Looking over the many blog posts assigned throughout the semester, I noticed my writing styles have changed somewhat. Initially, I held alot back. Not because I was afraid to express myself, but I was a little apprehensive about what other classmates would think about what I chose to write about. When writing a blog post I try to step outside of myself and look at what I am writing as if I am the reader who will be reading the posts and commenting on them. I also looked to other outside sources for feedback before I posted comments as to kind of proofread the posts to make sure they made sense and weren't too far fetched. The one thing I enjoyed about the blogs was the freedom to write however I choose to write about the given topic. Writing the blogs has prepared me to pretty much write anything in the near future. It also taught me to not get too biased but to present certain topics from a neutral standpoint.
This has been a very interesting semester. I have made new friends in my classes, and I have made some new discoveries about myself. If I had the choice to change anything about this semester, I wouldn't because each mishap or good thing that happened to me happened in order for me to learn a much needed lesson. I was fortunate enough to only have to take ONE final! (YAY!!!!!) That alone was a milestone for me because past experiences with school wouldnt have come out as well as it has now. In the beginning of the semester I spoke on wanting to work hard for what you want and I feel as if Ursuline has pushed me to work twice as hard despite my hectic schedule outside of the school life. Lastly I want to thank the people who have stumbled across my path for whatever purpose. Most of them may never know the impact they had on me whether they shared words of encouragement or helped out on a question I had. Thank you! And GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!
While coming up with a working thesis, I decided to look at some key points I felt were necessary when it comes to identity. Some things that stood out to me were confidence, strength, and knowing where you stand as an Individual. Identity is a very touchy issue because alot of us, young and old, are still searching to find one. Everyone chooses to travel a different road, which means everyone will have different experiences. Those experiences may evolve around the same concept but because the person isnt the same, therefore neither will the experience or the outcome be the same. With this in mind, I decided to use the following thesis: Knowing where one stands can build confidence, courage, and strengthen ones identity.
While watching I.O.U.S.A, I could not help but wonder why the target of the questions were the younger people. When I think about the debt of America, I think about the generations after generations of our forefathers that hold a bulk of the responsibility of our nations debt, not the younger people. Watching the movie made me wonder if the purpose of questioning the younger generation wasnt necessarily meant to pick on them, but to more so show how we as a nation spend so little time looking at the numbers and act on impulse. The fact that alot of todays' youth have little to no education on money poses a great threat to the future of America. The national deficit is already at terribly high numbers and if we as a nation dont react now to fix the problem, the deficit will continue to increase and thus push the chances of the national deficit ever decreasing even further out the window.
When I first began reading this book, my first thought was "dang...this book is booooorrring!!!!!" lol. The dryness of the book made it difficult for me to stick with the plot and read the assigned reading. The book appears to be full of interesting characters, all serving some unique purpose in the molding of Cleveland as it is today. This is an interesting challenge seeing how Im open to trying new things as well as reading different types of books. But I am up for the challenge and Im diving in head first. I just hope that I can finish the book without feeling as if this is a book that I was forced to read, which would leave me not really being able to take something from the book.
"No I don't want nothin'. I just want to get as far away from here as I can....."(Marlow 194)
This section of Color Me Butterfly stuck out to me because it dealt with Eloise closing a chapter in her life that in my opinion, should have never been reopened. This qoute also interested me because of the power behind it. By that I mean she was so fed up with her situation that nothing of material value was important to her. Life can be that way from time to time. We face hard times that shape us and mold us; times that call for lightening the burden and moving on as fast as you can never looking back at that uneccessary drama. By this time in the book, Mattie and John were living together and she had learned to keep Roy in her heart and move on with her life for the sake of her children. Mattie was also a source of strength for her mother Eloise when she needed her the most. This particular section taught me my own personal lesson of the importance of family always being there when no one else will come to the rescue. I say that because Mattie did not agree with Eloise going back to Isaac but she supported her and didn't hesitate one bit when Eloise decided she would no longer be Isaac's punching bag and that she would leave.
Marlow, L. Y. Color Me Butterfly. Bowie: eL, 2007. Print
I was unable to participate in the peer review session the initial day. But, what i got out of my peer review session was the importance of looking at what I write through the eyes of the reader as well as my own. I learned to read aloud my ideas that I write on paper as I type to check for grammatical errors within my paper. I have mixed ideas about peer reviews sometimes because I don't agree with the errors sometimes. But I've learned to accept criticism constructively and to build a more precise and effective essay. Peer reviews prove to be effective because another set of eyes can always be useful when you are trying to express an idea or if you are stating facts.
