essay on i wish i had known

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Essay on “I Wish I Had Known…”

Table of Contents

“I Wish I Had Known…”

Introduction:.

Hindsight is often referred to as 20/20 vision, and with good reason. It’s not uncommon for people to look back on their lives and think, “I wish I had known…” This sentiment arises from the realization that life’s lessons are often learned through experience, and sometimes, we only truly understand their significance in retrospect. In this essay, we will explore the notion of “I wish I had known…” and delve into some of the valuable insights that might have changed our actions or perspectives had we possessed them earlier.

The Value of Time:

One common theme in “I wish I had known…” reflections is the value of time. Many people wish they had understood just how fleeting and precious time can be. In our busy lives, we often prioritize the urgent over the important, only to later regret not spending more time with loved ones, pursuing our passions, or taking chances on new experiences. Understanding the true value of time can lead to more meaningful and fulfilling lives.

The Power of Resilience:

Another aspect often lamented in such reflections is the power of resilience. Life can be challenging, and setbacks are inevitable. Many people wish they had known earlier that adversity doesn’t define them but can, in fact, be a catalyst for growth. Embracing resilience early on can help individuals navigate difficulties with greater strength and perspective.

The Impact of Choices:

“I wish I had known…” also frequently pertains to choices and their consequences. We make decisions daily, ranging from trivial to life-altering. Understanding that choices have far-reaching effects can prompt individuals to make more considered decisions. Whether in matters of education, career, relationships, or health, recognizing the importance of choices can lead to a more intentional and fulfilling life.

The Importance of Self-Compassion:

Self-compassion is a lesson often learned later in life. Many individuals wish they had known the importance of treating themselves with the same kindness and understanding they extend to others. Self-compassion can alleviate unnecessary self-criticism, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being.

The Significance of Authenticity:

Living authentically, true to one’s values and aspirations, is another insight often discovered later in life. “I wish I had known…” here often refers to the realization that societal expectations or the pursuit of external validation can lead to a sense of emptiness. Understanding the importance of being true to oneself can lead to a more fulfilling and purpose-driven life.

Conclusion:

“I wish I had known…” is a sentiment that reflects the universal human experience of growth and self-discovery. While we cannot turn back time, we can use these reflections as a guide for our future. These insights can serve as a source of motivation to live more intentionally, cherish time with loved ones, embrace resilience, make informed choices, practice self-compassion, and live authentically. In doing so, we can turn the lessons of the past into the wisdom of the present and future, enriching our lives and the lives of those around us.

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Essay on I wish I had known earlier

January 21, 2023

There are many things that I wish I had known earlier in life. Looking back, there are so many things that I wish I had known when I was younger that would have made my life easier or more fulfilling. Here are just a few of the things that I wish I had known earlier:

Things that I wish I had known earlier

The importance of self-care.

When I was younger, I always put the needs of others before my own and neglected my own self-care. I wish I had known earlier the importance of taking care of myself, both physically and mentally. This includes getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and taking breaks when needed. Taking care of myself has helped me to be more productive, more resilient, and overall happier.

The value of hard work

I often took things for granted and didn’t fully appreciate the value of hard work. I wish I had known earlier that hard work is the key to achieving my goals and making progress in life. Hard work requires discipline, dedication, and persistence, but it pays off in the long run.

The power of positive thinking

When I was younger, I was often negative and pessimistic, and this had a negative impact on my life. I wish I had known earlier the power of positive thinking and the ways in which it can change my perspective and my circumstances. By focusing on the positive, I have been able to overcome challenges and achieve my goals.

Essay On: Persuasive essay on if earthquakes are more dangerous than hurricanes

The importance of relationships

At younger ages, it is almost the same for every so I often took my relationships for granted and didn’t prioritize them as I should have. I wish I had known earlier the importance of maintaining strong and healthy relationships with my friends, family, and loved ones. These relationships provide support, love, and meaning in life, and they are worth investing in.

The value of saving and budgeting

When I was younger, I often spent money impulsively and didn’t think about the long-term consequences of my spending habits. I wish I had known earlier the value of saving and budgeting and the importance of being financially responsible. By saving and budgeting, I can ensure that I have the resources I need to achieve my goals and live a comfortable and secure life.

The importance of education

When I was younger, I often took my education for granted and didn’t fully appreciate the value of learning. I wish I had known earlier the importance of education and the ways in which it can open doors and provide opportunities. Education is not just about getting good grades or earning a degree, but it is also about developing critical thinking skills, gaining knowledge, and growing as a person.

The power of forgiveness

When I was younger, I often held grudges and didn’t understand the importance of forgiveness. I wish I had known earlier the power of forgiveness and the ways in which it can heal relationships and bring peace to my life. Forgiveness is not about excusing someone’s behavior or letting them off the hook, but it is about letting go of anger and resentment and moving forward.

The importance of taking risks

When I was younger, I often played it safe and avoided taking risks. I wish I had known earlier the importance of taking risks and stepping outside of my comfort zone. Taking risks can be scary, but it can also lead to growth and new opportunities. By taking risks, I can push myself to be better and achieve things that I never thought possible.

Important reading: Essay On Earthquake

In conclusion, there are many things that I wish I had known earlier in life. While I cannot change the past, I can use these lessons to make positive changes in my present and future. By learning from my mistakes and taking these lessons to heart, I can live a more fulfilling and meaningful life.

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• Aug 31, 2015

If I Had Known: An Essay from a Dyslexic

Updated: Jun 18, 2020

A student of mine wrote this essay for an English assignment. I was almost brought to tears as I read. "If I Had Known" is a thought on my mind almost every day. If I would have known I was dyslexic... If I had gotten the help I needed as a young child... The wounds are deep. The wounds are real.

Please enjoy this essay written by Carson. He has given me permission to post it. Let's give him a huge pat on the back for his words and bravery.

If I Had Known

All seventeen years of my life I've never once picked up a book outside of the classroom. No matter how bored I was, no matter who asked me to read, my lack of reading skills discouraged me of ever being fond of reading. Realizing that my eighteenth year is coming up and that I’ll be attending college soon, I’m starting to see just how important having a solid foundation of reading really is. Reading teaches skills in ways that no other subjects can such as analyzing. Because I want to be a computer engineer, I need to be an all around good reader and be able to retain the information I read. I haven't had the chance to be exceptional at reading because of the amount of judgement I received as a child.

The first grade is when I can first recall ever having to read a book. The classroom was full of young minds ready to learn to read. Our teacher was going over some words in the book as the students said them aloud. I can remember having a immense amount of trouble pronouncing the words, so after school I went home to ask my parents for help. When I arrived at my front door I was greeted with hugs and kisses, like always, but to my dissatisfaction, I noticed that my parents had no motive to help me with my reading. I begged them all night to listen to me; I wanted to be able to go back to school and read like all the other students. I felt alone and deeply angered, trying to find other means of help, but there were none.

In the third grade I faced a challenge. At my school we had a reading system called ‘AR reading’. There were a variety of books with many different colored dots on the spines, each color being a different skill level. The only books I wanted to read were fantasies because they gave me an escape from the real world. The books I craved most were marked at a level much higher than mine, and once again my lack of skill and experience in reading angered me. The kids in my class were going through the reading levels like normal, but I wasn’t. I struggled to find books that I could get sucked into and enjoy, but the books I was capable of reading were childish and meant to entertain a mind much younger than mine. I couldn't ever get into reading these books because although I was maturing along with everyone else, my reading abilities were not improving. Instead of trying to get better, I quit.

A year later, in the fourth grade, I learned to hate reading the most. Everyday in language class my classmates and I would read small passages from our school books in a “popcorn reading” style; the kids would read a small section then pass it to a different student to read. I would sit in the back, dreading the thought of my teacher even possibly uttering the words “pull out your books!” but every day, around the same time, she would say it. I knew what would happen if I was called upon to read; embarrassment to the highest degree. I’d never felt more discouraged in my life than when I had to read in front of people, the whispers of classmates behind me as I stumbled over words and ravaged pronunciations; I could feel them judging me. I never wanted to read. Knowing that people were making fun of me killed my drive to be an exceedingly good reader. I was so confused on why I couldn't get what I was saying in my head while reading, out of my mouth. I practiced and practiced, but could never get it right, and still no one would help me. That whole year my classmates would call on me and then laugh at me as I fumbled over my words. The teacher did not stop them, and I could not defend myself against their cruelty.

Throughout my childhood I struggled with reading. In this past year I finally decided to reach out for help for one last time, and to my surprise, help was given. For the past 12 years of school I had struggled, and now in my senior year, I found the reason why. I had dyslexia. Having had no idea what was wrong with me until my last year of high school, I was bothered. No one had reached out to try and help, and here I was with a large obstacle I could have overcome years ago. Now, as I sit here at the end of my primary educational career, I am thankful. I spent years struggling, but now I am equipped with the tools to push hard through tough battles. Reading did not teach me to find deeper meanings or to be a literary expert. Reading taught me to be hardworking, persistent, and to never lose sight of a goal that you really want, because every goal is achievable.

#dyslexiatutoring #popcornreading #teenagerswithdyslexia #dyslexiastories

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WHAT I WISH I HAD KNOWN

In the heartfelt essay collection, “What I Wish I Had Known,” bestselling author K. Tolnoe shares a genuine and introspective journey of self-discovery. Through personal experiences and reflections, she offers valuable insights into love and relations, letting go, achieving success, detaching from the uncontrollable, and finding inner peace.

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Speaking English – “I wish I had…”

Test your understanding of this English lesson

389 comments.

Excellent quiz! 9/10

Expressing regrets in the past is not that easy due mainly to the grammar tenses involved and the ideas they conveyed.

Well-designed quiz and understandable lesson.

Regino, you are always so explanatory in your comments! I love <3

Thanks for your comment Carol, I do really appreciate it.

Have a nice day!!!

Regino, you are getting quite popular with our viewers because you are so helpful. Thank you, my friend.

Hi Region, Would you like to speak with me voice?? If yes , please add me in skype marmar.mmm

hi Maryam Zaky I’d like to find somebody to communicate with in English. this will be helpful. If you don’t mind lets start skype talks.

You’re a good person!!!

