“LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WAY WE LOOK AT THINGS: SIXTEEN PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC ‘FOLKLORE’”
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WAY WE LOOK AT THINGS: SIXTEEN PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC ‘FOLKLORE’
Prologue (Reading and Writing I): “The Mirrors We Use to See Ourselves,” by Fatim
Mirror, mirror on the wall, how are we supposed to value our identity when it's not written at all? Chelsea, an essential part of your life is discovering and exploring who you are. You have always valued identity but when your favorite interest lacks representation it impacts you negatively. Your culture, experiences, and perspective on yourself and the world all contribute to your identity. Although identity is complex, there are ways to discover your identity among those who might share it. Reading, specifically reading a diversity of literature, is my area of expertise. I will focus on diverse books and the significance of it. This is interesting because people who look like us, who are women of color, see the lack of representation. It's undeniable that diversity in books enables readers like you to connect , empathize , and understand themselves.
The startling lack of diversity led to the creation of the phrase “ diversity in books'' which has since gained popularity. Lack of diversity refers to the absence of representations. Books that were relevant to these communities were unavailable to or inaccessible to the residents of these places. The primary question was whether authors were failing to include diversity in their writings or whether diverse authors' books weren't published and marketed. The basics of reading usually start in school. People read outside of school, but children begin studying, talking about, and viewing books in the classroom. Beginning in preschool, students read picture books and observe the characters' appearances, actions, and who they are . an individual's identity can be based on stereotypes or a single narrative. In the article by Grace Enriquez titled „Foggy Mirrors, Tiny Windows, and Heavy Doors: Beyond Diverse Books Toward Meaningful Literacy Instruction,“ written by Grace Enriquez, Grace will discuss her experiences as an Asian American living in Louisiana and how the dearth of Asian American representation in school books affected her all the way throughout life. “ Close approximations are not good enough. They are foggy mirrors that reflect only vague contours of the identities and lived experiences that comprise a child’s reality. Despite some encounters with Asian cultures and characters in books, I became the child in the opening vignette of this article. I stopped reading outside of school and did not find my way back until graduate school. I owe my return to the late Dr. Larry Sipe at the University of Pennsylvania, who was my first children’s literature professor and to the burgeoning young adult literature in the 1990s. But in the years between, I struggled to find value in who I was.” To put it another way, Grace's ability to reflect on herself was hampered by the lack of books that accurately reflected her culture and her own identity. Due to the way her identity was treated, it never developed into a crucial component of who she was. She lost interest in books because they did not relate to her and did not value her identity. Even though books are only composed of words, they have an impact because they are a written representation of the world. We all need to hear inspiring stories, and Grace wouldn't have taken a break from reading if her school had provided her with those real-life stories. Particularly in the 1990s, 2000s, and even today, television series and movies do not adequately or frequently portray members of underrepresented populations. In a sense, having a book that can fill that void provides a platform for those who represent. Because these spaces have long-term consequences, it is critical that students understand their identity and culture.
Students can exercise their emotional intelligence, critical thinking abilities, and visualization skills by reading a variety of books. Furthermore, it helps children visualize themselves and other people in various settings or cultures. The Journal “ Diverse books for diverse children: Building an early childhood diverse booklist for social and emotional learning” by Rhoda Myra Garces-Bacsal highlights Social and emotional learning or SEL. SEL is one method used to include diversity in books. Teachers can think about subjects related to students' social lives or social issues. “ In the qualitative study conducted by Kim et al. (2016) in Korea with 12 five-year-old Kindergartners, the children were exposed to multicultural picturebooks that deal with racial diversity, equality, and injustice – providing the young children with window books allowing them access to stories pertaining to slavery, discrimination, racial stereotypes, and interracial relationships. Over the course of a semester, the attitudes of young people towards Africans and African American people, in particular, changed considerably: from perceiving Black people as poor people in need of charity to people with a sense of agency deserving of respect. Moreover, the use of such reading materials was also shown to provide young readers with a chance to think and respond critically to issues pertaining to social justice, and this allowed young people to recall their own experiences pertaining to similar situations.” As you can see, students at an early age are eager to learn and sympathize with new information. These kindergarteners read stories about racism and understand that racism is a contributing factor to the hardships of African Americans. After reading about their lives, their perception of African Americans was altered. Even if their own experiences are not even somewhat comparable, they were able to relate them to those of African Americans. It's crucial for children to be able to draw connections and engage in these conversations at an early age. Students can undergo profound changes and become more open-minded. People learn bias, ignorance, and other things, and the only way to undo that learning is through education. It's great to see that theme in books for young children because the social and emotional aspects of life are so fundamental.
In comparison to the above paragraph, having people from all backgrounds read diverse novels is just as important as having someone from a marginalized community read a book about themselves. In this article “White Kids Need Diverse Books, Too” written by Nicole A Cooks it mentions the importance of reading out of your comfort zone and the long term positive impacts. “One thing we all seem to agree on is that it sure would be nice if our books reached a wider audience, meaning (as it still does for a little while in this country) white folks. Big problem though. White readers don't hear about our books discussed generally (except Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and a few others).” In other words, If other young adults have access to these novels, it can be a fantastic experience for them because the varied young adult books are popular and relatable. Even if they don't share the same identification as the characters, they can indeed relate to them through feelings, interests, etc. Having access to novels about other young adults that may discuss racism and other issues may make young people more receptive. This is not to imply that young adults shouldn't read works by brilliant writers like Toni Morrison, but fiction-type novels provide a simpler means for them to learn about and comprehend these themes. In fact , To introduce varied literature into their children's lives, parents or guardians should take the initiative. The article "Beyond "Peter Pan" and "Baby-Sitters Club": How (and Why) to Find More Diverse ” written by Chanté Griffin, mentions how to engage children in reading diverse books. "Children will be more inclined to read a diverse array of books if they see you doing it." When they grow up, they will do the same because kids tend to mirror their parents’ behavior, consciously or subconsciously” There is a slew of contemporary black writers whose work crosses genres and topics." This demonstrates how early influences have a significant impact on children and how positive influences on personality will result. Because children see people as role models, seeing a parent, guardian, or loved one reading a diverse book may encourage them to do the same. Consequently, a parent can easily set an example in the home. Children are most likely to ask questions in addition to following someone. They will be intrigued and have questions when they read the new book. That is acceptable in every way.
In the end, varied novels provide readers a chance to discover, delve into, and connect with their identity. People from marginalized groups are rejected by society, and our identities are devalued. It's important to have a way to unwind, and reading offers that. However, if the reading is only full of the same individuals that are in society, it is not an escape; rather, it is being stuck, but with words on paper. Everyone is entitled to be heard, seen, and cared for. There are writers who are prepared to create works for people who are not cared for, and their efforts should be recognized and supported. Your identity shapes not only the people around you but also society. So , Chelsea to the mirror on your wall, your identity is always valuable, and a story is written out there for you.
Works Cited
Enriquez, Grace. “Foggy Mirrors, Tiny Windows, and Heavy Doors: Beyond Diverse Books Toward Meaningful Literacy Instruction.” The Reading Teacher, vol. 75, no. 1, 2021, pp. 103–06, https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2030.
Childhood Diverse Booklist for Social and Emotional Learning.” Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, vol. 22, no. 1, 2022, pp. 66–95, https://doi.org/10.1177/1468798420901856.
Cooke, Nicole A. "White Kids Need Diverse Books, Too." Young Adult Library Services, vol. 17, no. 4, summer 2019, pp. 27+. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A659134802/AONE?u=lehman_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=1198ab59. Accessed 15 Nov. 2022.
Griffin, Chante. "Beyond 'Peter Pan' and 'Baby-Sitters Club': How (and why) to find more diverse books." Washingtonpost.com, 13 Feb. 2019. Gale Academic OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A574009903/AONE?u=lehman_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=e6748992. Accessed 17 Oct. 2022.
PART I: SPORTS
“Some Advantages of Swimming,” by Paola
Many individuals get through their own days without comprehending the importance of swimming. Perhaps this is because several people are convinced it is not absolutely essential and neither significant. Even though I genuinely think that everyone should be capable of swimming before attempting to understand something a little less effective than swimming. The key purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the critical importance of swimming, particularly to any age range. Whether it be now or in the future “Better be safe than sorry” Samuel Lover, 1837.
Perhaps it is accurate that water can indeed be dangerous, however, there are certainly some positive effects of knowing how to swim regardless of your age. For instance, any person with the ability to understand what water is should understand the safety precautions regarding water. Water revolves around everyone and anything, whether it is a glass of water or the pacific ocean. An accident can occur to an adult or kid even if it is in a small bathtub or pool. Many young kids and adults drown because they were never taught how to have survival skills. Imagine yourself stuck as a kid in a pool not knowing how to tread water. Although treading water may seem difficult, it is not. You just have to move your legs as if you are walking and have your arms move in a circular motion to keep your head above the water. Imagine yourself stuck in a large area with nothing near you but water, treading water can save a lot of your energy. If you do not know how to tread water you find yourself in a position where you cannot move from one end to another nor stay in one place. You start panicking causing the situation to become worse. Although adults may not think it is an important essential in your life, they are inaccurate. Understanding swimming and knowing how to swim can not only save your own life, but it may also save many other lives.
In addition to swimming safely, health is very important. Swimming nearly moves all of your body muscles. From the extension of stretching your arms, to pointing your toes forward. Swimming strokes can improve your body in many ways. For instance swimming can help build endurance. You may learn to swim longer times allowing yourself to do more laps back and forth. It also assists in building strength. You constantly have to always move your arms and legs during any stroke. That causes muscle strength to increase since most swimmers tend to swim nearly everyday. While your muscles are getting a good workout, your cardiovascular system is, too. Although swimming may cause your heart rate to rise, it does it in a rather relaxed way. This relaxed way does not stress the heart out causing it to be an issue. To add to this you burn many calories. In a span of just 30 minutes you burn approximately around 200 calories. So regardless of how anyone swims, whether they swim at a very fast pace or a very slow pace the calories are burning.
Equally as important as the first and second reasons, relaxation is a great significance to our daily life. Swimming relieves so much stress. Either you are worried about an exam or any issue you may have, swimming can help. It is like meditation to our brain. Our thoughts constantly overwhelm us throughout the day. By swimming you can put it off your mind and feel at ease. The touch of water can cause immediate relaxation. Just like dopamine causes us to feel good, swimming releases hormones called endorphins which is another chemical in our body that helps increase positivity as well as help reduce pain naturally. Stating how swimming helps relax your mind and your body, everyone just wants to rest after a long day of work. Many of us are extremely tired yet it seems we cannot fall asleep once we hit the bed. All the movement while swimming causes us to use our energy in a healthy way. That being stated, swimming helps to fall asleep much faster and easier. There is no need to take melatonin gummies because swimming helps us fall asleep faster and naturally than any gummies could.
In conclusion, water seems to be almost everywhere. Attempting to teach individuals of every age group the relevance of survival techniques is a worthy cause. One of these skills is swimming. Swimming is definitely fundamental towards both our survivability as well as the maintenance of a generally healthy lifestyle. So think to yourself and ask yourself, do I know this important skill to survive? And could I be able to save not only my own life but someone else's as well?
Works Cited
Vizitiu, Elena, and Ovidiu Galeru. “The Importance for the Pupils to Learn Survival Swimming.” Gymnasium (Bacău), vol. 20, no. 1 (Supplement), 2019, pp. 131–45, https://doi.org/10.29081/gsjesh.2019.20.1s.11.
McDougall, Craig W., et al. “Freshwater Wild Swimming, Health and Well-Being: Understanding the Importance of Place and Risk.” Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), vol. 14, no. 10, 2022, p. 6364–, https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106364.
Manet, Edouard, 1832-1883. Isabelle Diving. 1880. Artstor, library-artstor-org.lehman.ezproxy.cuny.edu/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000762656
https://library-artstor-org.lehman.ezproxy.cuny.edu/#/asset/ARTSTOR_103_41822000762656
Stager, Joel McCormick., and David A. Tanner. Swimming. 2nd ed., Blackwell Science, 2005. https://cuny-le.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?context=L&vid=01CUNY_LE:CUNY_LE&search_scope=IZ_CI_AW&tab=Everything&docid=alma9994374624406134
“Motivation and Discipline,” by Lia
I think you have misunderstood the idea of motivation in the gym. I know you want to keep going to the gym regularly and struggles staying consistent at the gym, you should be aware that the subject at hand is how to keep going to the gym and prevent giving up; nevertheless, what i will discuss and demonstrate to them are not the exercises you should perform, but rather how to maintain consistency and keep going. Knowing the difference between motivation and discipline at the gym is essential, and it took me a long time to understand and put that knowledge into practice. However, I am now discussing it here so that you won't have the same difficulties that I had. Going to the gym involves a lot of mental preparation since it has the power to either make you give up or keep going. Discipline is more important than motivation because, unless you are always inspired, others will start to doubt you and tear you down. Motivation might wane, but discipline never does. Despite the fact that it may not always be enjoyable, you must constantly remind yourself to go on.
You can not rely on motivation, you have to rely on discipline because motivation only lasts for so long is going to lead to inconsistency. In other words, motivation alone won't sustain you. This piece of information helped me understand that the only way to develop that discipline and tolerance is to quit making excuses and really get up and do it. Motivation is not a reliable source, for example “i am going to have a good workout every single day at the gym” in reality there will be times when you face difficulties, motivation is not going to wake you up early in the morning, or going late at night, making sure you show up to better yourself at the end of the day People who regularly exercise don't desire to continue doing so. They lack the drive to exercise daily. The term "motivation" is inaccurate because these people lack motivation but keep going because of their discipline. motivation gives you desire to do something, discipline actually gets you to do it. find your own personal reason to get motivated. Then once you are motivated, practice persistent discipline to achieve success.
