but when given the option to not take any why did I stay? Once I got to Coe, I finally found my reason for staying with French. Click here to find out what it was. 

Why Should You Read?: An Introduction

By: Paige Waskow

Reading matters.

     Of course, you have heard this, had teachers tell you to read more, had classes where the curriculum is “reading intensive”, or heard of its magical benefits. But why does it matter if you read and how does doing so outside of a class during your precious free time actually benefit you? How can you enjoy it?

     Perhaps you are like me and enjoy reading. A. Lot. I grew up hauling as many books as my arms could carry down city blocks to my house from my local public library. But, in my educational experience, whether in middle or high school, reading was about being a better student in the short term and doing well on tests, rather than enjoying it and thinking about it in the long term. My educational experience did not really make me want to read outside of class. My personal experience and exploration as a child did. As students, I believe we have lost touch with the importance of reading for pleasure. I have friends explicitly tell me that they hate reading. Books mostly meant grades, tests, assignments, and skimming. Maybe you feel the same.

     There is immense value in reading in school, and this is not to undermine that. In fact, it is necessary to read in class and have deep conversations about texts. I think that our problem with reading is that we see it as something for school, something that can make us pass or fail, not as something that can be enjoyable, relaxing, and exciting. So, how do we take back that love for reading? How do we read more?

In the next few posts, we are going to look at:

1. Why reading matters

2. How to actually enjoy reading

3. Books you can read

4. Book favorites of the Learning Commons blog writers.

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Time Management: Organization

Organization is a central aspect of time building time management skills, yet many college students still reject the very idea. My mother was ridiculously organized. Everything was filed away, the cups had to be put away in a certain order, and my bedroom was never clean enough. Arranging my belongings to her criteria was taxing, and at some point I gave up on trying to appease her and did my own thing. "Everything has it's place" was her motto, but my idea of where the cups "belonged" always clashed with her own. If my experience was anything like yours I understand why you're repelled. When I moved to Coe, I was free to explore how I wanted to organize and learned the true beauty of creative freedom. I've compiled a short list to help you learn to organize, because it is an active skill, and the methods you use will change depending on their purposes.

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The Magic of Google Calendar

If you are not currently using Google Calendar, stop what you are doing and open it. Using your Coe email you can sync with any other calendar associated with a gmail account. For example, I keep important Coe events and my class schedule in my Coe calendar, and sync it with my personal email to prevent scheduling conflicts. Any club or organization emails can create their own calendar with set dates and share with members - everyone's up to date. You can set not only the date, but time and location as well. On top of all of this, you can color code the events. When syncing, the calendars will automatically change color to prevent confusion. Reminders will buzz your phone and any smart devices to remind you of your commitments, and you can can set goals for yourself to create better habits. 

Use a Personal Planner

Throughout high school, we would be given "assignment notebooks" to record our homework. The lines were always too big to fit all the homework I received in certain classes, so I had to expand into other sections. Eventually, I was bored having to carry the bulky thing around and used random notebooks to record the homework instead. I see now, as a 19-year-old, that they were trying to instill in us organization skills. Most students didn't use the notebooks, but this was two years ago so take my memory with a grain of salt. Since coming to college, I've learned of the beauty that is personal planners. They come in all sizes, and typically follow one school year. The one I own was only $9, but the one I had last year was $25. The ones where you can change the paper (college-rules, graph, dots) go for around $40. 

Keep it Simple

Stationary and technology go hand in hand, but many students have found it easier to use only one. For some, a physical calendar is all they need to check dates, and a regular notebook can be used to record assignments. Others prefer to design their own planner using Excel or their computer's personal calendar. As long as you're using something to document dates, times, and locations you should be fine. Although, remember that what works for some may have the opposite effect on you, so explore all your options and decide for yourself how you want to stay (or become) organized. 

Helpful Hints: 

If you want more help using Google Calendar click here. 

Time Management

"In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; 

it is not really the time but the will that is lacking"

~Sir John Lubbock

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Midterms is finally over, so now we can relax with our friends - Netflix awaits. Oh, wait, there's one more task you need to complete before enjoying your time off - actually, there's 10? You have a meet this Saturday, two papers to write by Monday (due 12 am), and your best-friend from home is here to visit you. Don't forget to go to work to get paid to pay tuition, and attend the meetings of your many, many clubs. This sounds like a lot, and at times it's even too much to handle. Unfortunately, life doesn't magically become easier overnight. Let's simplify this stress-inducing situation by learning about time management.