Please .. Regino ,hamid,mickica,carol. Add me , tango or whatsup 00866536980079

Please add me too. Skype Name: alexycarter watsup : +639271236675

Well Maryam, if only you had posted this message at the end of last year, I would’ve been able to help you out.

However, at this moment, I’m working all around the clock.

All the best with your English Maryam.

Regino,that is a good reason to say “NO”!

And working in Global Warming, etc. Or bla, bla, bla. Fucking clown. Don’t answer.

god lesson !

Good* Keep be teached with this teacher you will be better soon.

Nice Lesson

very well and usefull quiz!!! greetings

Thanks for the lesson. I learned a lot with you.

Hi Robsontex,would you like to speak with me? If yes please add me on skype (marmar.mmm).Have a nice day!!!

good I got it!

Thanks for the lesson. 10/10…. Excellent!!!

Great lesson Rebecca but I would have liked you to explain I wish + subject + would + verb structure as well to understand the difference between them but either way thanks so much for your help.

Very good! I wish I have found this website before! : ) Congrats for your explanations and the way you teach! Thank you!

Good use of the expression! All the best to you.

9/10 :) Maybe it is just lucky. My daughter forgot to bring masks to her school trip. I wish she wouldn’t have felt worse, because she has house-dust allergy and feel worse easily :( My sentence is correct? I don’t have self-confidence. Thank you, Rebecca :)

I wish you had explained I + wish + she/he + would. :), since I get confused, there are many ways to use wish :c

Hi 9coque,Would you like to speak with me voice?? if yes, please add me in skype (marmar.mmm)

Thank you Rebecca I got 7 correct out of 10 score. please add me skype id ukrit_2011 for teach me English language.

Now I see. They use “wish” for the past time and “would” for future.

Thank you. Rebecca.:)

I’m got 8/10 maybe lucky huhuhuhu

I got 100 ,thank you very much

Thank you Ms Rebecca, got 70%. Some tricky and logical lesson.

thank you .

This is the first lesson for Rebecca I have seen and her way of teach was pretty good also I have got 10 out 10 ;) in fact, it was so easy . Now I will find out of her lessons. Good luck for everyone :) <3

Can anyone talk english with me everyday 30 min. I really want to be better- because it is my last year in college and i need to talk more english.

I would love talking to you

Hey Sally :) Are you serious :) So do you have skype, so we can communicate :)

I just saw your reply :) add me: sally.learner (I’m from Brazil)

Okaay. Great I did.

You don’t want someone to talk to… You’re not interested in meeting people of other cultures, you just want a private English teacher for free. I am tired of people like you.

LOL! Why do you say like that. You said that tou cannot speak english and your english was bad. And my message is to people who can speak english fluently, because i need to a better accent. So dear Sally, please relax – And yes, i am not interested in meeting people of other cultures and just write with them, i dont have the time. I only want to talk with people who can speak fluently english and that is it!. And yes i need a english teacher for free!.

I didn’t say I cannot speak English and my English is bad. I said it was not so good and your were so rude saying you have no time to lose with me. I am very sorry that you can not have time to enjoy life and good conversations, because I am graduated in languages and have plenty of time to meet people all over the world and it has been an wonderful experience. I hope someday you can afford this, just like me. Good luck.

Thanks alot! Dear Sally. And have a nice time.

Sally plz Add me to talk by tango or whatsup .. 00966536980079

The problem with me is, I can only communicate in written. I can’t be online on video or audio chats due to non-availability of devices. So, that won’t be good for you.

best wishes abhi

Dear Abhi Thanks for you answer and your kindness. But as you say that only chatting won’t be good for me, because i need to talk english :) But thanks a lot :) Have a nice time.

And yes : I can speak urdo (Hindi as you said)

Rana. .. Add me plz to talk 00966536980079 tango or line

i got 100 thank you Rebecca the lesson was veru easy and you are a good teacher.

you’re an excellent teacher i’ve ever seen in my life.

thanks Rebecca. 100 at the quiz and what about “go away” option in the 7th question!!! my boss would fired me if I only say that lol!

Hello everybody, I got 10/10 Thanks for these exercises

many thanks

Great lesson Rebecca! Thank you very much.

Hi everybody.In the last question. What is the difference between three sentences below? 1: I wish I cancelled my reservasion. 2: I wish I made the cancellation my reservation. 3: I wish I had cancelled my reservation.

The last one is the best option. The first is okay, but not perfect. The word order in the second one is completely wrong. All the best to you.

can you help on skype?

I scored 8 out of 10, I wish I had scored all. Thanks Rebecca.

Madam,very good lesson.Thank you very much

Wow So good , I will learn more and work hard to improve my English. thanks

thank you for this lesson ^^

9/10 good lesson

Thank you Rebecca! I got 9 out of 10! I made a easy mistake. I wish I had read the question more carefully.

The main point is that you understood your mistake. Good for you and all the best!

Thanks so much for your effective & awesome lesson. You are great. please provide a lesson for the English teaching method or how to Teach English better and easier so that our students get it. thank you so much

Very good usage of ‘i wish i had’, in your comment :)

Rebecca, thank you so much to reply my comment.

10/10 Very helpful quiz

Hi Joni, would you like to speak voice with me to improve my English? if yes please add me in skype (marmar.mmm)

10/10 :D thanks!

7/10 thank you so much !

Amazing lesson! Thanks a lot teacher Rebecca. I’ve got a question though. I’d like to know whether “wish” has other usages refering to other meanings or not. I’ll be looking forward to your answer teacher Rebecca. Thanks a lot once again!

Yes, you could say:

I wish you a very Happy Birthday. or I wished him a Happy New Year.

The word has that meaning too. In this lesson, I wanted to show how it can be used to express regret. All the best to you.

Hi Rebecca Great lesson really, so i appreciate for video to help me. actually Engvid web i interest to watch, lessening, download their videos and also i loved their teachers in the way of teaching us, repeatedly so many thanks my teacher Rebecca you and your Friends engvid Warm regards Asha

Excellent lesson, thank you much Rebecca. I wish I had found out your awesome website earlier :)

Better late than never! All the best to you, Hassan, and welcome to engvVid!

Thank you so much Rebecca :)

Good!!! Thanks Rebecca

thank you very much rebecca you are a great techer … keep going :)

Excellent lesson as you ever make Rebecca. Thank alot.

Thanks a lot.

video is not working :(

All our videos are on Youtube, which is blocked in Pakistan. You may need to use a VPN/anti-filter or the Tor browser.

thanks, very good :) If only i had joined this site sooner , i would have learned lots of interesting n’ useful stuff here. ha ha

Well said! You really learned the lesson well! All the best to you.

Rebecca, I’m your fan! .. Your lessons are always useful for me. Thanks.

Thank you for your kind comments. So glad to be able to help you. My best wishes to you.

Thanks Rebecca. It was interesting lesson. I wish I hadn’t wasted my time without improving my English. <>…..

Nice comment! All the best! Glad you’re here with us now!

I wish I had found out this amazing site before!

Now you have, Carlos! Thanks for sharing your perfect comment. My best to you.

You should probably say:

I wish I had found this amazing site before…

“Found out” is used in a different way, and usually refers to bad or unpleasant news. All the best!

Thank you So much ^^ , My companions who wants sharing me to practice his English please feel free to be in touch with me “facebook.com/anwar.lawer1”

Good lesson! I wish I had watched this lesson a long time ago! thank you!

100% !!! I wish I had found ENGVID while I was in college.

thank you Rebecca!

thanks a lot, you are always doing best

hi mam.i hv one doubt.. MOST MEMMORABLE PERSON I HV EVER MET. can u plz explain these sentence?

If someone said that to you, it was a big compliment. It means you made a very good impression on them and they cannot forget you! All the best!

9/10 but this grammar every small ,in my lesson not small ?

I wish I had learnt english when I was young. Adults have a little bit more difficult to learn than children, don’t You thing colleagues? Greeting to everyone!!

I think adults with motivation can do anything so we don’t have to worry about our age! Just go forward with confidence and energy and we can reach our goals. My best wishes to you.

Definitely is easier to learn when you are young.But maybe, when you are older, you have more patience.At least, this is my case.In my youth each time I tried to learn English, I gave up early. Now, there are two years since I learn English almost every day and I am never bored.Maybe because I learn it only for fun.

It certainly helps to be more relaxed when you are learning something as stress is not good for our brain. So watching online videos is a good, smart way to learn. Also, you have such a good attitude now.

10/10. Oh, If only I had learned English when I was in school. Now it’s so much more difficult.

But now you are so much more in control and have so much more motivation! I’m sure you can do it. All the best.

I got 9/10. Thank you for your wonderful lesson. I wish I had known you and this website earlier.

thanx rebecca but some time i can undrstand your question that’s why i misstake in 2 answers.

Do not worry! Making mistakes is an essential part of learning.

Take your time to read and understand the quiz questions and only then choose the correct answers.

Hope it helps Gannupriya.

Regards and good luck with your English.

We learn a lot from our mistakes so don’t worry! Great that you want to learn and improve, and that’s the important part! All the best!

9/10 Thanks for your good lesson if only I had subscribe website earlier I will be good in English lol

yeah 10 10 thats perfect thank my my teacherrr

Hi everyone, 10/10, thanks for your classes

great Rebecca. I had 10 out of 10 after your lesson ;-) Wish I had found you earlier (your YT channel) :-)

thank you so moch Rebecca-san i got 9/10

9/10. Great job!

good lesson

Thank-you very much, Rebecca. Interesting lesson as usual.

thank you so much :)

Many thanks.

i got 60. nice lesson

Thank you! I will keep going to learn more and more. I like this lesson!

Thank you:)

10 out of 10

9/10 lovely

I wish I had studied that lesson before!! good lesson, congratulation Teacher!

10/10 Nice lesson.

Good lesson, but it was hard for me to do the answers in quiz. It’s really hard to understand.

my skype (eng.hussein) you can add me to improve our langhuage thank you so match

This video is very useful for me. By this video so my knowledge is increasing, and also I can understand catch up your words easily. Thanks Mrs. Rebecca :D

8/10 thank you! http://www.engvid.com :D

Thank you mam :) I got all of them correct. Well designed quiz (y)

You have the makings of a diplomat! All the best to you.