Habits constantly have an impact on our everyday lives; they may either make them more difficult or simpler. Although it might be quite difficult, changing our behaviors can be highly beneficial. We all have good and bad habits, therefore focusing on your habits is quite essential, despite what some people may say. Habits have a lot to do with mental health. Changing your habits is something you might want to do when starting to go to the gym. People tend to have a lot of bad habits when going to the gym like not wanting to wake up, there's a lot of things you can do to help this, like setting up alarms, to do lists and scheduling, these things could help you change your habits. Changing habits can be really hard because when you are used to things for a long period of time, and want to change them later on, your mind and body is going to crave to do these bad things you used to do. The feeling of having to adapt to new things is not the best feeling but it will be beneficial at the end of the day.
One day I was scrolling through instagram, and I came across this meme, “Wake up , eat, school, video games , workout , eat , shower , eat , sleep, repeat.” Posted by u/noCapernick. The reason I am showing you this is because it shows someone doing something over and over again, just like discipline, discipline is following a path of rules and staying to it also enforcing obedience. You should have the same idea when going to the gym, it should look like the picture because if we just get up and go whenever we're motivated that's not going to work out because discipline goes over motivation because motivation is just not a reliable source.
One of the most crucial skills you will need at the gym is body discipline. When we don’t go to the gym frequently, our bodies tend to get more tired and sore. If you train your body to have body discipline, it will likely become used to the workout and you won't experience body pain afterward. Body discipline is not only essential to achieving your fitness goals at the gym, but it will also reduce your likelihood of being sore and stressed. Not only will this help your journey at the gym but it will also develop the discipline to put your body's needs first and will eventually give you more energy to do more in all areas of your life.
Works Cited
Liana Deeb, September 1 2022,” answering your most asked questions about me”
Harvey, Callaway, C. A., Zieve, G. G., Gumport, N. B., & Armstrong, C. C. (2022). Applying the Science of Habit Formation to Evidence-Based Psychological Treatments for Mental Illness. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(2), 572–589. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691621995752
Wake up , eat, school, video games , workout , eat , shower , eat , sleep, repeat. Posted by u/noCapernick, 3 years ago.
Sassatelli, Trentmann, F., & Wilk, R. (2010). Fitness Culture: Gyms and the Commercialisation of Discipline and Fun. In Fitness culture: gyms and the commercialisation of discipline and fun (pp. vii–vii). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
“Lessons on the Importance of the Offside Rule,” by Jamal
A mini-lesson some people misunderstood from my area of expertise was the rules in soccer, specifically the offside rule. People usually know the common calls like penalty and the rest but not offside. This is probably because it’s normally not used in random pickup games but in actual real matches. It’s normal for people to misunderstand this rule because this rule has changed a lot over the years. The offside rule was introduced to soccer in 1863 by the Football Association(FA). Mostly changed because they thought the offside rule wasn’t effective enough and attackers were beating this rule too easily. The offside rule is interesting because it is one of the reasons why soccer is so competitive. If a person goes offside they have two officials on both opponents sides who raise their flags for the referee to blow the whistle. Today we see more goals being disallowed and this is because of VAR(Video Assistant Referee). VAR was introduced in soccer in 2018 and is used by referees to help make better decisions on plays they couldn’t catch or misjudged. This technology has mostly been used to detect offsides.
The offside rule is when the ball is passed to a player that has passed the opponent's defense in their half. According to TheFA Law 11, “player is in an offside position if any part of the head, body, or feet is in the opponent’s half (excluding the halfway line) or any part of the head, body, or feet is nearer to the opponent's goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent”. So for a person to be offside the person must receive the ball at the opponent side and behind the opponents defense. And as long as any part of your body passes the last defender before the ball is kicked is offside.
An article named “Official Soccer Rules Illustrated” stated, “The principle of offside is important to this objective because it discourages any player from trying to gain an unfair advantage by being in advance of the ball, near to the goal, to score with the minimum effort.” This statement shows how easy it would have been for players to just score goals. Even if players still weren't scoring without the offside rule, it’ll still be boring because forwards would stay up front being marked by defenders and they’ll just kick the ball front and back. This would also mean the defense will have to do more work and always have to scan their area to make sure no attacker is behind them. And without this rule the game would be boring and will be ruined.
Ibrahim you’re a person I would really want you to read this because you do not understand the concept of offside. Even though when I was young you were the person who took me along with you to the park and trained with me. And you were the first person to say I'll be a good soccer player when I was just a Kid. You loved to play soccer and I thought you were decent at it but you didn’t really understand some rules. When playing soccer with you in an 8v8 tournament at the park a few years ago, you were constantly going offside and didn’t understand how it works. This caused us a lot of goal opportunities and most times it almost cost us the game because you couldn’t stay onside. I know you understand all fouling set-piece rules. You understand what a corner, freekick, penalty, and Indirect freekick all are and know how it works but not the offside rule. I think the offside rule can also help you keep focus in soccer because it will make you cautious about positioning on every attack. Before making any runs you must identify when the defenders are and don’t run full speed before the ball is kicked. But there’s only one way you can beat the offside rule. And that is, if you're already offside and your teammate decides to pass you the ball, you should let the ball go and let another teammate who isn’t offside chase the ball. I believe you would have been a much better forward if you understood the concept of offside. Knowing this rule helps with your offensive awareness, positioning and making runs. In conclusion, all I’m trying to say is that you should learn the offside rule because it’s not just a rule. It can help with certain attributes as a player.
Works Cited
Lover, Stanley. Official Soccer Rules Illustrated, Triumph Books, 2012. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/lehman-ebooks/detail.action?docID=948939.
Created from lehman-ebooks on 2022-10-25 23:14:42.
U. S. Soccer Federation, The Official Rules of Soccer, Triumph Books, November 2002. https://archive.org/details/officialrulesofs0000unse_x1i6/page/54/mode/2up?view=theater
TheFA, LAW 11:OFFSIDE, IFAB Laws of the Game 2022-23,
Jay Mike, Unisport, YouTube, July 7, 2022,
“What Soccer Can Teach Us,” by Nilson
Intro
Dear Perfecto, as your younger brother you might know more about soccer than me. But I want to incorporate some sources that relate to soccer and you might find them new. As you know, soccer(also known as football) is one of the most popular sports around the world. You more than me are aware that soccer is a team sport between two teams of eleven players(including the goalkeeper) playing with a round ball that may not be touched with the hands or arms during the game-play unless it is the goalkeeper and that the object of the game is to score goals by kicking or heading the ball to the opponents goal. It is impressive how a memory just came to mind of excited games when you get very engaged in what is happening in the match. Of when our team scores a goal, or when the team misses an opportunity to score, when that happens I get excited too!
Brother, in this essay I will be explaining some details from 4 sources. Details that can be learned from the history of soccer and the present which can make us express other things and even put it in a creative way(I will be using part of my creativity too!).
Just a small recap about some benefits you might encounter when playing soccer, it enhances your skills: teamwork, perseverance, decision making, and encourages a lot more things like cardio, and strengthens muscles. All these skills can help you in your daily life either growing as humans by being more engaged in the community or by maintaining your body’s health. Soccer is your hobby and mine too, and hobbies are a good way to keep in touch with your former self, it helps you get to know about yourself and can sometimes help you discover your talents. This is healthy because it strengthens your mind and body.
Now let me introduce you to the 4 sources.
Poems itself are a creative way of thinking. Poems can make you connect and express in a meaningful way. The author Pashew Abdulla(he) wrote a poem “Soccer”.
The author makes a creative comparison when he connects soccer with a political party which is Kurdistan and independence as a ball. He says he sees Kurdistan” as the soccer field and independence as a ball, he says “running has been our destiny” and for the ball to fly then he only uses the ball to express the remaining that as humans whenever we chase the ball we can become insecure and kick the ball away. This is interesting because we can tell the different forms that soccer can influence in and how long soccer has traveled, it makes it profoundly recognizable.
“I see Kurdistan as a soccer field,
independence as a ball, plump with air.
From the beginning of our existence,
running has been our destiny.
It has been destined this constant motion:
for the ball to fly
and for us to chase it.
Whenever the ball comes to us
we go mad,
and, with all our strength,
we kick it away.
Pashew Abdulla (2018)
If you want to learn something else and bring some sort of expression that has to do with identity. Then I can bring up to you this source: “National pass time” In this source. As you know the World Cup is an international tournament where all of the world’s countries' soccer teams compete between nations. So, in this article the author Rosenbaum Samantha asked a sociologist: Daniel Buffington, why Americans seem so uninterested in this big sporting event(World Cup)?. While he responds that for other nations to have identity they must compare themselves to other groups, he says that Americans being outstanding for their lack of interest in soccer is the same as other nations saying they are passionate about soccer. And that nations can be appealed to be externally different but internally they are all unified. So you can learn that inferences about our own vision can be concluded based on comparisons about other visions, but in the end it does not matter because you have your own unified true vision, and that’s how you will manage things.
Brother, I do not know if you like Artworks. But artwork is a great way of illustration and expression. In my time at Lehman college I have learned that Art has been changing with modernization and resources with the new adaptation in society. But history stays the same. There is an artwork from the early 19th century. I am grateful this artwork exists because it is very old and can give the viewer the power to interpret it on its own. In this work , there are only cartoons in a corner with a ball, they are reacting in a way of misinterpretation and confusion by just hitting the ball, and I think they do not have a specific idea about how to play soccer, they might know it is played by kicking it, but I think no more. Because when one of the cartoons kicked the ball as a result the ball hitted the cheek of the other trying to surprisingly protect itself with his hands but it was too late, the cheek was hitted. Also it is to mention that they seem to be indoors in a corner because by that time any kind of social event could be happening like a protest. It makes me think that they would decide to do whatever they could to keep in motion and creativity would arise in desperate moments of need. So, I think you can learn that in the early 19th century soccer was something needed to develop it and give it a system by providing resources and opportunities for kids to learn it and later on create more systems that encourage development like todays tournaments like FIFA or the World Cup Qatar which is about to start at the end of November, events like this can bring in more insights for an even further growth. And this is some natural competition about soccer, it is an advantage in today's world for all the benefits that it provides for your mind and body.
*I am looking forward to sharing moments from the World Cup Qatar and watching our favorite team play and destroy its opponents!!
As we grow we realize more things and we learn new things too! When it comes to learning it is interesting to learn things we have not before. So, in my last source maybe you can learn and I can learn too because I do not know if visualization is one form of identity just like language. The source presents a photo from 1921 of a British soccer team. There are 10 British people posing for the camera but what I think was more important to the photographer is the fancy clothes that they wore. Maybe British people are characterized for wearing fancy clothes because some of them have ties and one of them even has a British styled hat, and because in some other countries like the United States those are for special occasions most of the time.
Conclusion
Soccer like other activities enhances your performance but what is more important is if you are enjoying the activity for an even better performance. Your vision is important. It will determine what you see in your everyday life. In the end I used my vision to provide you with some details about some sources but it is not an answer for you, because soccer can teach you a lot of things and its various forms would make you express it with your vision.
Works Cited
Pashew, Abdulla. "Soccer." Translated by Alana Marie Levinson-LaBrosse. World Literature Today, vol. 92, no. 4, July-Aug. 2018, p. 43. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A543779207/ITOF?u=lehman_main&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b54c5148.
Rosenblum, Samantha. "National pass time." Psychology Today, vol. 47, no. 3, May-June 2014, p. 23. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A366617907/ITOF?u=lehman_main&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b5c861dd
Katsushika Hokusai. Soccer [Scherzbild - Fußball]. early 19th century. Artstor, library-artstor-org.lehman.ezproxy.cuny.edu/asset/BERLIN_DB_10313751025
National Photo Company Collection. British soccer team. 1921 https://cuny-le.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CUNY_LE/1v117f/cdi_loca_primary_oai_lcoa1_loc_gov_loc_pnp_npcc_03290
“Playing Badminton Builds Self-Confidence and Improves Health,” by Yi
My area of expertise is badminton. The actual person in my life that might be interested in badminton is my friend Evelyn. They will be interested in my work because they also like to learn more about badminton. I would explain to them that badminton is an easy sport to play,and it will help you stay healthy. Especially one of my friends that doesn't like to exercise. Badminton is really fun, it's worth a try. Playing sports is really important because it can help you stay motivated.
Recently, more and more people stay at home watching TV and surfing the Internet, which leads to obesity and even serious illness. There is no doubt that sport is good for our health. A person who exercises regularly will keep fit. What's more, exercise can make you well-behaved and confident. If you usually take exercise with your friends, you will be close to them. After all, sports can make your life more colorful.Nothing is more important than doing sports. It's time to take action to stay away from the TV and computer and to take part in sport activities. By doing physical exercise every day I can keep my mind alert that I can finish my tasks in time. If I do not do any physical exercise, I will feel tired and my body becomes quite sluggish. Second, doing exercises everyday will help me to build a better personality. It takes time and patience to do exercises. Doing physical exercises makes me stronger and healthier. That's my personal experience. Exercise can also contribute to the development of our ability to respond agilely. For instance, when you play badminton, you must try to reflect as quickly as you can so that you may fight back at the right position at the fight moment. Exercise can also contribute to improving our mood. When you do exercise, you move a lot, and you have to be more active. It helps you become more optimistic. What's more, exercise will help you get rid of your inertia. If you keep doing exercise regularly, you will never be a lazy person.Therefore, exercise has a great effect on one's character.
In conclusion, sports always help our body function properly and build muscles. I believe many people love sports. Those who don't like sport, may i suggest you to try one of two.
