My LEGO Nexus Organization

Educational, Vocational, and School Counselor Services available here.
All levels, from elementary school to postsecondary education.
I emphasize preventive and developmental counseling to provide the life skills needed to deal with problems before they worsen and to enhance  personal, social, and academic growth.
I can help explore and evaluate interests, skills, and personality traits towards a career path.
I can also work with individuals to develop their job-search skills and assist clients in locating and applying for jobs

Ah.. I remember this, It is almost like my AVID, and the "FSS" or Family Support Services. And the way I finally learned to NEVER ever talk something personal to.....yea..

But still is this like Philosophy? Since Philosophy takes into account of things that people can learn and make them socially, mentally prepared at times.

Also is it ok, that I can help, or be teached about this, it sounds interesting. :D

This is a counselors office rather than a class.. all schools have them.

Of course, yea.. It isn't a class... just a counselor am I right? So then, I have a problem, I know I want a goal in my life, but personally I don't think I'm capable of it, and I'm scared that when doing schooling in here, and when I go back to America I will be retained for a year, for the educational system being different between those two countries.

We are ALL afraid of not doing well at something, although not all of us recognize it or will admit it.

THe first person who has to believe in you is you. I believe in you already.. I believe in all of us. I believe that if you want to accomplish something, really want to, and focus on that goal, and work towards it, you will eventually get there.  I believe that practice makes us better. I doi not believe in trying to be perfect. B

But look at it this way. If you try this year, really really hard, you will learn many things. And you will be one year older, and in the USA. You may or may not learn every thing you wanted to learn, but you will learn many things.
If you do not try, the year will pass anyway. You will still be a year older, and in the USA, but no smarter at all.

Which one sounds better to you??

edit:
"The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible."

*Walks through door*

*lays down in soft brown couch*

(sigh) I don't know what's happening with me.. It's like a monster in my head, tearing my life out, saying to do it. And I know in my heart that I can't, and that it is not right. Yet, I find stress in me, for example, my head is hurting without warning, and near my eye sockets, with some of my hair falling out. I try my best to calm myself from, breathing, meditating, resting, counting, drinking mountain dew.... but all fail, and I think that I can't think I can take this, emotional stress.  I just don't know what is happening. Can you help me?

There is a likelihood with these symptoms that you have a physical issue. Especially the hair falling out.

Stress, however, can also cause that. Mountain Dew has CAFFIENE, and is NOT good for stress.

One thing you might try, if there is something specific that is stressing you out, is to ask this: When I am 25 or 5o years old, will this still be important enough to me for me to be upset?? If the answer is no, let it go.

If the answer is yes, try to calm down and find a solution.

Also remember that you are at a tough age, so do not expect to be perfect.

If I may add, Maple I believe you said one time you seem as though your body doesn't need much sleep. If you are losing sleep that may explain your head hurting, the eye sockets, and some of the stress. I suggest you try to get 8-10 hours of sleep and drink lots of water, it will make you feel better.

Excellent advice, LVR.. I had forgotten about that! Thanks.

*walks into office*

*sits down*

Okay, so recently, I'm getting a feeling that my English Honor grades are dropping. I didn't understand about half the problems on a book quiz, and I narrowly missed a classwork assignment. Last year, I was an outstanding student in English. But now, things have suddenly declined. 

One thing I do not like about English class is that I sit from the second to last seat in the class. One time, there was an empty seat in front of me. I asked the teacher if I could move up to the seat for today. He/She just shook his/her head no. Not to mention that Progress Reports for me are coming in the second/third week of October.

But more importantly, I need a way to:
~ Write good essays
~ How to think more deeply
~ How to interpret a book effectively
~ How to interpret a poem effectively

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Why do you think this year is so much more difficult, first off?

Have you asked your teacher to permanently move you to the front?

I am happy to help with the other stuff, lets look at these two things first!

1. I actually do not understand why. It's just like I suddenly was great at English, but I declined sharply. Could it be that I need to read more? Too overconfident? I learned to speak at a late age, so...

2. I never asked my teacher. As you can see, the reason I want to move up to the front is because people who sit in the front tend to have higher grades.

