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Music for Thought

The following are just a handful of my favorite songs and artists. 1.) Let’s start with something relevant to my culture. I’ll start out by saying that I dislike most of the music here in the Valley. I don’t like Ramon Ayala (sounds like his nose is constipated), or Norteno (poor carbon copy of Cojunto). But I do like Tejano and the Mazz interpetation Devorame Otra Vez is golden. By far my favorite tejano song and group.

2.) I really only like one song by Michael Bolton and that’s Said I Loved You but I Lied. Even so it deserves mention as this song is amazing. Bolton has a wonderful low tenor and I find that I might have fallen in love just a bit lol.

3.) This really is a guilty pleasure. I have been obsessed with Love Live for a while and it has really started to open me up to J-Pop. Shocking Party is upbeat, sassy and catchy. Better than most Pop on the radio imo.

4.) When it comes to rap (and oldschool rap at that) 3-Six Mafia is my favorite (though Rhyme Poetic Mafia and Devin the Dude are really close behind). Weak Azz Bitch and Testin My Gangsta are a couple of many songs I enjoy from this group. This is rap done right.

5.) I love metal and 1349 (named after the Bubonic Plague hit Norway) is my favorite Black Metal band. Some of the songs are downright satanic and disturbing but I can’t ignore the sheer ferocity and fervor of their music. This extends to the heart bursting blast beating from drumming god, Frost, their dissonant guitar chords and overall presentation. I Breathe Spears and Sculptor of Flesh are wonderful albeit disturbing songs. The best part about their music? They’re not misogynistic. Doesn’t matter if your man, woman or child. The plague does not discriminate lol!

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Doing work in the Academic Setting

It’s that time of the semester again when everything in the world is due and the clock is ticking faster than before. As college students of today’s college environment this comes as no surprise. Through my own personal experience I have found that parking becomes considerably easier as the end of the semester draws. This is disconcerting as it tells a story of attrition and those who are not able to keep up the pace. This can be attributed to many personal and social factors. These can include obligations to family, finances, children, etc. Even so I would like to encourage everyone still stressing over their college work that it will be worth it. According to a study done by Pew Today and published by the US News those with a four year degree earn, on average, more than 17,000 dollars more than their high school graduate counterparts. Regardless of the stories of the fine arts BA major still working at Target it is shown that the value of a four year degree is higher than it has been since 1995. Consider your own goals, wants and aspirations and how getting your degree will help you reach those goals. We, as college students, are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to gain the credentials needed to take advantage of real life opportunities. Final exams and essays are scary but I, for one, will take the challenge rather than get intimidated and live a life of mediocrity.

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English as a Second Language

According to a 2013 study done by the National Center for Education Statistics over 9% of the student population in the United States are learning English as a second language. This amounts to over four million students. As such we as future educators must be aware of the fact that we are going to encounter these kind of students. We want to be able to create an environment where these students don’t feel ostracized and can be welcome to participate. This is to prevent these students from getting discouraged and continue to pursue academic success which will enable a better future. What I have listed here is the nucleus for which I will base my final portfolio on. Even so I wanted to be bring this issue out into the open for all those who plan to teach and what they, as future educators, can do so that we can be prepared to help students such as these.

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Roman Reigns and his application to comp theory