Thank you mam :)

I am proud of all those who used the newly-learnt expressions in their comments. Each new expression you learn takes you one step forward in mastering English. Good for you! Thanks for all your feedback. Please tell your friends if you find our website useful so we can continue to add new lessons. Thanks!

Thank you Professor ! actually i want to thank you about all of these awesome videos , i could touch like the wisdom in your soul thank you again from one of your loyal audience “students”

Wow, thank you, Anwar. So glad to hear that the lessons are helping you. You seem quite determined to improve and I am sure you will go far. My best wishes to you, my friend.

“I wish” actually I heard these words many times before but now ı understood these meaning. you’re really good at teaching thanks once again

If I had only known your videos I wolud be better in English now .

hi, i got 7 out of 10. thanks for the wonderful quiz. its more useful. thank you.

Thanks a lot miss Rebecca I had 9/10 in a quiz ,but could I ask you what the difference between I Wish I had and second conditional tense because I see the both use for imagine situation . With my Respect.

thanks Rebecca 9\10 n’ i was knew the the right answer but i marked on another one (my bad)

Thanks a lot, great quiz

Hi Mrs. Rebecca, I really like this website. I wish I had found it before. If only I had

Good use of the expression! Thanks for your comments and all the best, my friend.

10/10 THANKS FOR THIS VIDEO!

i got 100 thanks…

Many thanks mrs.rebecca for this lesson I got 9/10

Thank you for this lesson! 10/10

Thank you very much. Great video and explanations. Thanks Rebecca!

My pleasure. How wonderful that you can speak so many languages. My best wishes to you.

hi mam! hoe are you? i got 60% in this lesson thanks mam.

hi mam! how are you? i got 60% in this lesson thanks mam.

Very useful lesson, thanks :-)

got 10 correct out of 10. i like this site i feel its positive and i wish i had subscribed earlier :)

good evening rebecca well i want to tell you about my grammar i am still nervous about these words what whose whom does whatever basically my fluency is too weak please help me… thanks and best regards….

We have hundreds of lessons on engvid. I’m sure many of them can help you. All the best to you.

yeah! 100% Thanks for this great lesson!

” The person who got 10/10, what will be his bonus? Jaweed Amini @skype.com

I wish I had taught English earlier!!!! I’ve lost so much time!!! So sad!

same here unfortunalitty

It would be ok, if I could tick the video which I’ve already watched!!! I’m sorry for my grammar mistakes!

Really helps. Thank you.

10/10 I appreciate it. Thanx a lot.

good lesson!

Thanks Rebecca

Thanks to engVid.

now we learn it in school and it’s such a difficult topic

Yep!!! I agree with you DaryMar, but practice makes the difference.

Have a great day!

very interesting, thanks a lot

may god bless you for this wonderfull job well done

Very useful video and teach me how to use them. thanks.

thank you… it help me a lot to understand how to use the words.. 10 point.. i’m happy.. hehe

6/10 i thing i need to learn more

learn again and now good , thank

It’s my first time in this website and I love it!! I have been studing English for almost 8 months and I still having problems with my grammar. Dear Rebeca Thanks a lot for your helpfull explication!!

Thanks for your comments and I’m glad the explanation helped you. All the best.

Good Lesson..! Thanks…

Happy 10/10,thanks a lot

great lesson! well, I have a doubt,the structure ” If only I have…” we can use always changing a sentence back, as we do in subjunctive form. All the best to you, Rebeca.

VERY NICE! I got it easily fantastic now its very easy for me like a peace of cake

hii rebecca you are a wonderful teacher will you please teach the use of been and being

Thanks for your suggestion, Megha, and for your kind comments. My best wishes to you.

8/10 not bad at all.

10/10, thanks rebecca

10/10 :) Thank you Rebeca !

I made it. 10/10

Excellent 10/10

I got all of them correct :D That was really helpful! Thank you !

Yeahhh 100!!

thank you :)

It was really easy short and sweet thanks dear Robeca

10/10! Thank you teacher. I wish I had found your lessons before

Exellent your classes are amazing

thank you for this lesson, teacher Rebeca.the way of your explanation is very clear and I also challenge to listen out how you use English sentence in your explanation part.I really enjoyed your lessons.

Thank you Rebecca..now i got to understand how to express my feeling to what i supposed to do and what i had done and what i hadn’t done?

Life is like that…it may happen again….so the phrases may be useful in the future! All the best!

i got 10 out of 10 while testing.but i want me to do speak correctly.i hope i can do it because you are with me.i wish i had come earlier.however i got u

HI Rebecca amazing lesson, Thank you very much

thanks teacher! :)

madam i got 6/10 and i study in english language.advanced one class.this is my skype id ihtesham rosham.please add me.

This lesson was very good, Rebecca is the best teacher of engvid.com

10/10 this is my first time doing this quiz. thanks a lot.

10/10. Perfect!

9/10 not bad

8 out of 10……………..tq

I enjoy your lesson, Rebecca. Thank you!

I’ve got it on third time, but I’ve got it and 100% as conclusion

Good job to all of you who did well on the quiz and those of you who went back to improve your score. My best wishes to you all.

I want to know also

I get 9 out of 10

what’s the difference of “if only”and “only if”

It’s useful. got 10/10

I got 8 correct out of 10

i got 9 correct out of 10, good lesson ))))

Hello, I am from Brasil and I am learning English. Today was my first time that I knew this web site, I loved it! I did exercices and watched some lessons.

Thank you for your help!!

I got 9/10!!!! Uhuuuu!!!

This is my first lesson here. Thank you for the great explanation!

yepeee i got 100 i feel so god

thank you for ur excellent classes

Hi Robecca nice lesson great work I learn a new grammar rule thanks a lot

This is my first lesson greaaaaaat

I wish I had known this site before robecca

I got 9 out of 10.Thanks for ur lesson

I got 100 % Thank you for this lesson!

This website is wonderful. I got 100%, thank you for this lesson!

I got 10/10 waww thanks my teacher.

10/10 WOOOOOOOOOWHOO

hi rebecca, thanks for your nice lesson. even though it’s really a tough to get it well,i got 10/10. but could you pls give a explanation when we use must have,might have ,could have,would have or in relation to past regret. again thnx a lot. can i get your reply through my email?

Thank you, very mach for lesson, but i think the question 9 can have two variants of answer, as 1 or 4.)))))

hello. my english is not good. can you help me please. my skype id is abdullah_rti

I wish I had watched this earlier. Thanks..

100% correct! Proud of myself!

hi beetlejuice can you practics me.please my skype id is “abdullah_rti”

mantab 10/10

which one is true? A:”If only I had accepted the job with the insurance company, I wouldn’t have to worry about this.” B:”If only I had accepted the job with the insurance company, I wouldn’t have worried about this.”

move on your quez 6. I guess “B” is correct. please explain me why “A” is right.thanks

9/10~~ If only I had studied harder;I could have got all correct..!!

thank you very much mam Rebecca.

thanks for you teacher . you are the best . i like the way u teach .

eg. for lesson i which i hadn`t met rude people in my old work.

Hello, Rebecca ! It was cold shower for me. I got only 5 from 10. Shame upon me ! That’s real mind-crashing quiz (and very useful). Thanks ! My intention is to go through the quiz over and over again. Regards!

hello I dont understand eny thing about this class ,sory and iwish learn me more

I f only I had stumbled upon engvid earlier, I would have been better.

9/10 excellent video. thnak you Rebecca

That’s great. Thanks for the lesson!

I got 10 out of 10. If only I had seen this video before, I would had understood perfectly. Thanks, professor Rebecca

i wish i had more tips that can understand bu using had hadn’t, To determined what most appropriate use by had or hadn’t. Thank you

Thanks again for such useful lesson.

You are a wonderful teacher, Rebecca.

Thanks Rebecca.

wow I got 10 out of 10… I am so happy.. it is my first time here… I must say it is a good website to learn english…I could see that there are other teachers here I hope that they are clever like you.. anyway I will share it with my classmate…. thanks Rebbecaaa.. I will watch all your videos when I finish it.. I will start with other teacher from this website :)

thank you so much Rebecca, your lesson help me so much :)

thanks to you

Thanks a lot))

I am an international student in USA . If you want to practice with me,you can join my skype

skype: mrthartford

please can you email me cause i dont have skype and i need to practice :( do you have another way to make practice please :)

[email protected]

hi, I’m looking for friends for practice my English)

I wish I had knowen Engvid since long time, Thank you so much

yes i agree with you >> i wish i had known engvid before long time

8/10 not so bad…. if there is something that want practise english with me, please add me on Skype. daniele.english1 Bye!!!

i got 9/10 thanks teacher so much it was very useful and difficult in the same time :) but i do it thanks sooo much << love you

Dear Rebecca, If only I had found your website early, I would have spoken English more fluently. Your lessons are valuable. Best regards.

Great lesson,thank you teacher REBECCA

Thank’s veru much. Your lessons are veru important for me. Thank you once more/

GREAT I wish i had known the Engvid eralier…

think that u mean “earlier”

Thank you for the explanation :)

I got 9 correct out of 10 thank you rebacca

I missed the last one. I wish I had gotten all correct. Thank u Rebecca n the person discover this great web.

my quiz rebecca: 90 You got 9 correct out of 10. :)

I got 100/100 ^^

thanks dear rebbeca

i wish i had more time to checkout all your videos and learn more about English .in this video i score 8/10 best luck for me next time ,,,and thanks dear Rebecca for doing such a great job …i wish i had enough luck to have a face to face conversation with you

I have Any problems in this lesson .if someone want help me :skype : aymene-super-b-boy .thank you rebecca <3

Excellent lesson Mam. Thanks. Scored 9/10. Mam, can we use feel instead of wish?. Advance thanks.

Excellent lesson. Thank you.

I got 90% I wish I had 100%

10/10 nicelesson and the test :)

I got 10 correct out of 10. Can’t wait for the other lessons. If only I had been with Engvid earlier, I wouldn’t have to worry about my test.

YEEEEEEES thank you so much i did it; i well get a great mark if i learning every time in Engvid

Very good quiz. Thanks ENGVID!

Thank you ! :-)

Hi Rebecca It was a great job by you..!! Generally, this kind of phrases used by native speakers more often. Could you please also teach us on “I wish I could” and “I wish I would”. Because they cause great confusion to me.

