Agree. Disagree. Expand. Seek. Wonder. Ask. Muse. Doubt. Affirm. Connect. Confirm. Share. Research. React. Respond. Analyze. Assess. Align. Judge. Realize. Think. Discover. Explore. Extrapolate. Ponder.
Image from http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~cindyvu/WebSite/SocialImpact2.htm
79 comments:
Story 2
I found all of the symposiums we do to be very unique. Understanding another one’s ideas and philosophies over classification is fascinating. The analogies that can be made are quite remarkable. I love how every person has a different classification system. Most of the systems I have listened to are ones that I would have never thought of. A person’s classification essay can heavily represent their personality, hobbies, way of life, or all three. With each essay, inspiration may come depending on the topic. What if the reader becomes inspired by the way another person lives? Or becomes inspired to do as many hobbies as another or try new ones? Perhaps even just like how another person acts having an influence on the reader? It is not phony for any reading to change another person’s life. Whether if it is small or large does not matter. As stated earlier, you are reading another person’s philosophies and ideas, which can influence, enhance, or change your own. When the outcomes are looked at for reviewing another person’s work; there are only positives in the end. As I have heard from Mr. C many times in the classroom, going over another person’s writing is a great way to learn of your own writing and the other person’s writing that is reviewed. I am expecting to do my symposium within this upcoming week. I feel like I will be critiqued very greatly by my classmates to help improve my writing on this day. The best feeling for me, is knowing that everyone who comments on improving my essay is not telling me what to do to make themselves seem superior or to bring me down, but because I am in a classroom where others care to help me achieve my goals that I set for myself in English 101. My goals for this class are for me to succeed with an A, become a better writer, understand the language I speak much greater, and to expand my vocab and success with English. Thanks to my classmates help with my teacher, I know I can do this.
Zip up to the chair when prompted, Mr. Story. Don't dawdle on your way to enlightenment assistance.
Robertson 2
A few topics I found particularly enlightening during the past two weeks are the class symposiums and peer reviews. I feel the open , supportive environment of a symposium is very helpful to both the students in the seat offering up their paper and the students in the audience offering up their advice. The scholarly dynamic encourages positive peer interaction as well as constructive criticism that truly impacts the quality of writing expected in the class as a whole.
The peer review (a.k.a. the “3 critiques per page”) is an equally important facet to the class. I personally feel that the pressure to perform encouraged by trading papers is an excellent motivator to refine one’s writing. Trading papers not only helps a composition, but it also hones the editorial skills needed to become a master of writing mechanics. There is more to a body of work than flashy words and artful composure; a good essay also requires a stable backbone rooted in the tedious, ever-important world of grammar. Certain things that may be overlooked by a writer are almost always noticed by a peer who is critiquing the work.
I appreciate the scholarly attitude this class has. I do not feel confined to a certain level of writing because, as a college course, the curriculum is at a higher caliber of education. For the majority of my school career, I have written below my full capacity to accommodate the students (and occasionally teachers) subjected to my work. This class has lifted the burden of low-level expectations from my shoulders and I feel I can finally compose with my full potential. I cannot help but be intrigued every day I walk into class because, for the first time in a long time, I can finally write at the level I am at. I had forgotten how much I love to learn.
Miller 2
In the past few weeks we did a lot of symposiums. I find these very beneficial, not only for the person receiving the help but also, for those who were assisting. I did not do a symposium myself but I did get some great ideas from them. When I explain my thoughts to others or try to help them I think about my own work and how I can apply what I am saying to myself. One of the best things about the symposiums is that we get to hear our classmates’ ideas and help them to expand their writing.
When we turned in our essays last week, I thoroughly enjoyed the large circle we were in. I realize that this was mostly for you to have an easier time grading, but it was very nice to be able to sit and read what our fellow classmates had spent so much time on. I was very glad to be able and work on my correcting skills which in turn are helping with my writing. In addition to the benefits of the large correcting circle, an extra outcome was having fun reading the work of others.
One other facet of the past few weeks that I appreciated was the peer edit/review. It was helpful to me not only to have my essay looked over by a fellow student, but also for me to read through and help other classmates writing. I was slightly concerned when handing over the essay I had worked so hard on. I felt almost like I was throwing myself at the wolves, I know that my peers are not cruel in any way, but I have always been self-conscious about my writing. As this year has progressed so far I can see that there are less and less changes that my classmates want me to make. This in itself boosts my confidence and proves that I am becoming a better writer.
Last Tuesday the term of the day was altruism. We talked about it in English, as it would apply to humans. I would have to agree that humans generally have the urge to help someone in need. I learned about this word in two other classes and how they apply in different areas. In psychology, we read a case study which involved a murder, and the reaction time of bystanders who called for help. We learned that if there are a smaller number of people around an accident, a faster response time will happen. While, if there is a larger group of people, the reaction time will be significantly slower. Both groups of people want to help, but the difference is, the smaller group has less people so they rely on themselves to call for help, as where the larger group stalls, because they think someone else will call for help since there are more people around. I also heard this team in AP biology. In AP biology, we learned how it applies to animals. Altruism happens in animals if they are the same species and both animals benefit from this. An example would be, wolves hunting in a pack. The more each member of the pack helps out with a kill, the more likely the pack will be getting food for that specific time. Another example of altruism is in bees. All bees in a colony are female and they are all related to one another. These bees go and gather food, to feed the colony, while others stay and take care of the young. They help each other out to make the colony thrive and they all benefit from each other’s work. Last Tuesday lead me into the knowledge of the other meanings of the word. While each word has its own meaning, they all come back to the same root, helping each other.
Beckman 2
Not to beat a dead horse, but I too would say the peer editing and symposiums have really stuck with me during the last week. Those students, who volunteer, to sit up in front of the class and take not only the suggestions but also the criticism of everyone else, have my respect. I always sit in class and think to myself that I would never be able to explain my paper in a way that would properly convey my thoughts to the class. However, the symposiums have caused me to think about my paper on a deeper level, by hearing how others phrase their points and how I would attempt to describe my paper, because if I can verbally describe my paper to others then it will help me get the right concept written down in words. The peer editing has also helped me think more critically about my writing. There is a greater sense of pressure not necessarily knowing who may end up reading my paper. No matter who reads it, my overall goal is for them to understand the idea I am attempting to get across. The entire peer editing process has also helped me in asking questions. When I am unsure if something is worded correctly or if a comma needs to be inserted at a specific point, I am more willing to ask my dad what he thinks versus just guessing or leaving it alone all together. Going to my dad for advice on writing has brought us closer together lately; writing has become our one common activity. My dad majored in journalism when he went to school and I think he has really enjoyed finally putting his knowledge to use after not using it for such a length of time. Mr. C’s saying about how improving your writing can improve your chances of getting a job over someone else has also motivated me to perpetually better my writing. Losing out on a job opportunity due to a misused word or a foolish grammar error would be embarrassing and I want to portray my best intelligence which starts with improving now.
My favorite part about these past few weeks has been the symposiums. I thought that the symposiums were very helpful. If you are not the person in the chair, you are still being helped by the feedback that our classmate is receiving. I was able to get help during one of the symposiums earlier last week and I found that it helped me a great deal. I also got even more help when I was not the person in the chair because some of the ideas in other people’s essay pertained to me as well. Many of the comments I got from classmates were very helpful and I was able to put them to use in my essay. Without the help of the symposium, I am sure that my essay would not be as complete and descriptive as it is now. Of course there are still things that need to be addressed but the class’s comments helped me get a great start. I enjoy the symposiums for not only the help you receive from them but to hear other people’s ideas. It was surprising to me to hear how many different ideas people could come up with. Hearing what other people are classifying can describe them as a person as well. The things that people classify are usually things that the person knows well so hearing their ideas helps the class to understand them as a person better. I also found it interesting the different analogies that some people came up with. I think that every analogy I have heard has been very unique and it seems to fit so well with the background of their essay. I hope that we continue with doing symposiums throughout the first semester because I personally understand the mistakes I make better when we discuss how to fix them as a class. By the end of the year, I am sure that I will have to do less and less editing of little things in my essays because of the help from the symposiums.
Tripp 5
My favorite part about these past few weeks has been the symposiums. I thought that the symposiums were very helpful. If you are not the person in the chair, you are still being helped by the feedback that our classmate is receiving. I was able to get help during one of the symposiums earlier last week and I found that it helped me a great deal. I also got even more help when I was not the person in the chair because some of the ideas in other people’s essay pertained to me as well. Many of the comments I got from classmates were very helpful and I was able to put them to use in my essay. Without the help of the symposium, I am sure that my essay would not be as complete and descriptive as it is now. Of course there are still things that need to be addressed but the class’s comments helped me get a great start. I enjoy the symposiums for not only the help you receive from them but to hear other people’s ideas. It was surprising to me to hear how many different ideas people could come up with. Hearing what other people are classifying can describe them as a person as well. The things that people classify are usually things that the person knows well so hearing their ideas helps the class to understand them as a person better. I also found it interesting the different analogies that some people came up with. I think that every analogy I have heard has been very unique and it seems to fit so well with the background of their essay. I hope that we continue with doing symposiums throughout the first semester because I personally understand the mistakes I make better when we discuss how to fix them as a class. By the end of the year, I am sure that I will have to do less and less editing of little things in my essays because of the help from the symposiums.
