Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
To my friends, family, fellow class mates and everyone else
I was born in the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle Washington, two months premature and, weighed in at a whopping three pounds 14 ounces. My father used to say that he could fit me in the palm of his hand, which I now know is a slight exaggeration of the truth. Due to inadequate lung capacity I was in the hospital for a month after I was born, my mother and father I’m sure were thrilled to have to sit and watch as I struggled to breath. As for who I am now, I am a student at Everett Community College finishing up my first year, a subway employee, and a member of G.R.I.T. (Getchell Recruits in Training). I am diligently pursuing a career in the Fire Service which caught my eye at a young age. My grandmother used to take me down to the fire station in Lake Stevens so I could sit in the driver’s seat of the engine, I can remember those days like it was yesterday. As of now I have completed EMT training and have been through Evcc’s Recruit Academy in which I obtained my Firefighter 1 Certification. The Decision to continue my education was not an easy task, but I’m glad I did for my futures sake. Now I am halfway finished with my Associates in Fire Science and on my way to my dream, becoming a fireman.
As I have traveled through the English 98 world of comma splices, summaries, paraphrasing and writing assignments I have learned that writing is more than what most perceive it to be. Coming into this class I despised writing and was dreading the fact that I had to write more after I had just graduated high school. Throughout the course of this class I have realized that good writing comes from personal experiences, knowledge, desire and sometimes just dumb luck. I couldn’t write about anything to save my life at the beginning, now I have a better understanding of the writing process and what a well constructed piece of writing should look like. The two novels we read: Three Cups of Tea and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian helped me understand the impact that someone or something can have on another. In that same sense my writing became stronger by forcing me to think at a different level than what I was used to and all of sudden I was thinking and writing of things that I never thought I could. As an example of that, my first selected piece of writing the definition of ”Change” shows that different level of thinking and how that definition shaped who I am today. After which my remaining selected pieces are introduced and available to read.
As I have traveled through the English 98 world of comma splices, summaries, paraphrasing and writing assignments I have learned that writing is more than what most perceive it to be. Coming into this class I despised writing and was dreading the fact that I had to write more after I had just graduated high school. Throughout the course of this class I have realized that good writing comes from personal experiences, knowledge, desire and sometimes just dumb luck. I couldn’t write about anything to save my life at the beginning, now I have a better understanding of the writing process and what a well constructed piece of writing should look like. The two novels we read: Three Cups of Tea and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian helped me understand the impact that someone or something can have on another. In that same sense my writing became stronger by forcing me to think at a different level than what I was used to and all of sudden I was thinking and writing of things that I never thought I could. As an example of that, my first selected piece of writing the definition of ”Change” shows that different level of thinking and how that definition shaped who I am today. After which my remaining selected pieces are introduced and available to read.
Intro/Explanation of the Writing Process:MWA 2
The first piece of writing that I feel best represents the writing process is my Definition writing assignment, which consisted of defining a word through my own intellect not Webster’s. I wrote this paper a little more than halfway through the class and my perception of it was way off. This was supposed to be one of the more difficult tasks as a writer although I found this easier than expected. As many words cluttered my mind, I kept coming back to this one particular word which played a huge role in my life; change. Not only did it lead me to college it in fact it helped jump start my life as well as become a more helpful and useful human being. Since I had firsthand experience, the examples I provided for change gave the paper a realistic yet personal voice at the same time. Overall I feel that this is my favorite it has the most meaning, and really shows what revision, editorial work and peer response can do. Now that I am able to write somewhat more effectively about different topics my strength as a writer in this piece was giving a personal voice that could appeal to the readers that experienced a similar change.
"Change" A Major Writing Assignment
There are many ways in which change can alter the course of someone or something. Through my eyes the possibilities of change are endless. It can mean so many different things; change clothes, change as in currency or change as far as physically doing something to make a difference. Many times in life we are the victors or victims of change, the outcome is of course hinged upon the decision the person makes, whether it is to change or stay the same. I myself don’t really like change, nor can I really think of anyone who does. Generally speaking most people like things to stay the same. On the other hand, when the opportunity of change presents itself, one would be foolish not to accept. Change is always constant, but never the same.