What is Time Management? 

I'm sure you already have a definition in your head, but let’s start at the basics. The Collins Dictionary's defines it as "the process of deciding on the order in which you will do tasks, and making sure that they are done on schedule." This is a pretty straightforward definition, yet many people struggle to incorporate it into their busy lives.

Why Do You Need Time Management?
Trying to balance all of your commitments is challenging, but a good type of stress is created when you overcome obstacles and  make yourself proud. Incorporating time management into your daily life allows you to control how you spend your time. 

The 3 Keys to Time Management:

1. Learning from Past Mistakes 
2. Prioritizing your Obligations 
3. Organizing your Schedule

Helpful Hints: 
If you still don't see why time management is important: 

Appointment Plus: 8 Reasons Why Time Management is Crucial

Sources

AppointmentPlus, Written by: “Why Time Management Is Important.” AppointmentPlus, 15 Oct. 2015, www.appointmentplus.com/blog/why-time-management-is-important/. Accessed 14 November 2018. 

“Definition of 'Time Management'.” Take Heed/Pay Heed Definition and Meaning | Collins English Dictionary, https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/time-management. Accessed 14 November 2018.

Starting a New Semester the Right Way: Part 1

Let's Begin!

The beginning of the year is a crucial time for students to motivate students and get habits started off right.

Changing habits can be difficult. Luckily though, there is no better time to change your old habits than the beginning of a semester.

 No, seriously!

When we go through a large change, for instance coming back from winter break, leaving home once again to return to the steady study stream, we are more likely to change how we do things and our minds are more susceptible to forming new and changing habits.

A new semester is the best time to reflect on what you did last semester and look for ways that you can make this one better. Whether that's not buying so many highlighters, because you only used that one green one, or you found late in the game that sticky notes are amazing at adding side notes after class if your notes are crowded like my own usually are.

Firstly though, it would be best to make sure that you prepare BEFORE the semester starts. If you aren't prepared for day one, the weekend might be a little overwhelming when you have to rewrite all of those notes. We want to try to reserve that for relaxing and preparing for next week. 

Part 1: Know what materials you need up front.
We all have had at least one day in which we leave a pencil behind and have to ask for one from a friend or from the teacher. But you wouldn't dare come to class without your notebook would you?

Text books are expensive, heavy, loud, and an overall struggle to maintain when you have 3 classes a day. Before the semester starts, email your professor. Do you really need that book? If so, is there a PDF for it somewhere? Chances are that there is. I would heavily recommend that you take 30 minutes or so to look for a PDF file and either download it or bookmark it for easy access later.
It might be in your best interest to keep all of your books in the bookmark bar so you are more likely to get to reading rather than letting it become an out of sight, out of mind deal.
To find them, simply google the title of the book with the author, one time without including "pdf" and another time with "pdf".
This is a great way to save $100 for those other materials mentioned earlier.

If you still can't find them, make sure you see how long it would take for a textbook to ship. You wouldn't want to be the first week without access to a textbook. It could have the possibility to derail an entire semester.
If it would take too long to get the book through shipping, look for an online edition. Good resources for this would be through Amazon Kindle, Chegg, or textbooks.com.

Another great thing to get the semester started off right, write your professors office hours in your google calendar. This way you always know when a good time to visit your prof without having to go through moodle or the school website. This is also a good place to record their information from the syllabus if they include their phone number or email. I try to make contacts in my phone for easy look up. In the notes I can record a quick note about the late policy and any other information I think is important like if they take attendance daily or if being late affects my grade.



Frank, Thomas. “How to Start a New Semester or School Year the Right Way - College Info Geek.” YouTube, YouTube, 7 Aug. 2015, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey-cAHDme2s.