I really like the quiz, but i didn’t understand why number 8 is if only and no just if, can u help me?

I love you Rebecca! Anyway, 100% ok. Fantastic the answer: GO AWAY!!! buhahaha

got 10 out of 10.. Yeeeyy

This is a good lesson, however i have a doubt regarding this; Is there any differences between I WISH I HAD/HADN’T & SHOULD HAVE/HAVEN’T ? 1. I wish i hadn’t slapped him. 2. I shouldn’t have slapped him.

The above examples have the same meaning?

good lesson welldone for you

10/10 it is very easy with perfect teaching

Nice Lesson, I made 100 I wish I had met the EngVid before, so I would not have lost so much time with bad lessons

Hi Mrs Rebecca! I really enjoyed myself to watch your lessons it helping me.Thank you so mush

Perfect way to learning, If only i had found it earlier, I had changed improve my english early. Congratulation!

Hi Rebecca. Really like your lesson. I like the way you teach which is slow and steady. May I confirm with you whether item no. 2 is also correct?

1. If only I had studied harder…(as per video) 2. If only I studied harder…

thanks Rebecca the lesson is very good and I will use it in my situations.

Super! I like your lessons!!!Thank you!!!

I wish I had bought an apartment. I live in ShenZhen China. It’s home prices had increased by 60%+ in one year.

I wish I had known engvid earlyer,

i’m new here , and really it’s quite wonderfuL ; what a perfectway to learn english Thank You Teacher for your effort : i’m so gratefull

Thank you :)

thank you rebecca!

Thank you for useful lessons.

I wish I had been your student, Rebecca.

I got 100% again. I really understand well.

I wish I had seen your website before. Thx a lot

I wish I had study In Canada.

Great job! 10/10 Thanks Rebecca!

I got a 9/10 :) Thank you, Rebecca.

excellent quiz 9/10..

i wish i had studied hard to get TOEFL exam

I wish I had started to study English long time ago. Thank you kindly!

I wish I had followed you earlier….. thanks my teacher REBBECA

i wish i hadn’t logged in,i’m obsessed now :D Good job Rebeca

Its very nice class.I learn how express the words.

I wish i had seen this site before … thanks for you Rebeca

I wish I had watched your videos in the past. If only I subscribed to your You Tube channel.

Hi. Thank you.

I wish I lived in your country (canada).

7/10 But I will try again

Thank you Rebecca. Your lessons great.

If only I hadn’t joined that meeting. I wish I hadn’t accepted that their proposal. I wish I had studied harder English when I was child. I wsh I had gone to my town before my brother’s wedding.

I cant believe it if i can studied very well about it.gud job.thanks

90 thanks allots

I wish I had learnt Enligh better If only i have bene in London with My brother. I got 9/10. Thanks a lot Rebeca.

I got 100. Thank you for teaching us !

rebeccaaa is really good person. I wish you had live in Turkey :))

You are an amazing teacher and I m understand everything

feeling glad after did this :U

Thanks, Rebecca. Good lesson. I got 90.

thanks for 90

thanks for the lesson.. excellent

hello teacher Rebecca, i love your lesson and i fell i get better every day. have an excellent day and please never stop to record videos.

Best regards

Rebecca lets face it, you are just good!

answers and your score at the end of the quiz. 100. You got 10 correct out of 10.

Thanks Rebecca for a good lesson.

I scored 100 percent :) Thank you Rebecca I love your lessons ..you rock !!! :)

I got 7/10 not bad, thanks rebecca

Thank you Rebecca !! is there anyone who want talk to me in English. Thank you in advance.

9/10 If only I had started learning English earlier. Thank You.

Hello how are you

I am back with a perfect score 100%. It feels good to restart my english lessons at engVid.com!

Hope everybody have a good semester! Thanks Rebecca!

my name is Nyota waciba I am form Tanzania I speak Swahili a little bit of English

I need to speak English Because i can help my family

thank you Rebecca

Wow! I got 100 % for a quiz. Thank you, Teacher Rebecca, for this useful and wonderful lesson.

i wish, i could to study faster English. But i can’t.

I wish I had studied English harder when I was a student, I wouldn’t have to struggle this way.

Thanks a lot. It`s very useful quiz)))

Thanks a lot, I am happy I got 100p

very useful!!!!loved this video!!!! thanks Rebecca!!!!

what a great exercises ,,, I appreciate you ,

Great teaching method! I am planning to complete all of your lessons to brush up my English. Good work indeed! Thank you so much!

Thanks a lot for this lesson, it’s useful to help me to understand how is the use of “I wish” and “If only”

if i had started watching your videos before,i could have improved my English rapidly.

I wish I had lived in UK more time! I wouldn’t have any problem to speak English now! 10/10 wow!

I wish I had more practice in English. Thanks a lot for this lesson.

Thanks Rebecca. Nice explanation.

i got 10 out of 10 really happy..thank you so much Rebecca

this is useful lesson

I would like to improve my speaking skill with native speaker, please share your contact details if here anyone

Wow . Thank you very much

I watched this video twice on July 22, 2021, and took the quiz after watching it once. I got ten out of 10.

9/10 Thanks a lot Rebecca,hugs. (Kazakhstan, 08Sept2021); such amazing way of learning

I watched this video twice again on December 17, 2021.

100% out of 10 thank you ma’am Rebecca!

Thank you Rebecca. You are excellent teacher.if only I had watched your amazing videos earlier I could have learnt much better. I am too late.

I got 8/10.

Thank you! :)

10/10 Thanks teacher.

10/10 thanks a lot

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English Grammar Exercises: If I had known ___ and I wish I had known ___

Exercise 1 

Put the verb into the correct form.

1) I didn’t see you when you passed me in the street. If ________ (I / see) you, ________ (I / say) hello.

2) Sam got to the station just in time to catch the train to the airport. If ________ (he / miss) the train, ________ (he / miss) his flight too.

3) I’m glad that you reminded me about Rachel’s birthday. ________ (I / forget) if ________ (you / not / remind) me.

4) I wanted to send you an email, but I didn’t have your email address. If________ (I / have) your address, ________ (I / send) you an email.

5) A: How was your trip? Was it good?

     B: It was OK, but ________ (we / enjoy) it more if the weather________ (be) better.

6) I took a taxi to the hotel, but the traffic was bad. ________ (it / be) quicker if ________ (I / walk).

7) I’m not tired. If ________ (I / be) tired, I’d go home now.

8) I wasn’t tired last night. If ________ (I / be) tired, I would have gone home earlier.

Show answers

1   If I’d seen you, I would have said hello.

2   If he'd missed / he had missed (the train), he'd have missed / he would have missed (his flight too).

3   I'd have forgotten / I would have forgotten (if) you hadn't reminded

4   I'd had / I had had (your address), I'd have sent / I would have sent (you an email)

5   we'd have enjoyed / we would have enjoyed (it more if the weather) had been (better)

6   It would have been (quicker if) I'd walked / I had walked

7   I were / I was

8   I'd been / I had been

Exercise 2 

For each situation, write a sentence beginning with  If .

1) I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t eat anything.

     If ________

2) The accident happened because the road was icy.

     If the road ________ , the accident ________

3) I didn’t know that Joe had to get up early, so I didn’t wake him up.

     If I ________ that he had to get up early,

4) Unfortunately I lost phone, so I couldn’t call you.

5) Karen wasn’t injured in the crash because she was wearing a seat belt.

     ________

6) You didn’t have breakfast- that’s why you’re hungry now.

7) I didn’t get a taxi because I didn’t have enough money.

1   If I’d been hungry, I would have eaten something.

2   If the road hadn't been icy, the accident wouldn't have happened.

3   If I'd known / if I had known that Joe had to get up early, I'd have woken / I would have woken him up.

4   If I hadn't lost phone (or If I'd had phone), I'd have called you / I would have called you / I would have been able to call you / I could have called you

5   If Karen hadn't been wearing a seat belt, she'd have been injured / she would have been injured (in the crash). or … she might/could have been injured

6   If you'd had / If you had had breakfast, you wouldn't be hungry now.

7   If I'd had / If I had had enough money, I'd have got / I would have got a taxi.

Exercise 3 

Imagine that you are in these situations. For each situation, write a sentence with  I wish .

1) You've eaten too much and now you feel sick.

     You say: I wish I ________

2) There was a job advertised in the paper. You decided not to apply for it. Now you think that your decision was wrong.

3) When you were younger, you never learned to play a musical instrument. Now you regret this.

     You say: ________

4) You've painted the gat e red. Now you think that red was the wrong colour.

    You say: ________

5) You are walking in the country. You’d like to take some pictures, but you didn’t bring your camera.

6) You have some unexpected guests. They didn’t phone you first to say they were coming. You are very busy and you are not prepared for them.

     You say (to yourself): ________

1   I wish I hadn’t eaten so much.

2   I wish I'd applied / I wish I had applied for it. or … for the job.

3   I wish I'd learned / I wish I had learned to play a musical instrument (when I was younger). or I wish I could play … / I wish I was able to play

4   I wish I hadn't painted it red. or … the gate red.

5   I wish I'd brought / I wish I had brought camera. or I wish I had camera (with me)

6   I wish they'd phoned / I wish they had phoned me first (to say they were coming). or I wish I'd known / I wish I had known they were coming.

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• Research and policy
• Research reports

I wish I had known

In this report, introduction.

Through our information and outreach services we have supported over 25,000 people to make decisions about their treatment and plan their care. We have learned a lot from the people we have spoken to, including what people approaching the end of their lives wished they had known prior to their diagnosis.

This report shares some of that learning.

People tell us they want…

Conversations about the end of life, honest information so they can make informed decisions, recognition that priorities can differ, support to plan before they reach the end of life.

In 2017 Compassion in Dying completed an extensive piece of discovery research in which we spoke to over 600 dying people and bereaved carers. This research built on the ongoing monitoring we do with people we support through our services.

We found that people:

• often do not feel supported to make the decisions they are faced with
• are not always given an honest prognosis
• do not know what options and choices are available
• do not know the right questions to ask their doctor

Our findings are consistent with recent reports from the Royal College of Physicians, 1 , 2 the Care Quality Commission 3 and the Health Ombudsman. 4

In 2018 we began a new project to learn more about a specific problem we have identified; that people who are given a life-changing diagnosis often want information but feel that it is hard or impossible to find. Essentially, they are not able to access the information they want when they most need it. We have also published findings from Freedom of Information requests to Ambulance Trusts 5 and Clinical Commissioning Groups, 6 to better understand the difficulties people tell us they encounter.