This quote from Three Cups of Tea is a perfect example of what change is and the positive effects it can have. “It was his body that had failed, he decided, not his spirit, and every body has its limits. He for the first time in his life had found the absolute limit of his” (Mortenson 16). If it hadn’t been for Greg Mortenson getting lost up on K2 he would of never found the village of Korphe and would have never known that they needed many schools in Pakistan. It was because of that change that Mortenson was able to change so many children’s lives in the remote mountainous villages of northern Pakistan. For Mortenson change was doing something out of the ordinary to help a group of struggling youth. If he hadn’t failed to summit there would have been no change, other than the fact that Mortenson had accomplished the feat of scaling one of the world’s largest peaks. Even though Mortenson’s goal was to summit, he came out of it feeling more accomplished that he had changed someone else’s life for the better. When the opportunity presented itself Mortenson made the correct decision to change. In his case the change was positive for both sides; as a result of building the schools Mortenson felt a sense of pride and accomplishment, and the children of Pakistan were now able to start receiving education.
In my case the opportunity to change was my own decision, I didn’t necessarily have to. In my Inventory of Being I said that everyone had said that I changed, but for better or worse I was to be the judge. I still believe that to be true and I feel that the offer to change presented itself in a manner in which I could not refuse. About three years ago this December, I made a choice not to participate in my school’s drug testing program, which in return put me on a 23 day suspension from playing sports, excellent decision you might say? Thats what I thought at the time, but little did I know what was in store for me next. About two weeks later I was pulled out of my second period class by the associate principal, I had somewhat of an idea what might be going on. That was of course before I knew the actual reason why I was being walked out to the parking lot. The man had informed me that there were drug sniffing dogs on campus and had responded to my car, he then proceeded to ask if I had anything in my vehicle that would cause that to happen. I hesitantly responded with a nod and said yes. Fortunately for me this was the end of a long series of stupid decisions.
This is when I decided to make a change that was necessary for my success as a human being in the constantly changing world. Not only was I suspended from school for ten days but I was also ineligible to participate in any extracurricular activities the school had to offer for an entire calendar school year. I decided that I was going to stop doing the immature things that I was participating in with a little help from some outside sources, and try to correct my bad habits. The people with whom I had surrounded myself with would ultimately lead to my destruction of one life style, and to the blossom of another. Ultimately it was my decision and I had to make the call whether I was going to change or not. As of that day my life had changed, whether I accepted it or not was a different story.
Basically I had to flip my world upside down and figure out some other way to go about living the way I truly wanted, which was to be happy. So I gradually stopped talking to my so called “ friends” and somewhat isolated myself to only a certain few. I concentrated on school and what was really important, the future. The remainder of my high school days wasn’t about partying and trying to be the most popular; it was getting good grades and building lasting relationships, things that I thought were impossible before now seemed like reachable goals. I ended my senior year with a 3.7 GPA and wonderful female companion who means the world to me. Never would I have thought in a million years I would be where I am today. As of right now, I am where I want to be, I have a career path chosen and am actively pursuing it. Change is the sole reason why I have chosen to go to college and further my education, change played a huge role in my life, and I am sure it will continue to stay that way.
I would have been foolish not to accept change. When my opportunity to change presented itself I didn’t necessarily accept willingly but it was unquestionably the correct decision. Although everyone has a different meanings and experiences to the word change, this is my definition of what change really means. Change must be experienced to be fully understood. Just think about this when the opportunity arises; change is always constant but never the same and one would be foolish not to accept the opportunity.
This quote from Three Cups of Tea is a perfect example of what change is and the positive effects it can have. “It was his body that had failed, he decided, not his spirit, and every body has its limits. He for the first time in his life had found the absolute limit of his” (Mortenson 16). If it hadn’t been for Greg Mortenson getting lost up on K2 he would of never found the village of Korphe and would have never known that they needed many schools in Pakistan. It was because of that change that Mortenson was able to change so many children’s lives in the remote mountainous villages of northern Pakistan. For Mortenson change was doing something out of the ordinary to help a group of struggling youth. If he hadn’t failed to summit there would have been no change, other than the fact that Mortenson had accomplished the feat of scaling one of the world’s largest peaks. Even though Mortenson’s goal was to summit, he came out of it feeling more accomplished that he had changed someone else’s life for the better. When the opportunity presented itself Mortenson made the correct decision to change. In his case the change was positive for both sides; as a result of building the schools Mortenson felt a sense of pride and accomplishment, and the children of Pakistan were now able to start receiving education.
