Week 15

As a writer, I feel that I have learned to be more aware of how my positions effect my writing style and research methods. Before, I would research for a paper to find information that I felt suited me, rather than finding the truth. I now feel as though I have more openness to other's points of views and ideas. I have found that  my writing may seem very different than others', when in fact we are each supporting the same ideas and beliefs. I have also learned to remove myself when making observations that will effect my writing. The more I am able to remove my positions from my writing, the more accurate and realistic my research will be. I feel that overall, this semester has taught me to be more understanding and aware of the diversity in the world. I now embrace diverse cultures and populations as a result of this course. 

I feel the my weaknesses occur during the revision process. I often work for such a long time on my first draft that when writing the final draft, I have difficulty finding parts of the work that I wish to revise. This creates little room for growth during the writing process. Becoming too attached to my first drafts has often given me difficulty when I am required to submit more than one draft. One of my weaknesses in writing also occurs in the researching process. I typically only read sources that pertain to my point of view, rather than read all the sources that may be relevant. I have improved on this throughout the semester; the difficulty will be remembering and reinforcing this in the future (even when there is a time crunch). 

English 104 is a great class that allows expansion in the writing and researching process. I believe that all the assignments were appropriate, the papers were written in a sequential fashion and the semester lesson plans were very well prepared and thought out. One suggestion I would make is for more class activities in groups, instead of several partnered activities. Also, the class discussions were sometimes painful due to lack of participation. I feel that this is because the required text was sometimes not very interesting and did not provoke a great deal of thought to read. I'm not sure if the lack of discussion was due to lack of participation, or that students simply did not read the text, but either way, I believe the class could benefit from something new. I feel that having conferences are probably very helpful for some students. While both my professor and I agreed that I gained little insight from them, I know this is only due to my anal-retentiveness in my personal work. I think that these conferences were very helpful for other students. This class was run very effectively and I feel that I gained a great deal of maturity in my own writing style. 

Week 14

  I feel that my best piece of writing was my literature review. I found that this writing activity gave me the most insight into my way of viewing the information that I had found. In this essay, I was able to take all the information I had gathered and begin to put it into a basic collection. I spent a great deal of time mapping out exactly how I wanted my mini-ethnography to take shape. I also enjoyed this work the most because it was interesting to see the ways in which I had to be flexible when writing my mini-ethnography. As we all know, not everything goes according to plan. I liked my literature review because it was a good tool in reflecting on how I was able to solve potential problems within my own paper. My literature review helped me find structure in a massive collection of information.

Cut-up Assignment

 I look around and see this situation through biased eyes: I am not in a good mood, the weather is bleak at best, and I am cold and damp. This whole organization seems to be centered around discouraging circumstances. This system usually works very well and everything flows like a well-oiled machine. Occasionally, however, the system derails. These moments are the most informing and entertaining. As I entered the building, I walked into a sea of chattering people.  Smiles, laughter, hand shakes and hugs were seen everywhere. 

Titles for mini-ethnography

Titles for my mini-ethnography

Abled Athletes in the Special Olympics

Creating a Society of Inclusion and Respect

Including Those With Disabilities in Community Recreational Activities

Titles for sections in my mini-ethnography

How Many Times, How Many Ways?

Week 13

This is an attempt to "pre-write" the most significant experience I have had at my field site.

I have volunteered several times now at the Northside Middle School in Muncie, Indiana. The football field where we meet is far from lush. Most of the grass has turned a muted brown color in the briskness of early winter. I step onto the typically dirt field to be engulfed in mucky mud. I look around and see this situation through biased eyes: I am not in a good mood, the weather is bleak at best, and I am cold and damp. This whole organization seems to be centered around discouraging circumstances. I emerge from around a concession stand used for junior high sporting events and all of a sudden I see several athletes talking, their voices blurring together like a melody. One particular athletes comes toward me, half running, half hobbling. Her disability renders her muscles limp and weak, much like those of a toddler. As she approaches me, she gives me a warm, open smile and greats me with slurred words. 

"I have a dog. He had puppies! One brown one and one black one."

"He did!?" I lead. 

I have heard this story at every practice since I have been volunteering. Each week this athletes tells me about her dog and the new puppies born to it. Each week she volunteers this information as if it is brand new. She offers this portion of her life as a token of friendship, the one exciting event in her life that she can remember. Unfortunately, she cannot remember that she has shared this with me many times. 

 I have heard that they are brown and black. She cannot seem to remember much else. Every practice ends with her continuing to share these two bits of information, and I leave slightly discouraged at the delay in her progress to socialize typically. Today as I leave, this athlete does not proceed to tell me about her dogs, which I have heard about for the past hour. When I begin to walk away, the athlete follows me and grabs my hand. This physical contact startles me; it is the first time she has initiated intimate contact. Her hands are smooth, like someone more naive and less tortured by the world's circumstances. Her skin feels blissfully unaware of hard reality. She takes my hand and holds it for a few seconds and smiles at me. Then she looks me straight in the eye and says the word "friend." This one word melts my negative feelings, my rough exterior and allows me to see the beautiful friendship that has begun to form as a result of the Special Olympics. 

