1.1: Personal Responsibility
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One of our favorite topics in this course is “personal responsibility.” There is so much power in believing that we have control over many of the choices and outcomes that we experience in our lives. Of course there will be events that are out of our control. For the purposes of this chapter, we are concentrating on those events over which we do have control. For example, a pandemic occurring is completely out of our control. None of us are responsible for that event happening. How we choose to respond to the pandemic, however, is within our control. Personal responsibility involves choices and focuses on making good decisions which help to further our personal and professional goals.
We want to introduce this topic by telling you a story about two students:
Erica is taking nine credits this semester. She works 20 hours a week and also has three children ages four, six and ten. Her life is very hectic, and when she decided to go back to school, she was not even sure how she would fit everything in. At the start of the semester, Erica made a plan that allows her to fit in a little school work and study time each day. She wakes up at 5 AM Monday through Friday to allow herself to get two hours of schoolwork in before her kids wake up.
Ronnie is taking 12 credits this semester. He does not work or have children. He is finding himself falling behind in his classes because he spends a lot of time playing video games and scrolling through social media. He does not have a concrete plan for how he approaches completing his schoolwork, and he often procrastinates and waits until the last minute to complete assignments.
Looking at both of these students, whom would you say has more “personal responsibility?” Who seems to be taking control of the situation and making decisions to get closer to achieving goals? The answer is easy to see - Erica is. Even though Erica has much more on her plate than Ronnie, she is making choices that put her in a better situation. She is choosing to make school a priority. She is taking responsibility for herself by waking up early and completing schoolwork. With all that Erica has on her plate, she easily could make excuses. However, Erica knows that excuses do not help anything and only bring temporary gratification.
Although Ronnie and Erica are not real people, we see students like this every day. Some students make choices that lead them on a path to success, while other students self-sabotage by making destructive choices. Successful students take personal responsibility for their actions and believe that their success in college is within their control.
Time management is the key to success. Take out your phone on day one. Schedule 1 hour a day for 6 days a week (do this for each class you are taking). Have your phone notify you when the time approaches. Leave your phone in another room when it goes off so you don't get distracted. Work completely on HACC for that one hour. Within 10 days you will have created a habit of studying for 6 hours a week.
- Kristy Vukoder, Adjunct Instructor, Foundational Studies