In my case the opportunity to change was my own decision, I didn’t necessarily have to. In my Inventory of Being I said that everyone had said that I changed, but for better or worse I was to be the judge. I still believe that to be true and I feel that the offer to change presented itself in a manner in which I could not refuse. About three years ago this December, I made a choice not to participate in my school’s drug testing program, which in return put me on a 23 day suspension from playing sports, excellent decision you might say? Thats what I thought at the time, but little did I know what was in store for me next. About two weeks later I was pulled out of my second period class by the associate principal, I had somewhat of an idea what might be going on. That was of course before I knew the actual reason why I was being walked out to the parking lot. The man had informed me that there were drug sniffing dogs on campus and had responded to my car, he then proceeded to ask if I had anything in my vehicle that would cause that to happen. I hesitantly responded with a nod and said yes. Fortunately for me this was the end of a long series of stupid decisions.
This is when I decided to make a change that was necessary for my success as a human being in the constantly changing world. Not only was I suspended from school for ten days but I was also ineligible to participate in any extracurricular activities the school had to offer for an entire calendar school year. I decided that I was going to stop doing the immature things that I was participating in with a little help from some outside sources, and try to correct my bad habits. The people with whom I had surrounded myself with would ultimately lead to my destruction of one life style, and to the blossom of another. Ultimately it was my decision and I had to make the call whether I was going to change or not. As of that day my life had changed, whether I accepted it or not was a different story.
Basically I had to flip my world upside down and figure out some other way to go about living the way I truly wanted, which was to be happy. So I gradually stopped talking to my so called “ friends” and somewhat isolated myself to only a certain few. I concentrated on school and what was really important, the future. The remainder of my high school days wasn’t about partying and trying to be the most popular; it was getting good grades and building lasting relationships, things that I thought were impossible before now seemed like reachable goals. I ended my senior year with a 3.7 GPA and wonderful female companion who means the world to me. Never would I have thought in a million years I would be where I am today. As of right now, I am where I want to be, I have a career path chosen and am actively pursuing it. Change is the sole reason why I have chosen to go to college and further my education, change played a huge role in my life, and I am sure it will continue to stay that way.
I would have been foolish not to accept change. When my opportunity to change presented itself I didn’t necessarily accept willingly but it was unquestionably the correct decision. Although everyone has a different meanings and experiences to the word change, this is my definition of what change really means. Change must be experienced to be fully understood. Just think about this when the opportunity arises; change is always constant but never the same and one would be foolish not to accept the opportunity.
Intro/Explanation of Writing Effectively piece
The piece that I chose to represent effective writing were my summaries of the excerpt” What is Poverty” by Jo Goodwin Parker from Steps to Writing Well, our text book for the course. I wrote these summaries a little before the halfway mark of the quarter and, the intention of the assignment was to create a subjective and objective summary. I enjoyed reading this passage so naturally it was easy to write about, kind of funny how it seems to work that way. Throughout the quarter we worked extensively on how to write an effective summary and I feel that this one represents the best one I have written. Based on the handout and what we learned about summary writing, my summary is well constructed sentence wise and the integration of quotes from the passage helps the reader grasp the concept. To be able to write a summary is a feat in itself, both subjectively and objectively is a different story entirely. Subjective writing is more fact based, observable and concrete, whereas subjective writing is more based on opinions while supporting facts are secondary. In short objective is more as the writer would see it and objective is more of the reader opinion of the written piece.
