Wednesday, July 13, 2011

One was all it took


            I can’t recall a teacher who truly took the time to outline for me the process paradigm. In consequence, I am left with a disorganized mixture of the madman and the judge. There is no architect or carpenter, present in my writing process, to evaluate and piece together my final product. There is simply part of me driven by inspiration and part of me restrained by the institution of grammar and sentence structure. Despite the lack of unity in my writing persona, I believe I have something that helps to, at least, disguise my lack of structure. Or so I’ve been told.


One was all it took

She said I had a “voice”

From that point on I knew it

It’s as if I never had a choice


From that beginning an ending was set

A writer born

A dream begun

A future balanced

A style beheld


One was all it took

To make my goals known

She said I was worth watching

From child until grown


A writer without restraints

A columnist yet still

A journalist to become

A teacher at will


One was all it took

Isn’t that all it ever takes?

Just one to inspire

And from that a child never breaks


A step to that first paper

A move on to the next

A challenge to improve

A written text


One was all it took

She was so bold

That teacher was amazing

She really broke the mould


A pen with ink

A sentence with power

A writer with vision

A thought not yet sour


One was all it took

She said I had a “voice”

From that point on I knew it

It’s as if I never had a choice


            A teacher who tells a child that she has a gift of the written word inspires in that child a compassion that does not easily die out. Even when I considered other professions, I felt drawn, as if by a sturdy string, to the world of literature. And to the idea that, one day, I could be a contributor to that world: through my own writing or by instilling a drive in my eventual students to become writers. After all, writing doesn’t only take place in a classroom setting. I learned to use my writing in all aspects of life.
It was through a means of communication that I regained contact with an old summer fling of mine. He was stationed with the U.S. Army in South Korea and was scheduled to come home soon. We started contact through email, followed shortly by snail mail letters. I learned to love the old method of communication. I felt a growing strength for expressing myself. This man eventually became my husband and we still maintain that written communication, as he is currently deployed to Iraq.

One was all it took

He caught me by surprise

I fell in love and then

Off fell my stealthy guise


A lover to read

A letter I'd sewn

A distant connection

A relationship grown


One was all it took

How does he always know?

What my heart needs

And even my soul


A message in a bottle

A fortune cookie read

A dream of one thing

A love always said


One was all it took

He caught me by surprise

I fell in love and then

My heart my writing signifies

            Writing has always been easy for me but it wasn’t until one teacher took the opportunity to tell me that I had a “voice” that I began to see just how far writing could take me. Writing became more than just a chore or a punishment; it was an outlet for me. I used this outlet to express myself in every situation possible. It’s obvious to see how writing has benefitted me because that’s how I captured the love of my now husband and it was through the written word that he captured mine.

