I turned this exercise in as a paper but it was supposed to be on the blog apparently so i'm posting it now =]

Writing Concerns
Studying Constitutional Law (or any law for that matter), which I naively decided to attempt my first semester at college, requires a very keen eye. Changing one word in a sentence can dramatically alter the meaning of not just that sentence, but the entire block of evidence or an entire opinion of a case. Luckily, I was always very observant and I was able to quickly adapt to the specific way a lawyer reads a Supreme Court opinion or the evidence of a case at trial. My professor loved me because I caught on so quick to the tricks so often used in court. I love to play with words, learn new words, and swap words endlessly with their synonyms until they fit perfectly in context. Sometimes I feel like the ridiculous rules of English grammar came programmed in my head so I never had to go through the grueling process of learning each and every one. Needless to say, I cannot personally relate to ESL writers or writers with disabilities. I am confident, however, that I am good enough at relating to people in general that I can handle a tutoring session with one of these types as a client.
My best friend, God help her, loves to skip words as she types. She thinks faster than her fingers move and her brain auto-corrects the sentences when she reads the paper, silently or aloud. I was horrified when I looked at a paper her teacher had labeled with an A+ in view of the fact that my eyes located several incomplete sentences right in the first paragraph. Apparently that teacher was looking for ideas rather than correct grammar, but she didn’t even mention that the mistakes were there! Danielle was defensive when I mentioned this discrepancy at first, but over time she realized just how imperative it was that she learn to write properly. She e-mails me many things she writes, from letters to literary analysis papers, begging me to find these mistakes because for some odd reason her brain can’t. In helping her, I’ve learned a lot about tutoring when disabilities are present.
As far as personal concerns that affect writing go, I can relate to no end. I’ve been-there-done-that a thousand times over when it comes to juggling the crazy class schedule, fights with the boyfriend, family crises, overtime hours at a job, physical medical problems, and underlying psychological problems. My high school career was defined by classes that were overwhelming to start with and only got worse when combined with others that were equally as demanding. On top of that, I am a workaholic. I would rather be making money developing photos of weddings, vacations, and new puppies at CVS than anything because my greatest love in life just happens to be spending that money at a later date (and sometimes an earlier date thanks to the plastic era). I also forgot what it was like to get along with my family years ago, around the time I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Throughout all of these skirmishes, regardless of the stress level, I surprisingly retained the ability to painstakingly produce good writing. In fact, sometimes I purposely procrastinated because I seemed to be on fire when time was running out. My greatest demon was the psychological problem that appeared, quite unexpectedly, near the end of my junior year of high school.
The age of onset for Borderline Personality Disorder is typically early adulthood, right in the midst of high school graduation and relocation into the world of higher education. I have always been a good student (an amazing one actually) and for some unexplained reason I began experiencing fits of uncontrollable rage and emotion, attacks of impulsivity during which I would literally eat anything within sight or charge hundreds of dollars to my dad’s credit card from online shopping sites, terribly messed-up sleeping patterns, and an absolute inability to sit down and concentrate for longer than 30 seconds. My dad configured explanation after explanation from hormones to bipolar disorder to PTSD in response to being raped in March of that year, but nothing was sufficient. I lost not only the ability to write, but the ability to function as a successful human being. Crying for hours on end, I tried to write in a journal but no words would come. From being the student with the most potential in my school of 6,000 students, I withered into near non-existence in the academic world. I came very close to failing out of school completely, and I felt like all I could do was skip class and smoke weed. I didn’t fail; I pushed myself to the very edge of sanity and miraculously managed to maintain most of my grades and graduate #1 in my class.
I finally got diagnosed with Borderline in the very end of my senior year. Borderline is a terrible mental disorder and it tormented me in all aspects of my life, but most devastatingly, it shattered my ability to form creative thought, and therefore, to write. With a diagnosis, I was able to address the issue and more importantly, find a medication that would alleviate the symptoms enough so that I could once again be considered my teachers’ best pupil. I have had to learn, adapt, and grow an enormous amount in the last year, and I feel as if I can accomplish any task before me as long as I keep my disorder at bay. My experience was not enjoyable- it was gruesome. Through it, however, I learned how to empathize with anyone suffering a psychological disorder and as a tutor I will hopefully be able to guide them to the light at the end of their tunnel. (I apologize for the cliché) The writing process in itself can be scary and overwhelming, but when the simplest of tasks seems daunting, writing becomes a monster that is impossible to strike.
I certainly don’t expect that I will meet any students disturbed by personal concerns to this extent, but I will be ready if I do!

"I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping Ryan and fill him with a somewhat neutral resolve."

