Quote of the Week
Suggested discussion and writing topics and activities

Spring 2012

Week 1: The distance is nothing; it's only the first step that is difficult.
                    -- Marquise du Deffand

As you begin the semester, there are a number of “first steps” that will help you to start the semester well. Try one or more of the following:

• Buy a calendar or planner, and use it regularly. Go through the course outlines for all of your courses, and find due dates for major assignments and dates of exams; add them to the calendar. Whenever an instructors gives you an assignment, add it to the calendar. Look at the schedule for the LRC’s Success Connection Workshops; find workshops that would be useful to you and note them in your calendar. Establish a habit of looking ahead in your calendar every morning and every night so you know what’s coming up.
• Eat breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast improves your concentration and problem-solving skills, gives you more energy, and actually makes you less likely to gain weight than if you skip breakfast.
• Get to know your classmates. Exchange phone numbers and emails with one or two other students in each class so you can compare notes on assignments. Consider forming a study group or partnership with one or a few other students.
• Get to know your instructors. Visit them during office hours to introduce yourself and ask any initial questions you have. This will help you to feel more comfortable about going to see them if you need help as the semester goes on.

Week 2:   People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with         each  other.
                   -- Martin Luther King Jr.  

• As Dr. King’s quote suggests, many problems between people and groups come from ignorance and prejudice (an negative opinion that has been formed without knowledge). If  you have experienced, witnessed or heard about any sort of prejudice, tell what knowledge would help to reduce the prejudice. (For example, some people who live in other places seem to think that everyone in Hawaii is on vacation. Telling such people about the everyday lives of local people could help to reduce this misunderstanding.)

• Dr. King was a leader in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, a movement with the goal of eliminating racial discrimination (unequal treatment based on race) against  African-American people and ensuring that they had the same rights as others, including the right to vote, as well as to live, work, go to school, shop, and attend public events anyplace that others could. The main strategy for achieving these goals was the practice of public protests that used nonviolent resistance as a tactic. As a result of the movement and Dr. King’s leadership, important laws were passed that guaranteed equal rights (including voting rights) to all Americans regardless of race or other differences. King also spoke out against the Vietnam War and promoted fair treatment and better working conditions for all. For more information, click the above link to read a biography of Dr. King, or read this detailed account of the Civil Rights Movement.

Week 3:  We have the best government that money can buy.
                   -- Mark Twain

• Visit this website to read about The Top 10 Things Every Voter Should Know About Money-in-Politics: http://www.opensecrets.org/resources/dollarocracy/  What did you learn that surprised you?
• If you really liked a political candidate and could afford to contribute to his or her campaign, would you do it? Why or why not?

Week 4:  The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
                       -- Dr. Seuss

Reading and children:  Children who are exposed to reading from an early age generally are likely to view the act of reading positively and are more likely to be successful students.

• Try this: Visit www.seussville.com (linked to Dr. Seuss’ name above), a fun site that includes videos, games & activities, information for parents and teachers, and a lot more. After exploring the site, find something that you would like to share with a child. What did you choose, and why?

Academic reading: as Dr. Seuss tells us, reading helps us to know and learn more, so we can “go places” in life.  Unfortunately, many students enter college with little knowledge of how to read their textbooks effectively; fortunately, textbook reading is a skill that anyone can learn.

• Try this: Attend the SC workshop on How to read your textbook this Tuesday. Select two of the textbook reading tips presented and try them for a week; then reflect on your experience by writing about it or by discussing it with fellow students. How well did the techniques work? Will you continue to use them, or modify them in some way?

