Persuasive Paper

Derek Lewis

Mrs. Boresen

Period 4, Expository Writing

May 5, 2011

Choice is an option that we as Americans value and are not keen on losing. We have the choice of picking where we live, where we eat, and even where our kids are born.  Options and choices are everywhere, and are as easy as clicking a button. Choice not only affects every day society, but it affects the class rooms as well. There are many options of teaching styles, curriculum, and even class choices. We are hardly limited to boring and basic class selections.

            That being said, there is more than one option on the teachings of the Secret. I know for a fact that the 7 habits of highly effective teens is just as good as a teaching tool as the secret, and is more portrayed to us as teenagers. The book is written by Sean Covey, who writes after his highly prestigious father who wrote the 7 habits of effective people, Sean goes back to his high school days and tells teenagers how to be successful and how not to be drug down by non-positive people. The book goes into detail about the 7 habits that target, help, and overcome the challenges faced by teens. I feel that the book would be a better option for Expository Writing students because as I’ve said before, it is directed at us and portrays to our everyday life. While reading I saw how Sean was talking about problems that I face as a teenager everyday in school. We as teens don’t look at the big picture, we are living a day at a time. From what I have read, the Secret focuses on the big picture. Expository students need to focus a day at a time, and so that’s what we do. The 7 Habits of Effective Teens helps teenagers stay focused on what is helpful and what will ultimately get them through the harsh and brutal 4 years that they face.

            The curriculum is realistically the same material as the Secret, just more directed at teens. The idea behind the book stays the same it is just more personal. The book is a good teaching tool for several different reasons. How the book is set up, it is easy to identify the main points. The reader can easily spot what information is spotted at whom, and where the ideas should take them. Sean’s advice is relatively easy to understand, and if it isn’t, he goes into detail to explain what he is really trying to say.

            A unit based off of reading, annotating, and note taking helps tremendously with learning how to cope with college classes. All college classes consist of is reading, annotating, and note taking. Coaches everywhere always say that practice makes perfect. From my experiences, what I learn on a field usually always pertains to life. The only way to get better at what we face ahead in life is to practice it. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a great practicing tool. Yes, it is easy to identify the main points, but the reader still has to dig deep to find the best of the best in the ideas. Sean challenges the reader to interoperate the book for themselves. He gives the idea, but expects the idea to grow in the readers own likeness.

I feel that a book is easier to annotate and take notes from because the ideas are spelt out for you on a page in writing. I would think that a movie would be harder to annotate considering how fast people can talk, how fast the main ideas are passed, and how sometimes it is hard to identify the actual main ideas. With a book,  you can easily go back to find a quote, or a main idea in a sentence with ease and not have to worry about going to the menus or rewinding the movie and totally missing the actual part you should be looking for. Also with a book, you can put sticky notes on the pages with the big ideas and important quotes and points. Think about what readers have done in the past. For example, the Harry Potter books. I would bet that 99% of all people who have watched the movies have read the book first. You get something out of a book that you don’t always get in a movie. As a reader, you can imagine the scenery and the skeptics of the layout. That exercises a part of your brain that just laying back watching a movie doesn’t. It forces you to be creative. And being creative is perfect for a class like Expository Writing.

            The book lays out the categories of the 7 points of being effective as a teenager. They are be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek first to understand and then be understood, synergize, and lastly sharpen the saw.

We will start with the first idea, be proactive. That pretty much says it all, but Mr. Covey goes on to explain how you need to be the first to make the move. Don’t sit around waiting for something to happen, go out and make it happen. Act first, ask questions later. That’s the simple logistics of the idea. The next idea look at the big picture and visualize how the end will be. One cannot just look at today and what your actions will cause today. One needs to look on how their decisions will affect their future in general. Decisions need to be carefully decided on. The next is putting first things first. Do not procrastinate. Do what is needed right now. Homework and schooling comes first. Friends, movies, and Facebook can wait till later. Do what is important first, and then have fun later on. Think win-win is a big problem with teens. Staying positive is necessary in order to be successful in this category. No matter what, find a positive in every situation. Something good always comes out of a hard time, and no matter what happens, the sun will still set in the west and rise in the east. The next idea can be difficult for anyone, especially teens. Get all the facts, all the truth, the whole story, before saying what you heard or getting in an argument. Knowing your stuff will help you be better understood and respected by authoritative figures. No one likes someone who doesn’t know their stuff. Synergizing uses teamwork and alternate solutions to solve problems. Two heads are always better than one, and other people have different and sometimes better ideas. And last, sharpen the saw. Gain knowledge, be active in physical activities, find your chi and balance your chakra. The more this skill is utilized, the more balanced ones life is. And a balanced life is a successful life, even if big figures don’t show it. Life is more than just money. Renewing ones mind and spirit is important to the success of the individual.  

I think that when the ideas of the Secret and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens are put head to head, they are quite similar. In the end, I believe the 7 Habits is an overall better teaching tool. It is better to annotate, considering in college, I doubt any educational movies will ever be played. It helps students practice the exhilarating pleasure of sitting down with pen and paper, and reading a good book. Plus, it never hurts to exercise your brain. As said by David Ogilvy, “the more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be.”