It is a chance to exercise and be healthy and fit.Things my friend understands without explanation are some rules of how to play badminton. I always hang out with my friends to go out playing badminton, so I will teach them how to play. It shows the seven important ways to play badminton. Overhead Defensive Clear (overhand-forehand): the player hits the shuttle overhead from the backfield upwards to the opponent's rear court to get back into position for the next strike of the opponent in time. Dab (overhand-forehand): the shuttle is struck steeply and quickly downwards from the front court on the opponent's ground. Drive (underhand-forehand): the shuttle is hit in a quick, underhand motion. Short serve (underhand-backhand): this is often the first trick played in a game situation. Lob (underhand-forehand): the shuttle is hit high and deep in the rear court with an underhand stroke with the aim of getting the opponent as far as possible in the back of the court. Net drop(overhand-backhand): the netdrop is a short ball over the badminton net. However, the shuttle departs from the front of the field. Smash (overhand-forehand): the shuttle is hit offensive and downwards with an overhand strike, so that the opponent has to play a defensive shot.
Works Cited
Steels, Van Herbruggen, B., Fontaine, J., De Pessemier, T., Plets, D., & De Poorter, E. (2020). Badminton Activity Recognition Using Accelerometer Data. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland), 20(17), 4685-)
“Esports is … Easy?” by Masud
Life is just another game. It looks easy but in reality, it is extremely hard in every way possible. That is esports: may look and sound easy or opportunistic when worked inhumanely hard yet results in complexity and time consumption in some of the unhealthiest ways possible. Yes, esports has its positive side, for example ‘easy access to money’ but it also has its negative aspects such as how long and hard should a person work to acquire that same “easy access”?. The sad truth about life is that we cannot predict when we will die or when we will be successful but we keep moving, and face obstacles like nothing is ever going to slow us down. The same can be said for esports. You cannot predict when you will blow up or when your career will come to an end but you will try to milk as much money as you can from investors while getting milked by investors in return for your time and health. So, is it really worth the money? The sad part is that in most cases it would probably be a little late until you realize what it is that you are really endangering to be successful. As it was in my case. I was late to realize, I lost a crucial time and moment of my life that I can never claim back. I was late to help myself understand the value of relationships. I was too dumb to not care for those who cared for me throughout the whole journey. I was too selfish to not see what I was doing to the person who understood and supported me the most; my uncle. I was late to realize that I was a victim of an addiction to greed that imprisoned me into chasing to be successful in return for something in the gamble of life.
Esport is just another gamble of life. The question is, what is the point of sacrificing so much? To gain success and fame? when in fact you are going to lose the taste to smell it all by the end. But this is just how life works, well, it seems like so. You sacrifice something to gain something. You gamble your health and time for success and fame. For example, according to “Managing the health of the eSport athlete: an integrated health management model” by Joanne DiFrancisco-Donoghue, athletes become victims of eye fatigue, back pain, neck pain, head pain, etc…as a result of practicing for 3-10 hours a day without any break. Does this sound like a profitable gamble? How do you even possibly enjoy your success when you are dying from the inside? What’s sad is that even after facing these harsh issues, and realizing the effect they might have on the body, players still keep up with their hopes of succeeding or performing extremely well just to earn the “easy access”. Players start to live sleepless lives leading to another gambling phase. They gamble virtual life over real-world social and as a result they are forced to welcome the silent assassin; mental health.
Mental health is what truly defines our ability to connect with others, whether it’s virtual or real life. Having such an ability gives us a sense of awareness of having to take care of our body and mind. Having that ability reminds us to connect with our loved ones. But sadly, that is exactly what most esport athletes forget to practice and as a result, mental health becomes an issue. You can’t possibly blame the athletes for not practicing any such skill because they are determined to play the game 10 hours a day without any distractions. It’s honestly hard to describe but how are you supposed to focus on your social life? when the career choice is all about mind freshness. How are you possibly going to worry about your family matters? when the game performance relies on whether your mind is fully on the game or not. And most importantly, how are you supposed to have any real-life social skills? when your career practice is all about promoting the fake identity and fame of yours that you built in the virtual world.
The outcome of having such a virtual life leads to athletes getting used to feeling burdened about having to communicate with others, as was in the case of my teammate “jit” and me. It wasn’t that we didn’t have anyone to open up to but it was that we just kept postponing our plans to speak to them because we just felt like it wasn’t necessary when truly it was. And when we did speak, we weren’t able to open up or even come up with topics to just casually chat about. As my teammate stated, “I feel free. I don’t feel burdened to call my family, I feel like I have so much time in my hand and actually interested in doing things I wasn’t into while playing for Cruelty”. The burden is such a miserable feeling and you do not know what it does to you until it’s late and sadly you won’t even realize whether it’s late or actually too late. And what was very common between Jit and me was that we started to feel aggravated over small things. Anger started to control our drive to strive. Ultimately resulting in a pedal on the brakes. Leading to the realization that reality was yelling loud and clear, we just had our headsets on. The reality was screaming: nobody in this life realizes the value of a certain thing or someone until it’s too late.
It took me 2 years to realize the importance of mental health and the person who truly knew what I was going through but couldn’t help because I was not letting him do so. Only if I gave my uncle a chance to openly chat with me, I wouldn’t have felt so exhausted from what I was doing. If I had taken a minute off to hear my uncle's voice: someone who would make fun of me, make me laugh, make me feel stress-free, give me advice to follow and most importantly always showed affection through one simple yet powerful question; “are you okay?”. Sadly, only ifs are all that remain now. And despite learning of the harsh realities of esports, people may still believe it’s so damn easy to earn money through esports because “you are playing a video game after all”. But what if the game requires you to spend much more time than you would spend on your regular 9-5 job? What if that same game requires more mental strength than you would use in your regular 9-5 job? even when you don’t have any left to use. How easy does it sound when the video game forces you to gamble between health or career? The point is, it’s not as simple as it sounds. It’s easy to say a certain job is simple to accomplish but truly you can never know until you experience it.
Works Cited
Collins, Sean. “Esports may seem like the ultimate dream job, but pros are constantly battling mental stress”. The Dallas morning news. May 31st, 2022.The Dallas morning news.
DiFrancisco-Donoghue, Joanne, et al. “Managing the Health of the eSport Athlete: An Integrated Health Management Model.” BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, vol. 5, no. 1, 2019, pp. e000467–e000467, BMJopensem
Jit,”online interview”. Conducted by Masud, 14th September, 2022.
Interlude (Reading & Writing II): “Joys of Reading” by Albina
Many people always have this pre-conception idea of reading being boring and something you are required to do in school. As your older sister personally, I have been on this side, this was my exact idea of what I thought reading was. Now my thoughts on reading have completely changed due to many factors. And Tim, I know as my younger brother you do not want to listen to a word I say, but I do understand that reading may not interest you and it may be difficult for you, but with the information I have gathered and have personally gone through, it may help you give reading a chance. Reading helps me relieve my stress and lets me get lost in a whole new world, so this may be your time to give reading a shot.
I understand that reading is not everyone's cup of tea, but I do believe that some people do not give reading a chance because of what we are required to read in school. Many of those required readings bore us and all we want to do is go home and do anything else than read. A journal written by Anne Castles explains how many people have their opinions on how students should read; it has become one big war. With schools and teachers pushing their beliefs on students, it causes them to despise reading. And with these teachers assigning readings we do not enjoy it makes it an unpleasant experience. Leading to our hatred for reading. So, I do acknowledge the fact that this issue has ruined your motivation to read, but I can tell you that it can get better, especially with my help. I have this book that I enjoyed when I was in middle school, and this is when I despised reading. The book was called “Tears of a Tiger” by Sharon M Draper. It is an interesting book that will keep you hooked. It is about how a young boy, and his friends get into a car accident. One of the boys named George ends up dying. The boy who was driving the car, Andy, was intoxicated, so he blamed himself. We go through what happens after a horrible event and how the people involved deal with this grief. In the end that pain was too much, and unfortunately Andy takes his own life. You might end up loving this book, as it is similar to the stuff you watch. I know that it is a terrific book that you can really get lost in. Even though school may have ruined your chances of reading for your enjoyment, this book may help you get in that direction.
A fantastic way to help you find books that you might love would be the internet. Personally, when I wanted to find more books to read, social media is where I went. An article that I found named “Reading, social media and learning conversations” talks about how the internet can benefit us when it comes to reading. We can also read on the internet, which may be better for you, if you do not want to have a physical copy of a book, as well as saving you money. Besides reading books, you can search for them through social media. Apps such as Instagram, TikTok, or even YouTube. These apps have shown me a few books that are now my favorite. One of these books being “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. It is a literary fiction, murder mystery, a coming-of- age story where a young girl has been abandoned by her family and has had to raise herself all alone in the woods. When she gets older, she finds herself involved in a murder case. She is accused of killing a man and is forced to defend herself against a whole town that hates her. When I first read this book, it had my emotions flying. It was very captivating and extremely intriguing. I know this book will grab your attention as it did mine because it is astounding at how much happens in just the first couple of chapters. You will not be bored. If social media did not show me this book, I have no clue if I would have stumbled upon it myself. I am grateful that I know it exists because it became my all-time favorite book that I could reread for the rest of my life. I do believe you could really enjoy this book; it may be the one that gets you into reading.
Overall, there are ways for you to have that motivation to read. You can learn to love it, with these sources that I have found there is a possibility. You do not need to think about how school has ruined your enjoyment for reading, instead use the resources we have today such as social media that could help you find books that are more towards your interest. If you enjoy horror or mystery there are plenty of books out there for you, TikTok or YouTube are immensely helpful. To get you started, you could always read the books I have mentioned throughout this essay. They are beautifully written, easy to read, and fascinating. I hope that I could have at least opened you up to the idea of searching for a book or opened you up to reading a book.
Works Cited
Castles, Anne, et al. “Ending the Reading Wars: Reading Acquisition from Novice to Expert.” Psychological Science in the Public Interest, vol. 19, no. 1, June 2018
Draper, Sharon M. Tears of a Tiger. Brantford, Ontario, W. Ross Macdonald School Resource Services Library, 2017
Citation: Van der Westhuizen. (2013). Reading, social media and learning conversations. Mousaion, 31(1), 94–109.
Owens, Delia. Where the Crawdads Sing. New York, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2018
PART II: ART & INDUSTRY
“The Appeal to Art,” by Britney
The many ideas we have on a subject all come down to one question: What is it? Depending on what that may be the answer can be simple or complex but after it is answered, that definition is what remains with people and emerges a curiosity to know more. Art is one that can be on both spectrums. Google can give you the general definition while artists will tell you that art can be anything. It is a form of expression, therefore, it is based on your creativity and your willingness to share it. Many people have a limited amount of knowledge of where art lies, my brother is one of them. My brother enjoys art to a certain extent as he often doodles and has an interest in creating concepts of creatures and such but he has never thoroughly looked at the more he can do. There lies a variety of ways to demonstrate art whether it be sculptures or illustrations, such visuals capture the attention of people who seek beyond the page. What can be difficult is knowing what from that variety you want to explore more of. This does not mean to limit what you’d want to learn but rather what peaks your interest to develop in. Do you prefer to use pen and paper? Utilize materials that are hands-on? Work with technology? Art co-exists as an aspect that makes up objects or visuals in our everyday lives. There lies many techniques and forms of art that we may not even know were considered art to begin with. And that is what we are here to expand upon.
When it comes to the creation of an idea, it is either written or drawn with ink and paper. Ink took on its name in 2,500 BCE where different cultures had their own unique forms of ink. This varied from the substances utilized to create it to the consistency of it when used. With this, began the production of tools that could allow use of it. From bamboo straws, quill pens to ball point pens, the development of tools demonstrate the impact it had on individuals who wanted to write and draw. Pen and paper is known as traditional art as it is the oldest form of art that continues to be used to this day. However, depending on the type of pen or other material, it shapes the kind of art you want to produce. Such differences align from the values of color a pen can create or the weight of the ink itself. Graphite pencils, charcoals, markers, pens, all of these vary even further from the density of a graphite pencil to the kind of charcoal (soft or hard). Acknowledging the materials establishes what your preferences are to the form of art you'll take (Miller 6). And this is what led to many lasting forms that inspired people around the world such as the Renaissance period (1300s), Expressionism (1905-1925) and Cubism (1908-1914). With techniques, they work in favor of the material and what you visualize. When you are actually drawing, those techniques come in handy to become habits that develop an art style. Learning to draw the actual subject depends on the memorization of those habits and applying it to the piece itself, such as the common technique of breaking apart shapes to then form an object or figure or the angle in which you get a perspective of your piece as you step forward or back to see what details to add or what could be adjusted. These practices take time and only as it is consistently at play, it will naturally work and allow progress in your work (Picard 31). As said previously, art is not confined it outreaches to different forms that are traditional such as watercolor or fine arts. Drawings can be black and white, they can be colored or painted. They can be self-portraits, still life, illustrations, sketches, one does not diminish the other. Traditional art is displayed in many ways because of how far someone's creativity can go. People can draw on paper canvases and on other platforms such as newspapers (mixed media) or on walls such as graffiti. What these all have in common is a process that can be developed through an individual's passion. And that passion evokes a stronger connection to the work produced.
In the modern day, there are clear changes in the manner we create things due to advanced technology. It is evident that with technology at our hands, it has made it easy to have better access to things and create it. Art has developed along with these platforms with major differences compared to traditional. It proved to be a significant aspect in our society with the development of graphic tablets and the many accessible programs specifically created for artists. During difficult periods of time that occur around the country such as a widespread virus, art schools that are put online can not supply materials to students which would put learning at halt, yet, with the availability of technology they are able to create works of art. Digital art holds a reputation in the entertainment industry through animation, video games and movies because of the advancement of computer vision art “..increases the technology’s richness by 60-80% on the original basis, which also brings better visual effects” (Yue 3). It appeals to the audience as to watch/play more and overall have this want to learn how to make this of their own. If anything, digital art has increased an interest in art which can be noted through various platforms such as Instagram with a community of digital artists who create illustrations and comics. Any individual can go on an art program and begin to draw with their mouse or finger. Such material is provided by a click of a button where you are able to switch from pen to brush as well as the weight, color and texture depending on what you desire. Because of these benefits, digital art appears to be limitless with everything at once “The combined graphics software provides a more free virtual space in painting” (Sugiarto 2). Similarly, to become skilled there requires a level of understanding of these tools and how they work. With the features available, there is the ability to play around with them to see which catches your attention the most. When you make an error while sketching, you can simply undo, when turning it into a drawing you can crop out all the unnecessary lines, you can zoom in and out to put in specific details in the subject and when coloring it in, you can change the width of the pencil or use other features such as the “bucket” tool for a faster alternative.Other effects such as layers, opacity and shading are things that can further make such drawings more detailed and captivating. While these are general tools for most programs, they help adjust your art and can better keep you engaged.