Week 5:  You don’t understand anything until you learn it more than one way.
                   -- Marvin Minsky

• Attend one of the 11 workshops presented this week by the LRC: content tutors offer workshops on Accounting, Science, or Psychology, and there are SC workshops on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and foreign languages (see our home page for workshop dates and times). Jot down some notes during the workshop, and look them over soon afterward. Find one or two new ideas or techniques you learned that you can try. Tell someone about what you learned...and then try it out.
• If you’ve never taken a learning styles questionnaire, pick up the Are You Learning with Style? handout from the LRC or KI. Fill out the first page to find out whether your learning style or preference is primarily visual, auditory, kinesthetic (hands-on), or a combination of the three. The handout also includes suggestions for types of study activities using a particular learning style. Try studying with a technique that uses your strongest learning preference; then, for a different perspective, try studying using one of the activities suggested for strengthening your weak area. Don’t try to decide which technique is “better”, just reflect on anything interesting you noticed about your study experiences.

Week 6: To me, there is no greater act of courage than being the one who kisses first.
                    -- Janeane Garofalo       

• What’s the best or worst kiss you’ve ever received?
• Tell a story (true or not) about a kiss. Here are suggested elements to include in your story: who kissed whom, the setting or situation, reason for the kiss, and what happened next.
• Describe your ideal Valentine’s Day.

Week 7:  Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.
                           -- Malcolm Forbes

• What does it mean to have an open mind? How open-minded do you think you are?
• An open-minded person is tolerant; he or she avoids making negative judgments about attitudes, styles, or points of view different from his or her own. (For example, many employers are not open-minded about hiring people with noticeable tattoos.)  List one or more areas or subjects which you would like to see other people be more open-minded about, and suggest how you could educate them to change their view.

Week 8:  It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.
                           -- Frederick Douglass

• Who do you think is responsible for “building strong children” -- parents, teachers, other family members? Suggest some specific actions that would contribute to this goal.
• Follow the link from Frederick Douglass’ name and read the brief biography of him. What kind of person was he? Why is he an important historical figure in American and African-American history?
• At the end of the biography, read the three keys for success in life that Douglass followed. What do you think of them?

Week 9:  I think the key is for women not to set any limits.
                           -- Martina Navratilova

• March  is Women’s History Month -- a good time to learn more about women’s  accomplishments throughout history. To explore some interesting  “herstory”, click on the word “women” in the quote or go to http://womenshistorymonth.gov/ <http://womenshistorymonth.gov/>  This site contains a wide variety of online exhibits on topics like  women at work, women at war, women in the arts, women’s rights, and  more.  Check out some of the links, and tell someone (or write a short  summary) about something you learned.
• Since  women are half of the population, why do you think we need a special  month to recognize women’s accomplishments? Do you think one month is  enough?

Week 10:  Feminism's agenda is basic: it asks that women not be forced to choose between public justice and private happiness.
                           -- Susan Faludi     

• Feminism is a social movement focused on establishing equal political, economic, and social rights for women. Early goals included women’s right to vote and other legal rights such as the right to own property and enter into contracts (such as having credit in one’s own name). Feminists continue to advocate for women’s right to equal pay (i.e., the same pay as a man for doing the same work), for reproductive rights (access to contraception and abortion) and protection from domestic violence and discrimination. To learn more about feminism, visit this website and watch some videos, view photo galleries, or read articles about topics that interest you: http://www.history.com/topics/womens-movement
• For many women today, life is a balancing act between work and home, career and family. What do you think Faludi’s quote means?

Week 11:  Women will only have true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.
                           -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg

• Do you agree with this quote? Explain the reasons for your opinion.
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the second woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court, the highest court in the United States. Click on her name to read her biography. Describe some of the challenges she has faced and how she has handled them.  

Week 12:  You learn something every day if you pay attention.
                           -- Ray LeBlond 

• Tell something you have learned recently. It might be something you learned in a class or in another part of your life. How did you learn it -- by reading, listening, talking to someone, or some other way?
• Spend at least a few minutes just paying attention to what’s around you. You could be sitting in Starbucks, walking along the beach, riding a bus, or in some other everyday situation. What did you observe? Think about your observations. What did you learn?

