The best teacher i've ever had was Mrs. Read in third grade. She was polite, patient, kind, and fun. She made learning a great experience because she'd find ways to engage us in the material we were learning. I remember coming home excited to tell my mom what we had learned that day because of the WAY I learned it more often than not. I still use a lot of the little tips and tricks she taught me when I was learning the FUNdamentals, as she would always say.
The worst teacher I've ever had was Mr. Brown in sixth grade. He was a jerk. I don't know what side of the bed he woke up on everyday but I'm sure he was in desperate need of a new mattress. He was always angry it seemed like and he had a very low patience for anything that didn't go according to plan. I didn't like the way he just stood at the front of the class and just spouted information without trying to actively engage us in what we were learning.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
My First Paper's Intent
The thing I want the readers of my paper to come away with understanding is how I found my purpose in life through an educational experience i had while in school.
What I liked most about the assigned readings...
From Malcolm's writing I like the way he was so passionate about learning and making himself a better person. "I was so fascinated that I went on, " he says, about writing down the words from the dictionary. I also liked that he did it "just for him." Education isn't bound by the school system. It's available and FREE to anyone who will take up the challenge to better themselves. He said, "I certainly wasn't seeking any degree, the way a college confers a status symbol upon its students," and, "Not long ago, an English writer telephoned me from London, asking questions. One was, 'What's your Alma mater?' I told him, 'Books.'" He is the perfect example that we are only limited by ourselves.
From Franklin's writing I like the way he always grew as a writer and accepted criticism well. He said, "By comparing my work afterwards with the original, I discovered many faults and amended them..." This was encouraging for me because I consider myself a perfectionist and don't tend to take criticism well.
From Rose's writing I like that Ken Harvey made such an impression on him and forever changed the way he viewed education, especially the education of the underprivileged. He said, "...his sentence has stayed with me all these years, and I think I am finally coming to understand it." He learned a life lesson from an experience he had long ago. I can relate to that because sometimes I haven't learned what I'm supposed to until it's well in the past and I think those lessons are some of the ones you never forget.
From Franklin's writing I like the way he always grew as a writer and accepted criticism well. He said, "By comparing my work afterwards with the original, I discovered many faults and amended them..." This was encouraging for me because I consider myself a perfectionist and don't tend to take criticism well.
From Rose's writing I like that Ken Harvey made such an impression on him and forever changed the way he viewed education, especially the education of the underprivileged. He said, "...his sentence has stayed with me all these years, and I think I am finally coming to understand it." He learned a life lesson from an experience he had long ago. I can relate to that because sometimes I haven't learned what I'm supposed to until it's well in the past and I think those lessons are some of the ones you never forget.
Malcolm Vs. Franklin Vs. Rose
Rose's experience with education was completely different from either Malcolm's or Franklin's. Rose was discouraged and unmotivated to learn anything. He didn't have teachers or people in his life that cared like Franklin had, or the resolve to face his shortcomings and use his circumstances as motivation to learn on his own like Malcolm did. Rose, at the time, seemed to blame his circumstances for his lack of intellectual, emotional, and social experience/education. Malcolm was in a similar situation, but his outlook and his desire to become more outweighed whatever preconceived notions he had of himself or anyone else had of him. Franklin benefited from the instruction and guidance of great teachers and family influence which gave him ample opportunity to prosper, where as Rose had uninspiring teachers who seemed to foster complacency.
The Beginning: To Entertain or Inform? Hmmm...
Body and Soul
The most influential moment in my life wasn't what I expected it to be, or planned it to be. Some peoples lives are changed forever, growing in maturity and developing admirable aspirations, when they begin a new life with the person they love through marriage, or perhaps when they are anticipating the arrival of a new baby, or when they have reached their educational/career goals, or even when, like me, something unexpected comes and changes your perspective on life and your own purpose. (Notes: Crappy beginning! Touch up the structure and expand on ideas to develop a better opening!)