Investigating prescriptive rules: pronouns


            The prescriptive rule that most interests me is that of pronouns, specifically in relation to gender. Consequently, I chose to investigate the usage of “he, she, and they”. We learned in class that the world is shifting from using “he” regardless of the gender, in such sentences as, “A doctor knows his biology.” and “A person should always use his manners.” to using the more gender neutral “they”. However, I was surprised at the results of my survey. Educational level and generation played huge roles in which pronoun the interviewee used.
            Naturally the first person I interviewed was the one in closest proximity. My 20-year-old roommate was sitting across the table, so I simply asked her to fill the blanks in the following sentences with what she would say naturally:
A good student always turns ___ homework in on time.
One should always wash ___ hands before eating.
Apparently someone called for you; ___ asked you to call ___ back (Hubfolio).
            I could sense her stumble at first, but then she eased back and said, “their, their, she, her”. Interesting, I thought. She used the general “they” for the first two but then uttered a gender specific pronoun for the last sentence, and a female pronoun at that. I called another girl friend our age and she responded exactly the same. Then, I tried two guys in their early 20’s. Both answered, “their, their, they, them”. All of these interviewees were current college students. Intrigued by the results, I thought I should try a different generation.
            The next interviewee was my 63-year-old father. My father obtained a bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering in the 1960’s. I presented him with the same three sentences and he responded, “his, his, he, him”. Okay, this was getting exciting. “Can you pass the phone to mom?” I asked. My 61-year-old mother came on the line and said, “his, their, they, them”. She has some college under her belt. I asked my roommate’s mother, who is one generation younger than my mother and works in a middle school. She responded the same as my mother, “his, their, they, them”.
            I tried for two other college students who graduated in the 1970’s: my aunt and uncle who are in their 50’s. My uncle is a photojournalist and has a bachelor’s degree and my aunt is from Ireland and has her associates; I was anxious to see these results. When I read my uncle the first sentence, he originally said, “his?” and then he corrected himself and said “their, their, they, them”. My aunt responded exactly as my mother and my friend’s mother had. It seemed that the middle-aged female response was transcontinental.
            I decided I needed just one more generation, so I called my grandparents. My grandfather has an 8th grade education and my grandmother graduated high school in 1947. It was more difficult to explain the object of my survey to them, but once they understood, they both answered, “their, their, they, them”. That wasn’t the answer I was expecting. However, I think I might’ve found an explanation for why they answered this way.
            After looking at the results, collectively, I came to a few conclusions. Females in my generation have accepted the gender neutral “they”, but when they feel they need a gender specific pronoun, they naturally turn towards the female pronoun. Perhaps this is an after effect of the feminist movement? My father attended an East coast university during the 1960’s and has therefore stuck with what he was originally taught. My mother, aunt, and my roommate’s mother however, are in constant contact with their children in person, over the phone, and through email. I believe they have adopted “they” usage from the younger generations. However, they still use the prescriptive “he” when talking about a non-gender specific occupation such as that of a student. My uncle, having grown up hearing “he” is “correct”, originally answered with the masculine pronoun. However, he is involved in the media daily and thus second-guessed himself because he knows he should use the politically correct terminology. My grandparents, having never attended college, used “they” likely because they were never taught, by a prescriptivist at a university, that “he” is “correct”. My favorite response was that of the males in my generation. Both interviewees responded with “their, their, they, them” even though the subjects in the sentences were singular. I don’t doubt that this has to do with the political correctness that has been drilled into their heads since childhood. The survey could possibly be skewed, as well, because I am a female asking the questions. I’m sure no one wanted to offend me (other than my dad) by responding using “he” for any of the blanks.
            When I began to write this paper and collect research, I had a few ideas, but nothing concrete. I tried to recall a few of the prescriptive rules we learned in class and remembered the one about gender specific pronouns. It was amazing to see that my survey proved that my all participants in my father’s generation remembered the prescriptive “he” when talking occupation, but that the females seemed more willing to accept the current correctness of saying “they” in the other sentences. My generation has taken easily to using “they” in speech, but often encounters a dilemma when writing a formal paper and typically results to writing “he/she” if the gender is unknown. This is a prescriptive rule that is not often corrected in speech, but that proves a continual predicament when writing formal papers. Many professors allow the use of “they” and yet many are still stuck in the age of “he”. One professor I know allows students to use “he” if the writer is a male or “she” if the writer is a female. I found this to be a fair compromise. Undoubtedly, the norm is going to change along with the generations. It is already visible in the current generation of college students.
            Those in my research who attended no college used “their, their, they, them”. Those who attended some college, in my parent’s generation, used “his, their, they, them”.  Those who are currently in college used  “their, their, they, them” with the exception of the females who used “she, her” for the final sentence. Level of education and generation were the two factors connecting the different usages. 

Works Cited
http://www.brighthub.com/hubfolio/heather-marie-kosur/articles/38523.aspx

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Student Teaching: Day 3

Today was exhausting. It's tough becoming re-acclimated to an eight-hour day after four years in college, with a sporadic schedule filled with nap and coffee breaks. Now it's lesson planning, classroom hopping madness. My CT, a "happy light" owner, is so quick to come up with lessons that I'm left spinning as to how she does it. These past three days have taught me that I still have a LOT to learn before March 1st- my D-day for taking over two of her classes. I know that eventually I will learn the students' names, that I will slowly gain confidence, that I will be able to plan lessons as quickly and efficiently as my peers, but that doesn't raise my spirits right now. Right now I just feel a little overwhelmed...and that's okay.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

First two days

I started student teaching on Valentine's Day and nothing extremely special occurred that day. Well, except for all of the heart shaped balloons squished through doors by giddy 16 year-olds, but other than that nothing too exciting. I had already met my CT (cooperating teacher) last semester, and visited her several times hence, so it wasn't too scary walking into her classroom. My first day was just observation. I observed my CT plan, become frustrated, and yell at a student who didn't finish their work, but I also observed her try a student's home-cooked, prize winning cake with loving kindness, teach a stellar lesson about violence and consciousness in poetry, and help me tweak my lesson for the next day. Overall, it was a good first day.

Today, I woke to my alarm at 6:18, hit the snooze until 6:28, crawled out of bed and convinced myself to turn on the TV to KLRU Q (18-3) for the 6:30 am CLASSICAL STRETCH: THE ESMONDE TECHNIQUE
It's amazing, try it. Once I was stretched and yoga/balleted out, I showered, ate a quick breakfast and headed into the high school. This was it, my first day of teaching!

First I showed the class the "My favorite things" Imovie I made in my final teaching class. They thought it was a little funny, but seemed to appreciate my effort.