Week 13:  Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
                            -- Carl Bard

• Make a list of remaining assignments (including due dates) and exams (including dates) by referring to your course outlines, class notes and handouts.
• Decide when you should start on each assignment or begin studying for each exam so you can complete it on time without last-minute panic.
• Write the start date and the due date for each assignment and exam in a calendar or planner (either paper or electronic -- on your computer or cell phone).
• Check your planner at least once a day to make sure you have remembered to record all of your assignments and haven’t forgotten to start on them.
• When you complete an assignment or exam, mark it off by lining it out, highlighting it, or writing COMPLETED next to it.
• Congratulate yourself for making a “brand new ending” to your semester...and SMILE. J

Week 14: The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.
                      -- Chinese Proverb

• Many of us take trees for granted, but we shouldn’t. Read Top Ten Reasons Why Trees Are Important to learn how they help people and the planet.
• Write a tribute (or a thank-you letter) to a tree you appreciate, and tell why. Have you climbed it? Eaten its fruit? Enjoyed its shade or its blossoms?
• April 16 - 22 is Earth Week, a time to celebrate the wonders of our natural world and to help focus attention on environmental concerns. There will be a number of presentations, film screenings, and a planting at Leeward during the week. For more information, visit http://www.leeward.hawaii.edu/node/844 or check bulletin boards around campus.

Week 15: Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen.  Keep in the sunlight. 
                    -- Benjamin Franklin

• Set aside 10 minutes to make a list of things that are worrying you. This may help to clear your head so you can concentrate on what you need to do.
• Try to remember what you were worrying about a year ago. Is it still important?
• Consider: if what you’re worrying about actually occurs, what’s the worst thing that will happen? Realize that when we worry, our imaginations often exaggerate the negative results.  

Week 16: There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.
                    -- Jiddu Krishnamurti

• Tell one thing you have learned from one or more of your classes this year that you are likely to remember.
• Tell something you would like to learn more about in the future. It may or may not be related to school.

Fall 2011

Week 1: A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.
                        -- Oliver Wendell Holmes

• This quote suggests the importance of attitude when you're facing something new...such as studying a new subject. If you're afraid of one of your courses, try looking at it as an opportunity to explore a new area. Try changing the way you talk (even to yourself) about the subject; for example, instead of saying "This class is scary and I can't understand it," say "This class is a challenge, but I can do it." You may not believe it at first, but over time, you may change your attitude.
• If you're taking an Accounting, Psychology, or Science course, come to one of the interactive workshops presented by LRC tutors this week! The tutors will share study techniques that helped them to succeed in these classes. You'll meet other students studying the same subjects and might even find new "study buddies." See the LRC home page for workshop dates, times and locations.

Week 5: A true friend remembers the song in your heart when you have forgotten the lyrics.
                                                      -- old Cuban saying           

• Tell what you think this quote means.
• Many people have different kinds of friends. For example, some have high school friends, college friends, work friends, friends associated with a specific activity like surfing, playing in a band or on a sports team. Discuss the types of friends you have, and the roles of these friendships in your life.
• Describe one of your friends and tell why that person is important to you.
• How do you support your friends? How do your friends support you?

Week 6: If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.  
                                                     -- Noam Chomsky

Week 7: Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.
                                                     -- Mattie Stepanek

Week 8:

Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it.
                                                     -- Steve Jobs

• Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Computer, had a powerful impact on the daily lives of millions of people, transforming the way we communicate through computers and telephones, the way we enjoy music and movies, and the way we learn. How have Jobs’ products affected your life? How might your life be different if the iPod, iPhone, Mac, iTunes, or iPad had not been invented?
• Jobs states the importance of loving the work you do. If you have a career goal, is it based on something you think you’ll love, or do you have a different focus (e.g., money)? Discuss what you hope to gain from future work besides a paycheck.
• One reason for the success of Apple products is their design -- they are beautiful to look at and pleasant to handle. Think of an object that people use often that would benefit from an Apple-style redesign. What is it, and why would a redesign improve it?