The capacity to create is what makes art imaginative and intriguing for the idea of what is to come next. Art can be more than paintings and illustrations, they can become 3d models, clothing and products manufactured in a store. We tend to forget that there is always this idea made by some individual that then sketches it down and brings that picture forward for the majority to see. If we were to look in further, art has many careers that we did not expect to see. Industrial designs work best by creating handmade drawings of the product(s) they want to market to then sell to the majority. In this manner, they are bringing out this idea to a group of people where they further share their own to make a product more appealing. Others such as architecture and engineers follow these strategies as well where there is significance in laying on a concept to create a model, a prototype that will undergo change by the group that efficiently works together. (Gert). These professional jobs require “mental imagery” (Gert) to enhance their products and models, just like artists who throw away their paintings or leave them undone, they leave many mistakes untouched whether it be a diagram or blueprint, they are all evident of an artist's mind at play. Art is physical as well when it comes to bringing these ideas to life. Knitting, ceramics or wood working, they require you to move around and use materials to construct something physical. Entertainment revolves heavily around art as well where people themselves are the subjects; Theatre, dancing or photography. We are looking at performing arts, where it can be more expressive in your own body and movement as a way to express yourself. Other uses art finds itself in are basic everyday items; your clothing, shoes, furniture, cars,etc. Everything starts out as a design which then is made from numerous materials to come to your liking. Fashion designers and make- up artists. There is a variety out there to explore from because each person out there has a vision and that vision is what makes the things around us be possible
There lies many aspects of art whether that be the form it may take, the elements that relate or the enjoyment you pertain to it. While we brush the surface of the distinctions between the different kinds of art and how to work about it, it merely is to give you the idea of what you may expect and it is your job to explore it. The simplicity that art holds is evoked through the individual that chooses to do so. It can be a painting hung on a wall, it can be the mug you drink coffee with, it can be stuffed animals sitting on your bed, it can be the branded piece of cloth you choose to wear. This may serve as an eye opener for my brother or anyone who is unaware of what possibilities lie in the world of art. It truly is everywhere because of the fact that someone expresses themselves and shares these feelings to the rest of the world. There is a mind behind every man-made object and creativity that assembles it together. The point is that it is not one thing, it is a variety of possibilities that relies on your choice to pursue it. It is universal. There is nothing more rewarding in art than stimulating your mind and creating an experience that relies on the freedom you've allowed yourself.
Works Cited
Sugiarto, E., et al. “Computer-Based Art in Folklore Illustration: Development of Mixed Media Digital Painting in Education Context.” IOP Conference Series. Materials Science and Engineering, vol. 1098, no. 3, 2021, p. 32017–, https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899X/1098/3/032017.
Hasenhutl, Gert. “Manual Drawing in Transformation: A Brief Assessment of ‘Design-by-Drawing’ and Potentials of a Body Technique in Times of Digitalization.” The Journal of Aesthetic Education, vol. 54, no. 2, 2020, pp. 56–74, https://doi.org/10.5406/jaesteduc.54.2.0056.
Pan, Yue. “Application of Computer Visual Art in Digital Media Art.” Journal of Physics. Conference Series, vol. 1961, no. 1, 2021, p. 12059–, https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1961/1/012059.
Miller, Ian Thomas, et al. Pen & Ink : a Creative Exploration of an Exquisite Time-Treasured Drawing Technique. Walter Foster, 2016. Picard, Alain. Beginning Drawing : a Multidimensional Approach to Learning the Art of Basic Drawing. Walter Foster, 2016.
“The Art of Building,” by Natalia
Dear Andy,
I chose the perfect audience because you're a solar panel installer, you started off as a constructor, so your life has revolved around fixing, installing, and just putting things together.Seeing my mom also impacted me before you started to. This motivated me to learn and not need to depend on another person because I couldn’t figure it out. Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical components. They are responsible for designing the electrical circuitry of solar panels and supporting devices for panels, such as inverters and wiring systems.
Building, “The process or business of constructing something.” I would say this is something I could possibly be an expert in, what makes me an expert in this area is because not everyone sees the art in putting objects together to make something much more, people tend to just go and pay others to build things like a chair. There are so many privileges to being an amazing builder, there are many obligations like being careful, reading and understanding, and just doing research on what your building is and its great use. Having achieved expertise at such a young age was very beneficial, the role that this expertise play in my future plans is a big one, I plan on moving one day and being capable of knowing how to fix and put things together is great, we will need to know Tot only you save money but every-time you learn a new skill. This skill continues to develop throughout your life. I saw my mom always putting things together for always finding a way to make things work or understand it. I could tell I have made so much progress as the years went by as I was shopping for furniture or decorations and I just didn’t need help. I would look at all the requirements and piece it together. I was ten when I truly started to be independently building and piecing things together. It’s good to start at an early age. Did you know, according to DERRY KORALEK, ”building blocks develop intellectual skills in a variety of areas, such as math, spatial reasoning and literacy/language. Researchers found that more complex block play during preschool years was correlated with higher mathematics achievement in high school, even after controlling for a child's IQ.”These amazing locks enhance children's problem-solving abilities, math skills, And constructing leads to building a great self esteem and feelings of success.
These changes taught me about later transitions like that from childhood to adulthood, or high school to college because next when you know how to do something and you become more creative and a fast critical thinker, you become fast to process and figure out problems or hurt normal situations. Let’s say you want to become an expert in building and putting almost everything you can together, you need to be patient, read and focus. Let’s say you want to put together a dresser, first look at every single piece alone and find out where it would go, you’ll have to use your imagination, try to read and understand the importance of that piece, once you have done and seem all you would start following steps, you will start making progress and it gets so easy. Then you have the finished product, SUCCESSFULLY, and you also saved yourself twice what the product you wanted to put together cost, and you also learned a skill. One example of when my brother impacted me was when, i needed my outlet change and i told my mom i told everyone nobody could help i got so frustrated and decided to try to do it myself long story short i failed but he ended up coming over it took less than 20 minutes he brought tools i never seen before to check the power outlet, and that was the first step figuring out the problems. You plug an appliance into an outlet and the appliance turns on. That's the extent of most people's knowledge when it comes to electrical knowledge. So, when something goes wrong and your outlets stop working, the cause can seem especially mysterious. In reality, outlets can stop working for a huge list of reasons. But if you wait until they stop working properly before you address the problem, it can put a risk to everyone in your home. That's when being responsible comes in, and I wasn't. If your electrical outlet only consists of two prongs, a replacement may be needed. Two-pronged outlets are usually found in older homes. Modern appliances need to be plugged into three-pronged outlets so they can get an adequate amount of power.
The process of replacing an electrical outlet is pretty simple and should be completed in about two hours but for a person like my brother it was as easy as blinking. It's essential that you adhere to each step without skipping one or taking shortcuts because it WILL fail . When dealing with an electrical component in your home, safety is of the utmost importance if you don't want a fire starting. By strictly following the right guidelines for replacing a wall outlet, you should be able to avoid electric shocks and the development of a fire.
Works Cited
derry koralek March 2015 / Ten Things Children Learn From Block Play
A BRIEF HISTORY OF DIY, FROM THE SHED TO THE MAKER MOVEMENT
Published: 23 April 2020 Brief-history-diy
How to Replace an Electrical Outlet: A Step-by-Step Guide March 4, 2021 by Team HomeServe
https://www.homeserve.com/en-us/blog/how-to/replace-electrical-outlets/
“Let Me Make Your Life Easier,” by Ahmed
Dear Sammy,
You are the one friend that helped me get started with reselling and we both learned a lot during our reselling journey. As you know, when reselling there are many important things that you need to learn that people do not tell you about. During my time in reselling I learned a lot of little tips and ways to help improve my reselling game and I would love to share what I learned from my experience. When reselling there are many methods in which to sell your products, where to sell your products, what to buy and sell, etc. All these small things are what make up the whole process of reselling and it is what can make you a successful reseller.
It’s a given that the whole idea of the business is to sell your hyped product for a higher price, which may seem easy until it’s time to find the right place to sell it. Not every shopping site can be used for this, which is why you need to find a cheap, safe, and reliable website to sell your hyped items. For example, eBay sold regular items until recently in 2020 they gave “sneakerheads” the green light to sell their sneakers there for no fees and authentication guaranteed (authentication is important because it proves your hyped item is real). That is a big deal in the reselling game as no other buying and selling website such as StockX or Goat have no fees for authentication. An article called “eBay To Authenticate Sneakers $100+ in the U.S.“ by “Plus Company Updates'' speaks about Ebay's Authenticity Guarantee service that is provided for sneaker sellers. This is vital information to keep in mind when you want to sell your sneakers. Speaking of buying and selling hyped products, what makes getting your hands on the hyped products is having a secure and safe payment method. What I mean by this is that you need a credit or debit card with a high limit so you have the flexibility to buy a large number of products. The reason this is important is that when you are ordering expensive hyped items you do not want your credit or debit card to limit you as one can see, which then leads you to miss out on profit opportunities. In this article called “New Business Models for Buying and Selling Products.” by M2 Presswire he speaks about just that, it is useful to have a fast and flexible transaction system. This source is useful as it is a fundamental tool in reselling that people do not tell you as I had to learn me.
As I said before, eBay is a really good option to resell your products on but if that does not meet your expectations there are many other sites that you may find that will. The article called “What's the Best Way to Resell Your Sneakers? A Definitive Guide” by Matt Welty provides information on where, how, and the fees of each selling site that is available to safely resell your shoes. Most people may stick to one website they trust selling on, but this article could show you all the options in case you may find something more suitable for you. When I want to sell my shoes I like to browse through these sites and find the selling price that the site has to offer and I will sell there to maximize my profits. Welty’s information also really helps you choose the best site to sell on because you may want to sell different products on different sites. For example, you may want to sell your shoes on StockX but want to sell your clothes on Alias/GOAT for your reasons. This article is capable of helping you decide that. Finally, the most important part of reselling is knowing what hyped items to buy and sell. The tricky part to reselling as you may know is knowing which item will resell for profit, and that is when Keith Adam comes in. You know Keith Adam, a YouTuber and my cook group owner (A cook group is a group chat to help inform resellers on what to buy and what not to buy). He made a video called “This Is The BEST Sneaker To INVEST IN!” in which he guides you through the best shoes to put your money into to bring you back large profits. The reason his information is of value to me is that I was in his cook group for about two years now and he is the reason I even got into reselling as he broke down most of the items I resold in the past. Keith Adam produces many helpful videos like this so I recommend keeping up to date with his content to stay updated on the latest reselling tips.
Overall, two years of experience in reselling was very tricky for me so I have provided many valuable points to help make it easier for you. Granted, you are already a great reseller, so you can use my tips to your benefit as you wish. These tips certainly helped me maximize my profits so I am sure they will be of value to you as well. Learning where to sell, how to sell, what to sell, and even making sure you are using the correct payment methods is very useful information you will need when reselling since people do not explain these ideas to you in a wide and general scope.
Works Cited
"eBay To Authenticate Sneakers $100+ in U.S." Plus Company Updates, 13 Oct. 2020, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A638389061/ITOF?u=lehman_main&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6f639e67. Accessed 25 Oct. 2022.
"New Business Models for Buying and Selling Products." M2 Presswire, 7 May 2020, p. NA.
Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A622894477/ITOF?u=lehman_main&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=2908840. Accessed 25 Oct. 2022.
Welty, Matt. “What's the Best Way to Resell Your Sneakers? A Definitive Guide.” Complex,
Complex, 21 Sept. 2022, https://www.complex.com/sneakers/2022/09/best-way-to-resell-sneakers/.
Adam, Keith, director. This Is The BEST Sneaker To INVEST IN ! YouTube, 19 Oct. 2020, https://youtu.be/qrCUHjxO6oQ. Accessed 4 Oct. 2022.
Interlude (Reading and Writing III): “Reading: A Forgotten Cure,” by Amaka
For some reason, people don’t really like reading that much. They call it “boring”? It doesn’t really make any sense. Reading is one of the most fun things you can do. It sucks you into imaginary worlds where you can explore new places, see characters, character journeys, and endless stories. It is a shame, really. It even has health benefits, perceived mood benefits, and it improves quality of life. My brother, Ugo, is one of these people. Hes, never really liked reading itself, really. Even though reading is one of the most beneficial forms of media out there.It feels your mind up with quality literature, is fun and takes your mind off of circumstances.. This is why, Ugo, you should just try to give reading a try for once.
