January 15

Today, we did a Writing into the Day with a quote about positive thinking.  In response to this quote, we had a debate about whether positive thinking leads to success.  Some people said that positive thinking is necessary because without it, a person is setting him/herself up for failure.  These people argued that a positive attitude will lead to a positive outcome and will make things easier.  Others said that persistent positive thinking is necessary because one needs to have a positive outlook even through hard times.  Some said that positive thinking must be combined with hard work.  Still, others argued that positive thinking is overrated.  They said that there are very unhappy, cynical people who are very successful.  They said that a person needs to have the drive to succeed and that a person cannot always expect a positive outcome.  They asserted that just because a person has positive thoughts does not means everything will work out positively for that person.  We also talked about how we define "success".  We came up with ideas like happiness, money, reaching goals and being able to trust those with whom you interact.  Some said that success is different for each person.  One person argued that "success" is usually defined in big picture terms, looking far ahead; however, we have little successes each day, such as getting out of bed and getting to class.

After our discussion, we talked how to post and comment on the blog as well as the expectations for reading responses and research process posts.  Then, we did a mind-body exercise to help us remember each other's names.   

For the last 20 minutes of class, we read "Seven Ways High School Prepares You for Failure" and completed a triple entry journal about this article.

Homework:

• Before class on Thursday, post your triple entry journal (either by taking a picture or just writing out what your journal says) to your blog.
• Before class next Tuesday, respond to at least two of your blog group members' posts.