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Personal Responsibility Essay

GEN/200 Version 3

March 1, 2014

Driskell E. Lang, ED.D

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Thesis statement

I have dreams and goals that I have set for myself, which I believe will lead to a successful career and a better future for my family and me. I recently made a list of goals for the next five years. I decided that one of my major goals is to return to college, complete my education and get my degree. And now I’m back in school. Taking this step shows how I have come to accept responsibility for my future. Although I recognized that I will have to continue to exercise personal responsibility in order to achieve my goal.

I. Introduction: Personal Responsibility My understanding and acceptance of personal responsibility has changed over time. My parents taught me about responsibility and I learned about taking responsibility in school. But as a young adult I still did not think much about decisions I made or their consequences. Since then I’ve had experience in the working world; and as a parent of two children, one of whom will soon be graduating from college; and just living for the last twenty years. And I’ve learned that taking responsibility for my decisions and actions is really the start of creating a successful life. When a person is willing to take responsibility for their actions and progress, personal growth is possible. The first step in taking personal responsibility is being true to whom you are and deciding what you want out of life. It all comes down to decisions and choices. For me, being responsible means thinking about the decisions I face, and then making choices that are right and honest. It also means knowing there will be bad decisions along the way, but accepting responsibility for those as well. “Personal responsibility also means that when individuals fail to meet expected

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standards, they do not look around for some factor outside themselves to blame.” (Articles, July 2009: by Ron Haskins). Returning to school is a major adjustment for me. I take my education seriously, so when I made the decision I had to sit down and look hard at the responsibilities I would be taking on. I still have to take care of my family and everything that comes with taking care of a house. I know I will have to make some sacrifices if I want to succeed in college, but I don’t want my child to feel neglected because ‘mom decided to go back to school.’ I will have to find a balance to make sure nothing important is ignored, which means setting priorities. I know there will be ups and downs, but it will help to keep my goals and priorities in mind, especially when I confront challenges that are sometimes beyond my control.

II. Responsibility as a Student It’s my responsibility to make sure that I work hard and use my skills to be successful in college. As a returning student, I am facing personal, school and financial challenges. To be a successful student, and become who I want to be, I have to recognize and deal with these challenges. Since it’s been fifteen years since I last took classes, I have to learn to be a student again. I’ll have to improve my study skills and computer skills. I need to keep in mind that learning is hard work, and try not to be discouraged by criticism. I plan to communicate with my professors, especially if I have questions about the materials or assignments.

4 I recognize that I can learn from other students, and they can learn from me. So it’s also my responsibility to participate actively with my team, to do my part so we can achieve our goals. I’m responsible for communicating with my team members to complete a team assignment, and responding to team discussions. I’m a people person, so I think I’ll enjoy this part of school.

I am legally responsible for the financial obligations I incur. I am receiving financial aid, which I will have to pay back. It helps that I have learned from family members to never borrow more than you need.
I will also need to make decisions about the direction of my education. I will have to decide whether to complete my studies in finance or choose another field.

III. Plan Responsibility My plan is to work hard and make good grades so I can show others how important it is to achieve something. “First Step Process,” which is outlined succinctly in Becoming a Master Student (Toft, 2011): “The First Step technique is simple: Tell the truth about who you are and what you want. End of discussion… The First is one of the most valuable tools in this book. It magnifies the power of all the other techniques. It is a key to becoming a master student.” Setting and writing down specific goals will help me decide and prioritize my desires. Strategies as simple as writing your goals down can be useful in solidifying those goals, as outlined in Becoming a Master Student (Toft, 2011): “ Writing down your goals exponentially increases your chances of meeting them. Writing exposes undefined terms, unrealistic time frames, and other symptoms of fuzzy thinking.” My list will help me decide what is important, identify tasks that are time consuming, and order tasks according to priorities. I will have to be disciplined about sticking to my priorities. 5 I will have to learn how to manage my time. “Time is an equal opportunity resource. All of us, regardless of gender, race, creed, or national origin, have exactly the same number of hours in a week. No matter how rich or poor, we get 168 hours to spend each week-no more, no less.” (Ellis, Dave 2011.) So I will use a calendar and keep a record of when and how much time I am able to spend on schoolwork each day. I plan to find and take online courses on Microsoft Office, especially Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Hopefully I can find online resources that are free. I also have friends who are excellent at Office who can help me in a crunch.

I will work on establishing routines around my schoolwork. I will review my course syllabus periodically to make sure I know how my grade will be calculated and when important assignments are due. I will check in online and review my course materials daily so I don’t have to cram for exams. I will try to get my assignment submitted on time and communicate regularly with team members. And I will evaluate my progress by keeping track of my grades.
Finally, I will take good care of my support network. I know that my family and children support me and they personally keep me motivated to succeed.

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Conclusion

I’ve learned that personal responsibility is an essential part of creating a successful future. And I recognize the importance of establishing goals, setting priorities, and creating a structure that will guide my life. I know it won’t be easy to do. But I believe that this will help me succeed in college, and grow, learn and achieve in all areas of my life.

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Bibliography

(2011). Toft, D. Becoming a Master Student, Thirteenth Edition. Cengage

Learning.

http://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/ebookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspx

Ron Haskins, Article, July (2009), The Sequence of Personal Responsibility.

http://www.brookings.edu/research/articles/2009/07/09-responsibility-haskins

(2011). Dave Ellis, Becoming a Master Student, Thirteenth Edition, Chapter 2:

Time. Cengage learning. ISBN: 981439081747.