When initially asking about composition and its application in standard academic discourse the last thing most people would think about would be wrestling. At Wrestlemania 33 Roman Reigns defeated The Undertaker effectively retiring him and ending a legacy. However Roman Reigns victory was not solely due to his own considerable prowess but was pre-destined within the kafabe of the WWE Universe which the story writers had him come across the victor. From the onset of the match Undertaker was aggressive, trying to finish as fast as humanely possible. This is terribly out of character for a wrestler who thrived on long matches of attrition. It can be inferred that the reason why Undertaker started the match the way he did was because his body simply could not handle a match of attrition any longer. This is supplemented by commentary by the in ring announcing legend, JR, who stated repeatedly that the match’s outcome would be determined by “whose body gave out first.” As a fan this is a telling cue as Roman Reigns is young and healthy while The Undertaker is far from his prime. As such the match can be devolved into the following. Primary Claim: The match’s outcome is determined by who wins in a battle of resiliency. Secondary Claim: The presence of JR, who was hired back by the WWE to specifically to shot-call this match as well as the appearance of Undertaker’s close friends and family foretell a determined conclusion resulting in Undertaker’s loss and retirement. Goal of the course: To understand that concepts learned in standard academic discourse are readily used in areas outside an academic setting. Why watch this match?: From a writer’s point of view there is a definite progression in mounting tension, climax and resolution. Many subtle cues from the shot calling also supplement these literary elements used throughout the match. What can be inferred here is that that the match could be foretold based on many of these subtleties that are present before and during the match. So how does this apply in comp theory? It shows that despite its unusual setting literary concepts in composition can still be applied in areas outside of a standard academic setting. I would use this match as a visual representation of how a story can be written especially to students who have a difficult time understanding the theory behind writing composition. It may be unusual but even wrestling matches apply these concepts in order to tell a story which the fans love with adulation (or hate with utter contempt). Such is the power of composition and, in the case of the this Wrestlemania match, served as a last chapter to close out The Undertaker’s story over twenty years in the making.

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Careless Introspection

Yesterday evening I was at the computer lab working on a personal writing project when I found that I was running late for work. As I dashed out of the computer lab I didn’t notice that I forgot my backpack. It wasn’t until after I got home from work that I realized that I didn’t have it. While there was no incriminating information inside that backpack all of my notes have now been stolen and, since I had a book rental in there, I am now going to have to pay for the difference. The subject of carelessness is something that isn’t touched upon much in standard academic discourse. As future educators we obsess over the material that students need to learn on top of any additional work which may need to be done. Unfortunately this can lead to bouts of carelessness which can occur when we rush without thinking. How then does this apply to standard academic discourse? The subject of ‘safe spaces’ and ‘PC climate’ have become hot topics but have been severely overblown by its critics. As future educators we must be especially mindful of the words we speak as we will be dealing with the next generation of people. Regardless of the social stigma towards teachers and it being a ‘soft job’ we have the capability to affect the next generation. Carelessness in our words and ideals can have far reaching effects on the future of our children whether for good or ill. We hold the lives of the next generation in our hands. We will spend more time during the school year with these children than their own parents. This is a great power and one which cannot be misused. We cannot afford to be careless.

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Opinion on Literate Misfitting

Primary Claim: Literate misfitting, then, reveals both how people with disabilities are often excluded from normative conceptions of literacy and how their experiences adapting and innovating in the face of literate misfits offer vital insights into the social and material aspects of literacy. (Miller p.37) Secondary Claim: Literate misfitting, then, is as much about the social construction-or the expectations-of materiality and embodiment as about the physical or cognitive characteristics of readers and writers. (Miller p.51) Goal of the course: To learn how to teach others how to write appropriately. Why Read this?: To understand that there is no one size fits all method when it comes to teaching others how to write. As educators we must take into account limitations and disabilities that others may have, health or hereditary-wise. Miller makes a compelling argument for those who have suffered through brain trauma and how this trauma can affect their ability to read and/or write. It is often a forgotten fact that there will be times during our career where we will encounter individuals with these special needs. As future educators we must be aware of this and take such disabilities into consideration. What may work for someone who is able-bodied and fully cognizant may not work for those suffering from a disability.

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Concept of Research and it’s method

When students are asked to perform a research project for a class they normally respond with groans or complaints. This adversity towards doing research has always intrigued me since I myself don’t enjoy doing them. However when a professor from the University of El Paso started a presentation in regards to research and the methods behind it my perception towards research changed. Sitting down and thinking about it I believe that the reason why most people are afraid of doing research is that they don’t know where to start. Teachers and professors overwhelm students with topics, manner of writing, citations, etc that the student can sometimes feel lost or confused (I can attest to this!) During the presentation I was asked to write down my approach towards research. Surprisingly enough I had come up with a coherent plan towards the research topic I had in mind. I surprised myself and was further elated to know that the presenter saw my approach as viable. What I learned is that to take research one step at a time. Plan out what you want to do (whether it is to find a topic first, formulate a thesis, etc) and proceed. Research doesn’t have to be the frightening monster students make it out to be. When approached in this way research is not only doable but also fulfilling in its own right.

