Professor Johnson’s Gift to You for Christmas 2013

The Top-Five Things I Hope You Learned This Semester that have NOTHING to do with Biology

5.      In the real world, a ‘group project’ means that all team members work together to produce a final product.  Not everyone has the same strengths, but all members have something of value to offer.  Your outcome (in this class – your grade) of a group project is usually based on your individual contribution to the project’s creation and presentation.

4.      It is rude & distracting to the entire class to talk when others are speaking.  This is something that mature adults know and practice.  This applies to when the instructor is talking or when classmates are attempting to have a class discussion.  You may believe that whispering to your classmate in the back of the room is so quiet that no one will hear you, but you are incorrect.  Few things are more discouraging than having something important to say and realizing that the people you are talking to are choosing not to listen. 

3.      You look foolish when you ask a question that was answered 5 seconds before when you were busy texting, facebooking, or whispering to your neighbor.

2.      When your professor makes comments and suggestions on your paper, you should read those comments and change the paper as they have requested before re-submitting the assignment.  If you only submit a paper once before grading, the comments from one paper apply to the next assignment.

1.      You are capable of more than you know and believe.  You have the ability to read and learn many things on your own.  Your instructors want to help you with things you need more help on – not spoon feed you every piece of information you might possibly need to know.  Thomas Edison, one of the greatest American inventors ever, was adamant that his success was not due to some amazing intellect.  He often told people that it was “90% due to hard work.”  The great news is this is something that is completely within each individual’s control. 

It has been a great privilege to spend this semester with you in Introduction to Biology.  Please feel free to stop by my office and chat when you return in the Spring!  Have a wonderful and restful semester break and Christmas!