Through this work it has become clear that despite the attention these problems have received in recent years, they have not yet been addressed fully. There remains a significant disconnect between policy and practice.

By sharing what we know about what is and is not working for the people we support, we hope to accelerate the pace of a much needed culture change around death and dying across the UK.

All quotes in this report come from people who have been supported by Compassion in Dying’s services or have engaged in our research.

Research has recognised that the reluctance of health and social care professionals to instigate end-of-life conversations can lead to a “perpetual cycle of non discussion”. 7

Through our own work we have learned how this has denied dying people the opportunity to talk about their wishes and make decisions and plans for the future.

“I wasn’t prepared for how quickly my husband went downhill and I think if someone had told him earlier on about what may happen we might have been more prepared to ask about what choices he had for his care.” “Looking back I do wish I could have discussed death and dying with my husband. Towards the end he could not talk about it: it leaves an uncertainty in whether you have done the right thing.”

Discussing death and dying is considered by some as a “taboo” 8 despite the fact we know two-thirds of people feel comfortable having such discussions with family and friends . 9

“You meet people in the same situation when your parent is ill. I’ve met people in hospital, I’ve met people at the care home and we’ve talked about whether our parent made plans for their care and how they can do it if they’re still able to. Even friends and neighbours are now talking about it with their relatives.”

“I had conversations with my parents and in-laws regarding Lasting Power of Attorney and found this was a relief to them and my siblings. It certainly proved helpful towards their care, and after their death.”

“A living will and prior discussion with GPs will help smooth the final process of dying. Don’t be afraid – dying is an inevitable rite of passage whatever your beliefs. Talk. Share the process without taboos. That will help everyone around you.”

As well as being willing to discuss with family and friends, we know that only 14% of people would feel uncomfortable having a conversation about their end-of-life wishes with a healthcare professional. But crucially, our polling also found that just 52% of people would instigate this conversation themselves. 10

This highlights the risks of healthcare professionals assuming that if somebody does not start a conversation it means they do not want to talk.

I never felt I could talk to Mum about what she wanted. It would have been amazing for someone to bring that up with us as I feel that she would have been happy to talk about it. She was protecting us and didn’t want to upset us.

It is common in policy documents and training aimed at healthcare professionals to describe conversations about the end of life as “difficult” 11 or “challenging”. 12 We believe labelling such conversations in this way exacerbates people’s reluctance to instigate them. It is promising that there have been recent attempts from within the medical profession to dispel the myth that people do not want to talk about death and instead to show how important and necessary these conversations are. 13 This thinking is much more in line with our experience of supporting people.

People have told us that healthcare professionals made them aware of decisions that needed to be made about their care, but they did not necessarily involve them in the decision making process.

“I was treated for cancer and was shocked at how little the doctors took notice of my views and how little information they were willing to give me.”

“As a social care professional myself I have felt prepared due to my own knowledge and research but know that other people have felt unprepared to make informed decisions about so many aspects of their situation.”

“My first treatment drug produced terrible side effects that put me in hospital for three weeks and took six months to recover from. I wish I had known enough to put my foot down and insist that my then oncologist either reduced the dose or changed the medication. At the time I was new to all of it and could have done with a source of informed support in achieving this.”

This kind of practice falls a long way short of person-centred care and risks breaching the law around consent. 14

In reality, people want clear and honest information so they can make decisions that are in line with their personal values and goals. This requires an explanation of the advantages and disadvantages of different treatment options, including any potential risks and side-effects.

“The oncologist was really sweet and kind and I liked her a lot. What she said was the drugs I could give you at this stage would actually make you more ill than you are now. This was great. It was frank and honest. Direct.”

“They talked me through some of the more sensitive decisions that you have to make. I have to say I was quite challenged by some of the points raised, in the sense of, ‘Gosh I’ve never thought of that’. I need to go back, talk to the family and think about what I actually want. So, it was very useful from that point of view.”

A third of dying people we have spoken to say they have not been given enough information about the different treatment options available to them. Half of bereaved carers we have spoken to said their loved one was not given enough information on the physical symptoms they were likely to experience at the end of life. 15

“Many on our medical team would not offer the information we needed unless we asked for it.”

“The professionals involved waited for us to ask questions but we often didn’t know what questions to ask until it was too late.”

Having information allows people to make decisions that are right for them.

“I believe that my husband’s death, although far from easy, was easier than it would have been if he had allowed his life to be prolonged with all the treatments that were offered. He had more control, and was able to stay at home, with his friends and family around him because of this. No tubes. No ventilators.”

“It makes living easier. It’s liberating. It is good to have discussed these important things with loved ones. It can bring you closer together. Having all these decisions made saves a lot of worry and probably prevents family arguments.”

In addition to information on treatment options, people also want other support to enable them to make decisions. This might include time to reflect on what they have been told about their circumstances, help to anticipate what questions they might want to ask and signposting to opportunities for peer support.

“Write down what the doctor says to you, and check you have asked all your questions. If you do not get an answer, ask who could give you an answer.”

“Talk about how you feel and what you want. If there are support groups in your area, try them out. I found it really helpful to talk to others.”

In supporting people to plan we have found that people have widely differing views about their priorities for treatment and care at the end of life. Therefore, all encompassing, proxy measurements for person-centred care are ineffective.

Always respect people’s wishes no matter how odd they may seem or sound. It’s the dying person that really matters, they only get to die once and you get to grieve for longer so helping someone achieve their goals and wishes can help with the healing.

Most people, when asked, say they want to die at home 16 and place of death is used as a key performance indicator in end-of-life care. 17

But this policy focus does not reflect the inconclusive evidence on whether or not dying at home compared to other settings results in better clinical outcomes, or the fact that surveys cannot take into account respondents’ knowledge of the practical realities of dying at home. 18

To find out more, we asked people what was most important to them when thinking about the end of life. Respondents were twice as likely to say ‘being involved in decisions about my care’ than they were to say ‘dying at home’. In fact, 76% of respondents did not rank being able to die at home as one of the top three factors that would be important to them. 19

This shows that care should not just be person-centred, as defined by values prioritised by care providers or policy makers, but person-led, as defined by the individual themselves. Only they can determine what matters most to them and the information and support given to them should be tailored around this fact.

“The important thing is taking control of your situation as much as you can, questioning things and looking and asking about alternatives and dealing with what’s important for you and not just doing what the doctor says.”

“The medical professionals have been great in terms of information on current treatments but not much use for information on emotional support or lifestyle.”

We know that when people are asked about their goals and preferences it opens up the possibility of honest conversations and establishes a relationship of trust and understanding with healthcare professionals.

“Talking to my doctor about my Advance Decision was a good experience. We got to know each other much better, which will be a help on future medical visits.”

However, we know that people who plan ahead still sometimes face resistance to their goals, values and preferences being acknowledged and respected.

“The GP thought that my Advance Decision meant I did not want any further treatment as of now! I explained that it was a refusal of treatment for when I lost capacity to make decisions myself. The administrative department refused to record my Advance Decision on my medical notes and destroyed the copy I had given them.”

Research 20 and personal testimony have shown that advance care planning leads to a broad range of benefits to individuals, family members and care providers.

“Making an Advance Decision helped to start a conversation with my family and doctor. It gave me peace of mind – my family now know exactly what I want and won’t have to make difficult decisions on my behalf.”

“My wife drifted into a coma and her Advance Decision which refused all further treatment for her heart condition, was followed. She died three weeks later surrounded by her family. I am so grateful that she had written her wishes down, and did not have to suffer any more pain.”

“An Advance Decision will enable doctors to know some of my wishes. Also it gives me a voice. I too have feelings. Medical staff will realise that I am a person – not just a body, still breathing.”

“I made an Advance Decision to preserve my autonomy as much as possible, to enable clinicians to make better decisions and to make things clearer and simpler for my family and friends.”

“A very dear friend died a few months after a massive stroke. The doctors and staff at the nursing home honoured her request for pain relief alone. Her family knew all about it. I go to her funeral in 10 days time. I am sad but so relieved that notice was taken of her wishes.”

There is a latent public appetite to plan ahead. A fifth of over 65 year olds say they want to set out their wishes to refuse treatment in an Advance Decision but say they haven’t got around to it yet. 21 87% of people think it is important that healthcare professionals know about their preferences for treatment and care. 22

However, just 4% of people have made an Advance Decision and just 7% have appointed someone they trust to make decisions on their behalf through a Lasting Power of Attorney for Health and Welfare. 23

There is clearly a need to raise public awareness about the benefits of planning ahead and the ways in which people can do so. However, we’ve learned that healthcare professionals have a key role to play in encouraging individuals to document their wishes and/or appoint someone to make decisions on their behalf.

“I am very clear about my wishes – I do not want to be resuscitated or have any interventions to prolong my life. I want to be able to go when the time comes. With the support of Compassion in Dying I was able to put these wishes on paper, knowing that they are legally binding. I have been to see my GP – who has a copy of my Advance Decision and she is in agreement with my wishes. It is wonderful!”

Crucially, when plans are put in place before people reach the end of life, it prevents situations where decisions have to be made in a crisis and makes it more likely that any decisions that need to be made will be in line with the person’s wishes. This also reduces the decision-making burden on healthcare professionals and families.

“My mother’s death was not as she wished. She had not made any arrangements before her dementia stopped her being able to do so. She had discussed death with me 40 years before. I was unable to help my mother in the way she had told me and I regret that.”

“I have witnessed occasions where the dying person has not had their wishes respected because not all members of the family knew about them and there was nothing written down.”

“I made an Advance Decision to give family members the confidence that these are my wishes and that they have been the same for a very long time.”

“My mom was a former nurse and she decided to make an Advance Decision refusing all life-sustaining treatment. She was later diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia. She had made it totally clear in her Advance Decision that she didn’t want emergency interventions and that she wanted to stay at home. My mom died in her sleep at home a few months later, with me and her partner by her side. It is never easy to lose the people we love but we took some comfort from knowing what mom’s wishes were and respecting them. She directed her own path, just the way she had done all her life.”