Shroll 2
In class last week, we were given the opportunity to seek help with creating a clever title for our classification essays. Blake Story had asked for help with titling his types of exercisers essay. I believe one of Blake’s ideas had to do with “ripping metal” – simply a term for working out hard core. It was then that Mr. C commented on his college football days at Augustana, when he was forced to lift frequently for football. Mr. C then asked the class if we knew that when you lift, you are actually tearing your muscles so they grow back bigger… Mr. C then added in that he has stretch marks by the armpit area. I knew that these stretch marks could occur, I just didn’t realize that once you get stretch marks from lifting, they stay there forever. My friend moved in to Augustana last Sunday for college; I went to visit him and had to park in the Elmen Center parking lot. As I walked past the Elmen Center, it sort of boggled my mind that Mr. C, only a number of years ago, stretched skin and tore apart muscle in that very building. This concept has been baffling me lately. It is simply astounding to think about all of the people who have dripped sweat in the Elmen, who have walked through the halls of Brandon Valley High School, who have lived before I even existed. This actually brings us to another discussion in class, that at one point in time, we did not exist. Because I wore her SDSU shirt for throwback/jersey day, my mother showed me pictures from her college days. In that same photo album, there were pictures of my grandma and grandpa with my mom and her siblings, and even some pictures from before my mom was born – before my mom existed. I appreciate this blog task, for it has made me appreciate a small portion of the world’s vastness and awesomeness.
Larson 2
I believe the symposiums we have been conducting in class are very beneficial to the students. When I first learned about the symposiums that were going to be happen for this year, I became extremely nervous. I do not usually like talking in front of class, especially when I’m talking about my own work. Volunteering for these was extremely difficult for me and nearly impossible. When Mr. C volunteered me to do my symposium, I was frightened. Once I was in front of the class, I realized it wasn’t scary. My own classmates helped me and came up with a variety of new ideas that I can try out in my paper. Another good aspect of this type of learning is what students receive even when they aren’t the one doing their symposium. While I was helping my fellow classmates do their own symposium, I realized my ideas that I was suggesting to my friends could work in my essay as well. Symposiums made me analyze my essay in a new and refreshing way that can be very beneficial. One thing I found wrong in my essay from my symposium is run-on sentences. I tend to type really long and “fluffy” sentences. I then had to go through my essay and delete some extra words that weren’t needed. The result was a more concise and clear essay. Symposiums help you analyze your essays in a whole new entire way. I really approve of this method of teaching and I would gladly do it for the rest of the year. Even if you aren’t confident with being in front of the class, symposiums help you get over that fear and get a better grade on your essay. Students can improve their essay while they are improving their fellow classmates, which I definitely approve of.
Van Ede 5
The topic of discussion I found particularly interesting this week occurred on Tuesday, when Mr. C was giving a small history lesson of famous authors. He inspired us to dress up like one for character day and informed us that John Berryman, the writer he was planning to imposter, committed suicide. This got me thinking about how tragic the lives of many writers are, so I decided to research it a little more. Two years ago, in Honors English Ten we read a short story entitled "Miss Brill" by Katherine Mansfield. You may remember she died at the early age of thirty-five from tuberculosis. Then there is the mysterious and tragic death of the famous poet, Edgar Allan Poe, who died at age forty. Four days before his death he was discovered aimlessly wandering the city of Baltimore, babbling incoherently in a state of delirium. The exact cause of his death is still unknown. The life of the great playwright Tennessee Williams ended disturbingly when he choked on the bottle cap for his eye drops, with no one around to help him in his struggle. The esteemed novelist Ernest Hemmingway also committed suicide thirty-three years after his father did the same. Even more tragic, his brother and sister both took their own lives after him. With the occurrence of more and more writer suicide in my research, I began to wonder if there was something different about famous writers that created this disposition towards depression. I eventually came across a psychological theory coined the Sylvia Plath effect, named after the poet who committed suicide at age thirty. The Sylvia Plath effect relates the unproven theory that there is a link between mental illness and creativity. After further investigation of the article, I found acknowledgement of recent studies pointing out that poets in particular are more likely to suffer from some form of mental illness and suicidal tendencies than any other type of creative writer. I have sourced all of my research below. After looking back on everything I discovered from my delving, I find it a bit unsettling that the people who inspire us with their creativity may actually be in more need of our help. The creative may be inspirational, but the unimaginative will likely live longer and happier.
Works Cited:
"The 'Sylvia Plath' Effect." Considering Creativity--The 'Sylvia Path' Effect. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2012. ےhttp://www.apa.org/monitor/nov03/plath.aspx>.
"Tragic Deaths of Famous American Writers." Suite101.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2012. ےhttp://suite101.com/article/tragic-deaths-of-famous-american-writers-a360609>.
Marso 7
Today, we discussed juxtaposition as our term for “Term Tuesday.” The most effective way Mr. Christensen described the word was to use an example. He contrasted himself and a student as male and female as well as young and old. He did not follow up on the comparison between the two items in question. I feel that this is how we tend to write our essays as well as view life. In our essays, we classify our topic into groups, so naturally one points out the differences in the classes. However, in order to most effectively establish the difference I feel that one must not only be conscious of, but express similarities in the categories. In the classroom example, this can be easily overlooked as we subconsciously do this. Both he and the student are human, white, and spoke English. There are many more similarities and differences like this that we can fail to acknowledge. In life, this happens often. While uniqueness is a necessity, judgment of oneself or others is when contrasting people goes too far. We characterize political parties like Republicans and Democrats instead of recognizing that members of both can be concerned, informed citizens in regard to our government. We contrast denominations of Christianity into Lutheran, Catholic, and Baptist instead of identifying them as Christians. Additionally, we separate Blacks, Whites, Asians, and Native Americans instead of as Americans. The more similarities we are able to find in ourselves with others, the more relatable we become to them. The other statement Mr. Christensen made was “Juxtaposition is a word you will hear on campuses a lot.” If we are in a college-level class, we should treat the high school as our campus. Therefore, our vocabulary must increase with words like these in order to think critically and learn constantly.
Koehn pd. 7
Homecoming week. The highest anticipated high school week during the fall has arrived. Unsure or over-enthusiastic, the freshman range from no participation to over achievement. Most freshmen the first few days can’t believe making fun of themselves is the norm. Gradually through the week the timid younglings surpass the worries of criticism. Hardly out of diapers, the slightly arrogant sophomores feel they have become upperclassmen and have earned rights to flaunt their status. The boys and girls try to coordinate groups and original costumes to show their dominance as “upperclassmen.” I am not sure they realize that the freshmen are not looking up to them and neither are the juniors or seniors. The freshman are studying the techniques of the seniors and some juniors. The juniors however, deserve some respect. They have done their time at the bottom of the totem pole and feel the freedom and fresh atmosphere of upperclassmen. Exhilarated, the juniors tend to have high homecoming participation. Finally we have the seniors who carry the duty of setting precedence to the younger grades that participation is crucial and builds morale in the school. However, I have felt this year’s homecoming week has not followed the typical pattern. Less thrill and involvement have been evident in all of the classes including myself. I believe some of the traditions have been in place for so long that they are not creating excitement for students. Everyone knows the week plans, several of the dress up days happen every year, and the Olympics consist of the same games and format. Each school year it becomes increasingly difficult to find/create original homecoming outfits. Hand-me-downs or even reusing costumes become the solution when a student can not generate an authentic ensemble. In my fourth year of student council, I have found many of the seniors unwilling to participate in homecoming Olympics games. I do not understand this lazy anti-participation trend—shouldn’t seniors want to dominate at Olympics?? Whatever the reason may be, I think new traditions and competitions during the week would benefit the excitement and build-up to the football game. Hopefully the team will still prevail despite the dead atmosphere I am feeling from homecoming week this year.
Cain 2
Today in class Ashton shared her classification essay with us during a symposium. Her essay is about classifying parenting styles and the classes that each parent may fit into. I found this discussion especially intriguing. As a class we helped her create a circus metaphor for her entire paper. How so many different minds with various thoughts and backgrounds can come together and create a product, an idea, so complex that it would take a single person a significant amount of time to sort out all the details, never fails to amaze me. I’m hopeful to read Ashton’s final paper as I think the circus metaphor is going to be outstanding! The various symposiums that we partake in during class are easily my favorite part of the period. I really like being able to gain perspective on what others are writing about. It’s easy to be absorbed the one essay that we may be focusing on at the time, but a symposium about parents helps me write better about vacationers. A symposium about people that exercise helps me improve my essay about travelers. Ideas are like conversation. Just as a conversation about my new jeans can evolve into a new topic ranging from the kind of coffee I drank at breakfast to how much gas I put in to my tank the other day, ideas are apt to evolving if you allow your mind to wander and incorporate creativity. The way we can jump from idea to idea during class gives me a wonderful inspiration to do that on my own when writing and analyzing. While I realize that it wouldn’t be time efficient, I would love to devote more time to symposiums during class. However, the ideas that I have been able to contribute to others as well as the ideas they have given me, is encouragement to seek more informal symposiums from various classmates and acquaintances.
Coyle 5
One topic that I found particularly intriguing these past few weeks was when we were reading about enhancing sentences. I found that I myself have a big problem with making sentences concise and omitting unnecessary words. I was going over my classification essay and found that the words “very”, “often” and “quite”, littered my sentences. After enhancing the boggy sentences, my essay seems to flow better and doesn’t seem so lack-luster. I also found that many of my sentences were long and had pieces that didn’t really contribute to the overall effect of my sentence and instead bogged them down and made them more difficult to read. I managed to shorten a few of my longer sentences to make them less bulky and cumbersome to the reader. In addition to the Composition aspect of our class period, I discovered something about the psychological thought process of humans while studying unit 42. When asked to read a short passage written by Eudora Welty in a feminine and rough voice, a fellow peer found it uncomfortable and embarrassing to attempt to read the sentence. This incident made me realize that even though some people put up a very confident front, it is nothing more than just that. The façade of confidence conceals the social need to be accepted by peers, something I learned to be true at this moment of our learning session. I also learned that Mr. Christensen seems unaffected by how others perceive him. He acts in ways that most people would find embarrassing and threatening to their social standing. I personally believe that these aspects make him an admirable person. If one can stop focusing on how others view them and focused more on doing what makes them happy, they would be able to have more fun and feel freer than those who are constantly trying to fit in.