Since he/she rejected my request to sit up front temporarily, I guess he doesn't want a seat change. He/she seats us alphabetically, from the right column to the left.

About reading & interpreting a book more effectively:
When I am reading something I will have to report on or talk about later, I make notes after each section of reading on what my impressions were, what facts need to be remembered, etc. Sometimes when I do that I do not even have to look at the notes later.. especially if I was interested in the topic.
The very act of collecting my thoughts and writing them down seems to help.

THis may also be of help..
http://www.readinglady.com/mosaic/tools/Student%20Reading%20Comprehension%20Strategies%20explanation%20from%20Leslie.pdf

Also, I had regular english last year. Now, I have English Honors due to my irregularly outstanding performance in English. Now, English is killing me, since it is Honors.

Not to mention that I have an essay to do. 

@legodac - Thanks. I try to participate in class discussions. (Hopefully), I can participate more.

Also, can someone also tell me how to:
~ Boost concentration in class
~ Spend time on tests/essays wisely

I'd have to say the same thing happened to me. 7th grade, I did well in Language Arts. 8th grade, I made it into an exclusive LA class (16 people of the entire 8th grade), and my grade was falling to pieces by the end of the year. (Granted, it was a high-level course; more than likely collage-level).

9th grade, I was was in Honors English. Got a final grade of C, I believe. Now I'm down to normal English this year.

Granted, I'm not complaining; my story just happens to be similar.
--------
1. First of all, get a good night sleep. You can't concentrate if you're sleeping in class (I am living proof of this =P).

Second, get a sood breakfast so you aren't thinking of lunch the whole time. If it's after lunch, then switch the tense to match "dinner."

Third, find something cool about the class and use that as motivation. If the subject is horrible but the teacher's great, then pay attention to what the teacher's doing in context to the subject (Ie, telling jokes, teaching method). If it's the other way, then ignore the teacher for the most part and pay attention to the subject. If the subject itself is epic, then you shouldn't have any problem paying attention.

If both teacher/subject are fail, then find a friend and make it un-fail.

2. Take your time. If you know what sections are worth more points total, (Usually multiple choice) take those out first. If you get stuck, don't dwell on the same question for a half-hour. Skip it and move on. If you get time later, come back and try it.

In a lot of cases, your first, gut instinct is the most correct. When in doubt, go with it.

I'm just curious...

I am writing an essay for my English class. I am currently struggling what to write for the essay and now I am almost done with it. I decided to use Sparknotes to help me give ideas on what to write. Is it okay to use Sparknotes to help me liven up my essay as long as I paraphrase it and not plagiarize, or does it reveal that I cheated on my essay because there is a sudden transition between my usual essay writing skills I have between SparkNotes+my writing?

Please respond ASAP. Thanks.

I am not really familiar with spark notes, but I personally do not think you should copy anything.

Take note that if you do use something quoted directly, you'll need to uses quotation marks around it. And you'll need to cite it correctly in your "works cited" section.

Here's an Essay Format

5 Paragraph Essay Format
 

This is only one method of organizing an essay.

Introductory paragraph

A. Catches the reader's interest

B. Gives brief background on your topic

C. Begins or ends with the thesis statement

Body (paragraphs 2, 3, etc.)

A. Develops, expands, and/or supports the thesis statement

B. Includes a topic sentence for each paragraph

C. Includes supporting details which reinforce the topic sentence.

Concluding paragraph


A. Restates the thesis or sums up the argument.

B. Tells the reader what you think is important to remember. (Often, this is a personal response).

C. Never introduce new information in the conclusion. Extend your thinking on something from the essay.
 
OR THIS:
Frequently, the formatting of your essay may be nearly as important to a teacher as the content is. If your teacher or professor gives you specific formatting guidelines, you should follow them. However, if no guidelines are set, you have several different options for formatting your paper.

The Essay Title
Although the topic of your essay serves as the title, the title section of your essay contains several additional elements. You have two options for the title section:

Display the title at the top of the first page.
Use a separate title page for the title section of your essay.
When you’re not using a title page, generally your name, the course name, professor or teacher’s name and the due date are placed at the upper left hand corner of the first page. Below that should be your title centered. Your essay begins after skipping one line below the title.