It, for one, helps with depression. When you read, your brain is focused on other worlds and it takes your mind off of circumstance. This sort of mind break can help with depression and other mood related problems. Books have a whole plethora of stories to lessen the boredom of your day, and dive your mind in something else than your mundane life, your circumstances, or if you just want a distraction. Sometimes if you're feeling down, a good pick for a book could be just what you need. It can also even help prevent cognitive decline. As you get older, reading is a good way to keep your mind engaged. It literally helps your brain muscles stay active. It's also been studied that people who have read all of their lives have less tears and cuts on the parts of their brain that lead to dementia. Risk for symptoms of dementia is heightened for those who don’t read. Reading as you can see has many health benefits, surprisingly. It also builds vocabulary, calms stress, and aids sleep. Studies have shown that people who read from a very young age gradually build up their vocabulary as life goes on. This is because as you read books, you slowly get more exposure to new words learned by the story's context. It can help expand your tongue. It's been shown by various studies that reading just 30 min has lowered heart rate and blood pressure. It can also help with sleep problems and get better sleep in general by just making your brain ruminate on a pleasant object of attention. The most significant benefit of reading, however, is to increase perspective. Reading has opened people up. Made them happier. Motivated people to overcome hardship through characters. It has encouraged different views of looking at this world. Your perspective on life itself can be changed by one good book. It has encouraged more empathy. By looking at stories both good and bad from characters' perspectives, it helps you generally imagine life in someone else's shoes. Reading is a lifeline that can whisk you into another dimension, break you down and molecularly reconstruct you as a different individual. As you come out of the other side, you think to yourself… was that all? It can make you grow as a person and change your life for the better. So Ugo, I understand that reading may not interest you at first glance, but if you give it a chance, who knows, you may not regret it:)
Works Cited
Saaiman, Elaine, Promoting Reading Skills or Wasting Time? Students perceived benefits of reading in an intermediary programme at the Vaal University of Technology. Vol (7)1, 2016,
Seuss, Dr Theophrastus. The Lorax. HarperCollins Children's Books, 1999.
Taylor, Phil, and Jack McCallum. Kobe Bryant: A tribute to a basketball legend. Time Inc. Books, 2021,
Judith C. Robert, Keith A, Robert. Deep Reading Cost/Benefit and the construction of meaning:Enhancing Reading Comprehension, 2008.
PART III: LANGUAGE AND IDENTITY
“Future Opportunities for Bilingual People,” by Diana
Being able to speak more than one language besides the primary one you learn in school, I would say is a skill in itself. We are not completely fluent, but it is still something that is a part of our identity. Diana, you see how we communicate with our families in Spanish a lot? It feels very nice to be able to connect with them on a cultural level. I don’t want to speak about your experience like I know how it was, but even though we come from two different cultures, I feel like it’s still a kind of similar experience. In cahoots to that, this ability would help us when we’re looking for jobs and opportunities.
It’s been a known fact that children are quick learners when it comes to languages. They have the upper hand cognitively because they’re going through what is called the “critical period” (Galatro, 2022). As for bilingualism, being surrounded by people who speak one language then going to school to learn a whole other language can do so much. Growing up, my mother tongue was Spanish, which is probably true for many others who have immigrant parents. I also grew up around family members who mainly spoke Spanish to me and basically wired me to do the same. My parents immigrated from the Dominican Republic to the United States back in the 90’s. Despite being here for many years, they still aren’t very fluent in English, which is completely fine. You know they’re too fixated on working hard to provide for us. Since this was the case, I was frequently asked to translate things to them. It went from emails from school, to phone calls for appointments, not knowing how to do something on their phone, and etc. I am not completely fluent in Spanish, so the translations wouldn’t all be perfect explanations since my spanish is quite limited, but I try being specific.
When it comes to other Spanish speakers besides dominicans, trying to translate to them is kind of difficult because “Spanish is different depending on where you’re from” (Lausell, 2017). You would tell me a saying that you’ve heard since you were younger and I would be very confused because I’ve never heard it before. I’m planning to learn the language more thoroughly, so I can gain more proficiency and increase my vocabulary and get better at pronouncing many words.
Despite this, being bilingual will help us quite a bit when there comes a time when we’re seeking out job opportunities in future. When a customer needs assistance but doesn't speak English well and needs to communicate their needs, it can be very helpful. Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the country, so it would be very useful for us to know and understand this language more fluently. It’s said that bilingualism is mostly preferred or required in the job market in the US (Subtirelu, 2017) and that the need for bilingual workers in the United States have doubled in the previous five years” (Bergen, 2021). The demand depends on where you’re from because some areas don’t exactly require having Spanish workers, but other languages as well. Like I had mentioned about being a translator for my family, it could be useful as a skill in the job environment. Fields like health care, education and social work earnestly search for people who are bilingual, since they’re all such broad fields who have many different people coming in needing their assistance (Bergen, 2021).
To conclude, it seems like the experience of growing up speaking Spanish leads to developing into future opportunities.
Works Cited
“Growing up with English & Spanish (ft.Romania)”. YouTube, Andrea Lausell, 8 September 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B1LHGG5Uek
Galatro, Tori. “Why Do Children Learn Languages Faster than Adults?”. Tessa International School, 2022, https://tessais.org/children-learn-languages-faster-adults/#:~:text=It%20is%20because%20of%20the,as%20the%20%E2%80%9Ccritical%20period%E2%80%9D.
Subtirelu, Nicholas Close. “Raciolinguistic Ideology and Spanish-English Bilingualism on the US Labor Market: An Analysis of Online Job Advertisements.” Language in Society, vol. 46, no. 4, 2017, pp. 477–505, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0047404517000379.
Bergen, Amy. “The Benefits of Being Bilingual”. Idealist.org, November 29, 2021. https://www.idealist.org/en/careers/bilingual-hired
“The Importance of Critical Thinking,” by Ameen
When we people mention critical thinking parents think of school or college and how they do (or should) push students to know things but also understand things in detail and come to their own conclusions or form their own ideas about certain subjects. I believe that in society people aren't pushed enough to form their own ideas instead of regurgitating information they heard from others.
What people don’t people don’t appreciate about my area of expertise of black history/politics is how it affects today and the critical thinking aspect of modern-day politics. Today it becomes very apparent that coming to certain conclusions, and questioning things is heavily scrutinized and looked down upon. Usually when there is a certain narrative that mainstream media presents to the viewers it is taken as fact and truth. Anyone who criticizes how authentic the reporting is or if it is misleading is told that because the news said it, it's completely true and anyone who goes against what the news reported is a conspiracy theorist. People who do that don’t realize how they are pushing a culture of just receiving information from the news and not critically thinking about the information. Instead, they are just going to parrot exactly what the media says without taking a minute to understand the info they were told. The term ‘’conspiracy theorist’’ was created by the CIA to specifically combat those who push people to critically think for themselves. It’s also used to keep those people propagandized and that they refuse any criticism that doesn’t go along with the narrative.
This strong disdain for critical thinking has also had effects on the black community too. Like when a black person dies at the hands of the police mad how everyone takes the police word for it without trying to make sense of the situation. People start to point out flaws within the reporting of the police and then are told “why would the police lie” or “why would the news lie”. It’s just about the media possibly spreading misinformation, it’s also about critically analyzing evidence to see if it makes sense or if there are some holes within the reporting. Never questioning information because you believe that the source “wouldn’t lie” or is “authentic” isn’t a good excuse to just take the info at face value. There is a big difference between knowing something vs understanding something.
According to the national library of medicine. Their study concluded that learning styles, academic performance and critical thinking all correlate with each other. That means if critical thinking is taken out of the equation when it comes to education that could have a huge influence on the student’s ability to make deductive reasoning or inferences. According to frontiers in psychology their studies showed that 67% of undergraduate students believed that the existence of bigfoot and the Chupacabra is true regardless of the numerous amounts of evidence that goes against their existence. Yet when there is countless evidence for climate change existing and how we need to prevent it before it causes catastrophic damage on our environment people remain doubtful of the scientists’ warnings. It also discusses how “Students and the public at large are prone to naïve realism, or the tendency to believe that our experiences and observations constitute objective reality” (Ross and Ward, 1996), when in fact our experiences and observations are subjective and prone to error” (e.g., Kahneman, 2011). Which basically means that just because you heard your friend in your experience say climate change doesn’t exist doesn’t mean that’s necessarily true or just because you have never seen a polar bear in your life means it doesn’t exist. Not everything you experience dictates how reality is and what is fact. In the article by the university of the people, they list the benefits of learning the skill of critical thinking and how it can impact aspects of your life. It discusses how it’s a universal skill and no matter what career you go into. It discusses its need for the economy because of our fast-growing society, which makes critical thinking a crucial skill. It also helps with creativity because of how brainstorming can help create more ideas or solve problems. These reasons represent how critical thinking is way more important than what people think.
Works Cited
GHAZIVAKILI, Z. O. H. R. E. (2014, July 2). The role of Critical Thinking Skills and learning styles of university students in their academic performance. Journal of advances in medical education & professionalism. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25512928/
Frontiers | Redefining Critical Thinking: Teaching Students to Think like Scientists (frontiersin.org) Schmaltz, R. (2022, November 3). Publisher of peer-reviewed articles in open access journals. Frontiers. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.frontiersin.org/
Alhalabi, R. (2018, April 27). Critical thinking: Become an exceptional critical thinker. The Online Learning Platform. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.potential.com/articles/critical-thinking/
Nair, M. (2022, November 22). The importance of critical thinking, and how to improve it. University of the People. Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/why-is-critical-thinking-important/
“Introspective Thought,” by Bernardo
In between tiring and drenching rounds of sweat of five minutes in Renzo Gracie Academy, I am like a bug in your ears sitting and asking you those big questions that I know don't have any answers, yet you still tackle it, and I am going to convince again,, why you should still keep talking to me about it because a life unexamined is a life not worth living.
As a new adult it seems as if my introspective thought has heightened over the years, I believe mostly this could be because I am growing older, and going through more things in life, becoming more experienced. It is also truism that to find an wise person would almost always look for an older person that entices that this introspection increases as time goes on, I also believe in that because of older people like you, so it causes me two main reactions the first one the hopelessness and I feel in life skyrockets and the other one is that because of that the need for philosophy will probably increase by tenfold. That is why philosophy takes a leap into its importance for anyone aging and is open to embrace it with its great ideas. In case philosophy ever appears outdated, meaning it is something only for people of the old times, you are critically mistaken as it proposes solutions to nowadays problems in our current society. The biggest and clearest cut example is Albert Camus studies into suicide through the “Myth of Sisyphus ”, it seems that suicide has ramped up in current society amoung young adults mainly males, because they feel alienated, much like you told me if they were to pickup this book they would feel a bit more ease as to what is currently happening in their world, why suicide is not the solution to their problem, neither can it be prevented through a one liner that they propose in schools like “Dont find long term solutions for temporary problems.” It is a proper dive in to the embrace of the absurd and how it is how suicide loses its strength when you become acquainted with the strange world we live in. Another great example is the studies Kierkegaard did on anxiety, this is part of the human condition it isn't something that fades away. I personally like to connect this philosophy directly with the study of the human condition. Even if we haven't spoken about it I am one hundred percent sure that you had anxiety throughout the turmoil of your life, I mean everyone goes through it, this occurs independent of social class, age,or culture. Kierkegaard in his studies of anxiety brought two crucial metaphors to describe it by the dizziness of the freedom or the possibilities along the limitation of options as to not get lost in neither of them would be the way to go about confronting what he call the “attraction and repulsion of the nothingness or possibility of the future.”
Through philosophy we might find solutions to our everyday problems or find medicine without prescription to treat our symptoms to this life. This universality aspect of philosophy is the fascinating part. A man that lived over 9 centuries ago could relate to an individual in the 21st century through his words, if that can be true it makes me feel better when I understand that you can truly relate to me and I truly relate to you. Imagining this distance and still being connected also helps understand that those who are around you do not have very much difference, so it brings people together. Look at statues like the Thinker that are an absolute criticism of you if you live in the current year, do you think for yourself? In case you do, how often? Do you use your time? How often do you try to become your own individual? And create your own world of morality or adopt one from someone admirable much like how you feel about Nietzche, the movie “ Dead Poet Society” seems almost flawless when pointing to non- conformist ideas, philosophy is the key to the door you need to open or cease to suffer, and to break free of wrong ideas, to connect to nature to live a life of less repentance.
This search of individuality seems like a process done by individual alone the process of something that one must do alone by themselves and that could be true if philosophy wasn’t around, it is important to see and understand its impact on the local and global level what could be better than we look at ourselves I am from god knows where in south america whereas you were born here and we connect on a deeper level shows that philosophy does shapes the people and its thoughts, if you are neglecting that they perhaps you are turning a blind eyes towards something almost objectively true in our world. If you are not convinced who seems to not see the importance, understand that every piece of culture, every character in the movies and every iconic person had its individuality and was consciously using key pillars of philosophy to determine their life. This goes from presidents like Ulysses Grant, to Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and even Iconic fictional figures like Tyler Durden, Michael Corleon, and Batman. These all have some sort of philosophy to shape themselves consciously so to achieve greatness a path you could be the adaptation of their perception of life and turn into your own and then go from there.
Works Cited
Kierkegaard, Søren. The concept of anxiety. Reidar Thomte and Albert B. Anderson , Release Date:June 1844- Last updated 1980, Accessed on October 3rd, 2022, United States.
Camus, Albert, and Justin O’Brien. The Myth of Sisyphus, and Other Essays. Translated by Justin O’Brien, [1st American ed.]., Knopf, 1955.
Auguste Rodin, French. The Thinker. 1880.
Muro, Alicia. “‘What Will Your Verse Be?’: Identity and Masculinity in ‘Dead Poets Society.’” Journal of English Studies (Logroño), vol. 16, no. 16, 2018, pp. 207–20, https://doi.org/10.18172/jes.3472.
“The Significance of Speaking Spanish” by Sid
Spanish is a really known language that many have yet to get a grasp on. Many would rather not learn Spanish, not knowing that Spanish comes with many privileges and benefits such as being able to communicate with other Spanish speakers and being able to connect with many different cultures. Still, there’s more to Spanish than just that. Tia, I hope you know that Spanish has more significance than you may think. Spanish can be a way you identify or define yourself. It gives you the ability to see things from a different point of view. This is why I encourage you to encourage others to learn it and to teach your future kids as well. You may understand the benefits that come with speaking Spanish but not how it helps you and others.