Time Management: Past Mistakes

When you graduate high school you are on top of the world. You’re the mature ones, the ones who’ve made it, no longer teenagers, but adults and the world is yours for the taking. College is the last stepping stone on your path to greatness. Hopefully, now that we’re a few months into the semester, you’ve realized that reality is not parallel to your fantasies. My preconceptions weren’t insane, but I did underestimate the amount of time and effort I would need to put into my classes to receive the same grades I did in high school. It’s a college thing. Ever heard that a college C is a high school A+? Me neither, until I realized I had a C in CSI. “Troubled” is the word that describes how I felt when I saw my first test. To better grasp why academics was suddenly a struggle I needed to reflect on my past.

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High School

My HS required seven classes a day, and I took eight. Instead of doing homework after school, I was an officer in three out of my five clubs. Some days I went to volunteer. Like most Coe students, I was an overachiever who sought straights As and only slept for four hours a night. My classes were not easy, and being heavily involved provided great experiences but also massive amounts of stress. I spent four years trying to "figure out my life" so that I would be prepared for college. I woke myself up every morning and learned a few bus routes and schedules so I could get to my train on time to get to school. I learned how long it would take me to get dressed, grab some fruit, and whether I had time certain days to walk, or sprint, to the bus stop. I knew my schedule by heart and planned accordingly. However, that was high school, and I wasn’t prepared for the reality check I received when it was over.

Freshman Year 

At Coe, I was only required to choose four classes; naturally, I chose five. I believed I could handle anything after the nightmare of senior year, so I struggled to come to accept the mistakes I was making. I felt that I didn't have time to finish certain assignments, when in truth I wasn't making the time. I didn't ask my professors for help until it was too late. The list goes on. When you're a freshman you make a lot of mistakes. I though I had to "figure out" what I wanted to major in and what career I wanted all within the first few months, and I was wrong. To learn how to use my time more effectively I had to accept my mistakes and decide how I wanted to change. Then, I had to change.

The Importance of Taking a Break: The Pomodoro Technique

The ratio of study hours for a class is often described as 1:3. For every hour of class, there should be three hours of studying. Do you remember hearing that number and dreading having to focus three whole hours on one subject? How would you be able to do that with all of your classes? The best way to overcome the struggle of ineffective studying is to find a method of studying that works for you. That's where the Pomodoro technique comes in.

The Pomodoro technique encourages fast sprints of productivity with small breaks in between to allow your mind to relax and not get overwhelmed by continuous studying. There are only six steps to the technique and doing one full set will take about an hour and fifteen minutes, broken up into four twenty-five minute blocks with breaks in between.

Here are the six easy steps to use this technique:

1. Pick a task. This may seem like a throwaway but the decision of picking one thing and mentally preparing yourself for it will go a long way in helping you do the rest of the steps.
2. Set a timer for 25 minutes. While there is an official Pomodoro timer you can get feel free to use whatever timer you want. A kitchen timer, hourglass, or even your phone can work!
3. Work on the task. Don't let yourself get interrupted. If you think of something else that you need to do in the middle of your Pomodoro then make a quick note of it and go back to working on the task at hand. You'll thank yourself later for focusing on it so much.
4. Once the timer goes off, give yourself a checkmark! You did it! Commemorate working so hard to get it done! It may not seem like much, but the little things can help make us our happiest.
5. Take a short break. Refill your coffee or drink, meditate, go to the bathroom. Do whatever quick thing you want to do to help clear your mind after focusing for the last quarter of an hour.
6. After every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break on a paper. This break can be around a twenty-half hour. This will allow your brain to have a nice rest after focusing for over an hour on one subject. After the break is done you can go back to another round of Pomodoros! 

You can find out more information on the Pomodoro method here and also find resources that can help you be your most productive self!

Time Management: Prioritization

While it’s true that we take less classes in college, those classes always find ways to take over our lives. We aren’t full-time students for nothing, and professors seem to think that their class is the only class students have to take (or the most important) and we can’t blame them - although we will. It’s our job to prioritize and find a way to fit in our clubs, sports, recitals, outings, relaxation, and work into this array of never-ending work. To help you get started I’ve created a simple assignment. All right, grab your favorite pen and a sheet of paper (and make sure to take your time).

Part I

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1. List out all of your classes – skip a line and do not number them.
2. Write all the clubs and/or sports you’re involved with (as well as your position(s) or office(s).
3. Write down any jobs, internships, and/or work-study positions.
4. Add any volunteering that you do on a consistent basis.
5. Finish up with any hobbies you keep up with on a consistent basis.