Example:
John Brown
English Literature
Professor William Lear
December 5, 2005



When using a separate title page, the title is the first information on the page and horizontally centered at about the top third of the page. Leave the center of your page empty. Other title elements may be double or single-spaced and may be either centered or left aligned in the final third of your title page.
Note: The essay title should be in the same font type and size as the rest of your essay and should not be bolded, italicized or underlined.

Mel Gibson: Hamlet or Just a “Ham”?
By John Brown

English Literature
Professor William Lear
December 5, 2005


Tips for Formatting Essay Text

Use the standard margins of 1" on the top and bottom margins and 1.25" on the left and right margins.
Double spaced text is standard in essay writing and provides room for your editor or teacher to circle or underline errors or add arrows connecting their comments to your text.
Unless otherwise specified, essay text is left aligned. In cases where your essay is hand written instead of typed, it’s “handy” to use a straight edge to keep vertical alignments at a 90-degree angle.
Use a standard font such as “Times New Roman” size 12.
Print your essay on only one side of paper.
Use standard white paper (8.5" X 11”).
Paragraphs are identified by an indentation of five spaces (a tab), do not make extra spaces between paragraphs.
Page Numbers
When used, a separate title page is not numbered. The first page of text is page 1 and may be numbered at the bottom center, in the upper right hand corner, or left unnumbered. Number subsequent pages in the upper right hand corner of each page.
Page numbers should be numbers only. Abbreviations like “p. 3” or indicators like “page 2 of 5” are usually inappropriate for essays.

In the MLA style, the page number is preceded by your last name spaces, i.e. Brown 1. Also in the MLA style all pages that contain the essay text are numbered in the upper right hand corner.

Works Cited
If you have used outside sources to gain information on your essay, you need to include a works cited page of the sources you used at the end of your paper. The appropriate method of listing your sources depends on the type of publications (e.g. book, article, web page, etc.) you used in researching your topic. The format of the works cited page also varies according to the style of citation used within your text.

[/quote]If you don't mind my asking Dude, what grade are you in? I'm just curious, you sound like grade 10 or 11.Sorry MsRR, didn't mean to post over you

I'm in grade 8...

And I have to do a book essay...

Ok.. I go back first to this:
Do you need halp with a format??
Most book reports follow a similar format, but your teacher will probably outline what he or she expects from you. Follow those instructions first.


Introductory Paragraph

The first sentence should state for which instructor and class the book-report is being written.

The second sentence should state the title of the book and the author's name.

The third sentence should tell how many pages the book has and the name of the publisher.

The fourth sentence can state basic bibliographic information about the book. Bibliographic information means not only the author and title but also what company published the book, what year it was published in and any other relevant information such as the edition and if the book has been translated, simplified or abridged. (see copyright page and the back of the title page.)

The next sentence should state the reason(s) you decided to read this book. Why did you choose this particular book? Typical reasons might be:



You like the author.
You like this type of book (i.e. mystery, western, adventure or romance, etc.).
Someone recommended the book to you.
It was on a required reading list.
You liked the cover.

These reasons do not have to be complex. Most people choose the books they read because they like the author or somebody recommended it to them. If you chose the book because you like the author, then state why you like that author.

An optional sentence can be used if the cover (back cover) of the book gives you any additional information then add a sentence with that information.



Was the book a best seller?
Are there X million copies in print?
Did it win any major awards?





Main Character(s) Paragraph

The first sentence of this paragraph should state who the main character or characters of the book are, and why they are important. Refer to this person or these persons as the Main Character or Main Characters.

You will need at least a complex sentence for this, and probably more than one sentence.





Other Characters Paragraph
You should compose at least one sentence for each of the other prominent or important characters in the book. State the name of each of the other important characters, and the key role that each one plays in the book

Most books have five or six prominent characters besides the main character, so simply listing each one and stating their role in the book will give you a good sized paragraph.