When I was sixteen years old, having just moved back to the states from a two year hiatus in Puerto Rico, I didn't much care for school. I knew I wasn't the first teenager to feel that way either, so I felt confident in the fact that I could slack off and no one would really notice or care. After being back in the states for a few months I learned about the Washington State Running Start Program for juniors and seniors in high school. I was ecstatic! Anything to get me out of learning the mundane subjects that had been haunting me and every other teenager for what seemed an eternity in high school. I could finally choose something that interested me and leave the rest of the educational garbage in my wake, or so I thought. (Notes: Leave out unnecessary items and follow a tighter story line for better flow from paragraph to paragraph. Perhaps hint at the purpose? Perhaps not... Hmmm... I like the "surprise" aspect. Kind of like Rose's writing. A lot a details in the beginning and pull it all together in the end.)
How Blogs Can Help
I don't actually like the idea of using blog posts to generate ideas and texts for my first formal paper. I like to use the good old fashioned paper and pencil method to let my ideas/thoughts flow naturally onto the paper wherever they may happen to land. Perhaps I can use a modified version of this method in my blog posts, but it seems impractical to me. Still, I will attempt to stay positive. Surely there are benefits to letting my ideas begin to take form in somewhat of an open format. I think it would be much easier to cut and paste ideas in a logical order once I've come up with a plan for the structure of my paper, so having all my ideas, short sentences, or rough drafts available would make building the paper come together more fluently in the end.
Questions to Ponder - Mike Rose
1. Describe Rose's life in Voc. Ed. What were his teachers like? Have you ever had experience with teachers like these?
Rose's life was mundane. He was bored and unstimulated by his surroundings, so he sought attention and gratification in relationships and foolishness instead of his education. His teachers were complacent and didn't seem to care much about the individual development of the students. Their lackadaisical attitude was one of disconnected faith in the students' abilities and lack of concern for their success or future. I am lucky to have never had an experience with a teacher like these mentioned in Rose's writing.
2. What did Voc. Ed. do to Rose and his fellow students? How did it affect them intellectually, emotionally, and socially? Why was it subsequently so hard for Rose to catch up in math?
Voc. Ed. caused Rose and his fellow students to stop believing in themselves and what they could achieve if they (cliche warning!) put their minds to it. They were inhibited intellectually by not being pushed to integrate and process their education in a way that would allow them to develop maturity, self-awareness, and standards for learning, working, and living. Some of the students seemed emotionally distraught or sought more appealing activities to distract them from their circumstances because they were not getting the attention they needed/deserved or wanted. Rose struggled later in his studies because of an attitude he had adopted, while in Voc. Ed., that it just didn't matter much. He was unprepared for what lay ahead of him because he didn't have the proper resources available to him early on in his education.
3. Why is high school so disorientating to students like Ken Harvey? How does he cope with it? What other strategies do students use to come with the pressures and judgments they encounter in school?
Ken understood that the expectations placed on him were so low and degrading that, for him, it wasn't worth fighting to change the perceptions people already had regarding his potential as a student. He coped with it by accepting it. He concluded that it was easier for him to live "as expected" than try to break down those stereotypes placed over him. Some other students might face the pressures and judgments they encounter at school with sarcasm and jokes to avoid the emotional strain it might cause by accepting or contemplating the validity of such claims. Still, others I believe would persevere and invoke positive change in themselves to "beat the odds."
4. Rose explains in paragraph 16. that high school can be a "tremendously disorienting place." What, if anything, do you find disorienting about college? What steps can students take to lessen feelings of disorientation?
I don't, personally, really find anything disorienting about college. I think it's pretty straight forward and the expectations are laid out plain and simple for you to follow. I do think, however, that it takes more discipline and self-motivation to maintain a high rate of success throughout your college education in comparison to high school. Some steps students can take if they are feeling disorientated in college would be to utilize any tutoring services available, set aside a predetermined amount of time each day for studying, and have open communication with their instructors about any concerns, fears, problems, etc.
5. How does your experience of education compare (or contrast, or both) to Mike Rose's?
My educational experience differs quite drastically from Mike Rose's. I was home schooled for most of my education, so I had a lot of one on one time with my teacher to develop a high aptitude for the subjects being taught. I played sports at the local high school and took elective courses there that interested me as well. So, emotionally i never felt as though i had unreasonable or substandard expectations placed on me. I felt intellectually stimulated and didn't lack in social development as some might presume. Perhaps we all fight stereotypes in our own way.