Why is knowing Spanish significant you may ask? Spanish is not just a language. It is a way you can identify yourself. Through language, you can figure out who you truly are and what you stand for. Not only does speaking Spanish allow you to communicate with friends and family but most importantly it gives you the chance to connect with your culture. Culture is a way of life for a particular group of people. Meaning culture is an identity. These are all things you may already know but my point is that the only way to connect with your culture is through your language. In a culture, values and beliefs are shared through language. Our background and history are shared through language. Without language, no culture can exist and without language you can not identify yourself. In an essay called “How to tame a wild tongue”, the author talks about her personal story on identity. She explains the power of language and how she couldn’t take pride in herself till she embraced her background and language. By embracing her language, “Chicano Spanish” she was able to be herself and be who she truly was meant to be. This is why you should not be afraid to embrace your language and be proud of where you come from. “Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity” (Anzaldúa). Language and identity are equally the same.
No pressure Tia, but if you ever plan to have kids in the near future, don’t be afraid to teach them two languages at once. I grew up knowing both languages and you don’t understand how happy I am that I did. Going to the Dominican Republic every summer and being able to connect with my family and with the people I met over there made my childhood. It taught me so much about my culture and it made me the person I am today. Thanks to that I can say I am a proud Dominican. Many people believe that teaching children two languages at once will confuse them but that’s not the case at all. “Fifty years ago, it was thought that being exposed to two languages from birth confused children, a belief whose basis was cultural, not scientific” (David). Well, I hope you know this is not the case at all. If anything, children will learn to be fluent in both languages easier and quicker. When humans are younger it is easier for them to process, learn and master something compared to being a bit older. It's important for kids to learn their native language as it’ll be a huge benefit for them. Not only will they be able to communicate with their grandparents which you know is a huge deal in our culture and family, but from a young age, they will be able to figure out who they are and will be able to embrace their culture. As James Baldwin mentioned “Language, also, far more dubiously, is meant to define the other” (Balwin). As I mentioned earlier, through language one is able to define themselves. Children learning their native language at a young age will teach them to accept who they are and to be proud of who they are at a young age. They won’t grow up lost trying to figure out who they are. This is why it’s important to teach your future kid, my future nephew, or niece our native language at a young age. Many benefits will come with you teaching your children two languages at once.
Do me a favor and convince people in your circle to learn Spanish. Learning Spanish is like accessing a new channel of communication and it opens doors to new points of view. Knowing and learning Spanish brings many opportunities to the table. Did you know that knowing Spanish can benefit you on a professional level? Simple communication skills can really improve your career. Why do you think that they say, knowing two languages can open doors to a range of job opportunities? “Learning a new language is to your benefit as well as to the benefit of your clients” (Nadathur). Knowing a second language, Spanish preferably, allows you to connect and understand those customers or clients whose main language is Spanish. I know that you personally deal with a lot of Spanish speakers at your job who are learning English and knowing both languages helps you understand them and even communicate with them. This is why it’s important to know a second language and hopefully, you can encourage others to learn a second language.
In conclusion, the significance of speaking Spanish is that it allows you to identify yourself and it allows you to connect with your culture. Teaching your future children their native tongue at a young age will establish a perception of identity which is why it’s important to teach them at such a young age since they are able to get a grip on things quicker. It’s important to learn Spanish, as it can be really crucial since it allows others to communicate with a different group of people and connect with them at a cultural level. Every day the number of Spanish Speakers is growing. So you should definitely motivate others to learn it as it is really beneficial to them to learn and as well to others.
Works Cited
Gloria Anzaldúa. “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, “Available means” (1987). Edited by Joy Ritchie and Kate Ronald. Published by University of Pittsburgh Press
Isaacs, David. “Bilingual Children.” Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, vol. 57, no. 3, 2021, pp. 316-317
Baldwin James. “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?”, “SOS -- Calling All Black People”, edited by John H. Bracey <suffix>Jr.</suffix>, Sonia Sanchez and James Smethurst. Published by: University of Massachusetts Press
Nadathur, Susan L. “Seeing Birth From a New Perspective: How to Learn Spanish and Enhance Your Career.” The International Journal of Childbirth Education, vol. 9, no. 2, 1994, pp. 25–26..
Epilogue (Reading & Writing IV): “The Fallacy of the Lost Artist,” by Marileixis
Creativity has left the artist's frame, the mind, disconnected from the soul. We were taught we must follow the lines, never outstand them. We became one of many. The education system is to blame for the lost identities of numerous individuals. Am I exaggerating? I don't think so. It isn't an exaggeration to emphasize the issues that society has printed on us. Neither is it wrong to question them or stand when we believe they are wrong. This being said, I would like to introduce the following words as a letter to that little girl, my little cousin Abby, and anyone starting their writing journey. Correspondingly, I would like the readers to utilize it to acknowledge the misunderstood idea of writing and how we can bypass the disgrace of the lost artist.
Growing up in a family of civilians who lived out of the privileges of earth. A place that neither google maps nor the most privileged geography books know; we learned from books that other schools found disposable, books with missing pages and ripped covers. It was mesmerizing to see America's bookstores full of words that someone once thought, felt, and shared with others to fulfill the need to share stories that inform, entertain, and break single stories. However, the books I read in school introduced me to the same thing the ripped pages showed me, an incomplete tale. I had a single story of writing before I entered high school in America. "And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete." In school, they forced me to read and connect the ripped pages of these books that signified torture. Schools taught me that writing "Prometo no hablar en clases y respetar el maestro" a thousand times was a punishment. My first memories about writing were the same; penalties and words that were supposed to rectify my behavior. Affliction. The first years in America didn't change much. Years of embarrassment trying to spell or even comprehend what juxtaposition meant. Weeks of summarizing dull stories that I didn't comprehend. Summaries that robbed my capacity to state that I beg to differ with the argument presented in the story. I developed a single story of writing. Writing is academic torture to rectify wrong behaviors and summarize other people's stories. Until I realized I could tell y own.
Throughout this wild journey of mine, I have learned about a few common fallacies in writing, yet none of them overpass the fallacy of the pleaser. The pleaser's error is constructing writing as a method to please the academy. "When you write for a teacher you are usually swimming against the stream of natural communication. The natural direction of communication is to explain what you understand to someone who doesn't understand it." Before, writing was about telling, identifying tones, and listing tasteless literary elements that most of us didn't even know about. I had to deconstruct the mistaken idea of writing that I had.
How can we avoid losing the artist that inhabits inside of us? Shirk the rules. There are no rules! "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. Or, if proper usage gets in the way, it may have to go. I can't allow what we learned in English to disrupt the sound and rhythm of the narrative." Refrain from allowing the traditional idea of writing to make you write out of cowardice. When we fear the rules, we don't break them; we must shatter them in writing. Forget the rhythm and the tone. Leave your mind written on paper. Do not be a victim of a single story like I was. I write thinking about the Whitman poems I had to analyze for ours, and now I validate them. I validate Whitman's poetry as much as I validate the ripped pages of the 'disposable' books that taught me how to spell.
Both identities created one. My writing has an identity. It has a rhythm capable of breaking single stories, an identity that 'speaks in tongues' and uses writing as a lifestyle. YES, I will state it again, a lifestyle. Writing is more than a seven hundred-word essay that talks about how sad the tone is when Romeo's life comes to an end. I am not, by any means, disparaging scholarly essays. I am condemning the dichotomy created between academic writing and creativity. I believe that it is essential to analyze the tragic tone that Romeo's death leaves. However, why don't we ask students, writers, and apprentices what they think about it? What is the criticism? Is it right? Is it wrong? Does it even matter? And if we do, why do we limit the responses to "write in short sentences." "Include at least 10 vocabulary words." Why do we insist on disconnecting the heart from the ink? It almost looks like we haven't learned about the attractiveness of free writing. The attractiveness of letting the soul be connected to our body and allowing the artist to inhabit our thoughts.
I encourage you as a writer to embrace all of your identities, embrace your individualism and never leave that behind to accommodate the traditional presumption. As my grandmother told me, do not forget Fula to please the Amazon. Don't allow traditional ways to rob you of who you are. Please do not allow them to keep your voice. Overcome the disgrace of the lost artist and don't follow the rules. Make the rules follow you, and keep your pen connected to your heart.
Works Cited
Sarrimo, Cristine. “Creative Writing as a Communicative Act - an Artistic Method.” New Writing (Clevedon, England), vol. 7, no. 3, 2010, pp. 179–91, https://doi.org/10.1080/14790726.2010.509509.
Adichie Chimamanda Ngozi et al. directors. Ted Talks : Chimamanda Adichie - the Danger of a Single Story. Films Media Group 20122009. INSERT-MISSING-DATABASE-NAMEhttp://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=13753&xtid=48462. Accessed 5 Oct. 2022.
Kooser, Ted, and Steve Cox. Writing Brave and Free: Encouraging Words for People Who Want to Start Writing. Nebraska, 2014. (book)
Writing In college "Chapter 2 of "Writing in College" by Amy Guptill." ChalkyPapers, 8 Feb. 2022, chalkypapers.com/chapter-2-of-writing-in-college-by-amy-guptill/. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.
BIOS
Ahmed has a passion for shoes which led him to take his passion even further and he started reselling in 2020 (his junior year of highschool).
An interesting fact about Albina is that she enjoys arguments, some would say that is her toxic trait.
Amaka likes to be independent. She enjoys freetime, books, movies, anime, shows, art and more.
Bernardo is a huge fan of the Star Wars movies. His favorite movie of the saga is The Empire Strikes Back.
Unlike the writing she is able to write, Britney has a difficult time explaining herself from public directions to a complex math problem. Art has become her safe Spot to teach herself how to express the interest of shows and genres. She enjoys graphic novels and sketching on any piece of paper she can find. She'd like to pursue other hobbies in the future such as learning a new language properly. While she is still a beginner there is a lot to learn on the sidelines.
Diana is an 18-year-old Dominican girl, born and raised in Manhattan, who’s been speaking Spanish her whole life.
Fatim is a big admirer of anything DC or Marvel-related.
Jamal likes physical activities and hanging out with friends.
Lia lifts heavy stuff.
Marileixis enjoys portraying frustrating situations with a humorous tone.
Masud played esports professionally for 2 years. He played in various tournaments and championships. He acquired satisfying titles, but eventually he left everything behind.
Nilson likes sports. He really means to be an active body mover. He will make sports an enjoyable activity but without forgetting the purpose and rules of the sport.
Paola loves the color pink. She enjoys music and reading books, specifically horror.
Sid is currently working at the Bronx Zoo but hopes that one day he’ll work at Google as a software engineer.
APPENDIX
Thank You, Readers
“Areas of Our Expertise” (20 points)
Deadlines
We start brainstorming this on the first day of class, August 25, with related activities in following days
Peer Editing draft: Sept 19 to Blackboard by 11:59pm for Sept 20 in-class editing in Docs (10 points)
Revision for credit: Sept 27 to Blackboard by 11:59pm (10 points)
Instructions: For the first weeks of school, you’ve been talking and writing about “areas of your expertise.” We’ve also been reading about ways in which this expertise (defined broadly) can shape our experiences as readers, writers, learners and everyday people in the world. From the list you’ve been keeping over a few class periods, select one such area of expertise. Each of you will think about what that area involves, who helped you define and acquire that expertise, where and when you progressed from novice to expert, and how another person could make that kind of progress. Whichever of these areas you emphasize, you’ll want to address the question of why this area of expertise is important to you as a reader, writer, student or person in the world.
More complete versions of these prompts are as follows:
- Define an area of your expertise. What are its parameters? What makes you (or anyone) an expert in this area? What privileges and obligations does this expertise bring, if any? Having achieved expertise at such a young age, what role does this expertise play in your future plans? What will you have to do to maintain it, continue to develop it, or allow it to evolve into another area of expertise altogether?
- Describe the settings where you evolved from novice to expert. What were the physical traits of the space where you began? How was it similar to or different from the place you ended up? How could you tell when you’d made progress based on the spaces you were moving through? How old were you when these changes of setting happened? What reactions to these changes do you remember? And what did these changes teach you about later transitions (like that from childhood to adulthood, or high school to college)?
- Imagine a particular person who wants to be an expert in the area where you have expertise. This could be someone you don’t know that well — younger kid who watches you play basketball, or a new neighbor who wants to learn a language you grew up speaking. Assume their earnest desire to get better. Advise them. What kind of advice and what sort of a practical plan can you lay out for them, based on your own experience, influences, and resources? How can they do something like what you’ve already done? How might you explain to them how an idea like “success” or “progress” looks different to them?
These prompts are just that: ways to get you started. The ultimate format of this essay is going to vary a lot based on what you’re trying to say. What you all will do: complete a carefully proofread 750-1000 word essay drawing on at least two cited sources that help illustrate or develop your idea about your area of expertise. These don’t need to be from a library (though they certainly can be from either the Lehman library or the NYPL). They do need to be: a) relevant to your essay (we’ll discuss this more on Sept 15); b) reliable and accurate (more on Sept 20); and c) cited properly in MLA format (Sept 22).
“On Keeping a (Research) Notebook” (20 points)
“Why did I write it down?” Joan Didion asks rhetorically in “On Keeping a Notebook.” Here’s her own answer: “In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember?”
As we prepare to approach an area of our expertise in a more academic genre using more academic and peer-reviewed sources from the Lehman College library , this question is one we’ll ask ourselves. Our research “notebooks” will consist of three elements, due in stages:
- Oct 20: Freewriting Samples: Deposit two interesting examples of your own freewriting from this semester, one from before September 27 and one from after. “Interesting” here is a word you can interpret for yourself. Prepare to share these pieces of writing with a few peers in class, and to write a paragraph in class about what makes them interesting. You’ll train Didion’s question on your own work: Why did you write it down? What exactly did you want to remember with this language? Draft it in your “Asynchronous Work” Document, and then turn this in to Blackboard by the end of the day. The deposit in “Leaving Evidence” (our freewrite folder) and the paragraph is worth 5 points.
