My experience in Mr. Abud's Honors Chemistry Class was probably predicted if someone surveyed my my years in some other classes. I start off with high expectation for myself saying, "This is a new start and a new beginning!" and MR. Abud saying the first day of class, that we know nothing about Chemistry and if we knew something "why do we know that?!" Although as always started to recede after a few weeks. And just barely got along as passing with "C's" as my average grade. Which is strange for me because i have so much potential and when i really put my mind to something the outcomes are unbelievable!
I've never had a teacher or teaching style like Mr. Abud's, so obviously it was hard for me to adjust. I receded and was doing about average, I thought that I would go to community college which has always been a fear of mine... I didn't want to be the one person in my family who went to community college. I was rejected from Michigan State University, Western etc. So thought I was going to community college and I basically gave up in my effort to try and go to a great named college.
I've always been well known and supported in the fine arts. I was good at acting and I'm a great singer; naturally I stuck with the strong parts of life and focused on them more than my grades. Until one day I was at the MSVMA State Honors Choir. I sent a note to one of my good friend at Albion College because at State Honors Choir there were a bunch of representatives for colleges. The representative for Albion was the Band Director and he gave my note to the Choir Director, "Dr, Parr" who gave it to my friend. He was "Amazed" I knew her! He reaction who is this guy what can we do to get him here. Once I heard this I knew I had a chance to go to a great named college. They told me I had to get my grades up in a few classes (chemistry) and that I had to "Do the work!"
So I did I started working harder, paid more attention in class and asked questions to Mr. Abud saying "what can I do to get an "A in chem?" He replied saying I just have to study the material and catch back up with the class and then reassess my assessments I took. I got an "A-" in the classes and was "accepted under condition" at Albion.
After that experience I realized,I have to put my potential and make it my actions everyday in class. I have to take notes during the labs and from the Smart-board notes and not just try and remember everything. I had to learn to write down what I had trouble with and study it. Mr. Abud is the type of man to teach in a way where you do the experiment in front of you first and figure exactly how it happened second. That way of working opened my eyes and taught me how to take notes and remember everything I had seen and learned before. "How to make and balance a chemical equation is probably the most helpful thing I learned because it applies to everything that follows.
Even though from the start Mr. Abud told us we know nothing about Chemistry. I had to learn and do it all myself and practice outside the class room. Which is exactly what college will be like. I'll be on my own. I have to Thank Mr. Abud for teaching me his new way of everything! How to look at things differently and I also had to learn how to do things myself with no help.
My experience in Honors Chemistry has been on the hardest, stressful, and frustrating class I've taken. Of course that was my on ignorance and laziness in they. I've that I still need to keep my mind open to new ideas and keep it focus all the time on what I need to do and what's important. I"ll remember this lesson and class very well for the rest of my life, how Mr. Abud's Honors Chemistry class taught me to be focused and responsible with my time and to "Do the work!"
I believe should get somewhere receive the grade of a B or B+ in my overall grade because I didn't put forth all the focus and potential I have in the beginning, but I learned that if I want to succeed I cant give up on work I have trouble with or what I don't understand. I hahve to put forth effort, which I believe I've done for the Second semester. Although I've learned a great deal and I've retained it and can apply it whenever I need to I still need to keep at it and will.
UNIT 4 Standards
4.01 I can distinguish between a pure substance and a mixture
Knowing how to tell a pure substance from a mixture is important. A pure substance is basically an element it's all the same type of molecules or molecules that are the same whether they are combined or not. While a mixture is a composition of two or more substances that aren't chemically combined with each other and are capable of being separated.
4.06 I can identify the names or symbols of the common elements and compounds
Identifying the elements and compounds is something every chemist has to learn. Knowing that H is hydrogen and O is Oxygen. And also the charges that help balance the equation. So if I had H2O I have 2 hydrogen molecules with a +1 charge and one Oxygen has a 2- charge, which balance it out.