What we are doing to support culture change

• Our free, nurse-led information line provides information and support to people who want to plan ahead and take control of their care: call us on 0800 999 2434.
• We provide information, give talks and deliver CPD-accredited training for healthcare professionals
• We specialise in supporting people to make living wills (advance decisions) and to talk about their goals and priorities when living with a life-changing illness .
• Our free MyDecisions website helps people to record their wishes for treatment and care in a legally binding way.
• Our community outreach work focuses on supporting ‘less heard’ population groups.
• We develop free resources that give people with a life-changing illness the tools to take control of their own care, including finding out what questions to ask their healthcare team to get the information they need to make meaningful decisions.
• We produce resources in different languages and for LGBT and faith communities.
• Our information and outreach services, and the training we deliver, allow us to hear from individuals, carers, health and care professionals and community workers. This learning informs and underpins all of our work.
• We commission research, including polling, focus groups and in-depth interviews to explore public perceptions and behaviour around end-of-life care and advance care planning.
• We have run national campaigns to raise awareness of the benefits of advance care planning.
• We share the research that we conduct, commission and review in order to inform end-of-life policy, guidance and practice.
• We provide public commentary and reaction to legal judgements that clarify the law in relation to mental capacity and the treatment and care people receive at the end of life.
• We share our resources using Creative Commons licensing, to ensure that as many people as possible have access to high quality information.

1 End of Life Care Audit – Dying in Hospital: National report for England, Royal College of Physicians, 2016

2 Talking about dying: How to begin honest conversations about what lies ahead, Royal College of Physicians, 2018

3 A Different Ending: Addressing inequalities in end of life care, Care Quality Commission, 2016

4 Dying without dignity: Investigations by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman into complaints about end of life care, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, 2015

5 The role of Ambulance Trusts in respecting people’s end-of-life wishes, Compassion in Dying, 2018

6 Advance care planning in general practice – does policy match reality?, Compassion in Dying, 2018

7 Brighton LJ and Bristowe K, Communication in palliative care: talking about the end of life, before the end of life, Postgrad Med J 2016;92:466–470

8 ‘We doctors can’t prescribe a “good death”’, The Guardian, 22 May 2016

9 ComRes, 2016

10 YouGov, 2018

11 Difficult conversations with dying people and their families, Marie Curie, March 2014

12 Challenging Conversations at End of Life, St. Christopher’s Hospice training course, November 2018

13 ‘Yes, doctors need to talk about dying, but what if patients start the conversation?’, BMJ, 5 November 2018

14 Montgomery v Lanarkshire Health Board [2015] UKSC 11

15 Compassion in Dying discovery research, 2017

16 What People Want to Live and Die Well, National Council for Palliative Care, May 2011

17 Number and proportion of deaths by place of occurrence, National End of Life Care Intelligence Network, Public Health England, 2018

18 ‘Is home always the best and preferred place of death?’, BMJ, 7 October 2015

19 YouGov, 2018

20 Literature review on the impact of advance care planning – produced by the International Longevity Centre on behalf of Compassion in Dying, 2016

21 YouGov, 2018

22 YouGov, 2018

23 YouGov, 2018

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Classroom Q&A

With larry ferlazzo.

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to [email protected]. Read more from this blog.

Response: ‘When I Started Teaching, I Wish I had Known...’

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(This is the second post in a three-part series. You can see Part One here .)

This week’s question is:

Now that you have taught your first year, five years, or are about to retire, what do you wish you had been told or prepared for in the beginning of your career?

In Part One , Roxanna Elden, Dave Stuart Jr., Julia Thompson and Jennifer Gonzalez share their thoughts. You can listen to a ten-minute conversation I had with Roxanna, Dave and Julia on my BAM! Radio Show . You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here .

Today, Linda Hoyt, Jenny Edwards, Mary Tedrow, and Vance L. Austin contribute their answers to the question.

Response From Linda Hoyt

Linda Hoyt spent many years as a classroom teacher, reading specialist, curriculum developer, staff developer, and Title I District Coordinator. She has created twenty-four professional books and video programs, plus numerous instructional resources for children:

I started teaching 45 years ago... and what a wonderful journey it has been. At the onset of my career, I was full of energy, eager to work with children, and lucky enough to have a mentor who knew how to create child-centered environments where students could operate as partners in their own learning. But instead of listening, I put a ton of energy into “decorating” my first classroom, thinking of what looked nice rather than what would facilitate learning. I put in endless hours that, in retrospect, did not advance my students’ learning or independence. Thankfully, the birth of my first child forced me to stop and reconsider--to look at how to get the most learning from each precious minute in the classroom. Here are a few things I wish I had known:

Focus on engagement at every moment of the day. Choose turn-and-talks over hand-raising, explore topics that are of interest to students, provide hands-on learning whenever possible, and launch units of study with a great read aloud followed by vigorous student-generated questions that will fuel inquiry. Elevate engagement by making sure experiences are purposeful and authentic. Always include time for partner sharing, real audiences, and student independence.

Never forget that volume counts. A focus on the number of minutes spent reading real books and writing real messages every day is essential to accelerating literacy development and building lifelong literate behaviors. Strip away word searches, study guides, and “activities” that soak up precious minutes that could have been spent reading and writing.

Set high standards and believe in the children . It has been well proven that if we establish high expectations and provide plenty of scaffolds and supports, kids can do much more than was previously thought. Build your teaching life around “they can” rather than “they can’t.”

Teach strategies--not books. Treat the content or the story with care, but remember understanding them is not the end goal. The goal is to empower children to carry the literate behaviors across many books and many experiences. When you focus on strategies and demonstrate strategy use across the curriculum, you open eyes, minds, and hearts to unexplored worlds.

Model, model, model. Never ask learners to do something they haven’t seen you do first. Demonstrate and think aloud as you go, show students how to approach learning tasks--how to craft their writing, how to read with expression, how to turn facts into interesting sentences. Let your demonstrations fuel the fire of new learning.

Foster curiosity. Don’t just teach, ignite a sense of wonder. Help kids discover the power and excitement that are so essential to learning. Investigate topics that kids find interesting, teach research skills from kindergarten forward, and don’t try to be an expert. Instead, open your heart and celebrate opportunities to learn new things with your students. Listen, commit to growing with your students, and don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know the answer to that. How might we find it?”

Strike a balance between fiction and nonfiction experiences. Be sure to offer reading and writing experiences that balance carefully fiction and nonfiction--or informational learning. In addition, your classroom library should be assembled to ensure kids read widely, from many different genre, and on many different topics. When choosing books for independent reading and read alouds in particular, offer a minimum of 50 percent fiction and 50 percent nonfiction.

Never stop learning . Remember that the status quo makes innovation impossible. Embrace your own role as a learner by being a voracious professional reader. Focus on reading the work of many professionals in your field, consider a variety of viewpoints, and attend conferences where you can learn, network, and continue to grow as a professional. Every day, strive to be a better teacher than you were yesterday.

I hope that when you look back on 45 years in the field that you do so with joy, knowing that you have made a difference.

Response From Jenny Edwards

Jenny Edwards teaches doctoral students in the School of Educational Leadership and Change at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, Calif. Edwards is the author of the ASCD books Time to Teach: How do I get organized and work smarter? and Inviting Students to Learn: 100 Tips for Talking Effectively with Your Students :

Attribution Theory and Growth Mindset

When I started teaching, I wish I had known about Bernard Weiner’s attribution theory, as well as Carol Dweck’s fixed mindset and growth mindset. In my exuberance to help students feel good about themselves, I would tell them that they were smart. This was exactly the wrong thing to do! If they believed that they did well because they were smart, then what might they tell themselves if they didn’t do well? They would tell themselves that they didn’t do well because they were not smart.

Fortunately, my principal, Jim Fay, taught me about attribution theory. He taught me to say to students, “Tell me why you did well.” Then, I would guide the students to attribute their success to having worked hard. Initially, I might say, “Bet you worked hard!” The attribution of their success to working hard was related to an internal locus of control, while the attribution of their success to being smart was related to an external locus of control. If they did not do well, they could attribute their lack of success to not having worked hard. In order to do better the next time, they only needed to work harder.

Then, Jim would guide me to tell the student, “Bet you feel good about that!” This enabled the student to own his/her success. So often, adults say, “I’m so proud of you!” The student learns that when he/she does well, the adult gets to feel good about it. By letting the student own the success, he/she is more likely to want to achieve in the future.

This is consistent with Carol Dweck’s fixed and growth mindsets. Students who have a fixed mindset believe that intelligence is fixed, and they either have the intelligence to succeed, or they don’t. Students who have a growth mindset believe that they are continually learning and growing. The brain is malleable, and if they do not yet know something, they believe that they can learn it.

Teachers can notice whether students have a fixed or growth mindset by what they say when they do well and when they do not do well. We can ask students the reasons they did well. If they say, “I did well because I am smart,” they have a fixed mindset. If they say, “I did well because I worked hard,” or “I really wanted to learn it,” they will tend to have a growth mindset.

We can also notice their reaction if they did not do well. One of my university students recently demonstrated a fixed mindset by responding to my feedback on her writing by saying, “I guess I will have to hire someone edit my papers because I have always written that way and don’t think I can change.”

Teachers can discuss fixed and growth mindset with students. We might ask, “Were you born knowing how to read? Were you born knowing how to write? Of course not! Did you learn? Of course you did! Do you believe you can learn to do this? Of course you can!” One of my students said that the one thing that kept him going was my saying, “You weren’t born knowing how to write!”

For more information, please see:

Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The new psychology of success: How we can learn to fulfill our potential. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

Weiner, B. (1992). Human motivation: Metaphors, theories, and research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Response From Mary Tedrow

Mary Tedrow is Director of the Shenandoah Writing Project housed at Shenandoah University and the Porterfield Endowed English Chair at John Handley High School . Both are located in Winchester, VA. Mary has been teaching since 1978, is National Board Certified, and writes a blog :

There was a crisis point in my career at the four-year mark where I thought I’d never return to the classroom. Luckily, several shifts kept me in an intellectually and spiritually enlivening profession.

I learned three things that saved me.