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Opinion on Social Discourse

About two years ago my little sister had decided to present an argument about today’s dating climate and had titled her work “The Costanza Effect.” after George Costanza from the tv sitcom, Seinfeld. What struck me was the type of social discourse used in which both men and women use to determine who would be a suitable person to allow into their lives and thus, use dating as a sort of filter to remove the grains from the gold. However the purpose of this blog is not merely for romantic purposes but towards social discourse in general. We are rapidly entering into a society which certain words (such as gender specific pronouns) are becoming taboo. Voicing your opinion can make you a target. As such social discourse is evolving in a way which may feel stifling. Now keep in mind that you (and every other US citizen) are still capable of practicing your right to free speech. However the social climate is as such that practicing this right may come with some consequences. I have learned that such risks need to be taken if you want to associate yourself with the people you want in your life. While I respect the opinion of others I also ask for the same respect and tolerance as well. Unfortunately voicing my opinion, whether it is on important matters such as politics or something as trivial as a character interpretation in a TV show, can bring very harsh resistance. Never be afraid of practicing your right to free speech. It is through such social discourses that we make the connections we do with our lives. It is also through this freedom that determines ourselves as individuals. I am who I am and haters be damned lol.

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Opinion on Chapter 1 of “Writing Without Teachers”

Peter Elbow has written a book to enable those who want to write. As stated in his introductory passage: “This book is dedicated to those people who actually use it-not just read it.” It is clear that he is serious about the advent of writing and towards those who choose to apply the methods which he has written for his audience. In chapter 1 he starts on the concept of “freewriting” and why it is beneficial to aspiring writers. As such I have provided the following as his claims: Primary Claim: “The most effective way I know to improve your writing is to do free writing exercises regularly.” (Elbow p.75) Secondary Claim: “The habit of compulsive, premature editing doesn’t just make writing hard. It also makes writing dead.” (Elbow p.82) This is interesting because lately I have been in the habit of obsessing over the strict forms taught to me by my professors in the standard academic discourse. While my writing has become cleaner and more streamlined I can’t help but feel that it has also become sterile. Elbow does not condemn revision (in fact he welcomes it) but only after the initial ideas have already been written down. This correlates closely to my own personal opinion on the matter and that revision itself should only be done once your ideas have been written down. As I stated in a previous blog the translation of concepts born from the abstract and translating it into a tangible state in the form of text is a slow and hard process. Making revision as this process is going on will only exacerbate matters. Elbow has stated this in chapter 1 as one of the key ways which writers become discouraged. Last week I had gone through a personal crisis in regards to writing as a professional career. I felt stifled and unable to follow through on the ideas which I wanted to write about. Eventually I found out that it was not so much the lack of creative input but the method of implementing this creativity on text. It is of a personal relief that Elbow subscribes to the same ideology. At the end of the day it is more important to write than to worry about what we are writing. Revision will always be at our disposal only when it the idea is allowed to take bloom.

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Opinion on “The University in Ruins”

