Principle # 5
In Adam Robinson's article "Take this quiz" he sets forth the smart student's credo, which is a list of 12 principles. One principle particularly caught my attention, principle # 5. Principle # 5 states: "Making mistakes (and occasionally appearing foolish" is the price you pay for learning and improving" (Robinson 160). I cannot agree with this statement more. I have made numerous mistakes throughout my educational career. From these mistakes I am able to learn from them. For instance I did not perform up to my standard in A & P 1 at SUNY Plattsburgh. I received a B+. This was mainly due to my study habits or lack there of. I was motivated by this, I learned from this, I corrected this, I received an A in A and P 2. I have helped fellow students with material and seen it first hand, after making a mistake they then learn from it. It is also rewarding after the 3rd or 4th time of making a mistake to finally have your eyes opened to the solution. It is a huge motivating factor. So yes mistakes make you smarter.
I also, chose to defend principle #5 because my personal experiences related to that principle the most. Mistakes are a great learning tool and I find that this principle can be applied to other aspects in life outside of academics. Mistakes should be used for motivation to push yourself further. I agree with you, it should feel rewarding to finally make sense of material that has been mistaken for something else. I think its great that you were able to recognize reasons behind your mistakes and made the proper choices to correct said mistakes. I'm not very good at correcting my mistakes before they may happen, but I'm still learning from them.
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