First lesson: Frustration and questioning are features of the work. Embrace them. Like dedicated researchers, these qualities engage teachers in continual learning around that most interesting of topics: human behavior. Though I eventually discovered this by working with smart, committed teachers in the National Writing Project, I previously thought teaching was a flat career. Once familiar with the curriculum, just shampoo, rinse, repeat for the next 30 years. Not so. And what a bore.

Students bring challenges into class everyday. Learn to love these for the human puzzles they are and search for resolution to the student-presented question. Rather than viewing student behavior as personal attack, an affront to the ego, or a power grab, consider behavior as symptom. Teachers can and do make a difference by approaching practice as diagnostician. Without an inquiry stance, we burn out, seeing our work as out of control and students or parents as the problem.

Second lesson: Learn what is under your control and what is not. Let go of what is out of your control and work with what you have. (Though if there are wrong-headed policy issues, keep speaking up. No one knows the job like a classroom teacher.)

What can you control? The time you have with students, and that is about it. So make the time important. Students value what we spend time on. Know what is valuable and spend the limited time there. Create meaningful time rather than marking time.

What can’t you control? The weather. Student illness. The world at large. Lockdowns. Fire drills.

Third big lesson: Let kids practice intellectual work. My best lessons are ones where I just shut up and let students describe, express, present conclusions. This is not busy work. Let them grapple, create, interpret, discuss, read, write. All active verbs.

Kids are smarter than the school factory-model implies. They are not empty vessels. They are full to the brim with experience. Sometimes these experiences can open a window into understanding that instructors do not have. The diverse student population is an undermined resource. Invite these voices into the classroom to create a future we have yet to imagine. It will be their future, not our past, after all.

It is one thing to understand the three lessons--learn from problems, use time well, let kids think--but far more difficult to enact. A fourth lesson must be added here: Teaching is best done with many minds at work. Present your confusion or questions to your peers and start struggling together. Try things out. Report results. Experiment. Adjust. Succeed and fail together. Create the kind of cooperation in your work life that you hope to create for your learners.

Most teachers loved both school and learning. If teaching continually evolves and grows along with the students, the love affair with learning never has to end.

Response From Vance L. Austin Vance L. Austin, PhD, has spent over 30 in the field of special education as a teacher, counselor, professor, and administrator. He is currently Associate Professor of Education/Special Education at the Manhattanville College School of Education. He is the co-author of Difficult Students & Disruptive Behavior in the Classroom: Teacher Responses That Work (forthcoming in Fall 2016 from W. W. Norton):

I wish I had been told when I started teaching that it is okay to admit you don’t know everything, and that you aren’t expected to “walk on water” or be the perfect teacher. It would have made my job much easier and, contrary to what I believed when I began teaching, would have helped improve my rapport with my students.

Later in my career, I also learned that it is actually helpful to reveal your authentic self to your students--assuming, of course, that you know your authentic self. I learned as well that it is really good practice to admit when you have made a mistake. It is good for the soul to apologize to the affected student or students in these instances, and it is equally important to have your apology accepted. In doing so, we are modeling the kind of civil behavior and good character we want our students to emulate. We want them to understand that it is okay to make a mistake as long as they acknowledge and correct it. It is also very healthy and affirming to ask to be forgiven when we have wronged someone and, conversely, to forgive the wrongdoer. As Alexander Pope famously wrote: “To err is human; to forgive, divine.”

In a book co-authored by Dan Sciarra and myself and soon to be published by W.W. Norton , one of the central themes involves an examination of the elements of a sound pedagogy. We didn’t learn about these principles until much later in our careers. None of our mentors bothered to share that knowledge, not out of spite, but because, we believe, they didn’t learn about these principles themselves.

After much research, Dan and I have identified what we consider to be the quintessential elements of a sound pedagogy, evident in the practices of effective teachers. Here are a few that I wish I had learned about in my teacher preparation program:

• Teachers need to see and acknowledge their own worth to their students, their profession, and society.
• They need to develop their own professional identity and cultivate, as Stout (2005) encourages, “certainty, positivity, and the unity of self and moral goals” (p. 194).
• Teachers need to appreciate the importance of their own cultural influences as well as those of their students,
• Teachers need to empower students by helping them identify their strengths and weaknesses, take responsibility for their own learning, and, ultimately, change their lives for the better.

Finally, as Dan and I have learned over the course of many years of teaching and research, teachers are most effective when they are reflective practitioners, ones who are willing to risk failure and then learn from their mistakes, to acknowledge their shortcomings and apologize for them when warranted, and, most importantly, to be courageous enough to really know themselves and their students. The best teachers are those whose love of learning is contagious and entices their students to want to learn!

Thanks to Linda, Jenny, Mary and Vance for their contributions!

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at [email protected] .When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo .

Anyone whose question is selected for this weekly column can choose one free book from a number of education publishers.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog -- along with new material -- in an ebook form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching .

Just a reminder -- you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. .. And,if you missed any of the highlights from the first four years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. They don’t include ones from this current year, but you can find them by clicking on the “answers” category found in the sidebar.

Classroom Management

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Implementing The Common Core

The Best Ways To Begin & End The School Year

Teaching Social Studies

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Instructional Strategies

This Year’s Most Popular Q & A Posts!

Look for Part Three in a few days.....

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

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What I Wish I Had Known Before Becoming a Lawyer

• Dustin S. McCrary

There is always going to be more work — we can’t say the same about our health.

In the past few years, we’ve learned how common burnout is. In this article, the author opens up about their experience of prioritizing their job as a lawyer over their own mental health, and shares some strategies young lawyers or new grads can use to avoid falling into this trap.

• Before taking a job, gauge the company culture. If you take a job in a work environment that doesn’t value you beyond your skills or take care of your psychological health, it’s going to be unsustainable in the long run.
• Don’t ignore your physical triggers. If you feel stressed during your workday, practice small things like staying hydrated, breathing deeply for a few seconds, or taking a short walk around your office to physically disconnect.
• The hard truth is that the legal profession is extremely draining. So, build a life outside work. This could look like taking regular time off such as vacation or personal days. Another option is to look for hobbies and activities outside work that energize you and give you joy.
• Finally, give yourself a little grace. At the end of the day, remind yourself that you’re doing the best you can.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

When I started law school, I loved it. The hypercompetitive classroom, the demanding coursework, and the adrenaline rush of solving complex cases drove me to pursue this career. Once I officially earned the job title “lawyer,” I was drawn even more to the fast-paced work culture. I wanted to stand out, make a difference, and find my own niche. My work was my passion and it empowered me.

• Dustin S. McCrary  is the founder of the Law Office of Dustin S. McCrary, PLLC based in Statesville, N.C. He focuses his practice on the legal needs of divorce and separation serving his clients in all aspects of the process including separation, child custody, child support, alimony and spousal support, property distribution, and domestic violence. McCrary recently published a new book called “Helping Your Children Cope with Divorce.”

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• Student Life

10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting University

Here at EDUopinions we aim to help and advise prospective students, through honest reviews from past and present students, describing their experiences at university. We also provide articles on universities around the world to give new students a better understanding of university life and which university could hold their dream course.

In this article I aim to outline the ten things that I wish I had known before I started my psychology course at Edge Hill University , in hope that it will help any potential university-goers better understand what being a student is like.

1. Budgeting

When you receive your first student loan in September you feel like the richest student in the world, however, it is important to remember that you must pay your rent and sometimes bills on top of this if you are not living in halls. In most cases, this can remove over half of your funds, with money still needed for food, clothes, and having a good time. Therefore, it is important to create a budget and work out exactly how much you can spend each week. You don’t have to worry too much about sticking exactly to your aims, as if you go over budget, you can lower your budget the next week and vice-versa.

2. Referencing

When I was in Sixth Form, I didn’t understand how referencing worked, I thought you solely put the name of the author and the date of publication, although whether you are referencing using APA or Harvard Referencing, it is a lot more complicated. However, there are always helpful guides to follow which make referencing a lot easier. A further tip, try not to leave referencing until the end of an essay and the last minute as it can lead to making mistakes and therefore losing easy marks.

3. Stress Management

When getting overwhelmed by assignments it’s easy to get stressed by your workload, but you must remember that everybody is in the same position as you. Everyone has assignments to complete, so you don’t need to worry, you’re not on your own. Furthermore, I find that creating To-Do lists helps me reduce stress, I write down everything that I have to do that day, week, or month, however little or insignificant it may seem and cross it off when I’ve completed it. As well as this, I like to print off sheets with all my assignments and due dates on them and stick them to my wall, so I can see exactly what I have to do during a semester.

4. University Societies

You are always told how important it is to join societies at university, but you are never told which societies to join. Often the mistake that first-year students make is that they join every single society that they have the vaguest interest in and try and attend everything that they do. Clearly, this is impossible, so my advice in hindsight would be to try and play a vital role in one society and if you desire less vocal roles in a couple of other societies. This leaves you time to study and socialise in a less structured format.

5. Freshers Flu

Everyone has heard of Freshers Flu, and it isn’t a myth! Unless you spend your first month of university locked in your bedroom and refuse to converse with anybody, you are going to get ill, but don’t panic, Freshers Flu isn’t major – just bring some soup, and painkillers with you on Freshers Week and you’ll be just fine.

6. Railcard

If you go to a university far away from your hometown and plan on visiting home frequently or even just for holidays and birthdays, it may be beneficial for you to get a railcard. Travelling by train with a railcard reduces costs by a 1/3 and sometimes with a long enough journey one trip can pay for the cost of the railcard on its own. I would recommend a railcard to all students as money saved on train journeys can be used on more enjoyable things.

Before going to University everyone tends to learn the simple recipes such as pasta and noodles, however when you’ve had pasta and tomato sauce for the fourth time in a week, it can get a little bit boring. I would advise all prospective students to learn a few more exciting recipes to spice up their meal times, for example, pasta bakes, chilli con carne, and stir-fry are all simple, cheap and can be made for multiple people, or meals. Check out our piece on the 5 easiest meals students can make .

8. Know Your Limits

At university it is important to know your limits – with everything – be that alcohol, socialising, or your workload, you need to know when to stop and take a break. It’s okay to stop and take a night off if your friends are going out, to catch up on your work, or just to relax and watch a film, and likewise, if work is stressing you out it is okay to take a break from that and go out and have fun. Furthermore, if you are out and don’t want to drink anymore, you don’t have to, its okay to order a water or a soft drink from the bar.

