I'm sure all court reporting students hear the same questions and comments: Are you still in school? How much longer until you're done? It seems like you've been there forever.
Well...yes, I have no idea, and you're right, it does seem like that.
It can be very frustrating. People who are not in court reporting school, just don't understand. I never know what to tell people. I wish I were out of school, but it's not like a regular school subject. There's no set time limit. It takes as long as it takes to get fast enough.
I was complaining to my husband about how I get so tired of people asking me why I'm not done yet and he gave me a very insightful response. He told me to explain to people that it's like becoming a virtuoso on a musical instrument. I think that is exactly right. Who puts a time limit on mastering an instrument? It takes as long as it takes and it takes a lot of practice. I would never have thought of it like that; probably, because I am NOT a musical person whatsoever. My husband is a drummer, and he knows what that is like. So, thank you honey. I'm so glad you get it. It's just another sign that I married the right man.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
I'll show you my briefs if you show me yours
Briefing seems to be a controversial subject. A brief is basically an abbreviation. Sometimes a brief can be a shorter way to write a word, but it can also be a way to write a whole phrase. Since I have been going to school 5 days a week to both low and high speed classes, I have gotten a chance to talk to some high speed students about what works for them. The thing I hear most often is: briefs.
When I was a theory student, the teachers told me to be careful not to use too many briefs. I think the reason for this, is that students can use briefs as a crutch; they seem to rely on shortening everything. The problem with this is, that when words come up that the student doesn't have a brief for, they simply cannot write that fast. Also, sometimes it takes a minute to remember a brief that they haven't practiced recently, this hesitation can cost a person the whole test. A tiny hesitation, can ruin everything.
I listened to my teachers and I really don't brief many things, but I think I was wrong. I think the secret is to brief things that come up all the time, and then practice them regularly. Don't brief things that you don't hear at least twice a month, you will forget them and then they will cause hesitation when you do hear them because you'll start trying to remember your brief and stop listing to the dictation.
The high speed students have been sharing their briefs with me. It's amazing, the things they can write in one stroke. Wow, I would never have thought of all these things. A friend of mine taught me how to write, "ANSWER: I do not remember." all in one stroke. What a time saver! It took me 5 strokes to write that before. If I can master all of these I'll be writing 200 in no time.
I also heard about a great website: briefpedia If you want a brief for a phrase or word, just type it in, and the website will provide you with a list of suggestions for briefs, it also lists possible conflicts that might occur with other words. Check it out! This 5 days a week thing, is helping me in lots of ways. I get extra practice, and extra tips.
Today I got 92% on a 150 jury charge. No goal speed passes yet, but hopefully after I master these briefs I'll have a breakthrough. Let me know some of the cool briefs you use. I'll show you mine, if you show me yours.
When I was a theory student, the teachers told me to be careful not to use too many briefs. I think the reason for this, is that students can use briefs as a crutch; they seem to rely on shortening everything. The problem with this is, that when words come up that the student doesn't have a brief for, they simply cannot write that fast. Also, sometimes it takes a minute to remember a brief that they haven't practiced recently, this hesitation can cost a person the whole test. A tiny hesitation, can ruin everything.
I listened to my teachers and I really don't brief many things, but I think I was wrong. I think the secret is to brief things that come up all the time, and then practice them regularly. Don't brief things that you don't hear at least twice a month, you will forget them and then they will cause hesitation when you do hear them because you'll start trying to remember your brief and stop listing to the dictation.
The high speed students have been sharing their briefs with me. It's amazing, the things they can write in one stroke. Wow, I would never have thought of all these things. A friend of mine taught me how to write, "ANSWER: I do not remember." all in one stroke. What a time saver! It took me 5 strokes to write that before. If I can master all of these I'll be writing 200 in no time.
I also heard about a great website: briefpedia If you want a brief for a phrase or word, just type it in, and the website will provide you with a list of suggestions for briefs, it also lists possible conflicts that might occur with other words. Check it out! This 5 days a week thing, is helping me in lots of ways. I get extra practice, and extra tips.
Today I got 92% on a 150 jury charge. No goal speed passes yet, but hopefully after I master these briefs I'll have a breakthrough. Let me know some of the cool briefs you use. I'll show you mine, if you show me yours.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Long days
One of my goals this semester was to treat school like a full time job. So far. I'd say I've been pretty good. I'm in the lab practicing everyday, and I do all the homework. So far, no goal speed passes. I'm not quite frustrated yet, but if I don't see results soon, I know I will be. I really hope I pass something fast. It's almost 5:00 pm and I'm still at school. I got here at about 9:30 in the morning; that sure feels like full time hours to me, and I still have a thirty mile drive home (and now it's rush hour). Uggh.
Although I haven't passed anything, I had a nice surprise on a test I never expected to even transcribe. As you know, I've been sitting in push (fast) class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The class goes from 150 - 170 wpm and I haven't even passed all my 140s yet, so it's quite a push. I usually treat the 170 and 160 tests as practice and never put much faith or effort into them. Well, I took a 170, 4-voice test and, believe it or not, I got 85% of it!!!! That's amazing! I haven't really come that close to a 140 yet, so on a 170, it's truly unbelievable. Maybe the secret is that I wasn't even stressed or worried about it because I never dreamed it would be good or it could have just been an easy test. (it was probably just an easy one, but still, not too shabby!)
Hopefully, all that high speed practice will pay off soon. I'll let you know
Although I haven't passed anything, I had a nice surprise on a test I never expected to even transcribe. As you know, I've been sitting in push (fast) class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The class goes from 150 - 170 wpm and I haven't even passed all my 140s yet, so it's quite a push. I usually treat the 170 and 160 tests as practice and never put much faith or effort into them. Well, I took a 170, 4-voice test and, believe it or not, I got 85% of it!!!! That's amazing! I haven't really come that close to a 140 yet, so on a 170, it's truly unbelievable. Maybe the secret is that I wasn't even stressed or worried about it because I never dreamed it would be good or it could have just been an easy test. (it was probably just an easy one, but still, not too shabby!)
Hopefully, all that high speed practice will pay off soon. I'll let you know
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