Forster 2
Today in class we had an essay symposium concerning Blake's composition on those who work out, based on their attendance and dedication to the gym. I found parts of this discussion intriguing. Once or twice, students brought up the question of why exactly people work out and try to stay fit. Different answers arose from the classroom's population. Some students believe people work out simply for themselves-that it is a personal goal to stay in shape and sculpt your body. Others replied that people work out to gain the approval of those around them, to "fit in". This need for approval is, in my opinion, human nature. We naturally crave acceptance and love to be referred to as an example for others. I tend to sway toward that side of the argument. I believe that most humans strive for acceptance. For many, this means looking and feeling happy with your physique. Working out and eating healthily contributes to this, therefore American enterprise has turned these wants and needs into a business empire. The "happiest you've ever been" and the "five pounds you've been dying to lose" seem like attainable goals with advertisements plastered across everything. However, in America, is this dream real? Will we as American citizens ever be satisfied with our own body image? I tend to be pessimistic and say most will not be pleased, as we often see ourselves as worse than others perceive us. Most humans are not confident enough to see themselves, physically, in a wonderful life. In my experience, even friends and relatives that seem to be perfect and confident in their physical appearances are not. They struggle with insecurities just like the rest of the human population. That leads me to draw the conclusion that humans are always seeking perfection, though that is not necessarily attainable.
Larson 1
What I find particularly interesting about the past couple days is the variety of topics that students have come up with for their classification essays. The variety of topics made me think that people’s ideas and thought processes are vastly different from one another. I sometimes muse on the commonly asked question: nature versus nurture, which one is more important? I once listened to a pod cast in Mr. Nelson’s class about where children’s thought processes really come from. In one example, as a parent speaks to their child about finding where a particular puzzle piece fits, they think aloud for the child. As a child grows older, they begin to take over this role, thinking aloud for themselves. Eventually this process becomes silent, as the thought process no longer needs to be verbal. Extending this early development past puzzles, a parent would shape behavioral, moral, and creative processes for a child. Is this then where the most molding and shaping occurs? But what about a child who bounces around from foster home to foster home with no steady influence to help shape their thought processes? This early experience could also yield different thought pattern results. Do siblings and other adults have an impact on how a child’s brain develops and turns out to function? Or does nature plays this biggest part, with your brain’s thought process and idea making center written genetically in your DNA? This week’s plethora of essay ideas, and witnessing the expanse of ideas offered up during symposiums has made me wonder where everyone’s ideas truly come from. I have not yet decided on the nature versus nurture question, but I am constantly surprised by other people, the directions their thoughts take, and how different their thoughts are from mine. Whether formed from nature or by nurture, people are constantly surprising me.
Pham 1
Though my analysis of this composition class within the last few weeks has been more than skeptical, I am beginning to align with the motives and purposes of a numerable amount of workshops we have partaken in. The ethereal of all these topics comes from the handbook that we use in class. The words of Chapters 42-44 have improved the skills of the class as a whole, especially those in my immediate proximity and friendship alliances. Prior to my junior year, I had never accepted the idea of being concise. When Ms. Sandro (now Mrs. Sazama) addressed conciseness, I found it seemingly difficult become accustomed to the process. However, after thorough motivations from many class subjects, I submitted to the will of conciseness. Furthermore, the chapters aforementioned have helped me progress into the properties of conciseness. Howbeit, I believe that in some situations conciseness is not always the best for literary effect. A prime example is when one wishes to make a point; being concise may always be the best way to emphasize one’s ideals. For reference, in my own essay, I use the phrase “They are” to emphasize the characteristics of each type of Christian, whether they are proud, perverse, or perceptive. This insertion is where another chapter from the handbook helped me. In Chapter 42, Lunsford encourages us to put the most important detail of a certain description either at the end of the grammatical thought or at the beginning. Now that I have acquired this revelation, my composition will be at a level unmatched my any of my previous compositions, I hope. . . Thus far, I have merely felt the ocean breeze and am exploring the depths just now. Hopefully I will not drown in this knowledge. On a more serious note, without the use of a horrendous analogy, I see that many students in my class are still struggling to brace themselves on the hot sands of wondrous writing. Oh no! Sometimes my analogical tongue slips and continues to make comparisons that are unreasonably cheesy. Yet that may also be the tip of a silver tongue. Pathological liarism –an actual word—is a disease and I am merely the victim. In essence, Andrea Lunsford’s great handbook has allowed me to learn greater and therefore think greater. However, due to my laziness, I have not pondered Chapter 44 yet but I believe it will submit unto my mind an important detail that I overlooked once again!
Wilde 7
I always seem to be most intrigued by the random tangents that occur during discussion. I really enjoy how Mr. C always has the class thinking about something, regardless of its relevance to composition. Today in class, a few students were asked whether or not they were essentially “forced” into attending a particular college. Most students replied “no,” but nevertheless I contemplated both sides of the spectrum. I, personally, do not have a path already set up for me as far as undergraduate college is concerned. Although my father teaches medical students at USD I am free to go wherever I would like, provided that I do not rack up too much debt. I honestly enjoy this freedom; I feel more independent knowing that I will be making my own college decisions. Although there is quite a bit of effort that goes into finding the “right” college for me, I know that the time I put forth will pay dividends. On the other hand, I would feel much less stress if I already knew where I was going to attend my post-BV studies. With the hundreds of colleges to choose from I have felt more than overwhelmed. I am sure everybody feels wanted with the endless piles of college recruiting tactics found in the mailbox each day. Knowing where I would be going from the get-go would alleviate that stress and allow me to have much more time to do other productive things such as applying for additional scholarships or maximizing my performance in the classroom. Furthermore, my family would know my future plans and thus not have to worry about where my life would be headed. As I consider this topic closer I begin to see the positives and negatives of both sides. This is obviously a very relevant topic as everybody in English Composition is a senior. Living in a society where one needs a college education to succeed, senior students are pushed to enroll in a college, whether located in the wonderful South Dakota or out-of-state. This fascinating comparison came about as a by-product of Mr. C’s unique teaching style, filled with countless mind-pondering tangents.
Woody 5
One topic that I have pondered upon the past week is that of sexism. I think this stuck in my mind more than anything else because you mention it almost everyday, but only as a quick afterthought. While I find your discreet comments about sexism comical at times, I also find it sad because of how sexist our society is. Many of the movies for children only feature men as the heroes, while the women are the ones that need saving. For the past several thousand years, and possibly beyond, men have had the idea that they are somehow superior to women. Each generation has passed down these presumed ideas creating a cyclical, false idea-feeding machine. Even everyday slang has traces of sexism within it. When I walk into a room full of people, I usually say, ”Hey guys.” instead of, “Hello everybody,” implying that there are only men, which is usually not the case. If it were not for the leaders in women’s’ rights group in the late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds, we might never have changed our ideas. Even today, where we have laws ensuring everyone’s rights, ideas and assumptions that keep men and women from being completely equal. Sometimes the deciding factor of whether or not you earn a promotion or receive a new job is your gender. Still, I think that we, as a society, have greatly progressed in the last century. In one hundred years, women went from having only the bare minimum of human rights rights, to having all the constitutional rights men have. Although we have yet to break down all of the various stereotypes, I think that we are well on our way to equality.
Tibke 1
This week, I think Tuesday, Matt V. was sitting up front doing his symposium. His topic for his classification essay was the different types of offenses in football. He talked about the three different types, a wide open, an average one, and then a really compact one. When he first began to explain his topics I started to wonder if his topics would go over the heads of many of our class mates. I know many people in our class have not the slightest clue what a spread offenses or a pistol one. When he commenced his explanations of the topics he spent a lot of time breaking down each one of his classifications into the very basics. I really liked how he compared his classifications to the size of doors. With his comparisons I feel like he helped those in the class who didn’t know what he was talking about feel more comfortable. Their comfort helped him in the end as well, with the fact that with his simplification of his topic he allowed for the students in the class to open their minds for his symposium. Without his simplification of his topic I do not think he would have gotten back as much feedback and assistance as he did. This really stood out to me because it made me think about my own paper and all of the baseball jargon I used. i did not want to leave readers wondering what I was trying to get at for a certain point or to limit my paper to only those who know the sport of baseball. So when my turn came for the symposium today I felt like I did my best to simplify my classifications as to not confuse the readers. With the assistance of a few of my classmates I was able to find excellent substations for the baseball slang I used in my original essay.
Andersen 2
In the past two weeks of class, symposiums have stuck out the most to me. When other fellow classmates go to the front and tell about the essay that they have put together it helps me better understand my essay. When someone is listing off how they classified their “topic” it gets me thinking what would I have done or I really like that, what can I do to mine to make my classifications more interesting. Symposiums also help me with the problems I come across with complications in my classifications. Hearing problems that classmates come up with, same topic or different, it helps me come up with the problems I need to include. The class’s idea on how to improve one’s essay also helps me decide what I should do to improve my essay. I may need to use more of a diverse vocabulary or word my sentences differently to add emphasis or make it more powerful. At first I felt that the symposiums were a little nerve racking and out of my comfort zone, but as more peers continue to go to the front, the more beneficial I see the symposiums. The welcoming atmosphere provided by our classmates also encourages others to go up and take advantage of the opportunity to get help. Symposiums are used to encourage us to share our ideas and to give help to others who may be seeking it. They are there for us to get help and to advance our writing skills. The more ideas and suggestions thrown at us, the easier it is to revise and polish our writing. The time set a side for symposiums is for our benefit to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes that others have made. It is also used to for us to see what others excel in such as word choice and sentence structure.