After I introduced myself, I told the class that I wanted to get to know them, so I split them into partners the way our instructors at taught us in college. "Raise your hands, keep them up....1,2,3, etc. 1,2,3 etc. Okay, now raise your hand when I call your number and find your partner" Chaos! No one knew what I was doing, but thankfully I took note of this and did a much better job during my second period. I think this is something the kids are just going to have to get used to. I remember, even as preservice teachers, we stumbled with it in the beginning.

I asked the students to interview their partner with the 10 questions I had given them, plus a freebie question they had to devise. The first period took much longer than I thought they would, so I changed the timing on the next period. After the interview, I gave the students this template for a bio-poem:


(First name)-
(Four adjectives that describe the person)
Son/Daughter/sister/brother/friend of (their relation)
Lover of (three different things that the person loves)
Who feels (three different feelings and when or where they are felt)
Who gives (three different things the person gives)
Who needs (three different things the person gives)
Who fears (three different fears the person has)
Who would like to see (three different things the person would like to see)
-(last name)

Then I gave them my bio-poem as an example:

Andrea-
Inquisitive, independent, conversational, compassionate
Daughter of pilots
Lover of possibility, adventure, and those closest to her
Who feels nervous, but inspired by teaching, happy with life, and comfortable in her husband's presence
Who gives good advice, hugs, and photography tips
Who needs gratification, a way to relax daily, and a conversation with a good friend 
Who fears having children too early, getting cancer again, and the dark
Who would like to see her parents hold their grandchildren, one of her students accomplish something amazing, and every continent in the world
-S*


These kids' poems (at least the ones that I read over their shoulders) were awesome! I'm so excited for them to bring their chain links back on Thursday for us to make the paper chain poems, and so that I can read all of their poems!

Monday, February 7, 2011


When my inbox is busting a button like a fat man in a little suit (gotta love Tommy Boy references), I feel the need to purge my emails and my mental faculties. While sorting, I always take time to read my subscription from Mark and Angel Hack Life, an insightful blog full of wonderful ideas "practical tips" for ridding your life of chaos and simply being more productive, positive, and happy. Today they featured a list of 30 Ways to Make Today a Good DayHere is the (slightly adapted) list:
30 Ways to Make Today a Good Day
  1. Take some "me time" in the morning; wake up at least half an hour before you have to get ready to leave.
  2. Do work that you are inspired by.
  3. Complete an important piece of unfinished business.
  4. Spend time with positive, friendly people. (cut out the negativity)
  5. Do something nice for someone else.
  6. Be present. Focus on where you are, what you’re doing and who you’re with right now.
  7. Do one thing at a time.
  8. Think, speak, and act positively.
  9. Smile, even when there’s no pressing reason to do so.
  10. Unplug.  Entertain yourself with real-world experiences.
  11. Go somewhere new.  See something new.  Meet someone new.
  12. Do something that makes you laugh.
  13. Challenge your mind.  Learn a new skill.
  14. Challenge your body.  Exercise for 30 minutes.  (Read The 4-Hour Body.)
  15. Let someone help you.
  16. Clear a little clutter by getting rid of something you don’t need.
  17. Be honest with yourself and those around you.
  18. Don’t compare yourself to others.  Instead, let them inspire you.
  19. Spend a few minutes alone in silence, just thinking.
  20. Focus on solutions.
  21. Keep an open mind to new ideas and information.
  22. Handle important two-minute tasks immediately.
  23. Stay out of other people’s drama.  And don’t needlessly create your own.
  24. Say, “Please,” “Thank you,” “I’m sorry” and “I love you,” when you should.
  25. Don’t try to please everyone.  Just do what you know is right.
  26. Eat a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner.
  27. Savor the natural joy of simple pleasures.
  28. Notice what’s right with the world.
  29. Take time to appreciate what you have.
  30. Get to sleep a little earlier tonight so you’re well rested tomorrow.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

DIY Flowers Barrettes

I have already found a use for my baby blue organza fabric!

I've been wanting to make flower barrettes for my hair, because they are so expensive to purchase. That was when I found Mrs Priss and her wonderful tutorials! So here's the result of my attempt. I have yet to attach the barrettes, but someone commented on her tutorial that the best/cheapest place to purchase blank clips in bulk is Sally's Beauty Supply. Great tip!

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Savings Saturday: Fabric

Goodwill Finds of the day!
I plan to find a new use for each of the following:
1 Snowflake decorated Table cloth
1 Golden Table cloth
2 Sheer baby blue organza curtains (would've been 3.20 per yard)
4 Ivory lace curtains (I'm especially excited about these!)
Total yardage: probably around 12-14 yards
Total Cost: $21
Would've been $80+ at a Fabric store



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