What is Poverty: Effective Writing piece
Summary of “What is Poverty”
Objective
“What is Poverty written by Jo Goodwin Parker describes what it is truly like to live in poverty with close to nothing. No one to this day knows Parker or if she even exists. Before the passage even starts there is a sort of intro that states, “Whether the author of this essay was in reality a women describing her own painful experiences or a sympathetic writer who adopted her persona, Jo Goodwin Parker remains a mystery.” Parker explains that one day she had all the luxuries that many people live with such as hot water, shoes that fit, money, a job, a house, and a husband. She then goes on to tell that now she has none of that and has three children no husband and no job. Throughout the passage Parker starts pretty much every new paragraph with” poverty is…”, and then has a different saying each time. As an example Parker says, “Poverty is remembering”, she then goes on to explain what is was like to quit school, get married at a young age, and then lose it all. As stated in the text,” poverty is looking into a black future”, Parker says that at best her daughter will live the same life as she did, and that no other children want to play with her boys, the future does not look good for her children.
Subjective
“What is Poverty”, By Jo Goodwin Parker explains in depth what poverty is when you actually live it . Parker explains that poverty is all around everyone everywhere and they need help. To me I believe that Parker is a real woman struggling to raise her children in poverty, who cannot even send them to school because they are infectious and have no school supplies. In basically every paragraph Parker starts out with “poverty is” and each time it is something different about living in poverty, from being tired to “poverty is an acid that drips on pride until pride is worn away.” That quote is very powerful in a sense, Parker is saying poverty is essentially a disease and once you have it the virus will continue to infect until nothing is left. When reading this passage I couldn’t believe that things that she has gone without including hot water, proper food, diapers, soap just to name a few. I couldn’t imagine going one day without those things let alone a year. Poverty is a constant struggle, that most likely her kids will have the same problem. She also states that even though help is available it isn’t nearly enough to live on seventy-eight dollars a month, which is what the government provides.
Objective
“What is Poverty written by Jo Goodwin Parker describes what it is truly like to live in poverty with close to nothing. No one to this day knows Parker or if she even exists. Before the passage even starts there is a sort of intro that states, “Whether the author of this essay was in reality a women describing her own painful experiences or a sympathetic writer who adopted her persona, Jo Goodwin Parker remains a mystery.” Parker explains that one day she had all the luxuries that many people live with such as hot water, shoes that fit, money, a job, a house, and a husband. She then goes on to tell that now she has none of that and has three children no husband and no job. Throughout the passage Parker starts pretty much every new paragraph with” poverty is…”, and then has a different saying each time. As an example Parker says, “Poverty is remembering”, she then goes on to explain what is was like to quit school, get married at a young age, and then lose it all. As stated in the text,” poverty is looking into a black future”, Parker says that at best her daughter will live the same life as she did, and that no other children want to play with her boys, the future does not look good for her children.
Subjective
“What is Poverty”, By Jo Goodwin Parker explains in depth what poverty is when you actually live it . Parker explains that poverty is all around everyone everywhere and they need help. To me I believe that Parker is a real woman struggling to raise her children in poverty, who cannot even send them to school because they are infectious and have no school supplies. In basically every paragraph Parker starts out with “poverty is” and each time it is something different about living in poverty, from being tired to “poverty is an acid that drips on pride until pride is worn away.” That quote is very powerful in a sense, Parker is saying poverty is essentially a disease and once you have it the virus will continue to infect until nothing is left. When reading this passage I couldn’t believe that things that she has gone without including hot water, proper food, diapers, soap just to name a few. I couldn’t imagine going one day without those things let alone a year. Poverty is a constant struggle, that most likely her kids will have the same problem. She also states that even though help is available it isn’t nearly enough to live on seventy-eight dollars a month, which is what the government provides.
Intro/Explanation of Analytical writing piece
My chosen piece for a representation of analytical writing was the second seminar prep sheet for Three Cups of Tea written by Greg Mortenson. For each of the assigned block of chapters for the book we were required to do a seminar prep sheet, which consisted of picking three quotes, a few words that we didn’t know the meaning of and an explanation paragraph for each quote. Another component to the assignment was to participate in a small group discussion in which we went over our quotes and had a conversation over the assigned chapters for the week. This was a great way for members of the group to express their own opinions and to better understand how others view the book. Even though this was only the second one I feel that I had a good grasp on the correct way to complete the assignment. I found words that I had never even seen used in a sentence and found the meaning, as well as chose some difficult quotes to makes people think about the true meaning. The strength that I saw in this prep sheet was as mentioned, the word and quote choice and also the summary of Mortensons website and what he has done since the writing of his book.