Six Word Story

My Life

Sun is shinning. Life is good.

Subculture

My disability is a blessing, not curse.

Week 12

My understanding of the word rhetoric is very shallow. I have heard the word being used as a synonym for the word argument and persuasion. My definition of rhetoric would be the presentation of a sound and researched argument. Therefore, I believe that most aspects of life could be considered rhetoric. The way one dresses makes a statement that one believe this is the best way to dress. The food one eats states that one thinks it is the best. I believe that everything we do is unintentionally or intentionally rhetoric. I do not often hear the word rhetoric being used in society; in fact, I am certain I had never heard it before my English 103 class last semester. In that class, I heard rhetoric used in a number of debates and read it in many scholarly articles. However, I've never heard the word rhetoric used in our society. Other words that are similar to rhetoric (argument, persuasion, debate) in our society. They are often used in political situations and in academic research or discussions. Rhetoric is typically used in a positive way. I understand that many people would disagree with me. I believe that rhetoric is the most informative way to present a case or a cause. The information should be accurate and well thought out, and rhetoric should be controversial. This does not mean that the argument necessarily needs to be harmful. That is why I believe rhetoric is the most influential form of debate. I do not think that rhetoric is a part of my subculture. The only way I can understand rhetoric in my subculture would be in their fight for the rights of those with disabilities. This is an underlying foundation for the Special Olympics. I suppose one way I could incorporate rhetoric in my mini-ethnography would be to discuss with workers and volunteers how the Special Olympics' argument for more rights has helped those with disabilities. This could be included in my mini-ethnography to help show my readers the positive contribution of the Special Olympics. 

My Writing Quote

I write to record my memories, feelings, and experiences. Writing without those components is meaningless to me. 

I feel that this quote accurately represents me as a writer. I tend to dislike writing or reading papers in which I must be unbiased and fair. I like writing that has feeling, passion, and commitment. All other writing has little impact on me.

Week 11

Over the course of English 104, I feel that the way I write has changed significantly. Before beginning this course, I would write research without considering the sources. I now feel that I am a more critical writer of my sources. I view each source as objectively as possible. I investigate the writer of the source and try to imagine how their biases may influence their writing. I also no longer disregard information because it does not agree with my research. I found the first assignment to be the most enjoyable, but perhaps the most difficult. It was difficult for me to look at myself objectively and find my biases. I believe and I am reluctant to admit to my biases and prejudices. I do not like thinking that I have had opportunities that others have not, which may lead me to be less understanding or educated than others. That assignment was interesting because I was able to evaluate myself in a new way, and discover how my writing has been effected in the past. The most difficult assignment I  have had was the Literature Review and Research Proposal. This type of assignment was one I had never done before. I found it extremely difficult to answer questions about my future research. I have never knowingly considered what form my writing was going to take place before it has been done. It was hard for me to plan ahead because that is the opposite of how I like to do my writing. I typically like to develop my writing and see where it goes. I found this assignment to be the most difficult. Writing in my life has always played a significant role. Being part of a military family, we moved a lot and one way to remember all my new experiences and sights was to keep them in a journal. Keeping a journal allowed me to always have a confidant and something that would always listen to my thoughts, despite the changes that were occurring in my life. I write to record my memories, experiences and feelings. I also enjoy writing for an educational stand point. As a future teacher, I think that it is fascinating to see how children grow and develop over the twelve years they are in school. I write so that I am able to reflect over my growth and development and see all of my improvements. I also hope to be able to share my journals with my children in the future, so that they can see me as an adolescent instead of an adult all the time. In the future, I understand that writing will play a large role in my career. I will constantly be writing lesson plans, evaluations, IEP's, and reports. Writing plays a large impact on all people's lives. 

Family stories

Stories have been handed down about my great-grandmother Meritt. She was a little Italian woman who fit the classic stereotype of Italian women. Growing up in New York made it difficult for her to fit in with all the "Jan Cleaver" types. My great-grandmother was a loud woman who cooked heavy meals laden with rich sauces and flavor. I have heard numerous stories about her from both my parents. They describe her as being a walking faux pau. Everywhere she went she was unintentionally insulting someone, frightening people, talking loudly, and breaking the "American" rules. Anytime my grandmother would say something blunt or rude, everyone in my family would always tease her and call her by her mother's name. She became a long-standing joke among my family. Now anytime that I do something that would fit my great-grandmother's behavior, my family calls me Meritt.