- Oct 25: Annotated Bibliography: Drawing on our library research activities, compile a list of at least 5 citations that you might use when you return to an area of expertise in our third essay (due Nov 15/29). These will be from a range of genres:
- At least 2 of these should be from relevant peer-reviewed sources from a Lehman library database that you have read and understood.
- At least one of these should be from a journalistic source that is reliable and relevant.
- At least one of these should be from a creative work—an image, a film, a GIF, a quote from a novel, a painting, etc—that engages your topic.
- For your fifth source, you can add one more of the other kinds, or something from another type of source. Some ideas: a human source—an interview with a person or a “field” observation. Or you might think about locating a relevant primary or archival source as well. Or something I haven’t thought of (an exhibit at a museum or a digital resource).
The annotated bibliography is worth 5 points.
This will include a rationale, which we drafted in class on Oct 13 and Oct 18
See our “Chalkboard Doc for examples of annotated bibliography format
→ this example is of work turned in by a sample student and -this other example is from my own school work (!)
- Oct 27: In-Class Writing: As we discussed in our classes on October 6 and October 11, Didion’s main question in “On Keeping a Notebook” boils down to, “What’s the point?” For you, what’s the point of capturing information for later reference? Is it the same in school as out of school? If not, what are the differences? What have you learned over the course of this class so far, or others, about collecting, evaluating, organizing, and analyzing sources for a piece of writing? You can also let another question emerge for you, and use Didion, Guptill, or your own research and writing sources to answer it.
The process-analysis in-class writing is worth 10 points.
We’ll do a lot of informal work with these sources in your Docs from the Asynchronous Work week.
“What’s So Interesting About … ” (20 points)
In this unit, we combine the work of our first two essays. In our first, we explored one of our “areas of expertise.” In the second, we developed our thinking in that area in two ways. One: we researched that area of expertise using a variety of library and open sources. Two: we imagined an audience to which we might address an essay using these sources about our general area of expertise. Now we’ll combine these attempts. In this unit, you’ll compose an essay drawing on your sources, and aimed at the audience you have identified. What can you tell them about this area of expertise using the new sources and methods you’ve learned here at Lehman? As you prepare to write, think in particular about voice. Drawing on Zadie Smith and Gloria Anzaldua as models, try to “mesh” the voice of an authoritative, reliable, academic “I” with the voice you use to talk to this person you know very, very well. Important Note: While this essay will be turned in to Blackboard, to earn all the points, you’ll need to also prepare a version to be published in CUNY Manifold, and to get a reaction from your audience to that published version. This open publishing program is an easy way to produce high quality digital texts. (Some student work from a composition course of mine is here: Becoming Ethnographers.)
Points Breakdown / Deadlines (pay attention to the times; late work will be penalized)
- Peer Edit Draft (10 points): Due to Google Docs (by 10:59a, 11/15) and Blackboard (by 11:59p, 11/14)
- Graded Revision for publication in Manifold (5 points): In-class work, November 22 (to Doc by 11am, 11/22)
- Audience Reaction (5 points): December 6, to Blackboard (by 11a)
Instructions: From the start of the semester, we’ve been writing and researching about an area of your expertise. Now, it’s time to share that expertise with an audience beyond our classroom. Each of you has imagined an audience for your essay: a friend, a parent, a coach, a cousin, a sibling, an uncle, a former teacher. In this essay you will draw on reliable sources from the library to describe to this audience something they do not know, may not appreciate fully, or disagree with you about the significance of. These options for your essay’s purpose—teach, illustrate, or persuade—are important ways to use writing to engage an audience with your academic voice both in and out of academic settings.
Prompt Option 1: “Misunderstood”: Keeping in mind both your particular audience, and the various audiences beyond it, write an essay of 750-1500 words that illustrates something that some or most people don’t appreciate, misunderstand, or overlook about a specific aspect of your area of expertise. This essay should draw on at least two peer-reviewed library sources and include at least two reliable sources that are not peer-reviewed (ie: creative, journalistic, open-internet, or human). The audience here will either clearly understand/appreciate the essay’s topic or clearly not understand/appreciate it. The sources will likely take a clear stance one way or another as well.
Prompt Option 2: “Mini-Lesson”: Keeping in mind both your particular audience, and the various audiences beyond it, write an essay of 750-1500 words that explains to them something significant about a small aspect of your area of expertise. This essay should draw on at least two peer-reviewed library sources and include at least two reliable sources that are not peer-reviewed (ie: creative, journalistic, open-internet, or human). The audience for this mini-lesson should be clear, and the topic of the lesson should be relevant to and developed by the sources.
Prompt Option 3: “What’s So Interesting”: Keeping in mind both your particular audience, and the various audiences beyond it, write an essay of 750-1500 words that attempts to persuade an audience who is skeptical of the value or importance of this area of expertise. It will likely do this by focusing on something significant about a small aspect of your area of expertise. This essay should draw on at least two peer-reviewed library sources, and should also include at least two reliable sources that are not peer-reviewed (ie: creative, journalistic, open-internet, or human). The audience for this mini-lesson should be clear, but should be relevant to other audiences as well. The sources should support the author’s argument about what is so interesting about this topic, and should be tailored to the audience as well in a way that is made clear in the text.
“Point B” (20 points)
In this final unit, we reflect on the work we’ve done this semester and write an example of the genre we have read frequently: a narrative of one’s own relationship to reading and writing practices. This genre, often called a “literacy narrative,” critically engages academic writing. Many of the literacy narratives we’ve read are by writers of color and/or writers whose ‘home’ language is not standardized academic English.
In this unit, we’ll also review our work, starting with this very assignment sheet. Formal attempt #3 grew out of formal attempt #1, but took a somewhat different form. Similarly, this piece of writing will likely emerge from work you did during our unit on the “research notebook.” As with formal attempt #2, in this essay you’ll consider (different examples from) your informal writing. This can include your work with research and assigned sources; with summaries and responses; with your analysis of your own and others’ writing; and your reflections on the function of reading and writing for you. Draw on that base knowledge and engage one of the prompts on the backside of this sheet. Whichever prompt you select, engage directly the language on our syllabus about ENG 111’s main goals, to: 1) “express ideas clearly and incisively in writing in ways required both inside and outside of the academy” and 2) “effectively use a range of writing, reading, and research strategies applicable to multiple disciplines.”
Note: The form of this attempt will vary. You might produce a full essay of 500-750 words. This essay should quote from at least four pieces of writing: at least two pieces of writing from our readings, and at least two examples of informal writing from this semester. (At least one example should be of your own work. Another might come from a peer.) If you write a traditional essay, you’ll want to prepare a shorter (one-page) version of it to read to class on your presentation day. This should be “written for the ear,” accompanied by slides, and presented with confidence. You might also record it. However, a traditional essay does not need to be the only form this essay or the presentation takes. In fact, I’d encourage you to: make a 3-minute video, or a five-slide presentation, or a sustained, provocative creative performance, or a triptych of data visualizations, or to run a class discussion of 7-10 minutes on a relevant but new (to us) piece of writing, or to plan and execute some other interactive way of showing how you (and how we) have gotten to “point B”.
Points Breakdown / Deadlines (pay attention to the times; late work will be penalized)
Presentation Drafts (10 points): Presentations should include 3 effective slides, should make a clear point about your argument in the “Point B” essay, and should last 4-5 minutes. They may be recorded.
Dec 1 | — | Bernardo | Jose | Jamal | Albina | Britney | Ameen | Jennifer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec 6 | Natalia | Fatim | Nilson | Nailea | Ahmed | Ana | Yi | Kevin |
Dec 8 | Sid | Amaka | Lia | Diana | Marileixis | Masud | Paola | Karen |
Graded Revision (10 points): Either a traditional essay of 500-750 words quoting from four sources or a nontraditional format (see examples above; pitch me an idea by 12/1). Due to Blackboard by 12/15.
Options:
- One early reading this semester was Amy Guptill’s “What Does the Professor Want?” Two related genres of academic writing that often top the list of what many professors say they want are summaries of readings or research and responses to readings or lectures or other course concepts and materials. Compare and contrast what you entered class knowing about summary and response with what you leave class knowing about those genres of writing. This essay must draw on several well analyzed examples of student work.
- One common question students ask professors about what they “want” involves the “format” or the number of required paragraphs. Amy Guptill observes that “a number of new (and sometimes not-so-new) students are skilled wordsmiths and generally clear thinkers but are nevertheless stuck in a high-school style of writing. They struggle to let go of certain assumptions about how an academic paper should be”. One method for shifting our assumptions about “how an academic paper should be” involves planning and organizing. Describe and illustrate through example one new strategy of planning and organizing your thoughts before you sit down to write. How has this new strategy helped you approach our work? How might it help you in a future class here at Lehman?
- ENG 121 is focused on the research paper. Research papers, writes Amy Guptill “require you to find your own sources, confront conflicting evidence, and synthesize diverse information and ideas—all skills required in any professional leadership role.” They also, she writes, “allow students to pursue their own topic of interest.” Reflect on these claims of hers, and analyze your process of developing an idea through the 15-week semester. In your body paragraphs, focus on ENG 111’s two main tasks: identifying, engaging, and analyzing source texts and expressing ideas to multiple audiences. You might conclude by agreeing or disagreeing with this argument of Guptill’s: “The open-endedness of research papers sets you up to do your best work as a self-motivated scholar.” What do you think?
One of the challenges of the academic genre is an unnatural writer-audience relationship, writes Amy Guptill. This “audience mismatch” is something writing teachers have described for many years. She quotes Peter Elbow: “When you write for a teacher you are usually swimming against the stream of natural communication. The natural direction of communication is to explain what you understand to someone who doesn’t understand it. But in writing an essay for a teacher your task is usually to explain what you are still engaged in trying to understand to someone who understands it better.” In this essay, narrate the changes you have undergone as you’ve developed a more “natural” kind of academic writing. What moments did you most see yourself or others developing an academic voice that was as clear, interesting, and personality-packed as your ‘home’ voice? Thinking of Smith and Anzaldua, in what ways were you “adding” rather than “replacing” that school voice to that home voice? Looking ahead, you might end by considering this question: how can that voice survive a less nurturing environment than ENG 111, one where, as Elbow says, “You don’t write to teachers, you write for them.” What then? How can writers in small ways preserve their authentic individual voice while doing what “the professor wants”?
Syllabus
ENG 111: Principles of Effective Writing I | Lehman College, CUNY, Fall 2022
Tim Dalton, Graduate Teaching Fellow | timothy.dalton10@login.cuny.edu
Class #54876 (3 credits), In-Person | T/H 11:00a-12:40p | Carman 208
Student Hours: M/W 10:00a-10:45 in Carmen 393, after class, and by app’t on Zoom
Key Links
- Zoom: https://ccny.zoom.us/j/4537798403 (Yes, that's a City College link. Long story.)
- CUNY Academic Commons site: https://111attemptsf22.commons.gc.cuny.edu/
- CUNY Academic Commons group: https://commons.gc.cuny.edu/groups/eng-111-with-prof-dalton-fall-2022/
- “Chalkboard” Doc (for daily classwork): www.tinyurl.com/lehmanchalkboard
- Our Hypothes.is Group: https://hypothes.is/groups/QVr2VbnX/eng-111-fall22
Course Description
From the college catalog: ENG 111: Principles of Effective Writing I. 3 hours, 3 credits.
Focus on all aspects of reading and writing, with particular attention to summary, critical responses to short texts, argumentative development in paragraphs and essays, and the rewriting process. Emphasis on organization, language, accuracy, grammar, and mechanics. Classroom instruction supplemented by individual conferences on drafts with instructor, library resources sessions, and appropriate use of available technology. Note: All students, unless exempted, must pass this course in fulfillment of the Common Core Requirement in English Composition. Students who take but do not pass this course should repeat it the following semester. Students who pass ENG 111 proceed to ENG 121 the following semester.
Section Description: “Attempts”
In this section of ENG 111, we’ll respond to sources and prompts to get comfortable and confident in our academic voices. We’ll do this by reading a lot, by writing a lot, by talking about what we read and write—and about how we read and write. Each of you arrives in this room knowing a lot about how to read and write already; each of you arrives with a lot left to learn, too. In this section of ENG 11, we’ll draw on that idea each class. Every piece of writing, from a first-day freewrite to an essay drawing on cited peer-reviewed sources, is an attempt to convey an idea. We’ll start with the big ideas that already animate you, then practice conveying those ideas in your emerging academic voice, for an actual audience that matters to a very important person: you.
Course Learning Objectives
Goals
- Write analytically and creatively—express ideas clearly and incisively in writing in ways required both inside and outside of the academy.
- Effectively use a range of writing, reading, and research strategies applicable to multiple disciplines.
Objectives
- Students will be Introduced to the skills of the discipline and be able to:
- Compose a well-constructed essay that develops a clearly defined claim of interpretation which is supported by close textual reading.
- Employ effective rhetorical strategies in order to persuasively present ideas and perspectives.
- Utilize literary terminology, critical methods, and various lenses of interpretation in their writing.
- Adhere to the formatting and documenting conventions of our discipline.
- Locate and critically evaluate print and electronic sources.
- Students will have the following skills Introduced and/or Reinforced in the coursework and they will be able to:
- Integrate primary and secondary sources into their writing.
- Employ methods of active reading, including annotating, summarizing, questioning and synthesizing.
- Utilize current technologies to assist in the research and presentation of critical and creative writing.
