Journal Entry
One lesson learned from the study of the United States history that affects my daily life is to be a better decision-maker. Learning about US history provides me with the opportunity to learn from past mistakes especially at work. People have their reasons why they act the way they do and through learning about history, it helps me relate better with people. Another lesson learned from studying US history is the acceptance of the change. Even though change is difficult at first, I learned the necessity to accept it, especially if it helps me in my work environment. It is good to note that some of the best experience people can have is after accepting demanding changes.
For the next group of students taking this course, the advice that I can give them is to proceed and take the course. Learning about American history equips them with the required knowledge to maneuver through their lives personally and professionally. After completing this course, I can say that I have changed for the better in terms of relating to people at work, school, and home. In this case, students who will take this course will be better leaders and role models for the community hence why I recommend it.
The course has affected me in the following ways both at school and work. I have become more professional at work since I can relate to co-workers better. I have healthy relationships at work since I learned that people behave differently due to their circumstances. Even though people should not take work-related home, some of them do and this leads to confrontations at home. After completing this course I learned to not judge my family members especially those working since they may not have the wisdom to know the consequences of taking work-related problems home. Therefore, I can conclude that this course has taught me to be patient personally and professionally.
Incoming students need to be aware that this course is not easy and it needs them to be proactive and disciplined throughout. This is due to the intricate details that American history entails that need to be grasped. For instance, learning about the world wars and their history can be challenging since research about the wars is not definite or conclusive. In this case, students need to work together in groups and contribute to making definite conclusions. However, working in groups is always exciting so incoming students need to know this class will be fun and engaging.
There are several strategies used that I found useful during the course. I have been late for class and this allowed me to review past notes. I was thus adequately prepared for the next class. As mentioned earlier, another strategy that worked for me was working in groups since the input of other classmates helped me make a definitive conclusion on difficult topics. Group work also led to success since there was a study routine to follow. Therefore, each of us had different topics to research on, and later we would discuss all the topics as a team.
To help them get an A, I would recommend the following strategies. The students need to form a group or work in pairs during the course. This allows them to actively participate in the different discussions throughout the course. Another strategy they can adopt is conducting thorough research about some of the challenging topics they have during the course. The research done can be from historical journals, podcasts, and government agency websites. The information gathered here is accurate and it will give them an A. More importantly, the knowledge gathered will equip them with the tools required to be responsible adults and achieve their goals at a personal and professional level.