Dr. Samuel Betances made an impact on faculty and students on all schools through his visits on January 28, 2015 and on March 1, 2015. In his visits, he talked about time management, working smart, and how to deal with the hurdles that everyday life can often throw.

Students such as Adil Kaleem (’16) appreciated the lessons Dr. Betances emphasized.

“I feel that he [Betances] really emphasized the steps to academic success,” he said. Among many other things, Kaleem said that the idea of working smart not just working hard had the most profound impact on him.

Monesh Vijayakumar (’17) felt that the idea of “keeping an open mind is really important for teens of this generation.”

Even more students appreciated Betances’s character during his presentation. Kimberly Camacho (’16) said she admired, “how he [Betances] is capable of bonding with others and his charismatic personality.”

Furthermore, teachers also felt profoundly impacted by Dr. Betances. Mary Thomas, the Math department chair, said that she “instantly liked his style and swagger.”

She said that she was especially impacted by the lesson about “charting your time.” She emphasized that people have to live with their choices and said that she makes sure to set time aside for personal goals.

She also felt that Dr. Betances had many lessons to teach to the community. She particularly liked the message about how overcoming poverty takes “rugged persistence.” From a personal standpoint, she feels that “delayed gratification” has allowed her to peacefully settle down in life today.

Elizabeth Lambert, the ESL department chair, said that, “His [Betances] ten points are definitely in line with Hoffman Estates.” She felt that his goals could definitely be applied to Hoffman students.

On a personal level, Lambert said that Betances reaffirmed the fact “that we need to be in charge of our own learning.” Overall, even though she was expecting his message, she said that overall, Betances’s message resonated with her.

Betances has left a lasting impact on Hoffman Estates High School, now it is time to see how his lessons will impact actions at Hoffman Estates High School.

Dr. Betances Ten Steps for Academic Success

Step 1 – Excel by Completing School Tasks Early
Step 2 – Grow Your Word Power and Avoid Reckless Reading
Step 3 – Earn A Good B Rather Than A Flawed A
Step 4 – Read Before and After the Lecture
Step 5 – Leverage Free Time to Sprint Ahead
Step 6 – Study with All of Your Senses, Some Classmates and Trusted Guides
Step 7 – Stop Viewing Educators as Mean, Abusive Adults
Step 8 – Stop Yielding to Tech-Driven Distractions
Step 9 – Stop Pursuing Logical Paths to Wrong Destinations
Step 10 – Honor Loved Ones with your Academic Success