Setting High Goals
Papa, Cici reminded me yesterday afternoon, we need to choose a project for my geometry class. We have seven choices. Show me the list, I asked her. I looked at the list of projects and their requirements. Some were more involved than others, but the first one didn't require writing a paper, so I suggested we do that one. Cici agreed.
Using a map, find the place on earth where 0 degrees latitude and 0 degrees longitude meet. Find the coordinates for where you live. Find the coordinates for a city of your choosing on each of the seven continents. Make a poster where you plot each of these locations on a map.
Sounded easy enough. We had located all of the required coordinates within ten minutes. I found a world map that showed the seven continents and printed it. Now the real work began. By looking at the map I had printed, Cici drew a large map on her poster paper. She carefully measured and drew each line of longitude and latitude. She drew a star to mark Houston on the map, and drew dots to mark the other locations. She wrote the city and country beside the locations except for the double 0 location, which is in the ocean.
Beside the map she wrote the name of each location and its coordinates.
It would have been easy to just casually draw the map and plot the coordinates, but that didn't meet her standards.This morning when I looked at what she had done, I was looking at a work of art. Each stroke of her pen was so precise that it looked almost like it was computer generated. I was wowed by her effort.
We don't have to do this project if you don't want to help me, Papa. But I am the only student in my class who is doing the extra work to earn honors credit for the class, she told me yesterday. It took little of my time, but Cici paid the price. By the time she finished her other homework and this project, it was 2:00 a.m. She didn't have marching band practice this morning so she slept in until almost 6:30 before I woke her.
Sure she could have planned ahead and done part of the work on Saturday, but she needed some down time after a long week and Friday night football. She was willing to pay the price for the extra honors credit that she wants to earn. This will make her course worth more than just the standard 4.0 credit. No one is pushing her to do this. She is setting her own goals, and working hard to achieve them. I have to admire this type of effort.
Using a map, find the place on earth where 0 degrees latitude and 0 degrees longitude meet. Find the coordinates for where you live. Find the coordinates for a city of your choosing on each of the seven continents. Make a poster where you plot each of these locations on a map.
Sounded easy enough. We had located all of the required coordinates within ten minutes. I found a world map that showed the seven continents and printed it. Now the real work began. By looking at the map I had printed, Cici drew a large map on her poster paper. She carefully measured and drew each line of longitude and latitude. She drew a star to mark Houston on the map, and drew dots to mark the other locations. She wrote the city and country beside the locations except for the double 0 location, which is in the ocean.
Beside the map she wrote the name of each location and its coordinates.
It would have been easy to just casually draw the map and plot the coordinates, but that didn't meet her standards.This morning when I looked at what she had done, I was looking at a work of art. Each stroke of her pen was so precise that it looked almost like it was computer generated. I was wowed by her effort.
We don't have to do this project if you don't want to help me, Papa. But I am the only student in my class who is doing the extra work to earn honors credit for the class, she told me yesterday. It took little of my time, but Cici paid the price. By the time she finished her other homework and this project, it was 2:00 a.m. She didn't have marching band practice this morning so she slept in until almost 6:30 before I woke her.
Sure she could have planned ahead and done part of the work on Saturday, but she needed some down time after a long week and Friday night football. She was willing to pay the price for the extra honors credit that she wants to earn. This will make her course worth more than just the standard 4.0 credit. No one is pushing her to do this. She is setting her own goals, and working hard to achieve them. I have to admire this type of effort.
Cici, keep up the good work, some day you'll make a fine lawyer.
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I think we all admire it! That young lady is unstoppable!
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