Bill Readings wrote an interesting book regarding the current state of academia not only in the United States but as a global phenomenon and has questioned the place of university as the ultimate place of learning. Having read the first chapter I have structured what I believe are his claims in regards to this topic. Primary Claim: Teaching, we are told, is under valued in favor of research, while research is less and less in touch with the demands of the real world, or with the comprehension of the “common reader.” (Readings, pg.1) Secondary Claim: ...it is corporate bureaucratization that underlies the strong homogenization as an institution in North America. (Readings, pg. 12) Most importantly the thesis statement to his introductory chapter is as follows: In this book I will discuss how we can reconcieve the University once the story of liberal education has lost its organizing center-has lost, that is, the idea of culture as the object, as both origin and goal, of the human sciences. (Readings, pg. 10) What is readings trying to tell us? That the university in its current form is not performing its original function. However his thesis statement and his secondary claim do not seem to match up and as I continue to read his introduction I began to get lost and started to forget what it was that Readings is trying to tell me. I find it ironic that in his introductory page that he tells of researchers in universities losing touch with common readers and yet, through his needlessly wordy and dense writing, has already lost me, an experienced reader. How can Readings hope to reach to the “common reader” when the text he uses to perpetuate his argument is borderline unreadable to the “common reader”? Regardless of the form which University comes in (corporate, cultural or otherwise) I will strive to use the resources it provides to further my own learning and reach the goals which I have set for myself.

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The Richard Bachman Syndrome

At the time that Stephen King was writing The Long Walk in 1979 he had adopted a pseudonym by the name of Richard Bachman in order to test whether his commercial success as a writer had been out of his own merit or simply because of luck. This is a question I have asked myself many times as I endeavor to write and publish my works in the future. How much of my success will come from my own hard work? How much will depend on luck? When I had finished the The Long Walk I had come to a realization. Writing is hard and writing something which appeals to the general consumer may seem like an colossal task.

However you must have faith in your ability to write. No amount of training in the best academic discourses will help you if you are too insecure about your writing. So I will continue to soldier on and write. There is a very good chance that none of my work will ever get published but, at the end of the day, that is irrelevant to me. As long as I am able to write then I will.

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Opinion The Major Pedagogical Theories

When I had first read this article I was confused as to why Berlin chose to describe the other major pedagogical methods in such great detail when, in the end, he was going to discredit them by his favoring “New Rhetoric.”

I believe the reason why Berlin did this was to invite the popular academic discourses to argue with him. But why would he do this? It seems almost counter-productive to his endeavors to push New Rhetoric as the standard in current academic discourse. The concept of reality has been a question since ancient days. The path of New Rhetoric dictates that we are makers of our own reality when we write. I myself have been an unconscious student of this way of writing and only today realized that it was New Rhetoric. While I agree that the application of New Rhetoric and the freedom it affords aspiring writers is the appropriate path I can’t condone Berlin’s borderline disdain of other methods of writing. As I continue to grow as a writer I realize that I hold the power of reality at my own fingertips. However the translation of the abstract concepts I conceive within my mind to text is both slow and tedious and the message that I had wished to share becomes muddled. It is for this reason that I aspire to learn about any form of writing. Each path, whether it is through New Rhetoric or Aristotelian Logic each have something to offer each us as writers. At the end of the day it is not a matter of what method is appropriate or not but whether the student(s) are WILLING.

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Opinion on Revision Strategies of Student Writers and Experienced Adult Writers

Nancy Sommers writes an interesting article regarding the revision process between students and experienced writers. Some of the points made I agreed with. The analogy between music and writing in particular grabbed my attention as shown in page 385. A friend of mine had written an essay called “Revision as a Process” and had gone into great detail making parallels between music and writing. As such I do agree that revision needs to be done when the writer has finished writing their initial draft. The problem postulated in this article is the concern that student writers have over the “correct” form of the writing and, as such, are always in a constant state of revision while they write stifling the implementation of ideas from their heads to the paper. However I get the feeling that Sommers is underplaying the importance of form in writing. While I do agree that revision of writing form while the students are actually writing is counter intuitive that does not mean that they are altogether obsolete. Personally the solution to this problem with students obsessed with form is very simple. Just encourage them to write the product in its entirety first and then revise once the draft has been completed. The technical aspects of writing (such as fixing the ratio between passive/active voice, over use of prepositional phrasing, etc.) are still important. As in music, where each note and measure corresponds to a larger theme within the piece (harmonic dissonance, dynamic ranges, etc.) Sommers tries to implement the importance of more than just text but context as whole in the process of revision. However I believe that the writer must have an understanding appropriate form before they tackle the rhetorical hurdles that are expected of them in higher academic discourses. In short the writers must learn how to walk before they can sprint.

