WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

My Plans for this week was to finish my zoo report and to meet with an advisor about applying for candidacy in the spring semester. The zoo report consisted of me attending a zoo and observing the behaviors of apes/monkeys. I seen different type of monkeys. The zoo report consists of three pages about what I observed at the zoo. I thus far finished 2 and a half pages of the zoo report. The report is due thursday so I decided that I would fully complete the zoo report by Tuesday, if not Monday.

The second thing I did was meet with an advisor this past Tuesday. It wasn't a scheduled appointment so I met with an advisor who I've never met (I usually like to stick with the same advisor each time, but since I planned it I pushed myself to do it). I asked her about the whole applying for candidacy for student teaching and she responded that I was moving in the right direction with other positive responses. One thing she said that hit me that kind of made me nervous was that I would have to have a 2.5 G.P.A. to apply for candidacy. Im currently not at a 2.5, but after this semester I'm quite sure that not having a 2.5 would not be a factor for me. I began to ask her what steps I should take and what it would be like if I don't have a 2.5 by the spring. She responded that not having a 2.5 in the spring would cause me to get an extra semester added to my college experience because there are only certain times where you can apply for candidacy. I became a little worried and this thought became heavy on my mind throughout the week.

With the thought of not having a 2.5 by the spring on my mind, I looked forward to a buddy meeting. I was unable to get in touch with my original buddy that I chose, so I chose someone else who would tell me what I needed to hear as well as encouragement. I told her about my plans for the upcoming week and what I planned on doing. I also told her what I planned to be in the near future and what progress I made. I mention the meeting with my advisor and what was said to me about the 2.5 and candidacy and I let her know that I became a little worried. She told me that I was able to do it, and that I need to start seeing what is most important in my life (as far as goals) and start working towards those goals. Although she is not apart of my class, she agreed to speak to me every week and even dedicate a day to study with me. She reassured me that good grades comes with hard work and studying, all of which is easy. She stated that, "If you have good grades, then your G.P.A. will move, your work will show in how much your g.p.a moves." I was happy to have this buddy meeting because it helped me to realize that I still have more tests and papers to ace to keep up my good grades.