Rose's life was mundane. He was bored and unstimulated by his surroundings, so he sought attention and gratification in relationships and foolishness instead of his education. His teachers were complacent and didn't seem to care much about the individual development of the students. Their lackadaisical attitude was one of disconnected faith in the students' abilities and lack of concern for their success or future. I am lucky to have never had an experience with a teacher like these mentioned in Rose's writing.
2. What did Voc. Ed. do to Rose and his fellow students? How did it affect them intellectually, emotionally, and socially? Why was it subsequently so hard for Rose to catch up in math?
Voc. Ed. caused Rose and his fellow students to stop believing in themselves and what they could achieve if they (cliche warning!) put their minds to it. They were inhibited intellectually by not being pushed to integrate and process their education in a way that would allow them to develop maturity, self-awareness, and standards for learning, working, and living. Some of the students seemed emotionally distraught or sought more appealing activities to distract them from their circumstances because they were not getting the attention they needed/deserved or wanted. Rose struggled later in his studies because of an attitude he had adopted, while in Voc. Ed., that it just didn't matter much. He was unprepared for what lay ahead of him because he didn't have the proper resources available to him early on in his education.
3. Why is high school so disorientating to students like Ken Harvey? How does he cope with it? What other strategies do students use to come with the pressures and judgments they encounter in school?
Ken understood that the expectations placed on him were so low and degrading that, for him, it wasn't worth fighting to change the perceptions people already had regarding his potential as a student. He coped with it by accepting it. He concluded that it was easier for him to live "as expected" than try to break down those stereotypes placed over him. Some other students might face the pressures and judgments they encounter at school with sarcasm and jokes to avoid the emotional strain it might cause by accepting or contemplating the validity of such claims. Still, others I believe would persevere and invoke positive change in themselves to "beat the odds."
4. Rose explains in paragraph 16. that high school can be a "tremendously disorienting place." What, if anything, do you find disorienting about college? What steps can students take to lessen feelings of disorientation?
I don't, personally, really find anything disorienting about college. I think it's pretty straight forward and the expectations are laid out plain and simple for you to follow. I do think, however, that it takes more discipline and self-motivation to maintain a high rate of success throughout your college education in comparison to high school. Some steps students can take if they are feeling disorientated in college would be to utilize any tutoring services available, set aside a predetermined amount of time each day for studying, and have open communication with their instructors about any concerns, fears, problems, etc.
5. How does your experience of education compare (or contrast, or both) to Mike Rose's?
My educational experience differs quite drastically from Mike Rose's. I was home schooled for most of my education, so I had a lot of one on one time with my teacher to develop a high aptitude for the subjects being taught. I played sports at the local high school and took elective courses there that interested me as well. So, emotionally i never felt as though i had unreasonable or substandard expectations placed on me. I felt intellectually stimulated and didn't lack in social development as some might presume. Perhaps we all fight stereotypes in our own way.
Franklin Vs. Malcolm
Franklin was brought up learning how to read and write. In fact, his education began so early he couldn't even recall a time when he could not read. As though he was born doing it perhaps. In contrast to Malcolm's story, who had little exposure to reading or any education for that matter. They are similar in the way that they developed as men and great articulators of the English language through reading and continued education. They both gave examples of the great significance reading had in their lives and both revered education as the most important and influential part of their lives. Their thirst for more developed them into the potent leaders they both became. While Malcolm struggled to understand the words he read, it was that very same struggle that motivated him to learn more. In contrast, Franklin had the encouragement and support of those in and around his life that played a major role in influencing his desire to become a better reader/writer/learner.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Successful Pre-Writing
In the past, the types of pre-writing that have provided me with the most success have been brainstorming, listing, freewriting/looping, mapping, and clustering/branching. When I brainstorm I like to write my idea down in a visible place for everyone to see and then have them write their ideas on their own paper. I think that having a main topic or idea visible to draw inspiration from is an easy way to keep the brainstorming focused. Although, in my experience, I still get a lot of unusable or unrelated ideas when brainstorming, so I use it less often than other pre-writing techniques. While listing, mapping, or clustering/branching I like to start with my main idea and write down anything and everything that I think is relevent. I'll even write down things that are vaguely relevent because I never know where my paper will take me and it may be the idea, or at least the trigger word, I need to pull things together in the end. Those techniques are my favorite to use and I keep my list, map, or otherwise right next to me while I write. When I freewrite I will often "loop" back and pull a sentence or two out to start a new idea or paragraph before continuing to write, which helps me quickly write a long rough draft without much effort. I like to think of it as a self-feeding system. I just stand back and let the words flow and then look back for a second or two to grab and expand on an idea I've already written. So, basically, I use a combination of freewriting and looping at the same time to help get ideas flowing and expand on old ones.