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Walking to class

When I was walking to class today, I was thinking about “Teaching Writing as a Process” and I thought about how I was “taught” to write in high school. As a matter of fact, they didn’t really teach me anything. The only concern they had with writing is if people in my school were writing enough. It was all about quantity instead of quality. I guess the curriculum coordinators believed if we wrote a lot, we would eventually get good at. The year after we finished our reading/writing STAAR test, they didn’t care if we were writing enough. The years after that test, we hardly wrote at all. Which had a really bad effect on my last year of high school. I was enrolled in dual-enrollment classes which allowed me to gain college credit for some courses. I was enrolled in ENGL 1301 and 1302 my junior year, but I did not consider this a college level course because the teacher had us mostly work on arts and crafts, we also only read one book. When I went on to my senior year, I took ENGL 2321 and 2341 with Dr. Evert Villarreal from UTRGV. That year was the hardest. I went from making arts and crafts in my 1301 and 1302 class to reading Macbeth, Hamlet, Oedipus, and poems from Emily Dickson, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, E.E. Cummings, Edgar Allen Poe and a few others. We also had to write 10-20 page essays on 4 of those listed and had in class essays on the others. I went from playing patty cake in high school to doing rigorous work. I would talk to Dr. Villarreal after class about the readings and asked a few questions about what I thought. He gave his point of view on things and helped me figure out my own point of views. So in essence, he taught me a few things about writing as a process. I still feel like there is much to learn about this process, but what is the actual process that a person should take? Is each process unique for each person, or is it just one set process for all? Does this process produce quality writing? and How is quality graded in writing? These were a few questions I had while I walked to class.

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It sounds like you went through your very own PLA in regards to your writing Frank Zamago and it shows that you related to the article due to your personal experiences. However what I’m interested in knowing is whether you can use that personal experience to culture your writing. Otherwise interesting article with alot of personal relation to it!

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News Values

1.What catches the attention of a news reader? Is it facts or shocking exploits that keep you reading an article?

2. “The wavering flame is the one thing that holds her conviction in place as she wriggles free of her captor’s control.” (Duca)

This really caught my attention when I was reading “Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America” since it mentions breaking free from someones oppression. As a news reader these are the kinds of things that grab my attention and make me want to keep reading because they show me that we shouldn’t just give up on what we can do to make the world a better place. We don’t have to focus on the negative aspects of life if we have the drive to find our own happiness by searching for the truth.

“This presents a narrow preconceived view of these countries, particularly if other countries would not show the same foregrounding of the news value of Negativity.” (Bednarek 137).

This quote goes back to what I said about the views of news and how it attracts the readers attention. Negativity really does keep the world reading and watching the news. This is why we shouldn’t let it consume our lives. The negative exists but we should work towards making things better.

3. In the article “Donald Trump is Gaslighting America” it explains the facts how Trump managed to become our president of the United States. However, Duca doesn’t entirely dwell on the negative aspects of Trump. She points out that even though he won he really isn’t fooling anyone with his promises and as Americans we don’t need to accept his ridiculous actions. We know what he’s done and we shouldn’t stop fighting against his backwards way of running the United States. After reading “Why News Values Matter” I understand more about how the audience sees news and how it can be interpreted as “false” or “scandalous.” This article should just light the fire in our fighting spirits to accept some of the things we hear on the news. We have to take responsibility for how the world is even if we don’t completely agree with what is going on.

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Hello Andrea It’s easy for people to focus on the negative aspects of anything in life. However negativity is also a matter of perception. What one news article may deem as “backward way of running the United States” can be “revolutionary” for others. In the end you chose what you want to believe and if what you believe is worth fighting for then I won’t stop you! Interesting blog it was fun to read!