Hopefully, you now have all of your usual activities on that sheet of paper. Is your page mostly empty, or packed with stressors? Either way, I want you to look over every word and reflect on whether it’s important to you, or not, and why.

Bonus Activity: in the blank lines (the lines that you skipped) explain why each class, club, or hobby, etc… is important to you.

Part II
On another sheet of paper (you can flip your current page over) title the page in big, bold lettering “My Priorities”. Gently breathe in, and out. Now, decide the 10 activities that are most important. Out of all that you wrote, only 10 are allowed on this page. You are not ranking them (do not number them). There’s nothing wrong if you have less than 10 consistent responsibilities; it just means you already have a solid set of priorities. When you’re finished writing, look over your sheet. If you would trade one commitment for another, replace it.

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Part III
Once your list is complete, follow these steps:
1. Either on that same sheet of paper or another, number your page from 1 to 10 (you can skip lines if you want to).
2. Rank those 10 activities with 1 being the most important and 10 the least.
(There's no judgement here, this is how you truly feel. Be honest.)


Congrats! You have finally prioritized your responsibilities. The first step to time management is being aware of not only your responsibilities, but also which activities give you the motivation to push through any obstacles that come your way. You can only focus 100% of your energy on one thing at a time, even though it’s our habit to juggle. Naturally, your list will change as you take different courses, as your interests and skills develop, as you take on more responsibilities, and as you learn to let things go.

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Pizza & Practicum: 11/5/2018

By Arabella Chamberlain

Photo Credit: Arabella Chamberlain

You really lucked out if you missed the fun and informative "Pizza & Practicum" event hosted by the Learning Commons last night! A great way to find out about one of the unique requirements of Coe College's curriculum, more than 20 students came out to the Perrine Gallery in Stewart Memorial Library this Tuesday.

What exactly is "practicum" though?

Definition: prac·​ti·​cum - noun 

"a course of study designed especially for the preparation of teachers and clinicians that involves the supervised practical application of previously studied theory"

Okay, that didn't really clear anything up, did it?

To put it more simply, a practicum is just getting hands-on experience in your chosen field or career, which Coe requires to graduate. The Coe College Catalog says

"Typically completed in the student's junior or senior year, all practica are experiences that integrate academic component's with career of other life goals and are significant educational exercises outside of the classroom, A practicum experience can consist of an internship, off-campus study, community-based project, honors project, or some other kind of independent activity." (pg. 24-25)

 So what are some good examples of things you could do? I had the opportunity to talk with a few students and they told about their experiences during a DC term on political campaigns, working with local clinics to help those in the community, or even visiting Coe's very own Wilderness Field Station and working to communicate with a native Canadian tribe.

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All these experiences are waiting for you at the tips of your fingertips. Feel free to talk to your major department and have a chat with an advisor. Don't be afraid to reach out and start getting ideas for how to fulfill your practicum requirements, even if you're a sophomore or freshman - senior year comes quicker than you know.

Have you completed your practicum yet?

Yes. (Comment below and let us know where!)

Not yet, but I've got some ideas.

Nope, I didn't even know this existed!

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Get Outdoors 6: Outdoors at Coe

By Paige Waskow

     Want to get involved on campus? Or maybe you want to go on trips but you don’t have the gear or transportation to get there? There are many clubs and opportunities on campus that get you outside and involved! Clubs such as environmental club, outdoors club, and rock climbing club are open to anyone who wants to join.

     In addition, the Alumni Garden is a great space to relax and spend time outside and alone. If you need a break from people or just need some quiet time, the garden is open throughout the week to anyone. The garden also has The Garden Quarto, which is a collection of poems and short stories that is published twice a year. You can enter your short compositions, and they may be in the next issue!

Check it out here!

This is the final post for Get Outdoors! 

Thank you for reading, and I hope that this series has helped encourage you to want to go outside and given you some resources to do so. If you are interested in learning more about why we need to spend time outside, please leave any questions you may have below. Be sure to add any opportunities at Coe you have found that aren’t mentioned here that you think others would enjoy.