9. Be Social

When you first start university it can be scary, but it’s crucial that you make sure you socialise, be that with your flatmates, course colleagues, or fellow society members, or else it can be very lonely. When in your flat try and sit in public areas or keep the door to your room open to encourage people to come and speak to you, and so that you look inviting. As well as this, try and create or join as many group chats as possible so you know when social events are going on.

10. Have Fun

In my opinion, this is the most important tip out of all ten I have given. At some points, you may forget about this due to being focused on work but try to remember to have fun at university as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You will meet some friends for life and create memories that you will never forget so always remember to have fun.

In Conclusion

I hope I have helped any prospective or current students reading this to further understand university life. With these tips that I have learned through my own experiences at university you should have an enjoyable time and be able to come out with great memories and grades. However, at the end of the day university is a learning experience and you will eventually learn everything I have told you in your own way.

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Candiace Dillard Bassett is pregnant: ‘I wish I had known about IVF sooner'

Candiace dillard bassett opens up about her ivf journey.

FOX 5's Marissa Mitchell sat down with Candiace Dillard Bassett on her journey with IVF.

WASHINGTON - Candiace Dillard Bassett has moved on from Bravo as she prepares to welcome her first child.

The former "Real Housewives of Potomac" star announced this week, alongside her husband Chris Bassett, that they’re expecting via an online video.

Prior to the reveal, Bassett sat down with FOX 5’s Marissa Mitchell on the series "Motivation with Marissa" and detailed her in-vitro fertilization journey and more.

"I have built my life on the show. I got married on the show. You watched me go through IVF on the show, buy my first home with my husband on the show, fight with my mama on the show, fight with the ladies, love on the ladies. You’ve seen me grow," she told Mitchell. "I started at 31 and I’m 37 now. It’s insane to think about."

Bassett also said she wants to share her journey to motherhood on a larger platform.

"I always say, ‘I wish I had known about IVF sooner.’ It really motivated me to want to talk about it and really share that very intimate part of my life with the world because it is so important to give knowledge. If I had known sooner that I had an option to freeze my eggs, I would’ve done it at 25 or 30. I was 35 when I actually went through it, and it took several rounds of IVF egg retrieval to get enough viable eggs to then fertilize embryos and freeze. It is such a complicated process and so emotional and taxing on your body, your mind and your spirit. You need a support system," she said.

Bassett has just entered the second trimester of her pregnancy, according to Entertainment Tonight. 

While speaking with Mitchell, she also talked about the impact reality TV has had on her marriage, the role colorism played on the show and the new music she's excited to share following her debut album, "Deep Space."

For the full conversation with Candiace Dillard Bassett on "Motivation with Marissa," stream on demand on the free, FOX Local smart TV app.

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Study Today

Largest Compilation of Structured Essays and Exams

Essay on Something I Wish I Had (999 Words)

March 1, 2018 by Study Mentor Leave a Comment

Wishes are endless for human being. One wish fulfills and steps in desire for something next. In case few wishes left unfulfilled they takes the back seat and the other ones springs up with passage of time.

Desires change their facet and their intensity as one swim with time. Things we wish to have very in our childhood are of no importance on attaining adolescence.

Adolescence wishes ranges from dream dinner date to owing latest gadgets. A mature adult has completely different set of desires.

It ranges from luxurious car to hefty bank balances. With age comes more satiability and an older generation desires more of solace and peace in life.

Youth marked by rush and hush for oneself and one`s family.  The main desires are materialistic driven towards attaining more in lesser time frame.

In order to meet the desire, the working population of a nation works tirelessly. This energy and zeal to get the maximum in minimum time is foundation of innovation.

Productive population of country desires to work hard and party even harder. This is the motto of today`s generation. This leads to opting for short cuts to achieve new heights of success.

Theoretically, it’s said that hard work has no short cut. In order to be on top niche, they leave no stone upturned in way. Short cuts are necessary for today`s impatient youth.

I am myself a strong believer in short cuts for success. But I don’t believe in compromising on moral values for success.

So, at time I wish I had a gadget which could change the emotional imbalance of today`s youth. A change in favour of morality and ethics, from disrespectful and self-centred attitude.

Young kids displaying carefree and non-concerning attitude toward their family. They are unconcerned about nation as a whole.

The priority is to display themselves as rich spoil brats of well off families who don’t care much about money.

They lie and spend useless among peer to project themselves. Sometimes kids put pressure on their family to buy expensive gadgets for them. The family out of love for their kids do meet their demands.

I found such parents helpless and have pity on them. Parents bring up kids sacrificing their comfort. kids put unnecessary pressure to meet their insensitive demands.

I wish I have some gadget or some super natural power to revert back such insensitive feeling of kids. Kids should make use of their intelligence quotient to make sure what is necessary for them and what is not.

Some youth succumbs to peer and fall prey to bad companies and usually end up being drug addicts. Initially they start with some late-night parties as hangout zone.

There steps in the habit of drugs and alcohol intakes as youth are more susceptible. They don`t understand the impact of actions   have huge impact on their future life as well as their families.

Boys and girls lack awareness falls for activities that cost them their lives too. Lack of healthy communication with family is the reason behind a juvenile misleading.

Increase in Number of cases where a minor is tool in crime. Clarifies that it’s quite easy to dictate and direct a mind-set of child.

They are not aware to understand the consequences of any action they undertake. Increased number of cases of kidnaps and human trafficking raises alarm.

To maximize their earning parents are not inculcating the moral values among kids. They trust maids more rather than grandparents for the upbringing of their kids.

Trust factor and bonding is missing among families. Friends and paid helpers considered handier.

At time I wish I could bring in some revolution which removes all the negativity from the human nature. It feels bad kids suffering for no fault of them.

Other makes monetary benefits from their sufferings. Such mind sets are so inhumane that needs to undergo complete mental revolution.

Poet Maithili Sharan Gupt has written emphasizing sacrifice as essence of human life. To quote him

Insaan hee voh jo insaan ke liyeh maray

Yeh pashu vravriti he ki aap hi aap charay

This means human are those who live and die for their fellow being. It’s an animal trait to fulfill their stomach and forget about the rest.

But human race has deteriorated its values. Morals have modified to the extent that it seems difficult to think of wave to change in nearby future.

Money minded people doesn’t hesitate to lure people to any extent. People jump into crimes sometimes willingly and sometimes unknowingly.  It defaces the human society making It more non livable.

There are articles on the blue whale challenge forcing the player to commit suicide at the end. The impact of gadgets may have impact to unstable minds to such a great extent is unimaginable.

How come someone have control over senses of other that they end up their live for such stupid challenge?

Though, government is taking action about the same.  In our personal capacity aren’t we responsible for the development of this inhumane challenge?

Youth caged in their issues and problem gets trapped. More prone are the ones who are reluctant to come up with family and stay hooked to gadgets and gizmos.

Being a social animal, we need to come and discuss our issues and desires with our elders. They not only guide but also are our best friends in time of need.

The supernatural power to change the mind-set is urgent need of time. I could be in possession of such power what could I wish more for and world could be a better place to live in.

Though I may sound a bit philanthropic at this time but being a productive part of population and being a responsible youth, I should desire for something which could bring in real life change.

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Earth Day: How a senator’s idea more than 50 years ago got people fighting for their planet

FILE - Climate activists hold a rally to protest the use of fossil fuels on Earth Day at Freedom Plaza, April 22, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

FILE - Activists display prints replicating solar panels during a rally to mark Earth Day at Lafayette Square, Washington, April 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)

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Millions of people around the world will pause on Monday, at least for a moment, to mark Earth Day. It’s an annual event founded by people who hoped to stir activism to clean up and preserve a planet that is now home to some 8 billion humans and assorted trillions of other organisms.

Here are answers to some common questions about Earth Day and how it came to be:

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE EARTH DAY?

Earth Day has its roots in growing concern over pollution in the 1960s, when author Rachel Carson’s 1962 book “Silent Spring,” about the pesticide DDT and its damaging effects on the food chain, hit bestseller lists and raised awareness about nature’s delicate balance.

But it was a senator from Wisconsin, Democrat Gaylord Nelson, who had the idea that would become Earth Day. Nelson had long been concerned about the environment when a massive offshore oil spill sent millions of gallons onto the southern California coast in 1969. Nelson, after touring the spill site, had the idea of doing a national “teach-in” on the environment, similar to teach-ins being held on some college campuses at the time to oppose the war in Vietnam.

Nelson and others, including activist Denis Hayes, worked to expand the idea beyond college campuses, with events all around the country, and came up with the Earth Day name.

WHY WAS APRIL 22 CHOSEN FOR EARTH DAY?

A history of the movement by EarthDay.org, where Hayes remains board chair emeritus, says the date of the first Earth Day — April 22, 1970 — was chosen because it fell on a weekday between spring break and final exams and the aim was to attract as many students as possible.

IS EARTH DAY A REAL HOLIDAY?

It’s not a federal holiday. But many groups use the day to put together volunteer events with the environment in mind, such as cleanups of natural areas. You can see a list of events worldwide , or register your own event, at EarthDay.org.

HAS IT HAD AN IMPACT?

It has. The overwhelming public response to the first Earth Day is credited with adding pressure for the U.S. Congress to do more to address pollution, and it did, passing landmark legislation including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. More broadly, it’s seen as the birth of the modern environmental movement. In later years, Earth Day expanded to become a truly global event. It now claims to have motivated action in more than 192 countries.

In 2000, Earth Day began taking aim at climate change, a problem that has grown rapidly more urgent in recent years.

WHAT’S THE THEME THIS YEAR?

This year’s Earth Day is focusing on the threat that plastics pose to our environment, with a call to end all single-use plastic and find replacements for their use so they can quickly be phased down.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org .

Ex-publisher details ‘catch and kill’ at Trump’s hush money trial

• Prosecutors spell out overall theory, underlying crime at the heart of Trump trial
• National Enquirer boss said he was told to talk to Michael Cohen about rumors
• Judge weighs decision regarding Trump’s possible contempt over gag order

Here's what to know:

Here's what to know, live coverage contributors 8.

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