#6: Free Write

I don't really know what to write about. If you look at the times on my posts today I've been at this for, what, four hours? I'm a little stressed because I still don't really understand what I'm supposed to do for my draft due this week, but I do appreciate the ability to turn it in. The snow just completely messed me up, and then I got wicked sick and was on pain meds that messed with my ability to think clearly. I'm finally starting to feel better and I can't seem to get enough hours in a day to do all the work I need. That's all I can think about.

I can try and think about something else. I don't know what these are supposed to do, or if they are supposed to be personal, but I guess I'll put a mix of professional and personal in today. I got approved the other day to be a substitute teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools. It's really exciting because I finally get to have some experiance with high school and middle school level kids. My mom is a middle school teacher and is already trying to figure out when I can sub for her so she can go visit my family up in Massachusetts. My poor brother will probably be stuck getting me as a sub because I speak Russian and his Russian teacher will be more then excited to have a former student come back and actually be able to teache the class. I can't wait to actually start doing something though.

Well I guess that's it. I don't know what else to say, but hopefully I'll be all caught up officially. If you do see anything that I'm missing I apologize and hopefully I'll be able to complete it!! Thanks

#5:

Cars. I can see breaklights in front of me until I can't see anything anymore, and all I want to do is shout at everyone to move. The car directly in front of me is an SUV so I have to swerve a little into the turn lane to see how far ahead the traffic jam continues, and I know that nothing has really changed. The light at the next intersection has just turned red, and I start to slow down from barely moving to not moving at all.

Just a few hundred feet ahead of me is the wonderful amazing dirty snow filled turn to the McDonalds. Soon I'll be able to fill my stomach with more greasy food, and hopefully a caffeine filled coke if the guilt doesn't get to me. I really shouldn't drink caffeine, but there's something about not being allowed to have it that makes it even better.

The guy next to me is reading his newspaper, which always drives me crazy. I can't understand why people always insist on doing things in the car that will most likely end with them crashing into someone else. I see it all the time. Personally I tune my radio to anything with actual music playng (not that talk show crap) and turn up loud enough for me to sing at the top of my lungs, but not so loud that I have to force everyone around me to listen to it too.

Another few minutes pass with me doing a little dance in my seat as I wait for the light to turn that neon green, and it doesn't seem to ever want to. I know that even when it does turn traffic won't move very far, but please god let it be far enough that I can get some food!

#4: Types of Writing in Your Field

The nice thing about being an English teacher is that there are so many different kinds of writing available to you. You can do anything from creative writing to nonfiction and it would all fit into English. And they are all important. A person should always be able to express themselves creatively, and that is why creative writing is something that always should be taught in English classes. It also promotes the ability to give accurate descriptions. Being able to write research papers is also very important. An English class should always have different analytical papers assigned, and I should be able to write and grade that kind of paper. Research papers have been the cornerstone of the humanities for a very long time, and should remain in that position.

Another aspect of writing that I’ve recently discovered is the idea that nonfiction is also important. Being able to write a review, or to accurately retell a story from your childhood is just as important as being able to pull out obscure points in a classic novel and create a hypothesis based on maybe a dozen or so paragraphs.

#2: What are your strengths?

I get along really well with people, and my ability to empathis with a person is great. I can really walk in anothers shoes and know what they are feeling, and be able to see past that and find a solution. As a teacher that is wicked important, because most students won't be able to really express what they are feeling, you are going to have to figure it out. I can relate to people, and I don't often have a big problems with people. Of course that isn't true all of the time, but I am also able to keep my interactions with people professional.

I can also explain different ideas and rules to people in a way that is understanable. That is essential in teaching high school kids the different types of writing, and explaining styles of classic or contemporary authors. I plan on using that in my classroom every day. I want to be able to explain to the students why something is so exciting, and help them get excited about it too.

Another good point is that I'm realistic. I realize that not every student is going to be my friend, and I shouldn't get offended when someone just isn't as excited about english as I am. I want to help students understand, but I get that some people just don't want to understand. I am also wicked organized, so when those students don't do their work I'll know it!

Set 4: #1 Researchng/Writing Goals

I really want to learn how to more affectively use my own research. I can figure out how to write a paper that makes sense and has a purpose, but that doesn't mean that I can really back it. I want to be able to write and make my point with the added weight of others research with my own. I also want to be able to do research as I continue in my career. I want to be a teacher, and being able to teach research and to really be able to do it for years to come is important. Many students will be able to write a nice paper, but to really have a credible paper you need research.

I also want to be able to write with better fluidity. I can have structure and organization, but sometimes that can lead to choppy sentences or other problems. I want to write a research paper with more style. I can write creatively and have it sound like it all goes together, but it become more difficult with more formal papers because of the rigid structure. I also would like to be able to learn my styles of writing. I know that even in nonfiction writing there are several types of styles that can be applied to more formal research papers and I would like to use those more often in my papers and have it make sense.

Article Summary 14: University

Taylor, Mark C. "End the University As We Know It" New York Times 26 April 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2010.

Universities are becoming out of date for the times we live in. The jobs that students are being prepared for will most likely not exist once they graduate, or won’t be attainable. The way that Universities are set up does not allow for a more general education, and needs to be reevaluated. The author proposes that the separation of all the departments is harmful to the way students learn, and that the tradition dissertation does nothing to prepare a student for the real world. A six step solution is proposed to fix the problem that is created by the distance between the safety of school, and the reality that students are thrown into once they graduate.

The author also believes that there are too many subcategories for most topics. Writing a paper about the tiniest notation is not going to do a student any good. The way that the system is set up professors are creating a copy of their own ideas, but feel no need to leave the field when the younger generation comes along. Tenure is a guarantee that a professor will no longer need to work as hard, and that their position will be held for a very long time, keeping back students from getting jobs when they graduate.

Article Summary 13: Humanities

Simpson, David. "The Humanities and the Crisis of Everything." UCDavis 18 Nov. 2009. Web. 28 Feb. 2010.

There are more connections between the humanities and science than there used to be, and a major factor is that they are both under attack. The article talks about the need for humanities to remain a strong force in Universities, and that alongside science it should be seen as a valuable education. The humanities deal with the bigger picture, the more difficult questions in life. Trying to explain what exactly that does for greater society is very difficult, but the author tries to break it down into five points. Those five points outline the idea that everything humanities majors do is still important, but it might not be noticeable right away. The work that is put into research and credibility are very important, and without the ability to find those voices from the past that have already spoken out there would be no way to create validity when dealing with future works. The need for a historical reference is important, and the humanities graduates are the ones who do the work to create that.

The author also connects the way that humanities majors work to the way scientists work. They both create ideas and work towards proving them, but sometimes not everything works out to be the exact ending you expected, and can be even better. There are reasons for that process to be valued in today’s society.