Seminar Two Prep Sheet
Dictionary Terms
1.Implored: To call or pray for earnestly
2.Billeted: An official order directing that a member of a military force be provided with board and lodging.
3.Haggled: To cut roughly or clumsily.
4.Exuded: To cause to spread or ooze out in all directions.
Quotes
“Abdul intercepted Mortenson on the way to his room tsk-tsking at the tear, and suggested they visit a tailor” (Abdul 61).
For some reason this quote caught my eye more than once. I believe that this passage represents how dedicated Mortenson is to building the school. To me this quote explains that he doesn’t even care that his only clothing he has to wear is ripped, and that all he cares about is saving money to build the school. Mortenson has to live in those clothes until the school is complete. If it were me I would be making sure that I had good clothes to work in. On the other hand Mortenson does go to the tailor to get two new shalwar’s, but only because Abdul suggested it. He is a people pleaser and that’s the bottom line. Mortenson would not tell Abdul no and that’s why he went.
“Sahib, Greg Sahib” Abdul pleaded, “Much better for you to be the clean gentleman. For many will respect you” (Abdul 62).
This passage really solidified why Mortenson came back to build the school. A few lines before this quote Mortenson requests that both his new Shalwar’s be brown so that they wouldn’t show the dirt. Then Abdul says the quote which was mentioned above. Mortenson then “pictured the village of Korphe, where the population survived through the interminable winter months in the basements of their stone and mud homes, huddled with their animals around smoldering yak dung fires, in their one and only set of clothing.” He then proceeds on with only the brown Shalwar. To me this shows that the children and the way that they have to live is the reason he came back. He didn’t care whether everyone respected him or not, that wasn’t the point, the point was to build a school no matter what it took or what anyone thought.
“His Shalwar pocket was crammed full of receipts for hammers, nails, saws, nails, roofing and lumber worthy of supporting schoolchildren”(Mortenson 67).
I particularly enjoyed this quote because it explains that for one Mortenson was careful about his spending and made every rupee count. He wasn’t just carelessly spending money, he was actually bargaining to get the best price. Also this to me shows again how much he cares for the children, he didn’t buy to cheap lumber that was said to only last one year. Mortenson bought the best of everything so it would last as long as possible. You would think that he would be going for the cheap stuff because he only had $12,000, but no he had bought the best of the best. He wanted what was best for the children of Korphe and that’s what they are going to get.
Mortenson’s Website Summary #3
After reading this article about Mortenson I was astonished by the fact that he has built 141 schools totaling about 64,000 students. It’s astonishing to me that one man’s dream became reality. The writer of the Tyler Morning Telegraph explains” We were using him (Mortenson) as an example of how one person can make a difference …” she said. “(We wanted) to teach these students the power of with just one penny and one person, we can change the world one child at a time through education.” To me the article basically explains all the things that Mortenson has accomplished and how a lot of schools have contributed to the CAI that Mortenson founded to help fund his operation. The article also touches briefly on the subject that Mortenson will be trying to emphasize teacher training this year in addition to building 40 new schools.
1.Implored: To call or pray for earnestly
2.Billeted: An official order directing that a member of a military force be provided with board and lodging.
3.Haggled: To cut roughly or clumsily.
4.Exuded: To cause to spread or ooze out in all directions.
Quotes
“Abdul intercepted Mortenson on the way to his room tsk-tsking at the tear, and suggested they visit a tailor” (Abdul 61).
For some reason this quote caught my eye more than once. I believe that this passage represents how dedicated Mortenson is to building the school. To me this quote explains that he doesn’t even care that his only clothing he has to wear is ripped, and that all he cares about is saving money to build the school. Mortenson has to live in those clothes until the school is complete. If it were me I would be making sure that I had good clothes to work in. On the other hand Mortenson does go to the tailor to get two new shalwar’s, but only because Abdul suggested it. He is a people pleaser and that’s the bottom line. Mortenson would not tell Abdul no and that’s why he went.
