Gymnastics and School
It
is difficult to balance my schedule with so many things to do. I have
homework and gymnastics practice, in addition to school, and other daily
things. It is very hard to find time to do all these activities with school
starting at 8:00 and ending at 3:15, and gymnastics starting at 5:00
and ending at 9:00. I wish that each day was an hour longer, so we could
have that extra time to do something that we needed more time for. Having
less free time to do important things like homework is sometimes a problem,
but is also makes make me a better student.
Having
less time for homework does not sound like it would give me better
habits, and it is true that sometimes less time does not work in my favor, but
over time it has provided me with good habits. When I was younger, and
had much more time for homework, I would procrastinate. Procrastinate a lot.
However much I used to procrastinate, that habit is gone now because of
my time constraint. With gymnastics, I often have the right amount of
time to do my homework before practice. Because of this, I hardly ever
procrastinate, and have been able to put more long continuous time and effort into
my work.
 |
| me at a meet |
Although gymnastics has so many positive influences on my school life, there are also a few negative effects. One thing that sometimes happens with gymnastics is that I feel rushed doing homework. This hardly ever happens anymore, now that I have figured out a rhythm, but it used to be a common problem in fifth and sixth grade. Another negative impact that comes from the amount of practice I have is the late end time. When I get home at 9:30-ish after practice, I am hungry, and I still have to eat a late night dinner. I also have to finish any undone homework. With school starting at 8:00, I sometimes don’t get enough sleep. These difficulties are not frequent, and gymnastics is most definitely worth a rushed, late night every once in awhile.
I believe that gymnastics has made me a better student, and set me up to have the skills that I need to be successful later in life. Gymnastics has made me procrastinate less, which helps me focus more on my homework. Gymnastics has also given me life skills, and confidence. Gymnastics is something that I can look forward to on a good or bad day. I believe that everyone should have something that they love to do, and that that will make them a happier, better person. Even though there are a few downsides to such a demanding sport, gymnastics has given me so many positive habits, and experiences.
Book image source: http://tullyschools.org/teacherpage.cfm?teacher=218
I also have share some of the feelings you have. It used to be that I had to go to robotics until 4:30, tennis at 5:15 to 7:20, then go to swimming at 8:00 until 8:30, then arrive at home at 9:30. What is funny, is that almost every single major assignment was due the next day.
ReplyDeleteThis post means a lot to me, and must mean so much more for others with many or time taking activities. Thanks for the post!
Roy,
DeleteThank you for your response. That sounds like a very hard schedule. Do you have any suggestions for people with a bust schedule? Do you still do all of these activities? Which is your favorite? Again, thank you for your response.
-Isabel
Isabel,
DeleteI would say, drink caffeine to stay awake or wake up very early to finish it in the morning. I don't do that though. There was a time when I also had cross-country until 4:30 then go to robotics late.
I dropped swimming and we got 2nd in state with robotics. Thanks for the reply!
Roy
Isabel-
ReplyDeleteThis is a really thoughtful post. You took the time to reflect on something you love to do, and look at the pros and cons. I like how you give specific examples, and refer to your younger self. I think that this post will help people that feel like they have some of you same problems. Nice work!
-Kathryn
Kathryn,
DeleteThank you for your comment. I know that you are also busy with violin, and basketball, so I am glad that other people found my post help full. Thank you for giving me so much positive feedback that I can use the same tools I used this time in a post later in life. I really appreciated your thoughtful comment, thanks,
-Isabel
Even though I can't completely relate, I know were you are coming from. My horse has some health problems, so I often have to stay out at the barn for a long time, and not get back until 7:30/ 8:00. I go straight from school to riding so I have no time in between. Also, soccer takes up two hours and fifteen minutes two times a week for practice, and two and a half hours for games (about two) on weekends. I do have a question for you though, what do you suggest as far as time managment for other people.
ReplyDeleteLouise,
Deletethank you for your comment. I really enjoyed hearing about your horse, what health problems does she have? The one suggestion that I have is to do homework after school before an activity starts. This helps because you can finnish your homework before you get tired after a sport, or late at night. I really do hope that Hope's health gets back to 100%.
-Isabel
Isabel,
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to almost everything you say in the post. Even though Gymnastics and school takes up most of my life I wouldn't change anything. Lots of times when a friend asks to hang out I have to say no because I either have a lot of homework or I have gymnastics. Although sometimes this is frustrating I realize that I have lots of friends at gymnastics and I will be able to see the other friend another time. My favorite line was when you said that gymnastics makes me feel good on even my worst days.
~Abbey
Abbey,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reply. It is nice to know that other people at different gyms experience the same thing that I do. I also have the dilemma when a friend asks me to do something, and I have to choose one or the other. I agree with what you said about how there are friends at gymnastics, because I do have very close friends there as well as school. Thanks,
-Isabel
Hi Isabel,
ReplyDeleteI thought you wrote a great post! It was very understandable, yet it was super interesting. I like how you wrote about something meaningful to you. Sometimes I procrastinate a lot, and you're right, if I did something like gymnastics that much I wouldn't have time for it! I have never thought about that before. Do you think gymnastics will be your career later in life? I think you would have a lot of fun if it was. Good job on your post!
-Sarah D
Sarah,
DeleteThank you for your reply. I appreciate in your intrest in my post. I think that doing something demanding, it doesn't have to be a sport, it really helps people to procrastinate less. I think that even on the days when I don't have gymnastics, I procrastinate less, because I am so used to having to work productively. I am really not sure about your question, I would have to think a lot.
-Isabel
Isabel,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I thought it was great because it was well written, and I could relate to it. I could relate when you said gymnastics made you a better student. I liked how you had links to different websites throughout your blog post, and how you had an amazing picture of you at a meet. I also liked how you talked about you when you were younger and how you have changed for the better since then. Do you think that you would procrastinate if you didn't do gymnastics? Thank you for this great post!
Piper
Piper,
DeleteThank you for your response. Thank you for all of your positive feedback. I know that you probably experience the same think with dance. Do you? I think that I would procrastinate if I didn't do gymnastics. Do you think that dance helps you procrastinate less? If so, without dance would you procrastinate more? Thank you for commenting on my photo, and your thoughtful comment.
-Isabel
Isabel,
ReplyDeleteI thought your blog was well written and enjoyable. I completely agree with you about having an extra hour every day. That's a great picture of you in a side leap. When can I come to another one of your meets?
- Celia
Celia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I appreciate you intrest in my side leap, and your support in my gymnastics. Thank you for caring so much about my meets. My next meet is not for a while, but I will let you know when it is coming up. If you had an extra hour each day, what would you do?
-Isabel