Hallstrom 5
The one thing that struck me as fascinating was all of the symposiums and peer reviews that we do in class. Getting help and advice from other classmates can help not only the person in the spotlight, but also all the other classmates looking for ideas. Because although not everyone got the chance to be up front with this essay, I am sure there will be other opportunities for students to get peer help on essays in the future. It is interesting to hear what everyone has to say about other peoples’ essays. Sometimes things that people say can benefit them, but other times I do not know if it will always benefit. I do believe that all of the ideas are well thought out, though. As I am saying that it benefits everyone, I really have not heard anything from a peer that would benefit my essay because I have not volunteered myself to be up front. I know that if I do volunteer I am sure I would get a lot of help from my classmates and teacher on how to perfect my essay. Lots of people are saying that the ideas students have given them have really helped them with figuring out what to focus on. Having a perfect essay as a high school is not something that everyone accomplishes but by getting help from your peers can make a difference. It is enjoyable to do symposiums because it gives you an idea of some of the interests of all your classmates. We have been together for almost 12 years now and there are a lot of people that do not know many things about all of their classmates so allowing each other to review essays can give everyone some knowledge about their peers. I enjoy having symposiums because it benefits the class as a whole.
Backer 1
Today in class we had a symposium regarding Cylie’s essay, which was about the characteristics of students in the hallways. I found this topic rather intriguing because the way students roam around the hallway is not something you normally think of on a daily basis. Her topic sparked an abundant amount of comments from our class. I noticed many felt compelled to share their ideas, including myself. We discussed the different speeds students take down the hallways and how their speed correlates to what type of person they are. I believe Cylie’s categories were the slow poke, the meanderer, and the speedy Gonzales. Those who fall into the slow poke category, we decided, are more than likely the easy-going students who are in no hurry to get to class. The slow pokes often are found taking their own sweet time, along with everybody else’s. They are the students you don’t want to be behind when you are in a rush. We decided that the meanderers are more so the in-between of the three categories. They are not about to sprint to get to class, but they do maintain a steady pace. This is the category where most students probably can be classified into. Students who are always booking it across the hallways though are the speedy Gonzales. These scurrying individuals always seem to have a ticking clock inside of them. They know where they have to be and nothing is going to stand in the way of them getting there in a timely manner. We also discussed that the classification of these categories can also depend on a person’s grade as well. A freshman is bound to be more timid and worried about getting to their next class than someone who knows the ropes, such as a senior. Mr. C even made a comparison to life in general. Some people take their time and some people live life in the fast lane. The discussion led me to wonder about what category I fall into and how I approach my own life.
Grapevine 7
One concept that we've been talking about over the last week or so has been sentence structure and word use for me. After learning about using the word "they" in essays, I looked back at mine, realizing how many times I actually used words such as "they" and "very" in the essay. It made me realize how overused those words are, and I realized how boring they, I mean, the words make the essay seem as well. It inspired me to go back and change a lot of my essay in terms of word use, in order to make it more interesting to read. Looking back through a lot of my writing and work, it's definitely something I need to work on. I just found it interesting how many other words there are that you can use, ones that seem so obvious. I hope it will help me to make my essay now and my future essays more interesting through simple word use.
Volk 1
I thought that our discussion of sentences was very interesting. It never struck me before how boring my sentences were until now. I agree with the discussions because looking back, my sentences were boring! I have learned to vary my sentence length and subordinate them better than I ever have before. I also learned not to use boring words and to come up with better phrases. For me to pass this class with a good grade, I will need to fix my sentences on my own instead of having people show me that it is wrong. Words are another very important. It is sometimes hard to come up with that perfect word, but once it comes to you, it makes the sentence that much better. Words like ‘is’ and ‘they’ make a sentence sound boring and not thought out very well. That is something that I will need to work on in the future. I will need to be able to find them on my own and make them better. Symposiums also work very well. I have found that even if I am not the one in the spotlight, I can learn a ton through other people’s ideas. It helps me to think of things in a whole new way. It is much easier to have 20 people thinking of ideas to help me out than just myself. The final thing that I found very interesting was my discussion with Mr. C about relativity. I found that I must keep things in perspective when comparing two or more things. For example, when he is around me, Mr. C seems very big, but if he was put in a room of basketball players, the perspective would change. I will have to remember that in the future so I do not confuse people.
Callahan 1
I, like a clear majority of the students before me, have found the symposiums to be the most interesting. I enjoy being able to help form the essay, rather than limit my input to correcting and editing sentence structure, as we have done in the years prior to Composition 101. I am also appreciative of the environment in which the symposiums occur. As a contributor, I feel like I can give my honest opinions without being judged. Others must also feel the same, because the number of people who answer questions has grown with the count of symposiums. I find it amazing how much our class can come up with in such a short amount of time. Most of the information suggested during one symposium is enough to write a full essay, not just add to or refine a current work. I think that is what I like most about symposiums-- yes, others suggest ideas, but ultimately it is up to the writer to decide what to include and what to leave out. Though the thought was brought up by a source other than their own mind, the writer is forced to delve deeper and to put the thought into their own words to truly make the essay flow cohesively. While observing the writer of the essay being critiqued, I have noticed all have seemed comfortable in front of the class-- a direct contrast to freshman year speech class, where the students freeze in front of their audience and are visibly uncomfortable. Luckily, I was able to write my essay on categorizing fairly easily, and had no trouble with length or enough content. However, I realize that this will not always be the case, and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to ask my classmates when I am struggling. I very much look forward to hearing what thought-provoking ideas my classmates will conjure.
Guthmiller 4
With the football field substituting the classroom, Coach C. asked me “Are you having fun?” while I was kneeling on the sidelines. I blankly said “I guess” which was obviously a lie. After working hard in the offseason, getting excited for the season, and having success as a team and an individual early, I’m still not having as much fun as previous seasons. Is it because the expectations? Starting off poorly last year quickly made us appreciate every play. After an embarrassing loss to Lincoln’s speed and passing assault the team knew not to take anything for granted. Our team, bruised but not broke, learned we had to earn every play, every quarter, every game. We became invested in ourselves and our teammates. Dividends paid off the next week as we beat Huron at home. I was engulfed by a wave of euphoria, rivaling emotions felt after winning ESD sophomore year. Our immaculate run that ended with a heart-wrenching loss to Roosevelt had started that night. The adversity from earlier defeats hardened our team, making us better and closer to each other. By the end of the season, I was able to put every ounce of energy, every part of my body, every part of my mind on the line for that team. Never had I enjoyed myself more than when I was battling for my teammates, coaches, and city. This year’s team, although extremely talented, hardworking, and focused, has yet to completely bond. Adversity and its healthy side effects that create life-long bonds have yet to face us. I hope by the end of the season, we have faced adversity. It isn’t until our team has been broken down a little, than it can stand up and be stronger. I’m confident once we face trouble, once we build trust, once we become unconditionally invested, football will be fun again.
Bakke 5
The idea of having symposiums for the class has been an intriguing element of Composition class. Though many struggle with both volunteering for “the chair” and expressing helpful ideas for others, I expect to see a growth in the dash for the throne and hands shooting into the air as comrades hope to assist both their classmates and themselves. The distance between each new suggestion, I hypothesize, is a lack of confidence in our own writing and abilities. This is why we need—but have not yet seen how—to unlock the true potential of the symposium. I am no exception to the rule of hoping someone sitting next to me or Mr. Christensen will make a comment while I listen and make notes on my paper. Some few students stand out in the ring while a symposium occurs. They know all the right questions, know what to ask to improve their essay, or do not care about being judged when they ask a question. These students are models that can be hard to follow, even when the rest of the class knows we need the points to make up for a quiz/paper that we were not so happy about, or could not be happy about in the future. Everyone is aware of the protective cushion that a symposium can provide if used correctly. Attentively making note of the comments Mr. Christensen says will help everyone achieve a higher goal of being able to grasp more from each session and improve upon ourselves so much. My writing, and I am sure my peer’s as well, has developed immensely from the use of symposiums. By the end of the semester, my skills as a writer will have evolved so much, I will not be able to recognize my own compositions any more.
Breitzman 1
I have found many concrete things that we have discussed in composition class so far to be educational and helpful, but there are more abstract topics that I find to be intriguing. What I enjoy about English class this year is how we are able to discuss a various amount of subjects that may seem unrelated to education but yet still encourage thought and contemplation. An excellent example is this: about a week ago, our class held a very random conversation about what type of soda we like to drink. Mr. Christensen asked nearly everyone what their favorite flavor was. When he asked me, I responded that I do not drink soda and therefore do not have a personal favorite flavor. I thought that I would receive scoffs from many in my class, as I do not know many people who do not drink “pop.” However, I was wrong. There were a few other classmates who said that they also do not drink soda regularly. Although it may seem at first glance like a weightless discussion only meant for humor, I can assure you that it was not, at least not in my opinion. This conference, if you will, opened my eyes to more reasoning. I re-evaluated my own reasons for why I do not care for soda. My main reason, to be blunt, is because I suffer from acid reflux disease and drinking soda irritates that. I feel very uncomfortable and experience pain if I drink such bubbly, carbonated drinks. I am sure, though, that my classmates who do not drink it have their own, different reasons. Do they dislike it because soda is unhealthy and very sugary? Do they choose not to drink it because of religious beliefs? Or is it simply the taste that turns them off? Again, it may seem like I am a little strange for expounding on about this. But the conversation really helped to widen my eyes a bit. I admit that I can sometimes be a person who thinks that everyone else agrees with me, when in reality they do not. When others do happen to concur with me, I usually assume that they have the same reasons for their beliefs as I do, which is often not the case either. Again, this seemingly innocent conversation served as a learning tool for me, one in which I more deeply discovered a new way of thought. It just goes to prove how Mr. C is always trying to revamp the way we think, and how sometimes life’s most interesting teaching moments do not always come from school textbook learning.