“Sahib, Greg Sahib” Abdul pleaded, “Much better for you to be the clean gentleman. For many will respect you” (Abdul 62).
This passage really solidified why Mortenson came back to build the school. A few lines before this quote Mortenson requests that both his new Shalwar’s be brown so that they wouldn’t show the dirt. Then Abdul says the quote which was mentioned above. Mortenson then “pictured the village of Korphe, where the population survived through the interminable winter months in the basements of their stone and mud homes, huddled with their animals around smoldering yak dung fires, in their one and only set of clothing.” He then proceeds on with only the brown Shalwar. To me this shows that the children and the way that they have to live is the reason he came back. He didn’t care whether everyone respected him or not, that wasn’t the point, the point was to build a school no matter what it took or what anyone thought.
“His Shalwar pocket was crammed full of receipts for hammers, nails, saws, nails, roofing and lumber worthy of supporting schoolchildren”(Mortenson 67).
I particularly enjoyed this quote because it explains that for one Mortenson was careful about his spending and made every rupee count. He wasn’t just carelessly spending money, he was actually bargaining to get the best price. Also this to me shows again how much he cares for the children, he didn’t buy to cheap lumber that was said to only last one year. Mortenson bought the best of everything so it would last as long as possible. You would think that he would be going for the cheap stuff because he only had $12,000, but no he had bought the best of the best. He wanted what was best for the children of Korphe and that’s what they are going to get.
Mortenson’s Website Summary #3
After reading this article about Mortenson I was astonished by the fact that he has built 141 schools totaling about 64,000 students. It’s astonishing to me that one man’s dream became reality. The writer of the Tyler Morning Telegraph explains” We were using him (Mortenson) as an example of how one person can make a difference …” she said. “(We wanted) to teach these students the power of with just one penny and one person, we can change the world one child at a time through education.” To me the article basically explains all the things that Mortenson has accomplished and how a lot of schools have contributed to the CAI that Mortenson founded to help fund his operation. The article also touches briefly on the subject that Mortenson will be trying to emphasize teacher training this year in addition to building 40 new schools.
Intro/Explanation of Writers Choice piece
For my final piece I decided to choose something that interested me and that I enjoyed reading, “We like the Four Day Week.” This excerpt from our text book was about one school districts idea to change to a four day school week. The idea behind this is the money that will be saved and how there will be more classroom time than with the traditional five day week. The assignment was to construct a summary of the passage as well as to point out the key components that support this idea of the four day week. The concrete facts and specific quotes were what made this summary strong and to the point. I felt as though this summary precisely represents what we have been working towards all quarter and that its presence was very crucial to this portfolio.
Writers Choice piece: We Like the Four Day Week
“We like the Four Day Week” by Gregory A. Schmidt, explains the opposing view of the piece written by USA Today, “Four Is Not Enough.” Schmidt explains that the four day week is a change of pace and is anticipated to grow in popularity. He also states that the MACCRAY school districts decision wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to go to a four day week. In fact Schmidt explains that not only was the idea accepted but the staff and student attendance improved along with it. And because of the research done by MACCRAY’s leadership team, they have proven that academic scores have not dropped. Schmidt also goes on to say that the district will go on to save thousands from transportation, heating, electrical and wages because of the cut. The idea behind the four day week is the, 17 more hours of classroom time by taking fewer breaks for recess, lunch and time between classes to make up for the lost day. Although the school has adopted the schedule for the 08-09 school year more input from community members, parents, students, and staff will be needed for the continuation of the four day week.
The end has come
English 98 has seen its last days and I am thankful for that. I am also thankful for everything that I have taken away from this class as well as all the effort that was given by each student to make this quarter a success. If I were to give anyone advice before coming into this class or any class for that matter at the college level, be ready to work. Even though I will probably be seeing most of my classmates around school in the fall, farewell to all it’s been grand.
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