Week 9:

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.
                                   -- Alice Walker

• Walker’s quote suggests that having a confident attitude helps one to have  control or power over one’s life. Do you agree or disagree? Give  examples to support your view.
• In  many cases, one individual acting alone cannot do much to change a bad  situation or solve a problem, but when people join together and act  collectively, they can sometimes accomplish much more. Examples of such  circumstances include the development of labor unions that help workers  to have safe working conditions and fair treatment, or public  demonstrations against government actions (for recent examples, read the  Wikipedia entries for Arab Spring or 2011 Wisconsin protests). Think of a problem situation in Hawaii that might be improved through organized action by a group of people.
   

Week 10:

If we are facing in the right direction, all we have to do is keep on walking.
                                   -- Buddhist saying

• This is the time of the semester when some students start to lose their motivation. On your own or with other students, make a list of things you can do to stay motivated when you're tired of studying. For example, you can give yourself little rewards for completing a study task: ("After I finish reading this chapter, I'll go for a walk.")
• "The right direction" is different for each of us. Describe what your "right direction" is. What are your goals for this semester? What are your goals for your college education?
• Other people can help you to "keep on walking". Consider meeting with an LRC content tutor or writing consultant for assistance and motivation. For more information, see the LRC and Writing Center websites or call the LRC at 455-0412 to make a tutoring appointment.

Week 11:

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.
                                   -- Joseph Chilton Pearce

• Why do you think many people are afraid of being wrong?
• Mistakes play an important part in learning many subjects -- languages are a good example. Tell about a time when you made a mistake in one of your classes -- and what you learned from it.
• If someone is very, very careful to avoid making any mistakes, how would this affect his or her life?

Week 12:

I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, "Mother, what was war?"
                                   -- Eve Merriam

• Do you think war is an inevitable (unavoidable) part of the human condition or do you think someday there may be a world without war? Explain your view.
• Many veterans who have completed their overseas service become college students -- Leeward's student population includes at least 500 veterans. Student veterans can face special challenges in adjusting to college. What do you think other students, faculty members, or the college as a whole can do to help these students feel welcome at Leeward?
• In a world without war, some say there would still be important duties for a trained, organized, military-type force to perform -- for example, assistance in dealing with natural disasters. Suggest some specific ways that the military could work to improve life in the United States.

Week 13:

There's nothing like music to relieve the soul and uplift it.
                                   -- Mickey Hart

• What role (or roles) does music play in your life (or life in general)? Discuss some of the ways you use music or see others use it -- for relaxation, distraction, entertainment, worship, etc.
• Come to the World of Music event this Thursday at 4:00 in the LRC. You'll have an opportunity to hear music from different countries, some of it played on instruments you've never seen or heard before!...then, if you want, you can try some hands-on music-making. After the event, describe the music you heard and tell what you learned from this experience.
• Write a story or poem about a world in which music has disappeared. What would be different?

Week 14:

If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.
                                   -- Mother Teresa

• Obesity  is a major health problem in the United States and other wealthy  countries, while other, poorer countries struggle with the problem of  hunger. Which problem do you think is easier to solve? Do you think the  two problems are related?
• Describe a Thanksgiving that you’ve enjoyed. What made the day special?
• Brainstorm  a list of positive elements in your life -- people, things, activities,  or circumstances that you appreciate. Write a letter of thanks to one  or more of them. (“Dear mango tree, I’m really glad that you live in my  back yard...”)

Week 15:

Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.
                                   -- Willie Nelson

• Take a positive approach to your final exams and projects. Start by looking back: make a list of the things you’ve accomplished so far this semester.  What have you learned about the subjects you’ve been studying? What have you learned about yourself?
• Now, look forward. Write at least two positive, specific  statements that express your positive intention to complete your work well.  Some examples:
  • I will meet all the deadlines for my research paper.
  • I’m going to work every accounting problem in the next two chapters.
• Post your positive statements someplace where you can see them. Reread them several times a day to encourage yourself to keep moving ahead.

Week 16:

Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.
                                    -- Oren Arnold 

• Which of these gifts would you like to give? Which would you like to receive? Explain your answer.
• What’s the best gift you’ve ever given?
• You’ve probably heard the old saying, “It’s better to give than to receive.” Do you agree or disagree with it? Why?