Personal Narrative: My Experience As A Nontraditional Student

The struggled in school academics were never a positive piece of my life. Repeated year after year I came home with a report card with C’s and D’s. When I took my first college course this history remained in the shadows of my experiences and frightened me. Despite my fear I completed my first college course with an A. I worked up the courage to take on an upper level course as a nontraditional student. Through a successful attempt in post-secondary education I began to think school could be something I could reproach. Subsequently, my inquiry about the struggles I had in school my entire life had its first victory I was proud of accomplishing. Additionally the struggle to understand the readings and learn to spell the spelling word lists …show more content…
I learned what types of things to avoid and how to combat other distractions through building in better study habits and locating distraction reduction environments. Changing life style habits and patterns of activity became important to increase focus and decrease of productive work on my part. I can admit there are times I still get extremely frustrated and not sure what to do but since learning what I can do to combat this level of self-defeat I take breaks ever two to three hours. I acquired a habit last semester during the elections to bake while listening to my readings. I needed a distraction physically that wouldn’t take me away from verbally listening to class material and lecture notes. What worked for me through adapting life patterns. Sleeping and eating also changed how I felt about focus. Through gradual steps I found I also had more energy and less need for distraction aids as often when I found the cocktail of remedies for certain times while others were work till a certain time and then call it quits at a certain point in order to absorb the material and theories and reflections asked when I’m in the classroom. I have found that since taking the time to devote 85% of my free time outside of the class to school work has better prepared me as a student to respond and purpose reflective thoughts about the readings. This type of random idea asking in class on the spot use to make me nervous and anxious, because I sometimes knew the answers and other times I didn’t. I still find at times even when I try to explain something in class that the professor has to clarify what I tried to express. It makes me frustrated knowing that I can’t express so eloquently as my fellow peers my thoughts at times. Then there are times when I make connections faster than classmates and see them personally