Westcott, 5
One thing that has stuck with me from class the past couple weeks was Mr. C going around and asking certain people personal information about their dating lives. He joked of why certain people weren’t in relationships, but as I was comparing it to my essay about classifying high school relationships, I thought about it a bit more. Why do some people steer away from relationships during our high school years? And how do some relationships last for more than half of our time in this building? Being able to stay committed to one person shows a lot about an individual’s character. I was able to think even more critically while doing my symposium. I was a bit nervous to get in that chair and put my thoughts out there for my whole class, but it proved to be very helpful. Some of my classmates came up with ideas and subtopics for my essay that I would have never thought of. It also helped me to look at my paper and think about the deeper meaning behind people’s actions. What are the hidden feeling people have and how do those feelings come out while deciding on a relationship? Another thing I noticed in class this week was the way people reacted to the symposiums. When Collin got up in the chair, I noticed people who understand sports were more so the ones who helped and gave ideas. I know that I personally felt at a loss of ideas because I know nothing about soccer. In contrast, as Cole was in the front of the room today, there were mostly band students speaking up, until Adam pointed out that not everyone understands what marching band involves. It made me realize that we are writing to a vast audience, not only those who understand the topic. I will make sure to keep that in mind as I write this essay, and future essays.
Tew 1
I know that we do not really talk about the days of the week but I truly do find them interesting. I have sat in class on more than one occasion and thought about what these odd words could mean and why they were chosen to name the days of the week after. I did some researching and found out what Tyr’s day meant. Supposedly Tyr was a Norse god of single combat. He apparently equates with the roman counterpart of Aries or Mars. I have no idea why you would want to name a day of the week after a god of violence but I’m sure there is a reason for it out there somewhere. I find this relevant because it expanded my knowledge. It peaked my interest and caused me to go out and find more out about it. That is what learning should do in my opinion. If we are learning about something we are not interested in than we will only remember it for as long as we have to. Later on it will become useless to us because we will not have any recollection of learning certain things. I guess that is why the school teaches a huge variety of subjects. We are all bound to be interested in one of them. That way when we graduate, we can all say we learned something. Thankfully most people can say they learned a much larger amount of things than just one thing. If I had any memory of the other days odd names than I would look those up as well but I can not remember them. I also started reading the Jane Eyre book during team as well. So far it is a good book. Not much has happened as of yet but I’m sure it will get better. Maybe by the next blog I will have gotten to an exciting part and be able to talk about it.
Dutson 1
Since our last blog task we have discussed many more topics in class. One of our most recent topics would be the sentence revising. I have found that due to a lack of variety of sentences in my essays that they tend to be quite bland and uninteresting. However, with my newly obtained knowledge I have been able to collapse, expound, and rearrange my sentences to make them more appealing to my intended audiences.
Also in class we have had many adventitious discussions just about everyday. Initially I found these to be quite tedious and deterioration of valuable time that could be used towards essay improvement. This is no longer the case. I find that the discussion no matter the topic expound my knowledge and more often than not challenge me to think more outside of my typical train of thought. I have found this to be valuable towards this most recent essay. Up until now I have had trouble with length, but with combining the new sentence structures with our discussions I have been able to easily fill the requirement. I have found that I am not just filling the page with whimsical non-sense I am using applicable information that the reader will more than likely find informative. Symposiums have also helped with this. I have not been in the chair receiving information from my colleagues but I have still been able to work on my essay by participating and listening to suggestions that others have for the "symposist". I do wish that many others would participate in giving suggestions for I feel that many are not speaking about their ideas and we are losing very valuable opinions that can help us improve regardless of what is said. So in all I have found all techniques and enlightenment to be helpful, but it would be even better if more people participated.
Kunkel 2
I really love the symposiums we do. I find them fascinating and extremely interesting. While I have not been the head of a symposium yet, I look forward to the time when I do. Although, I am also extremely terrified. I have never considered myself a very strong writer of essays. I could write stories all day with no issues, no brain running out of ideas, and no being worried about whether or not what I am writing is quality work. With essays, I always feel so much pressure. I am always terrified to peer edit because I know my essays are not up to par with the rest of the class. Essays have never been my strong point. While I love peer editing, I highly dislike when someone that is not my teacher critizes my work. It frightens me to know that someone is reading my work, correcting things that need or the they think could work better. I am a people pleaser and so when someone gives me comments, most of the time I will use them, good or bad. Obviously this is not a very good idea, and a I realize that completely. When I was in middle school, I was the star of correcting essays because I am very good at detecting mistakes and making essays flow better, but this is a technique that I am not very good at using these ideas and techniques in my own writing. Which is why while I would hate to actually get up and get help on my essay, I love helping people write their essays. I hope that eventually I will become brave enough to jump up to the chair and get help on my writing, for I know it will improve my writing drastically, but my abnormal fear is holding me back.
Nifong Period 2
When I first entered my senior year I did not even know what a symposium was. I quickly fell in love with the concept. Most of the time I feel like I get more out of the symposium than the person who is sitting on the hot spot does. The symposiums help my writing to become better and more thought out. Symposiums are a very unique thing to do in the high school class room. Most of the time teachers use the same teaching methods year after year. Symposiums are an extraordinary way for students to learn from themselves and to expand their knowledge while helping fellow students. Everyone is enlightened during symposiums. Due to the fact that everyone’s thinking process is different, different people bring up different points that some people would not ever think of. Symposiums work for the common good of everyone. Another reason I like the symposiums so much is because I feel like I am in a college atmosphere when the symposiums are taking place. English 101 feels so much like an actual on campus experience to me. I love the way Mr. C teaches and I love how he treats us like adults. The mutual respect between the teacher and the students is very refreshing. I feel like the class room is a very respectful and calm place. Many different views and takes on things are discussed and everyone’s opinion is accepted no matter what it may be. On a different note, I have become fascinated with the way we are told to not use sexist words. I have never once been instructed to advert myself from such words. I have discovered that when sexist words are removed from the context more of your voice is inserted and therefore more passion and personal touch is added.
Bender 1
With the recent influx of symposiums I have noticed several interesting things. During symposiums we are judged not on the merit of what we say but the number of times we say something. I do not believe this is accurate to how the world works. I personally have always believed that quality is far the superior of quantity. Listing the number of times each person has spoken so far can have a very negative effect. Since we are in fact competing with those around us for a grade we try to make the symposiums more about our comments than commenting on things that will most help the author during the symposium. This leads into my next observation about how people act when doing a symposium. For some the symposium is voluntary. Others are on the receiving end of the “finger of fate.” Those on the receiving end often seem reluctant to jump right in to their essay. Those who volunteer cheerfully expound on every idea in their literary work. Another point of interest to me is how people often get called on. I notice that occasionally the people on the chair will skim over certain people until later. Several ideas come to mind as why. They might be over looked for a friend or possibly someone with fewer comments. They might be looking for someone that they would view as having a more intellectual comment. Less of an observation and more of a question is why some people have a nominal number of comments. Although you might not have something incredibly important to say on every topic participation is graded. As already established you are graded on simply how many comments you have. I struggle to understand though how someone who is intelligent enough to be in a college level English class feels as though they have nothing worthwhile to share with the class or person on the chair.
Johnke, pd. 5
The thing that I found most interesting throughout the last couple weeks of class were the symposiums that we had. Although I never went up myself, I was fascinated by the ideas that other students around me had come up with for essays of their own. Even hearing others give advice and tips to the student up front helps. Listening to others ask questions not only gets me to think about the essay the student up front has, but also helps me piece together ideas for my own essay. Whenever a question is asked, I tend to look at my own paper and ask myself the same question. Am I satisfied with my introduction? How about my conclusion? Listening to all of the symposiums in class has helped me transform my essay into a much more descriptive and colorful essay, although it is still not as complete as it could be. In previous years I would have looked at my paper and been satisfied with it, even if there were parts that I knew were not as well written as they could have been. Spending all this time sifting through our essays has helped me develop as a writer tremendously. Another part of last week’s lessons was the peer editing. Just like the symposiums, correcting someone else’s paper helps me get a grasp on my own paper. If I spot a mistake happening frequently in someone else’s paper often times I go back to my paper and make sure I haven’t made the exact same mistake. Both the symposiums and the peer editing have helped me shape my essay into what it is now. I hope that we continue to do symposiums in class throughout the rest of the semester so that everyone in the class can bounce ideas back and forth to each other.
Rasmussen 5
The things that have really helped me through the first essay are the symposiums. They make me think about questions that I wouldn’t ever think about if I were asking myself questions on my own essay. They also help me involve new ideas and help me develop new ways of thinking. This might be sentence structure related or it might be looking through another person’s perspective. The peer editing also helps me because I can relate to the comments that my peers are making on my essay. I don’t have to ask myself why this comment was or was not made, I have been in their position before and I know what they mean. If I get my paper back and I see something I have never seen before, it just gives me more ideas for improving other papers as we pass the papers around. Having symposiums opens my mind for interesting ways to say things or word things. Another thing that I thought was interesting during the week was when we were discussing what perspective we are writing from. I learned that I need to write from all perspectives even though I do not necessarily think from that point. I learned this from listening to Cole Hensley’s symposium on his paper about different types of marching bands. I forgot that many people look from the perspective of total ignorance; I forgot that band isn’t this huge public thing like football or basketball. I took for granted that many people who do not know anything about the subject won’t get any of the essay at all. This isn’t really a problem for my essay because I am as knowledgeable about criminal activity as anyone in the school. Even though I don’t have this element in my first essay, I might encounter it in future essays and I will definitely keep that idea in mind.
