Greg Kahn for The Chronicle
"If I pass, I get to take credit courses and move forward and not be stuck," says Kenneth Okorafor, 26. "If I fail, I'll keep on stagnating."
All students in English 002 at Montgomery College must complete a portfolio of one in-class essay and two papers they've revised over the course of the semester. Kenneth Okorafor, a Nigerian immigrant who strives to live by his father's words that education is power, chose to revise a paper about obstacles to his academic success. He shared his work with The Chronicle, and granted permission to publish it. Related article: The Second-Chance Club
Obstacles are things that hinder you from getting to where you would like to be in life. There are two great obstacles that are hindering me from where I want to be in life. My two greatest obstacles in EN002 this semester are not paying attention in class, and not managing time ...
Not paying attention in class is an obstacle for me because I usually get side tracked by other things that are going on around me such as in talking to friends or texting on the phone. I intend to overcome this obstacle to pass EN002, the only way I could do that is by sitting in front of the class which I have been doing so I could hear everything the teacher had to say. There have been many occasions, when I sat in class and didn't listen to what the teacher had to say. When I was asked question I couldn't answer and that made me look like a fool. I never want to experience that feeling ever again in my life that's why I must overcome this obstacle.
Another obstacle is not managing my time, because I usually go to bed late at night staying up watching movies or talking on the phone with friends till around 3am. However I noticed doing this wasn't doing myself justice at all. Because I almost failed my EN001 class last semester by going late to class and Turing in homework's late. There was a time I applied for a job, got an interview; I went to the interview late and lost the opportunity. This semester to pass my EN002 class, I am making sure I do everything that has to be done on time, even going to bed on time , turn off my phone so I don't talk to friends late at night any more. By doing this have seen the difference in my work ethic in school and in everything else I do.
Obstacles are walls that can be broken, if you chose to push them down which I did. Since I started paying attention in class and being on time I have seen a lot of improvement. Doing my homework and turning it in on time and also paying attention in class has helped me become a better student.