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Writing and Schools

This week’s articles were mainly about writing and composition. One article described how first year composition uses enormous resources and takes up large chunks of the teachers’ and students’ time. Another article was about how writing shows its unique value for learning. The article that I was able to connect with the most talks about how the writing process “requires a teacher who will respect and respond to his students, not for what they have done, but for what they may do.” In the article, “Teach Writing as a Process Not Product” by Donald M. Murray, It is explained how teachers should have students write whatever they want rather than have them read a novel and have them write a paper on a particular topic. What Murray believes is important is to have the students be familiar with the process of writing which is to pre-write, write, and re-write. By practicing these three stages you will eventually be able to write an effective paper. Murray makes a good point when he says that “you don’t learn a process by talking about it, but by doing it.” While reading this article, I was reminded of when I was doing my student observations. I noticed that a lot of the students did not know how to write a well written paper on JFK’s inaugural speech. These students were Dual Enrollment juniors. This to me means that they should be able to write a well written essay that is longer than one page, which was on average how long their essays were, when the teacher was only asking for a measly two page paper. Usually teachers have the students write about a personal experience for their first writing assignment to know where they are as writers. If the students continue to practice writing essays and correct their past mistakes each time then they would eventually gain that skill. However, if the student only writes about personal experiences and their feelings, like how Murray explained, then they will not be able to sharpen their critical thinking skills. I believe that we should use Murray’s method of a no-topic essay to teach the process of writing and introduce the topic based essay once they know how to formulate a paper. This is easier said than done since the schools won’t allow too much time to be spent on perfecting their writing skills since they have to prepare for the standardized tests. This troubles me in that as the years go by, the newer generations will be unable to formulate a well written paper or do any sort of critical thinking.

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Hello Naylea

You hit a very important point and that is that writing has been shown to culture critical thinking skills. This is crucial in real life application and not just in the standard academic communities. A person who is a manager at a fast food restaurant, for example, has to possess critical thinking skills to keep the store running effectively, maintain staff, etc. This is probably my favorite approach and argument for writing. Would you consider using such an argument to explain time spent on writing practice for you students once you start teaching?

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In my experience, I was taught the process, rather than the product, of writing. Each period of instruction built upon the previous. So, it was difficult for me to grasp the concept of writing as a product. Perhaps it was my keenness with language and learning or a serendipitous series of instructors who consistently treated writing as a process. Regardless, my writing has evolved, and that is due, in no small part, to writing as a mode of learning. Through reading Donald M. Murray’s “Teach Writing as a Process Not Product” and Janet Emig’s “Writing as a Mode of Learning” I have found that I am a product of process and writing. Murray notices this as “the process of using language to learn about our world, to evaluate what we learn about our world, to communicate what we learn about our world” (4). Emig simply refers to it as “heuristic” (122). In that same respect, I have also learned there can be no “one size fits all” approach to composition pedagogy, which is one conflict I have with both articles. Emig asserts writing is the supreme mode of learning and Murray preaches process, process, process. While they both make sound arguments, they also leave out the human factor. Each student is different and therefore learns differently. Perhaps, for some, the product is the most sound and easily understood method for cognition or auditory cognition for that matter. The central most theme of their research is to approach composition pedagogy with multiple tools and allow for exponential growth. In reference to multiple tools, Emig references Jerome Bruner’s constructivist theory, specifically the three modes of representation: “(1) enactive—we learn ‘by doing’; (2) iconic—we learn ‘by depiction in an image’; and (3) representational or symbolic—we learn ‘by restatement in words’” (124). In this way, any learner can be reached.

Works Cited

Emig, Janet. “Writing as a Mode of Learning.” College Composition and Communication, vol.28, ser. 2, National Council of Teachers of English, Champaign, IL, 1977, pp. 122-128, 2.

Murray, Donald M. “Teach Writing as a Process Not Product.” Cross-Talk in Comp Theory: A Reader, Edited by Victor Villanueva, National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL, 1997, pp. 3–6.

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Hello Sarah

Very well put together blog. I like that you cited your sources since you did quote quite a bit from the reading. It seems that comprehending rhetoric has not been an issue for you. Since there is no “one size fits all” how would you teach writing to a class full of unique individuals? Great blog!

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