Gallo 2
I was particularly struck by a brief conversation we had near the end of class today. Following a symposium for Mr. Story’s essay, we entered into a brief discussion on the history of exercise gyms in the United States. Mr. C brought up some interesting points regarding their relatively brief history in the US. As he pointed out, gyms have not been around forever. In the past, exercisers did not find it necessary to drive to a gymnasium to work out. What has changed? A gym membership seems to be a prerequisite on the path to fitness. Our jobs are undeniably less mobile. More and more careers see the employee remaining sedentary at a desk for the vast majority of the workday. This conversation reminded me of newspaper articles I have perused that stress the negative side effects of such long periods of stationary employment. As the article informed, employers are starting to turn towards standing-height desks that force the employees to stand during the day. Others promote fitness through gyms in the workplace. It has always fascinated me that our modern culture endorses driving somewhere to work out. The very basic idea of this seems so ironic: we are too lazy to manually propel ourselves to the location of our exercise; rather, we rely on a machine to take us there. Despite our apparent lack of laziness in view of our exercise, we may very well drive to our gym for a longer period of time than we actually work out! Our parents always reminisce about the days of their childhood when they regularly walked to and from school. Now, we rely on motorbuses or other vehicles. Perhaps if motor vehicles were not such an attainable, widespread part of our lifestyle, we would be healthier individuals. As a whole, it is obvious that our lifestyles are being altered by machines that make motion less necessary for us. As a result, we now rely on gyms for fitness. I find this shift in workout methods and the resulting rapid increase in the presence of gyms to be simply fascinating.
Lippert 2
Since we have only been doing symposiums for the past two weeks I figure I will just write about those. I find the whole concept of a symposium to be quite fascinating, the idea of going up in front of twenty of your peers and just opening up yourself to their ideas and suggestions. Am I the only one who gets a little nervous at this idea? I have never been one to just open myself and my ideas up to a group of people to accept feedback. There is always that little monster in the back of your mind planting the seeds of self-doubt. The fear exists in everyone’s mind that their essay is not good enough, and that is ok. The whole point of the symposium is to take a rough piece of rock and turn it into a shinning diamond. The feedback one receives while in the chair can be invaluable, and the feedback can also help those not in the chair. Certain suggestions might plant the seeds of creativity in the minds of the audience and help to better their essays as well. The idea of doing your own symposium can be frightening, but once their butt is comfortably in the chair, I bet all doubt leaves the mind of the one who is receiving feedback. I just have to be open to the idea that I may have to open up to others and allow them to help me improve my essay. To sit in that chair and say “this is what I got.” Now that is an exciting idea. I look forward to the day when I can have my own symposium, I look forward to the day that I can sit in the chair and look out over my classmates, and I look forward to a brilliant essay created by me and supported by my classmates.
Redford 7
One thing that I have found interesting these past couple of days is how we have been improving two sentences for the ‘do now’. I think it has been very useful and a good way to help improve our essays in a quick and easy way. It also helps give us more of a feel for the handbook that we have been using to inspire our improved sentences. It is a good way to get us ready for the rest of the class and to get us thinking more about what we are doing for our essays. It forced me to go back and read parts of my essays that I might not have put as much effort into as I probably should have. When I notice those parts, I can make notes to go back and fix up those problematic spots, even if the problem I noticed had nothing to do with what we were supposed to be reworking. The examples that the handbook gives us makes it easier to go back and make some of our weaker sentences stronger. Having people share some of the sentences they write also can help inspire others. It is also a good way to help lead into the symposiums. Some of the things that are mentioned in the symposiums can be applied to almost everyone’s essays, not just the person who is getting help. Even though I have yet to go up for a symposium, after each of them, someone’s comment always makes me think of ways I could improve my own essay. I also find them interesting because it gives everyone a chance to hear about what our peer’s essays are about. All of the things we have been doing in class have made me rethink a lot of things about my essay. Because of that and how it has made me rework parts of my essay, I think I now have a fairly strong essay.
Peltier 5
Over the past two weeks, the most interesting part that stood out to me was Wednesday during Cole H.’s symposium. He is classifying the different types of bands. As I sat listening and wondering what to say I realized that everyone who gave feedback was either in band or had been in band. They were commenting about different areas to a band or certain lingo that band members use. As I thought more, I realized that earlier in the week, someone told of their classification of sports fans. During that symposium I was able to give a lot more input because I had more knowledge of the topic whereas band I did not. Later in Cole’s symposium Adam G. asked Cole to explain one of his categories more thoroughly because he also does not have much knowledge of band. When Adam said that, it really made me reanalyze my own essay. Is my classification of smiles being explained in a way where any audience could read it and understand? Or is it just to a specific group? After all, the classification essay is to persuade others. I am not complaining about how in certain symposiums I can give more feedback than others; that is just the way it is. People who are more experienced in certain areas will be more help to that writer. I am just saying that no matter whom the audience, they need to be able to understand what the topic is and what the persuasion is. Having more descriptive information will attract more readers rather than those who just know of the topic. I enjoy listening in on symposiums and giving my input of other student’s essays. It benefits both me and the writer who is trying to compose a piece of work rather than just write an essay.
Rist 2
The past three days we looked at different sentence structures in our handbook. Each day was a different chapter. Chapter 42 focused on effective sentences. Using emphasis in the closing and opening can help cut unimportant information. Conciseness could really help when writing an essay so you don't sound too lengthy and lose interest. By eliminating redundant and empty words, you can condense your sentences and keep interest. Chapter 43 explained coordination and subordination. To strengthen two sentences that have related ideas, you could coordinate them with a semicolon. Subordination allows you to bring out your main ideas. Putting your main ideas in a dependent clause, participial phrase, or as an adjective, appositive, and absolute, can help to emphasize your main idea. Sentence variety was detailed in Chapter 44. Sometimes sentences can get too lengthy or there is too many lengthy sentences in a row. If you have a long sentence then it would be appropriate to follow with a much shorter sentence. This could also emphasize the shorter sentence. Openings in each sentence can become redundant by always placing the subject first. Use some variety by placing phrases or dependent clauses in the beginning. As we read each chapter, Mr. C asked us to try the new techniques in our own writing. I glanced over my essay and realized I had made many of these mentioned mistakes. My emphasis and conciseness was horrid. Many of my sentences had unneeded words and got lengthy at times. The next day I reviewed my essay and coordinated and subordinated many sentences. Changing the location of my main idea in the sentence really helped to add variety. The chapter that helped me the most was sentence variety. I looked over my essay and edited almost all of my sentences. There were many instances where I used the subject to start the sentence. Revising most of my sentences changed the flow of my paper. Prepositional phrases, verbal phrases, and dependent clauses all helped to change the structure in my essay. The more I look back on my previous essays, the more I notice the little variety I would incorporate. Dull, boring, and lengthy, the words I chose to use even lost my own interest. Now that we have gone over these chapters in our handbook, I notice the errors I had in the past. Chapters 42-44 greatly aided in my writing style and technique.
Albertson 5
While in class on Monday, we moved off topic because Mr. C spotted an Adrian Peterson jersey and asked the class how an African American man obtained a clearly Caucasian last name. He also rhetorically inquired how Shaquille O’Neil shares the same surname as someone with Irish ancestry. “What a dark past we have” is the only explanation that Mr. C provided, referring, of course, to the days of American slavery. Slaves were given names by their masters because slaves were property. The slave’s last name was commonly the same as that of the master. It should also not be forgotten that some slave masters had affairs with their slaves, which would sometimes bear children. That child would more than likely be given the father’s last name. I think that it is so profound that every day people still have to live with effects of slavery that are still continuing. After thinking about this for a while I then came to conclude that America is a melting pot, and perhaps because of that Adrian Peterson’s last name cannot, in fact, be credited to slavery at all. The possibility that his last name came from a cross-ethnic marriage more recently in history than slavery is quite likely. Some brief internet research from multiple sources has told me that African Americans have an average of seventeen to eighteen percent European ancestry. While researching I learned that because the Irish did not immigrate to America until after slavery was abolished, it is hardly possible for an African American with an Irish surname to be traced back to slavery. Instead, the line can be followed back to when Irish nuns would adopt poor abandoned or orphaned African American children that were not fortunate enough or too young to know their last name. They took the name of their adopted mother. This possibly explains Shaquille O’Neil’s last name.
Voigt Period 7
I have sat down numerous times, attempting to complete this blog assignment. These past two weeks seem to have gone very rapidly for me. As I have tried to come up with a matter to discuss, I have severely struggled. It is not that we have not discussed or learned anything relevant, but more so that I find it much easier to express my feelings about a subject that really jumps out at me. I considered discussing the benefits symposiums offer, or how I have appreciated exploring how to improve sentence structure in depth, as opposed to just skimming over the matter as we have in years of English class thus far. However, although both of these things have been very beneficial for me in the past weeks, I desired to share my ideas on something I found more captivating. Sometimes, I have found you must be patient and wait for words and ideas to come to you. So, I put off my blog another day and spent much of my day today considering what on earth I was going to write about. Finally, in Composition, it was a quote and a question that Mr. C referred to that sparked an idea. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” The previous line is from George Orwell’s book- ‘The Animal Farm’. Mr. C vocalized a fantastic point after quoting this. Do we as humans often consider ourselves more equal, or more superior than others? He listed different examples of instances where individuals may feel this way. Many areas are surround leadership. And, as much as I wish this were not that case. I think it most certainly is. The most unfortunate part of this reality is that most times those who consider themselves “more equal” know the behavior and mentality they have is wrong. They know this because at one time they too were a part of the “others” group. I would like to relate this to me personally. As a Drum Major the other drum majors and I often will discuss our leadership goals and tasks that we want to accomplish previous to the Marching Band season beginning. On many occasions, we have stressed the idea that we should always try to maintain fairness with the other members of the band by not acting in an elite manner. This may be by marching with the band when they are learning new things, or as simple as only taking water breaks or sitting down when the rest of the band can as well. We often use the motto- “If they can’t, we can’t.” This all being said, I confess that oftentimes we disregard this method. As the season rolls on, and pressure sets in, it becomes easier and easier to use the excuse that we paid our dues of being a part of the “others” the years that we had to march, so no we have earned the right to do as we please, right? Wrong. In reviewing this idea, I have been reminded that although we have some very different and extra responsibilities, being a successful leader will require going above and beyond by striving to create a truly equal environment among everyone in all that we do.