Plot Summary Paragraph

This is perhaps the hardest paragraph to write in five sentences or so. If you have to write a bit more don't worry. Here are the main points to cover:


State the type of book (Mystery, Western, etc.).
What place or country was the book set in?
What time period was the book set in? (19th century, the present, ancient Rome, the 23rd century).
Other physical locations which are important, like: ships, airplanes, houses, or buildings.
Other notable attributes of the book. (Was it violent, scary, fast paced, etc.).
What is the main character trying to do?
What is the outcome of the book?
etc.

Make sure you cover all of the major parts of the plot. You might have to go back through the book, chapter by chapter, and make a few notes.





Personal Impressions and Conclusion Paragraph

Simply talk about what you liked or did not like about the book. Use this paragraph as your conclusion. It should summarize your overall impressions of the book and bring the report to a close.




Start with a sentence that states that you are now writing a conclusion. (For example: "My final thoughts on 'A Fine Balance' are that it is a fascinating book but I am not entirely sure if I completely understood the thematic message of the book."

Restate your reasons why you liked and/or disliked the book using different words.

Write two sentences that talk about the books good points and weak points.

Write a sentence or two about what you learned from the book.

Close with a sentence that states whether you would recommend the book to others.

Don't be afraid to give your own honest impressions of the book. After all, if you've read the book thoroughly, you are entitled to your own interpretation of it.


The Conclusion
This is an appropriate place to state your personal opinion of the book. What did you think of it? Would you recommend it to others? Why or why not?

*sigh*

Progress Reports came out today, and on my English 8H, I got:

a grade in the 70-79 range  :-[ :'(

On progress reports, I never got anything this low...

Now when I think about it, I start to worry about my grades...

And about my book essay (which was really answering to a question in the book), the teacher said that most of my class did well, and I believe that I did well, with the help of other people.

And guys...

Yesterday, it was the first time I did an essay without me being on half my essay when there is 5 min. left!  :o This is an accomplishment for me, and I feel that I had fulfilled my promise I made to my English teacher last year (To be more time-wise on essays).  :)

BT, I am so sorry, I commented on this earlier, but I walked away from the computer because the site was taking a long time loading. I guess it never did post.

I am sure your grades will come up, and I am very happy for the progress you made on your essay.

Are things falling into place better??

I was referring to a different essay when I said that I accomplished an essay on time (not the book one).  :P

And so far, my grades are in the B- range. They were once B's...  :'(

Now, my mission is to MAINTAIN a B, rather than get an A...

How do you feel about that??

According to my mom, the minimum of getting an Honors Roll per quarter is a B or above in all subjects... I really need to get at least a B...

And how did Bs get censored on my last post? <-- Never mind, I was referring to the plural of grade "B", not the other definition... >_>

The automatic word censor is strange..

If the class is too hard, talk to your Mom about it. If you could do better, but need help, ask for it. If you don't need help to do better, then concentrate and do the best you can.
Grades are considered to be very important by most people.

My mom already knows about my situation I'm in...

I think I have the potential to do my best...

That's great!!  I remember when I was first places in AP classes.. I was scared to death I wouldn't do well..  By the mid term I was getting A's.
I think it all comes down to believing in yourself, and having others believe in you. And always doing your best to learn.

In the end..learning and understanding the material are really what matter.

I can offer rudimentary advice on freshman college course selection.

I can also help with high school stuff...it's just I have learned about first year classes in college more honestly.

Before I ask my question: Are we still allowed to post here?

Did you read the rules for this board??
Like this one... http://www.mlno.org/index.php/topic,5442.0.html

I wasn't asking about that.  I was wondering if you were still here.

Topics do not get locked in this board, so yes you can always post here. ( It is in the rules)

If you put half as much into your work as yo do into your MOCs, I am certain you are on much firmer ground than you thought.
Slamming him into a wall would do nothing to either enhance your image, or change his behavior.
If you can give me some idea of the kind of things hes says, here or via PM, I will be most happy to address a strategy to dissuade him from continuing.

What do you do for someone who works with you for 5 years and than thinks they get 10 arces of flat tillable land for free?

Education is usually best. First educate your self as to why the would feel that way, and then educate them as to the way it is and will be.