Zack Van Zante
Ms. Keener
AP US History
23 October 2015
Goal Analysis Reflection
The First Quarter Goal I set for myself was to “get all the homework done within reasonable time.” This basic, one thought goal was achieved through the following: thought to do it, finding time, and actually doing it. Applied to the notes for chapters four, five, six, and seven and example are shown. The first step was easy, in that all I had to do was realize that the notes were on over one hundred pages of history textbook. With that motivation and insight, the race was on so to speak. The wanting to get it done led to the problem of when, which ever so happened to be a long weekend the week before the Friday it was due. The time complication eliminated, that only left actually doing the notes. Start as soon as I wake up and just work through it with minimal distraction and limited breaks for lunch, dinner, the bathroom, and other activities.
The example my First Quarter Goal also pertained to was to finish essays in good time before they were due. From the summer work essay to the one I write today, I hoped to hold this goal. Though I am passing the class with an A grade, the goal I set was not accomplished because of difficulties. The process for essays was the same way as the notes I took. Step one was to start the ideas flowing for what to write and how to write it. Sometimes this step would mix with the next couple steps as new ideas came to me and old ideas needed changing to make them fit into the essay better. After this first step is done and most of the thought process is down, which can create small problems usually being writer’s block, the time for planning when to write the essay begins. This is where the majority of failure for the essay goal occurs, in the form of procrastination mostly. Having the time to do it, and feeling the need to actually do the essay for the most part don’t line up till them must, like the night before with this very essay I write. This waiting for the last moment is usually from not waiting to sit down and write the essay, or that other homework comes before it. On occasion, I will sit down and write down parts of the essay before the night of the due date. One of these times was over the summer with the Document Based Question essay, which I worked on a couple days before school and then did last minute, fixes the night before. Showing not every essay I write is last minute, but about ninety percent are.
However, not all essays and notes were done haphazardly and right both they were due. The summer vocabulary was done in a single week with quite a few weeks before the due date. Done with some care, well organized and well phrased, the vocabulary turned out all right. Another slowly thought out essay was, again, the Document Based Question essay done over the summer. Done in a slow manner, the essay was well thought out, if I do say so myself, and was informative to the end. The success of having all the essays and other work projects like notes, readings, web-quest, timelines, and many more done on time and submitted was going along with the goal.
To work on the First Quarter Goal, and actually make it come true is my Second Quarter Goal. There are many ways to improve upon the first goal. One being, start the work when the work is first provided so another essay like this one and almost every other one I have written is not written the way it was. When I have downtime, not to goof off and not do homework until it is late at night. A good way to solve the problem is to make a plan for my ever-growing workload so that assignments are done on time and orderly.