Collaboration #2: Abbey, Emmy, and Nahshon
After reading Malcolm X "Learning to Read" we concluded that this can help us because he wrote about his intense desire to read and his passion to learn. It just started out that he just wanted to read and write, fix his penmanship, after which had started into something bigger than that. He carried on with his passion for writing and reading to help other people along the way. We could also write in this way, to help other people who may read our paper to understand and to try and achieve something for themselves. He wasn't doing this for a badge, or a degree, he did it for himself. His own self gain, and eventually to help teach other people the ways of Elijah Muhammad. He gives us a good view on what we should write about, what inspires us and motivates us.
Collaboration #1: Abbey, Emmy, and Nahshon
We understand that our assignment is to write a paper about a real learning experience that we have had in our past. We want to draw the reader in with creative writing, using fact and models. We need to use a lot of details to describe our personal experience and to convey to the reader exactly what we want them to get from the paper. We need to include our obstacles and solutions to create a connection between the reader and the writer. Although the paper does not need to be formal, it must be written in proper English. The use of casual writing will help to connect the reader to what they are reading. Finally, we also understand that since this is a paper about a personal experience, we can use use the words I, me, or my.
Cutting it close! My viewpoint on the assigned readings...
While reading the post "How I Learned to Live Google-Free" I felt like it was really random. The ideas, in my opinion, didn't flow in a logical pattern that suited my personal preference and felt more like a rant than anything else. However, Romero did include some details on how to do-it-yourself and where to get the information, so I liked that a lot. I intend to use that aspect of his writing in my own paper because if other people share similar interests with me the information will be readily available.
When I read the post by Feross I noticed that he had a very clear introduction and used that as a launching pad for the rest of his post. I very much enjoyed his "beginning to end" approach where he started from the interest he initially had in programming and told of his journey of learning along the way. His post had a positive tone and you could tell that he really enjoyed programming. I want to follow suit and maintain a positive tone throughout my own paper while following a very natural progression of thought from beginning to end. I will also consider having a introductory section to my own paper if it doesn't interfere with the fluidity of the paper.
Feross and Romero had a few things in common between their posts. They both used plenty of subtitles to start new thoughts or sections and they both used very casual language throughout the body of the text. I liked the use of subtitles because it gave me a very clear idea of what I was about to read. It also gave me the ability change gears if needed to allow a new thought to form that may not be related to the previous paragraph. I liked this style because it reminded me of reading scientific papers that have defined sections that allow the reader to easily relocate information later on. The use of casual language in writing a paper isn't something I've done before, but it seems much easier than writing a scientific paper in the third person.
All in all, there was some great information, from both posts, in terms of style, tone, and progression, that I will be able to use in my own paper and I look forward to sharing my "significant educational experience" with you soon.
When I read the post by Feross I noticed that he had a very clear introduction and used that as a launching pad for the rest of his post. I very much enjoyed his "beginning to end" approach where he started from the interest he initially had in programming and told of his journey of learning along the way. His post had a positive tone and you could tell that he really enjoyed programming. I want to follow suit and maintain a positive tone throughout my own paper while following a very natural progression of thought from beginning to end. I will also consider having a introductory section to my own paper if it doesn't interfere with the fluidity of the paper.
Feross and Romero had a few things in common between their posts. They both used plenty of subtitles to start new thoughts or sections and they both used very casual language throughout the body of the text. I liked the use of subtitles because it gave me a very clear idea of what I was about to read. It also gave me the ability change gears if needed to allow a new thought to form that may not be related to the previous paragraph. I liked this style because it reminded me of reading scientific papers that have defined sections that allow the reader to easily relocate information later on. The use of casual language in writing a paper isn't something I've done before, but it seems much easier than writing a scientific paper in the third person.
All in all, there was some great information, from both posts, in terms of style, tone, and progression, that I will be able to use in my own paper and I look forward to sharing my "significant educational experience" with you soon.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
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