This blog deals with analyzing a character in reference to Women's Ways of Knowing Developmental Positions handout we received in class. The character I chose to analyze is Mattie. Mattie is one of the few characters who does develop her own ways of finding truth to life. Mattie initially starts off as a received knower. She has little to to no knowledge of life and what certain things mean. One very important example i found while reading the assigned text was how she did not know that she was pregnant. Roy, his mother, and Eloise informed her of the life she was carrying. After finding out she was pregnant, she had no idea how she was going to hide her pregnancy from school and make it after the baby was born. It was her family who helped her out and told her everything was going to be ok and that alone is what helped her get thru her pregnancy. As Roy and Mattie's marriage progressed through the years, Roy became abusive toward Mattie. She stayed because that was all she knew from her mother's experience with Isaac. However, when Mattie became ill after Roy had beat her, she developed the strength to go live with family until she could get back on her feet and take care of her own family. This way of knowing to me goes between subjective and procedural knower. I say these two because she did what she thought was best for her family and more importantly what was best for her own well being. Roy's apologies were no longer taken as sincere and she now demanded that he show her his changes; his word wasn't enough. She had her own strength to lean on and she was able to use that strength as an example to her children.
I have grown to love writing over the years. However, one of my down falls is coming up with a thesis which will map out my story throughout my paper. When the class was presented with the assignment of writing an Educational essay, one topic that came to mind was the cost of books. This topic hits home for me and many other students and i thought it would be a great idea to craft an essay around the idea of exposing students to the many resources that exist as a means of decreasing costs of books which can for many reduce stress and promote academic progress. With this idea in mind, I came up with this thesis: It is important to educate students on the many resources available when purchasing books to eliminate stress, low test scores, and promote academic success.
Initially i had no knowledge of Color Me Butterfly. As I read the first section assigned in class, I had a mixture of emotions for several reasons. I was angry that a man would want to hurt his family. I was upset that Eloise did not leave this "monster". I know from the first section that this will be a book of sadness, dispair, growth, and self- realization. This book appears to address a never ending problem that many face today. That problem is abuse whether it be physical, mental, or verbal. It presents the age old question: Why don't they just leave? There are many reasons that people do not leave whether it's family , out of fear, or because they do not have the strength or resources to leave. From reading the section assigned, it seems as if Eloise is a strong woman who feels overpowered by Isaac. She did not finish highschool and she has a large family who is dependent upon her. On top of this, Isaac seems to do everything in his power to break her and the family down. He did things to his children that little did he know would change their lives forever. I wondered if Isaac himself was abused as a child. And as i read along i discovered that he too was a victim of abuse. It is amazing to me how history repeats itself and I am curious to see how history pans out for the women in this book. So far, Eloise along with her eldest daughters have all had children before finishing highschool and I am curious to see if abuse will be apart of each daughters' life. I admired Eloise for being able to pick up and do what she had to do for her family. I admired Dellar for leaving when she had the chance to leave. Mattie is innocent in more ways than one and it will be interesting to see where her side of the story goes.
Until now, I havent really thought about what my philosophy on education consists of. But I like to think I have had a philosophy and I have not thought of it as a philosophy; more than likely it was merely an understanding I had reached after being in school for so long. My journey starts off a little like everyone elses. I completed highschool and was well on my way to college. It was never a question as to whether or not i would go to college. I wanted to go to college and I wanted to go as far away from home as I could. I did not take the time to think about the huge life experience i was about to embark on but then again, mentally i was not on that level. My first year of college consisted of partying from Thursday to Sunday. Class was an option, however, it wasnt a priority. Second semester rolled around and my grades showed how much I loved to party. I had a D average for a gpa, and I lost my full tuition scholarship. I was devestated and for the life of me could not figure out how I partied as much as my friends did and they were excelling in their studies. My mother and my professors told me countless times that I could do it; It was all a matter of applying myself to get what I desired. I heard them but I wasnt really listening. I was enjoying where i stood and didnt want to change my priorities around. The wake up call began to sink in when i was in an accident and came out without a scratch. This was a message to me that I needed to get it together and finish what i came to school to do. However, I was beginning to feel as if this was a journey that would not be acheived overnight; it was a process that would change me for the better. I went through having my own place, being evicted, having a job and losing that very same job and i was crushed. I was also depressed. I decided to move home after going two months without work. I am now at Ursuline College where I am happier than ever. I am surrounded by many positive people, students and professors included, who are just as dedicated to my success as I am. I never really knew what my educational philosophy is but I now know that in order to get what you want, you have to be willing to fight for it! NOTHING worth having is ever going to fall in your lap!!!!