- Students are Expected to have knowledge of the following skills which will be Reinforced in the coursework and they will be able to:
- Apply the rules of English grammar.
Required Texts
Guptill, Amy. Writing in College: From Competence to Excellence. Milne Open Publishing, 2016. $0.
On Blackboard and in CUNY Academic Commons (and, just for the first few days, in this folder)
- Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “The danger of a single story.” TED. YouTube.Com,, Oct 7, 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg. Accessed Aug 23 2022 .
- Alexie, Sherman. “Superman and Me.” Originally published in Dorris, Michael., and Emilie. Buchwald. The Most Wonderful Books : Writers on Discovering the Pleasures of Reading. 1st ed., Milkweed Editions, 1997.
- Anzaldua, Gloria. “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” In Ritchie, Joy, and Kate Ronald, editors. Available Means: An Anthology Of Women’S Rhetoric(s). University of Pittsburgh Press, 2001. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjqnj. Accessed 24 Aug. 2022.
- Baldwin, James. “If Black English Isn’t a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?” SOS -- Calling All Black People: A Black Arts Movement Reader, edited by John H. Bracey et al., University of Massachusetts Press, 2014, pp. 132–34. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt5vk2mr.25. Accessed 23 Aug. 2022.
- Cisneros, Sandra. “Only Daughter.” In Latina: Women's Voices From the Borderlands. Edited by Lillian Castillo-Speed. New York: Touchstone/Simon & Schuster, 1995.
- Clark, John Lee. “Against Access.” McSweeney’s 64. Summer 2021. https://audio.mcsweeneys.net/transcripts/against_access.html
- Diaz, Jaquira. “Girl Hood.” In Aldrich, Marcia. Waveform : Twenty-First-Century Essays by Women. Edited by Marcia Aldrich, The University of Georgia Press, 2016.
- Didion, Joan. “On Keeping a Notebook.” In Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays. Originally published, 1968, FSG. Ebook edition, Open Road Integrated Media, Inc, 2017.
- Freire, Paulo. “The ‘Banking’ Concept of Education.” In Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Translated by Myra Bergman Ramos, Thirtieth anniversary edition., Bloomsbury, 2014.
- Kincaid, Jamaica. “On Seeing England for the First Time.” Transition (Kampala, Uganda), no. 51, 1991, pp. 32–40.
- Mingus, Mia. “Access Intimacy: The Missing Link.” Leaving Evidence. Published May 5, 2011. https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/access-intimacy-the-missing-link/ Accessed August 23, 2022.
- Rakoff, Dave. “In New England Everyone Calls You Dave.” From “What You Lookin’ At?” This American Life. PRI, WBEZ-Chicago. December 1998. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/118/what-you-lookin-at . Reprinted in Fraud : Essays. 1st Anchor books (Broadway Books) ed., Anchor Books, 2002.
- Rodriguez, Richard. “The Achievement of Desire.” In Hunger of Memory : the Education of Richard Rodriguez : an Autobiography. Bantam Dell, 1982.
- Sedaris, David. “Me Talk Pretty One Day.” Esquire, Jan 29, 2007. https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/a1419/talk-pretty-0399/ Reprinted in Sedaris, David. Me Talk Pretty One Day. First Back Bay paperback edition., Back Bay Books, 2001.
- Smith, Zadie. “Speaking in Tongues.” New York Review of Books, vol. 56, no. 3, N Y REV, Inc., 2009.
College Resources
For some transactions, you’ll need to know your EMPL / CUNY ID or to use your Lehman email address.
- For tutoring in this class, you can contact the Lehman Tutoring Center (For Writing, Humanities, and Social Sciences Tutoring) by phone at (917) 960-8175 or by Email at issp.program@lehman.cuny.edu
- For counseling services, email the Counseling Center, call them at 718-960-8761, or visit their virtual office on Zoom at the hours listed on their website.
- For a list of the advising and student support resources available to first-year Lehman students, go here.
- For general information on student resources and information at Lehman, go here.
- For ways to use the Lehman library services remotely (convenient even when campus is open as usual), go here.
- For tech support, contact IT. There’s a Lehman app for Apple and Android devices.
Grading Breakdown
For this course, we will use a grading contract, which my colleague Melissa Watson has defined as “a system of grades that are based primarily on your labors and efforts.” That means that your final course letter grade will be based on your participation, attendance, and successful completion of assignments and revisions. Like Prof. Watson, whose model of grading contracts I adapt here, I will “continue to hold high standards for completing assignments fully and effectively,” but hope that contract grading will “invite you to feel more comfortable taking risks, making mistakes, and being transparent about your questions and stances.” If you do that, you’ll earn the points allotted to that assignment. The numbers add up to 100.
Your grade for this course is determined by four writing exercises. To build up to these, you’ll do a lot of informal work—reading, freewriting, listing, sketching, imagining, translating, and more. For simplicity, let’s call these pieces of work “formal attempts”--writing you’ll turn in to Blackboard, writing that I’ll assign a number value to, writing that will, as much as anything, determine your grade for the semester.
Of course, in-class writing and discussions are essential preparations for each of these four exercises. Similarly, peer feedback is an essential part of the grade for these more challenging pieces of writing. Reading, research, and low-key presentation of your ideas round out the way you’ll be graded. That should take some of the pressure off of the final product.
So should this: generally, if you follow the instructions, participate in a meaningful way in the preparatory work in class, and complete the attempt on time, you’ll earn all the available points.
Formal Attempt #1, “Areas of Our Expertise” (20 points)
Due in stages on Sept 20 (peer editing version) and Sept 27 (graded revision)
The peer editing version (complete, on time, with local and global comments) is worth 10 points
The graded revision (complete, on time) is worth 10 points
Formal Attempt #2, “On Keeping a (Research) Notebook” (20 points)
Due in stages on Oct 6 (annotated bibliography + scavenger hunt), various dates (presentation posts), and Oct 27 (process-analysis, in-class writing)
The annotated bibliography is worth 5 points
The process-analysis in-class writing is worth 10 points
The deposit in “Leaving Evidence” (our class freewrite folder) is worth 5 points
Formal Attempt #3: “What’s so Interesting About…” (30 points)
Peer Editing draft due Nov 15, worth 10 points
Non-Peer Editor non-assessment non-refusal due, November 22, worth 5 points
Graded Revision due November 29, worth 10 points
Non-peer editor non-binding non-assessment, due with Graded revision, worth 5 points
Formal Attempt #4, “Point B,” due December 13 (20 points)
Annotated Deposit in “Leaving Evidence” due Dec 1 (5 points)
Presentation draft of “Point B” essay due (various) Dec 6, 8, 13 (5 points)
Graded revision of “Point B” essay due Dec 15 (10 points)
Academic Integrity (10 points)
This is explained more fully below, but basically, I expect you to demonstrate academic integrity by:
- having no more than 4 absences or 8 partial attendances (leaving early, coming late)
- ignoring no formal attempts, and completing anything initially marked “incomplete”
- demonstrating an understanding of MLA-style citation and other key academic conventions
- progressing towards consistently producing digital writing that is accessible to a range of readers
- effectively and regularly participating in class conversation, especially in freewrites (writing and sharing)
Students who complete all of the above will earn two points in each area for a total of 10 points.
→ Students who do not meet any one of the above criteria will lose 1-2 points, at the instructor’s discretion.
Academic Integrity
Sometimes “academic integrity” is used as a synonym for “plagiarism.” I think of “integrity” differently. To me, academic integrity is the sum total of behaviors, language, and rituals that allow us to show respect to our peers and our predecessors in this academic subculture. The policies below aim to reflect that. Please think of each as a potential way to express your integrity.
Attendance and Participation
I expect you to attend every class, and will take attendance at the start of each period. However, life being what it is, I recognize that people get late and things come up. Attendance and timeliness won’t be measured into your grade until after four absences or eight partially attended classes (that is, a person who arrives after attendance has been taken). In such cases, each full absence will result in the deduction of one point from the end of term grade.
If there are extenuating circumstances, like illness, that bear a conversation, let me know and we can see what can be done.
Participation involves regular, active attendance in our class sessions and in our digital tools, effective collaboration with others, demonstrations of resilience, a sense of humor when things get tough, engagement with feedback from your readers, and a genuine curiosity about the work we have in front of us. Places I look for this include but aren’t limited to: helpful peer editing, generous blog replies, prepared conference attendance, invigorated involvement with readings and research, and otherwise unbridled curiosity and enthusiasm for the work we’re so lucky to be doing in this class.
One place I look for this in particular is in your engagement with our start-of-class freewriting sessions. I expect freewriting to be a time to move the pen and work with language. That means you’ll be ready to start when we all start; that you’ll keep writing no matter what; that you won’t get distracted by a device or another person; that you’ll work through confusion in a productive, independent way; and that you share your work, in part or in its entirety, regularly. This is not to add pressure to the freewrite, but rather to build a sense of sharing among us.
Deadlines
I strongly encourage you to meet deadlines. I set them so that we can engage with each other’s work. Deadlines also help keep writing from being an overwhelming task. Deadlines are at 9am (the start of class) unless noted. If you need more time with a formal assignment, let me know before the deadline arrives. I almost always grant brief extensions. You can miss an informal assignment or two with no impact on your grade. With these, just do your best.
Accessibility
I operate under the assumption that all of us learn in various ways. Together, we will all examine ways of measuring and describing the ways we learn. Even if you do not have a formally diagnosed disability, I welcome dialogue in class and outside of it about what makes you most engaged as a learner. Partly because I myself have a disability (a brain injury), but mostly because it is a way of showing integrity, this class is designed with the intent of being “already accessible” to students with disabilities. If additional adjustments are needed, please let me know as soon as possible.
The college accommodations statement indicates that in any class, students with disabilities have rights: “Lehman College is committed to providing access to all programs and curricula to all students. Students with disabilities who may require any special considerations should register with the Office of Student Disability Services in order to submit official paperwork to instructor. For more information, please contact the Office of Student Disability Services. Prior to COVID, they were located in Shuster Hall, Room 238, 718-960-8441. They're available on email disability.services@lehman.cuny.edu.
Conventions of Academic Work
All formal writing assignments will have formatting requirements in their instructions. Those instructions can be found in this document, following the schedule for each module. You can also search in this document for its “Assignment Sheet.” These instructions include options for completing the work in multi-modal ways or with translingual elements. If any formatting issues need to be addressed when you turn in the work, I will contact you at your Lehman College email. Resubmit the work within 24 hours so that, for the sake of fairness, I can assess it alongside your peers’ work. We use MLA format.
Schedule
For complete instructions (including homework tasks, working Docs, in-class notes, links), please see the “Chalkboard” Doc. The schedule below reflects due dates and reading material I plan to cover on a given day.
H, August 25: Course Introduction
T, August 30: Diaz; Suggested Reading: Writing in College (“Really? Writing? Again?”)
H, Sept 1: Cisneros; writing activity
T, Sept 6: Baldwin; sources and sourcework; Suggested: Writing in College (“What Does the Professor Want?”)
H, Sept 8: Adichie
T, Sept 13: Friere; writing activity; Non-Suggested (ie: required): Read Writing in College (“Constructing the Argument and the Thesis—From the Ground Up”)
H, Sept 15: Rodriguez; writing activity
T, Sept 20: Peer Editing Draft of Formal Attempt #1 Due to Bb (9/19) AND Google Docs (9/20)
H, Sept 22: Rakoff; Suggested: Guptil, Writing in College, “Secondary Sources in their Natural Habitat”
T, Sept 27: Revision for Credit, Formal Attempt #1 Due to Bb; in-class reflection (due to Bb by 11:59pm)
H, Sept 29: NO CLASS: MONDAY SCHEDULE
T, Oct 4: NO CLASS: COLLEGE CLOSED
H, Oct 6: Open Sourcework: podcasts (we’ll look at an episode of Mixtape); Peer Edit/Scavenger Hunt, Formal Attempt #2, part 1: Annotated Bibliography Due; Suggested: Writing in College (“Listening to Sources, Talking to Sources”)
T, Oct 11: Open Sourcework: comics (we’ll look at El Deafo)
H, Oct 13: Open Sourcework: fiction & poetry (we’ll look at Carver / Weise)
T, Oct 18: Open Sourcework: memoir (we’ll look at Patchett)
H, Oct 20: Revision for Credit, Formal Attempt #2, part 1: Annotated Bibliography with Rationale Due; Open Sourcework: archived documents & library databases (we’ll look at a piece from an archive)
T, Oct 25: Open Sourcework: video; Suggested: Writing in College (“Back to Basics: The Perfect Paragraph”)
H, Oct 27: In class writing: Formal Attempt #2, part 2: Reflection on open sourcework project
T, Nov. 1: Smith
H, Nov. 3: Smith
T, Nov. 8: Anzaldua
H, Nov. 10: Anzaldua
T, Nov. 15: Peer Editing Drafts Due, Formal Attempt #3:“What’s so interesting about …?” Guptil’s Writing in College (“Intros & Outros”)
H, Nov. 17: Clark
T, Nov. 22: Revised Formal Attempt #3 Due; Mingus (in-class); Guptil’s Writing in College (“Clarity and Concision”)
H, Nov. 24: NO CLASS: COLLEGE CLOSED
T, Nov. 29: Kincaid; Let’s hear about the artifacts of ___, ___, ___, ____, ____; Guptill Writing in College (“Getting the Mechanics Right”)
H, Dec 1: Kincaid; Let’s hear about the artifacts of ___, ___, ___, ____, ____
T, Dec 6: Sedaris; Let’s hear about the artifacts of ___, ___, ___, ____, ____
H, Dec 8: Alexie; Let’s hear about the artifacts of ___, ___, ___, ____, ____
T, Dec 13: Laymon; Let’s hear about the artifacts of ___, ___, ___, ____, ____
H, Dec 15: Final Assignment due digitally
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