Today...actually today's class

So in class today we went off on some topics that seemed to come out of nowhere. I liked it. First I want to talk some on the subject of touching students. I know that not all teachers even want to touch students, but it is kind of ridiculous how strict we are in what we can and cannot do in a classroom. I taught drama to kids a while back. I really don't like kids (unless related)! But still, I found myself touching them because they wanted to touch me. Most of them did not speak English and I think that maybe that was a way of showing me that they were happy with what was going on. What happens then? Do I say, "no, I can't hug you." I mean come on. Is it only at a certain age when I shouldn't hug a student? Even in my observations of 9th graders, I found myself giving a couple students a hug goodbye when I was done there. They came to me, and were great kids. I just don't get it. About the PC issues...that is out of control! I myself am very careful about what and how I say things because I don't want to offend anyone. How did we get this way? There is definitely a line that shouldn't be crossed, but who created that line? It is very weird. I do think that if we want to teach something that may contain words or ideas that could be seen as incorrect, we should talk with the students before hand and let them know what the material is, and how they feel about it. If a word is used in reading, we should talk about it and what it meant in its context. I know when observing, we were reading A Raisin in the Sun. The "N" word was used more than once. The teacher after that was read, by a student, explained what it meant by the character who said it, and how it was used in that time. The students seemed a little shocked, but understood and went on with the play. It is important to keep communication open between a student and a teacher. The parents are also important here.....a teacher can say that the student can ask a parent how they feel. I mean, there is always going to be a touchy subject for someone, but what can you do. I hope I don't end up on the news.

Pomo Blues

Okay, this one I'm really not sure about. I think I know what Carroll is saying, I'm not sure that I agree with it. I do think that students have a pre-conceived notion of what they are "supposed" to write. This is something that I wish could be changed, but probably won't because then every teacher would have to teach in a different way. There are types of writing that the students usually do. However, I do think that even if the category is similar to many other papers, it can still be an individuals work. I know that culture and environment play a pat in everything that we do, but it isn't all that we do. There is something in people that is still new, at least to the person writing. There are only so many situations in life, how can we expect ":fresh" subjects. The thing is, the subjects are fresh when it comes to the details. No one person has the same exact experience as someone else. Even if there are two people together, experiencing the same thing....they still will have something different to say about it. That is just the way writing works sometimes. It is okay if a topic of a paper if one we have seen many times. It still won't be the exact thing we saw. Anyway, the thing is I am not sure that what Carroll is saying is completely accurate to me. I am an idealist and think that we are all so unique that we couldn't possibly produce the same texts over and over again, unless we are copying word by word someone else's writing.

Elbow/Bartholomae

I like what Elbow is saying here. I do think that it is important that students can be both an academic and a writer. I also think that it is important for them to read their own work, as well as work from other students. They just write for the teacher usually and I agree with Elbow that that may be the reason they are not invested in their work as much as they should be. Writing in the newspaper is a good idea, but we all do not have that opportunity. I also agree that we shouldn't always stick to the "key" texts that we usually do. We shouldn't look at them as if they are part of a museum, they should speak to us as writers and students today. We should read what helps us, even if it is our own work. He may be a romantic, but I understand where he is coming from. I also kind of agree with Bartholomae. I see where he is coming from. I think that writing is personal though. I know that our culture plays a big part in how we write, but what we end up with is our own. As I have said before, even a research paper is our own...has our values and choices and opinions.

personal writing assignments

Conners has an interesting point. I agree that most people, as do I, take a middle position here. I think that we shouldn't just be focusing on academic writing. We shouldn't just focus on personal writing. There is a need for both, and both should be taught. I think that the individual should be celebrated, and is a great way to start writing. I won't say that it is easier, but I will say that personal experience is already in one's head, it doesn't have to be learned. The writing itself has to be learned, but the content isn't copied or given from a textbook. I think there was a time when the individual was no longer expressed, and only the academic, or technical writing was what was being produced in writing classrooms. I think that now maybe some classrooms have personal writing, but in general , personal writing is another class, another genre.......an elective. That is what bothers me, if we are going to have separate genres here, then they both should be mandatory. They both supply students with different tools and skills needed for writing. So, that is where I stand on that.

Fun Day.

Remember the fun day we had when we did that directions assignment in class? That was fun.
I enjoyed it because it was very interesting to see the results. Directions are important in school. They have to be clear, or something weird can happen. I am glad that a few of us got to do the same set of directions. It was neat to see how we did it differently. Our conversation on how to grade it was also very interesting. Do we grade every one the same? Just because they did it? Or do we grade down if they go above and beyond? That is a hard question to answer. I guess that as a teacher, we need to be very clear how we are going to grade the students before we give them the assignment. This way they will understand(hopefully) what is expected of them. They will know that going above and beyond can possibly hurt them, so they won't feel the need to do that. Getting to the point of figuring out how to grade students is a little harder. I guess it takes some good advice and experience to be able to know exactly what to do. Anyway, that was a fun day.

the beginning of some serious make-up blogs

okay.....here I am, at my parents house for the purpose of...and only of making up some blogs. It is stupid how difficult it has been to keep up with this. So, here I go...back to the beginning of March.


I'll talk a little about my opinion of Donald Murray's Writing Is Autobiography. I know that this caused some discussion in class, and mostly how Murray is crazy. I actually, as I said in class, think that a lot of what he says is true for me. I also believe that what is write is autobiographical in the sense that it is coming from us. Each person had their own style, whether they know it or not, and in most writing that style, our experiences, our knowledge, etc. are somehow integrated into our writing. I do think that Murray should have perhaps included some other forms of writing, and explained how he thinks they are autobiographical. It doesn't help every one out if we are all reading some of his obviously autobiographical poetry and stories. I do see his point though, and agree with the idea that we all add something personal to our writing. I know personal can have many meanings, but I mean something that comes from us exclusively. He could have made a better case for this essay. He could have done it in a way that doesn't seem ridiculous to some people. I think I understand what he is trying to say.

Lesson Assignment

okay....about the lesson assignment.
Here it is:

Cultural Quilt

For this assignment you will be creating a cultural quilt. You may create the quilt any way you like as long as it includes the required information which is:

1. picture of yourself
2. your name
3. an anxiety provoking experience
4. a time you have been stereotyped
5. something from the state you are from
6. The country you relate most to
7. The culture you are least familiar with
8. a challenge as a student
9. physical attribute(s)
10. talents and interests
11. goals for the future
12. finest personal quality
13. the way you communicate non-verbally
14. the way you communicate verbally
15. a social value
16. best subject
17. worst subject
18. what do people see in you
19 what do you see in yourself
20. favorite item

All of these must be incorporated into your cultural quilt. You may want to use items, pictures, symbols, words, phrases, music, etc. to create your quilt. Although it is called a quilt, it does not have to be an actual quilt. However, your quilt should be a complete package, not a bunch of loose items. You will be presenting it in class, so take that into consideration.
Along with the quilt, you are you write a paper (at least two pages) on how these things may affect your writing and why they might affect your writing. Remember to have fun with it!