Hensley 5
I have found that critiquing other students essays have been a truly enlightening experience for me. Not only has it helped me improve upon my own essays, but it has opened my eyes to some of the brilliant ideas and passions that my peers ponder upon. For example one such essay that I have read and critiqued for my peer, concerned the issue of classifying friendship. He made several points in his essay that have stuck with me over the past week. For example, he has ranked his classes as acquaintance, pal, elite, and love interest; he goes into depth describing how each class requires more energy and trust than the prior. One particular class that has stuck with me is his classification of elite. He defines it as the people who one associates themselves with the most and spends the most, but upon looking at my own experiences and those of my parents, particularly my father, I would beg to differ that there is one class higher than an elite group of friends: a wingman. Last weekend my father got in touch with his “wingman” from high school, although they have grown apart since high school with college and starting families of their own, their relationship has not descended into a pal or acquaintance relationship. Instead it has transgressed into a relationship that is beyond an elite, it has been able to stand the test of time with little maintenance along the way, it has been able to do this because of their familiarity with one another. Their memories have allowed them to have a bond that I hypothesize, can only be shared with one individual in a lifetime. This individual is someone who flawlessly understands your body language; an individual who will never let you do something stupid… alone. A wingman understands every situation you may be experiencing and does anything in his power in order to overcome your crisis. They do all of this and ask absolutely nothing in return. This individual’s characteristics exceed that of an elite’s, thus the reason why I believed that one more class was necessary.
Lenz 2
The thing that I enjoy the most from class is not necessarily a topic, but more of an action. I really enjoy doing symposiums. Not only do they help one person with their essay by giving suggestions on what to add, or maybe issues with what they already have, but it allows the rest of the class to open their minds. I believe that even though I have not done my symposium yet, I have learned a lot from these discussions. I have not had a topic that relates to what anybody else that has participated in the symposium had, but it has opened my mind to a broader spectrum of thinking. When a student suggests something I always think, “That’s an interesting point of view. Is there anything that I can add to that?” or “That is a good point, how can I relate that to my essay?” I feel as though nobody is shot down for what they say and it is a very positive attitude within the room at that time. Nobody is out looking to shoot someone’s idea down. Everyone is just looking to help one another. Even if what is said is not universally accepted by the class, we all accept it and move on. I am sure that if it was my symposium, it would be very helpful to hear other student’s point of view. I see symposiums as a way of peer editing. This way everybody receives a chance to assist that student if they would like. It is a way for student to get their essay looked at by peers without passing it around the room and taking one or two nights for every student to write out their comments. I am immensely glad that you allow us to take class time and help out our peers.
Peterson 1
Juxtaposition. A word that appears to be so complicated but the meaning can be simple. In class yesterday, we talked about juxtapositions. This intricate word is placing two different things side by side to compare them. We compared Mr. Christensen and Phil. We talked about how Mr. Christensen is taller than Phil, but Mr. Christensen would not be taller than an NBA player. We talked about Phil is shorter, but if we was placed next to a kindergartener he would most likely be taller than one of them. We also talked about other concepts to compare the two of them. This really got to me. The fact that we always compare people and items without even trying came into my mind. We may think that one person is not smart, but in all reality that person may be smarter in another way. A guy may not get good grades in math so comparable to an “A” student he may not seem smart. That guy may have a wide intelligence in painting and the math student may have problems with drawing a stick figure. All the facts of life can be compared but who ultimately is the best? We may compare people and not think they are that intelligent but we are always smarter than someone in some region of life. Juxtapositions are also a term that we will all become very familiar with because our next paper is a long extended one. We will pick two different subjects or items to compare. The only difference is that it will only be those two things instead of comparing it to a spectrum of that subject. Juxtaposition is a word that is sticking in my head. I will try to use that word more along with expanding my vocabulary with other more insightful words.
Petersen pd.7
I believe the concept that has stuck with me the past two weeks was creating better sentences and adding variety to your compositions. Before I have not paid much attention to my writing style, I was more focused on getting the work done by the due date and making sure it related to the topic. Now I notice more of the sentence structure and I try to make those sentences better. With this last essay, my first draft had so much pen ink scrawled over it that it almost made it unreadable. I definitely pay more attention to detail the second look at it. I tried my best at starting every sentence a little bit differently adding more variety to the piece. Even though attempting to write without “they and their” was difficult, it definitely made a difference when I got rid of most of them in my paper. I also noticed this when helping edit a peer’s essay. It seemed easier helping them get rid of the “they and their” in their essay than it was in mine. But it also helped me find ways of getting rid of these words in my work. Also finding synonyms for the classifications helped create better sentences. Not calling them the same name all the time added more interest into the essay than before. I know from handing in my essay today that I still need a lot of work in this area of writing. My sentences are quite bland and I need to work towards making them worthy of reader’s eyes. But that’s the point of a class right? To learn and improve, that’s why we have classes. These essays may make me a nervous wreck, but I’m going to try to make a learning experience through them. By the end of the semester I know I’ll be a lot better than from where I started as a writer. I believe I’ve already improved since the beginning of the year.
Weidenbach 1
When I was conducting my classification essay, it came to my attention that my sentences were extremely redundant. I found I was constantly repeating my various classes’ names. I would start approximately every sentence with the same name! So half way through my essay I just got sick of reading it. I had no idea how to improve my sentences without adding the word they into my essay every other sentence. Then one day in class we discussed various ways to create synonyms of our classes’ names. This helped me tremendously by not being so redundant. This in turn made my sentences significantly less boring. I have come to the realization that I can use this technique with any essays we write. Although it is not easy thinking of the first few synonyms, once you get started the rest will come easily. Creating synonyms has brought to my attention that I would use the word now in front of my sentences. Now is so bland. It serves no purpose besides adding a word to my essay. Furthermore the word now takes away from the message I am trying to convey across. Once I corrected my mistakes, I realized the word also was doing the same thing to my essay. So I began to take out all the excess also in my essay. Now my essay is stronger in meaning and sufficiently less redundant. I do feel I need more practice with this new technique but it will come easily when I write more essays. That day in class has helped my essay tremendously and will help my future essays to come.
Rise 5
Symposiums are something that I have never experienced before, until this class. I really like the idea of having everyone go up in front of the room and to have everyone contribute towards their assignment. Comfort ability with one another will be achieved the more often we do symposiums. The atmosphere of the class is a comfortable one, you allow us the chance to have opinions on anything, to articulate thoughts in a helpful way; in fact you encourage debate with each other. I felt smarter after the first two weeks of class and even more so now. I can not wait until the end of the year to see how much we have all learned from the class and from you. We analyze everything in your class, from symposiums to any little side comment made; I think that challenges us to be more reflective and more self aware of ourselves and the world. Having the opportunity to work on our essays during class is very beneficial; we can get your input along with the classes as well. Even when the focus is not on us but another classmate is also advantageous. Even as I write this, I know it is better than the last blog; this blog is taking me longer to write. I know that is because I am taking more time to think about the way I am phrasing my sentences and how I am starting my thoughts. Whether I am doing a good job, I do not know but the fact that I am analyzing and thinking about sentence structure is a step up, contrasting to what I have been doing. I wish there was a class like this one available in my earlier days; I had no comprehension on what a terrible writer, or sentence former I was before the beginning of this class.
Schwint 7
I believe trading essays with other people has helped me the most. It not only helps expand and enhance my essay, but also challenges me to help others. The last essay I received used the word they numerous times. It took me a while to try and find alternative words to fit in the place of them. Also, I tried switching the sentence wording to try and avoid having to use the word they. It challenged me to think deeper and try new sentence structure. On the other hand, I got a second opinion on my essay. I was helped with my bland word usage, and she gave me so options to expand on my essay to add more detail and length. It really helps to get a second view on my essay. The concept of sentence length intrigued me. Once you brought it up, I did notice most of my sentences were the same length. It makes the essay dull, and does not challenge you to improve your grammar. I incorporated more short simple sentences, and added lengthier sentences. It helped me use more grammar tools like colons, semi-colons and dashes. Before this class I probably could not have used a dash or colon properly, so sentence structure is defiantly a work-in-progress for me. Writing has become more enjoyable and fun since I started this class. I dig deeper into my mind and have become way more creative with my adjective use. My vocabulary has expanded and I have expressed myself more in my essays. I do not know if we are going to do creative, fiction writing in this class, but would love to try. I think it would be awesome to express our imaginations and make our own little fantasy worlds. I would find the class much more interesting if we did creative, fiction writing.