(Twenty points to whomever gets the reference above. I've been watching some old movies lately.)

Good afternoon. Or morning. Probably evening, though. I have a feeling that's when most of this stuff gets done, if not typed up during class. This blog thing gets me confused sometimes (I warned you all in post #1 that I hated these things). Anyway, you'll probably be seeing a few more entries from me the next few days with the papers I turned in but didn't upload. That or I can organize them in one big post a la Deanna. So yeah, lots of previous posts. That and the massive catch-up frenzy sparked by a nicely organized check-off list given to us in class on Tuesday. I think it's safe to expect that from everyone. You all know who you are (I is).

Anyway, I'm getting Comcast in the shiny new apartment today, hopefully. So I'll have constant Interwebs no matter where I go, and hence little excuse to not keep up with my schoolwork. YouTube is a great distraction, however...

Right. Enough pointing out foibles. Time to gettin' respondin'.

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When it comes to teaching good writing, revising, and editing habits, Donald Murray has the market cornered. Not literally. I doubt there's an actual literal Moroccan bazaar where literary techniques are lavishly displayed, the lowest prices haggled by toothless merchants, and Murray literally surrounds the literary bazaar with literal tanks and literally carpet-bombs the place. That probably doesn't happen. But figuratively it may.

What I am suggesting is the hold of these fancy-schmancy techniques perpetuated and promulgated by the academic machine. They want to make us better writers through the use of these techniques and, in my opinion, the pursuit of better writing and communicative skills is a goal worth the effort. These are techniques "tried and true": discovery drafts, picking the right context, editing and reediting, etc., yuh-huh, yuh-huh, we get it.

You're just waiting for the "but", right? Isn't that the impression I kinda give off? The slinking snakish rogue long-black-sleeved stranger brooding in the corner (not quite), relishing the opportunity to strike? Blood and venom! Hsss! No? Oh well, that would be cool, at any rate.

Well, this time, there really isn't a "but". Nuh-uh. Not that I totally agree with Murray's methods; I and my compadre David are currently suffering/digesting A Writer Teaches Writing for your presentation-listening pleasure next Tuesday. I'd like to say that we drew the short straw, though, as this book is aimed at the composition teacher rather than the writing consultant or the student.

Anyway, the lack of "but". Well, that's not totally true. For the purposes of Murray's supposed audience, he teaches some worthy (be they tired) techniques. The freewriting session that Deanna had us do awakened the sleeping giant (points to title), and my brain was on the rest of the class period. It's the exact same technique I use when I need to get going on any piece of writing, be it academic or creative (and at this point, I should be scoffing that I am still separating the two. *Scoff*). Sure, it may have not yielded anything "conflicting" or any new "tension" (it was a list, after all), but the very process shook up my lack-of-sleep-addled brainpan-can and the pop top popped: *fiiiiizzzz*.

So, I took off. My fingers, anyway. My notes were much more interesting than they would have been otherwise. I had war stories, tales of intrigue, fighters and bombers (Tora tora tora! - It slipped), politics, sex, drugs (but no rock and roll), and a new, disturbing slogan for everyone's favorite sports drink: Gatorade - Drive the Voices from your head.

The point? No point, really. Other than that all of these notes, while obviously the product of a diseased mind, all focused back to the topic at hand. It wasn't "for" anyone, I didn't have to "hand" it in to anyone, no one was grading "me" "on" "anything"; but the response that this little exercise generated allowed me to hold on to the information I need to take away from Murray. So really: point.

I guess what I'm really trying to say is that even if we're following the conventions of the day, we don't have to be constrained by the methods with which they are taught, nor the expected ways in which we should be enacting these certain techniques. Flow charts don't help me; they waste paper. Margin notes don't help me; half the time I can't make them out. What does help me is the link I can make back to my high-falutin' fantasy novel in my ENG 487 class notes about gender roles, and how that'll all fit into my personal concept of the Pleroma and syzygy and all those other Gnostic concepts that you should probably Wikipedia if you have time.

It wasn't the technique itself that got me to think/remember/write better, it was the emotional investment in the time the information was encountered. The writer is, of course, nearly 100% responsible for getting engaged in the work, whether it's being an active listener (taking notes), responding politely, or finishing up a first draft. We've all had experiences with "critical" papers that lack any investment in the text; these are the most boring papers to have to read. The lack here is that investment-claim that the writer is supposed to stake; otherwise, someone will jump him/her and someone will be out of a river in which to pan for gold (prospective metaphors will never go out of style).

