Taking+Responsible+Risks

//Some people are very reluctant to take risks. Fear of failure is far greater than the experience of the adventure. There is a voice in their head saying, "If I don't try, then I can't fail". These people are more interested in knowing if their answer is right than in the process of finding the answer.// //"There has been a calculated risk in every stage of American development-the pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, business man who were not afraid of failure, dreamers who were not afraid of action." --Brooks Atkinson//
 * Taking Responsible Risks**

Taking risks without considering the consequences, and taking responsible risks are completely different. In school and in every day life, taking responsible risks can be a great way to further one's learning. One time that I consider I took a "risk" is during AP exam week, when I missed a few chemistry classes because I decided to take the one day study leave before my exams for other classes. Though technically I was allowed the one day before each exam, I still could have chosen to attend chemistry class.

Before deciding not to attend the classes, I made sure that I knew exactly what would be going on in my absence. Thankfully, Ms. Knowles told us that we would just be working on our battery experiments. My partner and I decided that, since we both had AP exams that week, it would be easier to make up the lab later, rather than have one person working on it at a time, without being able to communicate with each other. If we were going to be taught lessons during the classes, I probably would have reconsidered my decision to miss the classes, because lessons can be difficult to make up. In taking the risk of missing class, one setback that my partner and I found after we returned, was that we didn't have enough materials to work on our lab; we didn't plan ahead well enough. We had enough lemons to finish one of our trials, but we wanted to do more trials to test the consistency of our battery, and this required more lemons. We were able to obtain more lemons, but we had to wait until the next class to finish our experiment.

Next time I decide to take a "risk", I should plan ahead better. I learned from this situation, and especially if I'm to miss future classes, I will make sure to do everything I can to prepare for when I get back. If the risk does not involve missing class, I will still do my best to prepare for all the possible consequences that my risk could bring.

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