Really, while I salute Murray for his left-brained and logically-minded ideas, they just won't work for me on the same level. I can understand how if you need an outline, of course you should make one. If it ain't broke, one should not engage in repair. It's a common concern we have with our clients: organization. This organization of thought seems to be his overriding concern with all these "left-brained" (now it's in "quoties") techniques that Murray espouses [Espoused, he's dead. -Ed.], and I suppose we should thank him for putting them all in one place for others to consume. Not like there aren't myraid other works on the same things out there already.

I'm not sour about being taught these techniques, of course, but each one won't work for a select person. It's why I'd rather read a book of koans than fables or moral tales - I'm just not Western enough, I suppose. In this academic discourse, we only have so much that we can teach, and our students are already programmed to think in a certain way: it would be mathematically foolhardy to start teaching comp classes with the desks in a circle than facing the blackboard; you can't fit all those desks in a circle, creativity and equal footing for all be damned! There will be an established front and you vilt all lizten to me! Mach schnell!

Anyway, this all goes back an overriding concern with the American academic discourse that's been bubbling up inside me since Day One. Well, more like Day Five. I can't critique (read: won't critique, I'm sure it's possible) the entire collegiate discourse in one sitting. My fingers are too sore for that right now.

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Ouch. Well, there it is. Have fun with that, guys; I'm off to my Heidegger class to go encounter some philosophical objects.

Lies, Damn Lies, And Statistics

Lies, Damn Lies, And Statistics

Today in class Deanna talked about the need to have a focus with an appropriate scope and emphasis when approaching writing. I was initially perturbed by this notion because, while I think it is important to make a point, the journey toward answers often produces a more enriching learning experience than the answers sought.

However, she went on to talk about how Discovery Drafts can help a student employ free association and stream of consciousness. And I think that what was described as a Discovery Draft is what I myself use and encourage others as they seek a thoughtful and original piece of writing. I think the Discovery Draft allows a writer to use the best of their own creativity and apply it to whatever structure or genre that they seek to adhere to.

Krish talked about the need for specific examples in academic writing. He appeared to be making the case that all things in academic writing (and perhaps journalism) has to be backed by empirical information. He suggested that subjectivity should be embraced while employing empirical data to support it, which is of course a way of describing how western civilization frames effective opinions.

Generally I agree with the above, but I think you have to beware of confusing empirical data and objectivity. The empirical never exists in a vacuum. It is always subject to human interpretation and misinterpretation. Also, perfectly valid scientific information can be taken out of context or misapplied for nefarious ends.

As Mark Twain said, “there are lies, damn lies, and statistics.”

working in the library, more observations, catch-up

so, i noticed that i haven't posted on here in a week or two...my apologies. i'll try to wrap a few things up with this post.

first, i have completed all of the observations with consultants, moved on to taking clients on my own, and done far more than the five required. i have worked with esl undergrads a majority of the time, mainly in wra classes, but have also spent time with several grad. students and many american students, both graduate and undergrad.

i have helped clients working on cover letters for grad. school apps and scholarships/grants, memoirs, master's theses and dissertations, research papers, reading responses, and a variety of other projects and papers. i have also tried to help several students through the prewriting process.

as of three weeks ago, i have begun working at the library on wednesdays, and, in spite of what i have been told about working there, i am actually enjoying it and the fast pace at which clients normally show up there. i'm actually glad that my longest shift is spent there, as i usually grab a coffee and take client after client, making the time pass fairly quickly. it's a bit stressful, but it is nice to help frazzled students and get them to calm down and focus on their assignments (which in many cases are due very soon, hence their being at the library and stressing out).

i'm noticing that many of my clients are coming in for the same thing: (guess!...) help with grammar! in all seriousness, it is a bit troubling to see even american-born students mistaking it's for its and their for there, along with a host of other very simple mistakes. this is where i'm really realizing how important it is to get the clients to read their own papers to you as the consultant. i think a lot of them are simply not reading their papers out loud, and therefore missing many of their own mistakes. i've begun developing a simple, but i think effective way of getting them to improve their proofreading skills.

mike's (flexible) five-step guide for consulting sessions (assuming the client has brought in a draft):

1) get the client to read their own paper out loud, paragraph by paragraph, assuming they are comfortable doing so.

2) hand them a pencil and tell them to fix the mistakes they find as they read along.

3) go back over the paragraph and find the mistakes they miss, explaining why they are mistakes and how to fix them.

4) continue on, trying to get them to recognize more and more mistakes, especially the ones that you have explained to them.

5) at the end of the paper, i generally make notes for them on particular things they need to focus on, such as flow, sentence structure, certain grammatical/spelling issues, etc. tell them to keep reading the paper out loud to themselves to catch mistakes and find awkward sentences, etc.

obviously, this system hinges upon the individuality of each client, and is flexible to their needs, and it will probably undergo a constant evolution as i develop as a consultant, but i think it brings together many of the concepts expounded in class, as well as my own observations and experience in the wc. i feel like i'm really getting into the groove of working here, and learning how to nudge clients in the right direction so that they are capable of helping themselves more and more.

also, i think the wc should consider opening an outdoor consulting center for spring, fully outfitted with a barbecue grill and lemonade instead of coffee, in celebration of the (fingers crossed) beginning of spring and end of a terribly grey winter. i need to go play some frisbee.

until next week,
m

Presentation of Fox's "Listening to the World"

As promised, here are some notes from class today. I think we had a really great discussion of Fox's book (though there was soooooooo much more we could have talked about), and I want to thank you for being such good sports about the Manchester Essay. I've sent along two handouts to Trixie so that she can post them to angel (the Manchester Essay assignment sheet and a more formal outline of Fox's book), so make sure you keep your eyes open for both of them.

We brought up some interesting ideas during class today that aren't necessarily reflected in the outline that I've created, so I wanted to make sure they got posted here.

• Agression: we discussed aggression in two ways: 1) diction, 2) parody. The assignment sheet seemed to be aggressive not only because of particular uses of diction, but because the parody of writing assignments was so strongly developed. The threat of "expulsion" for not citing sources really seemed to ring true for some of us.
• The term "original": we contemplated the meaning of the word original and talked about how world majority students may understand this word differently than us. The ideology from which world majority students come deeply and profoundly affects their writing, and the same applies to mainstream American students.
• Linear thinking: as a class we mapped out common linear modes of thinking that often get applied to the writing process (brainstorming, drafting, editing) and the structure of an essay (intro, body, conclusion). How else might we say that an American/Western ideaology guides our writing, thinking, and doing in this culture?

I want to thank everyone again for participating in my presentation today. I hope you found our conversation as useful as I did.

Carrie

I Watched the Presentation too

I had an extremely uneventful afternoon as a receptionist, so I decided to take my time to observe Noah and Natalie's iMovie presentation.  As with Deanna's notes, you couldn't help but notice the blank stares received from nearly every student in the room.  With the exception of a select few girls, there was no loosening up of this tough crowd until after the first video.  WHICH BY THE WAY ~ What a great choice to demonstrate the CRAP method of video analysis. (For those of you who dont know C.R.A.P. is Contrast Repetition Alignment Proximity.)  It was a commercial from several years ago by Volkswagen advertising for the stylish Beetle Convertible.  I think the music and the easy to catch patterns in the video sucked the clients in enough for them to participate.  After that the class flowed well and more and more kids began to participate.

This leads me to my point:

WHY IS THERE NOT A POWERPOINT FOR THESE PRESENTATIONS!? Is there not a base to help presenters organize their class?  Writing on a whiteboard is all good and well, but it is sloppy and slow and puts kids to sleep.  Just seems silly to me 

presentation

So i was observing Noah's presentation of I movie today and i was struck by some thoughts. The presentation was fairly straightforward, but what struck me was the students themselves. they began the presentation by asking if anyone had been to the center before and explained what it was. First off, no one responded with "yes" to the first question. their professor knows Noah well and seems familiar with the center, yet none of her students had been here previousy. more interesting was the lack of interest on their faces when they were describing the benefits of the center. Natalie had trouble getting anyone to answer "no" to whether or not they had been there and i was expecting them to fall asleep while they were presenting. this is so sad. we as tutors are so excited to write certainly, but more interested in helping others improve their writing. on a personal level, i enjoy tutoring because i love the smile i get when people leave a successful conference and i ask them if they feel better about their paper. i feel like i'm accomplishing something, that i have a purpose. considering the amount that each of us care about our jobs, it seems reasonable that other people would be happy to expect the help we are so willing to offer. it doesn't matter how much we want to make someone a better writer- the reality is that if the student doesn't want to improve, they won't. is this a problem that can be addressed? is the issue about awareness of the center? or is it lack of motivation to get help? i can't tell you how many times i considered going to a professor's office hours because i hadn't done well on a previous exam but decided not to- not because i didn't want or appreciate the help, but because i was afraid to admit to myself that i really needed it or more often, i had something better to do. this is definitely something i would like to explore more after we get out of this class. how can we motivate students? how can we show them that we are actually very nice and this place is helpful, not scary or boring or anything bad? how can we get students to be more aware that the center exists and to remember once we've told them? does anyone have any ideas?