Dawn 2
Throughout the past two weeks there were two teaching methods Mr. Christensen used in Composition 101 that particularly stuck out to me. One of these methods would definitely have to be symposiums. Symposiums are very stimulating. They stir up the mind and are very helpful at giving ideas; not only to the recipient of the symposium, but also to the rest of the class helping this person. When a member of the class gives the symposium recipient ideas, they are also giving everyone else these ideas, to apply to their essay in whatever manner possible. I have not had a chance to be on the receiving end of the symposium yet, but I have still been active in these symposiums, and taken away numerous new ideas and writing methods that have greatly improved my work so far. When Mr. Christensen gives ideas to the symposium recipient, most can be changed easily in a way that benefits most of the students’ essays.
The other teaching method I have enjoyed is the constant peer editing. After writing our rough draft, we hand our essays to someone, and give them free reign to correct, or suggest, any fixes or mistakes easily seen. Also when we handed in our (wo) manhood essays we sat in a circle and had a chance to view and critique others writing, and have our own essays viewed and critiqued as well. Getting your own paper fixed and improved helps a lot, but it is also helpful to critique others. It gives the critic a chance to see other students’ writing styles and methods, and lets us borrow ideas from them to improve our writing skills even more. I really hope that the peer editing continues, because at the moment I would probably be lost without it. My writing skills are undeveloped and that makes Composition 101 my hardest class, but with Mr. Christensen’s teaching methods I feel my writing improving already, and I look forward to this class with generous optimism.
Johnson 7
As we go through our symposiums and incredible process for expediting our essays, it makes me realize just how good authors are. Creative, intuitive, and bold, authors make a living off of writing; and we students dread 1,000 words. The more I think about the entire progression with our composition, the more I respect authors like J. K. Rowling, Yann Martel, Rush Limbaugh, and any other author. The way authors compel us to read more and more, novel after novel. Writing such works on a consistent basis can not be an easy task. I then think about how either a) the author has a gift of sentence fluency, sentence integration, and a plethora of vocabulary or b) the author is incredible passionate and critiques the writing before it even touches an editor. Now one must take into account how the length is exponential greater than our essays. I had 6 pages in my previous essay. Long enough in my opinion. I know there are short story authors who do not need to write a lot, but I can assure you that they work hard on every single sentence, making it perfect in its contents and continuity with the rest of the story. And in many cases, the short story authors say more in 95% less words than composers of exotic novels. I hope some day to also write a book. I essentially have to if I am going to be a politician (and release my tax records apparently). I honestly believe the lessons I learn about writing in this English class will greatly contribute to anything I write. Despite the desire to stay in the math and science field, I very well know that writing as much I possibly can and improving my abilities each time will benefit me. The world is math and science based nowadays, but English skills and presentation skills are almost more important. If an incredibly gifted scientist can discover something amazing, it means nothing if that scientist cannot explain it. (Also history is important as we should learn from the past so we do not make future mistakes.) This is Mr. Johnson, signing off.
Hanzel 7
On our first day of symposiums last week, I had met Mr. C. in the hallway and he asked if I wanted to do a symposium later that afternoon. I agreed, not sure what I had gotten myself involved in. As I arrived in class a few hours later, I still was unsure of what would be taking place throughout the class period. I had a few ideas, but I had none confirmed. In a short few minutes found myself sitting in front of the class with a notebook and pencil writing down, as fast as I could, all the thoughts and ideas being thrown my way. I received these ideas to improve my essay. I had around twenty five other students helping me, in every way possible, write my essay. The effect of symposiums is greater than I expected. I had a whole new outlook on my essay. I had many of my ideas confirmed but I was also given different viewpoints on what I had written. What I benefitted from most was being able to discuss different ideas. My peers could explain their ideas while I could back up my own reasoning. Peer editing classmates essays is also beneficial but just reading others’ comments is not the same as speaking face to face with that person during a symposium. Symposiums are a new unique way to help your peers and yourself through discussion. I wish we could have used symposiums or a similar activity throughout middle school and in previous years in high school because it is very constructive for everyone. I am now looking forward to writing more essays this semester and using symposiums to improve my compositions.
Pederson 5
I have truly enjoyed Mr. C’s introduction of symposiums. Sharing our ideas with the class is something I have never experienced before. This shows the trust Mr. Christensen has in us, as well as the trust we have in each other that we can give mature, constructive feedback to our peers. Perhaps this resonates with the idea of composition; we are learning to go beyond just writing and we are being given the tools to create works that flow and are enjoyable to the reader. Rather than simply handing in our essays, we get to converse with the class on our ideas, and how we can expand on them. We are given an opportunity to get rid of irrelevant information, and get new ideas we may never had thought of before: a new angle or a completely new position on a topic. Making a comment requirement encourages those who might not normally talk as much in class an opportunity to give their insight on a topic, and they may have a good idea as well. By having the whole class participate, we get a whole variety of viewpoints on our essays. I personally enjoy symposiums. When I hear others give comments to the person in the chair, I formulate my own ideas to expand upon ideas already talked about. Hearing these people’s ideas even helped me make my own essay flow better. These symposiums have let me give better corrections to my own essays, and others that I correct. As the year progresses, students will become more friendly toward the chair. Most of the students chosen are picked at random. In the upcoming months, I imagine that most of the class will want to go up to the front and receive good ideas for their essays. As of now, only a brave few venture up onto the seat to gaze upon the viable information that the class can provide.
Clemenson 1
Over the past two weeks, I have found the symposiums rather interesting. Listening to my classmates help one another with their essays has been enjoyable. I like that we are able to give the person in the chair ideas without others judging what we have to say. I am glad that we can assist our classmates in ideas for their writing because I know that I have difficulties with new ideas for my essays. I tend to repeat myself to make my essay longer. Although I have not been in the chair, symposiums have helped improve my writing because I have used some of my classmates’ ideas for other essays to improve my own. I noticed that may of my classmates’ essays were about sports which helped me with my own essay. Three out of the five symposiums we have done involved a topic about a sport. I find this interesting that our class has so many sporty people. Listening to their symposiums helped me because my essay was about dancing and I was able to use questions asked by classmates for my own essay.
Another topic that has sparked my interest was sentence structure. I did not realize how boring my sentences were until we started focusing on sentences variety. Almost all of my sentences in the rough draft of my Classification essay began with a subject and a verb. I tried to change up the styles of my sentences and I believe that it did improve my essay. Then, today in class, we read through our essays again and worked on adding short sentences to contrast with long ones. I looked at my sentences again and realized that a good majority of them were still close to the same length. I feel that my writing has been improving and I am excited to continue learning new ways to progress my writing abilities.
Peterson 2
Like many others, my favorite part of these last couple weeks has been symposiums. Symposiums have been very helpful even though I have not gone up in the chair and gotten help with my essay. When Mr. C first described what a symposium was I did not think they would be beneficial to anyone besides the person in the chair but I now realize it is. Even though each student had different things they were classifying in their essay the comments given by other students gave me ideas for my own essay. Symposiums made me take a closer look at my essay and really analyze my ideas and complications. Symposiums have also helped me in another way; I am not very comfortable talking in front of the class and giving my opinions. I knew that I would have to talk multiple times a class period and I dreaded it right away. I have already become more comfortable offering my help even though we have only done a few symposiums. During the symposiums the atmosphere in the classroom is completely different than it is in my other classes. I do not feel judged by my peers for the comments I make because everyone is sharing their thoughts and seeking help. I find it interesting how much conversation is made from one comment a student makes, and how the suggestions build off of each other. During this activity everyone acts like they want to help the person sharing their essay and they are genuinely interested in the ideas being discussed. Symposiums have become an enjoyable way to give and receive help from our classmates to improve our essays and our writing skills. I know that when my chance to share my essay comes I will get the help I need to expand my writing ability and will benefit greatly.
Waldera 2
Over the past few weeks we have done quite a few symposiums. At first it was hard to catch on but now I find these very helpful, not only for the person whose essay we are giving help to but also to the entire class. I have not done a symposium myself yet but I am looking forward to my own with great anticipation. When the entire class is all sharing their own unique ideas, everyone benefits because the discussion really gets people thinking analytically in ways the class would not normally. People look at things from every possible angle and it really opens students’ eyes. Different perspectives help us to realize our essay's flaws and how to fix them. All of the students are very positive and always give creative criticism. Since this is a college class, all of the students are very scholarly and well educated. All of the ideas and thoughts are even more helpful and insightful because of this. A specific incident in symposiums was when Brendan Gallo brought up that there are three different types of eaters. This discussion concerning Mr. Gallo's essay and its categories helped me to better define my own. Because the class helped Brendan with his essay's complications, I was able to better my classes by widening and refining my class qualifications. When the motivations for eaters was brought to my attention it made me think more about the motivations for runners. After Brendan’s symposium I went and added a completely new paragraph about the possible motivation for the different classes of runners. I believe the new paragraph added to my essay because if gave specific examples and helped the reader better understand each individual class. Overall, using the advice given to Brendan during his symposium and other previous symposiums helped me improve my classification essay.
Bauer 7
One thing in class that we have talked about the previous couple of weeks that I found interesting was when Mr. C talked about being more than equal. We did not discuss it at length but he described that we all strive to be more than equal, weather it be in sports, plays, band, art or whatever it is you do. We have done several symposiums these last couple of weeks. I am hoping I can get up there soon as well. If me being in front of my peers is half as helpful as when someone else is asking for help, then I am all for it. I know people will grill me and ask me an extraordinary amount of questions but I believe I am prepared to receive the input and critics. One day at football practice, Mr. C approached me and asked me if I felt comfortable with students who have usually been in AP classes and have really excelled in them. When he asked me that it really made me think about if I really was comfortable in that environment, and after thinking it over the past few times in class, I have come to the conclusion that I am comfortable. I fell like I can really learn from all the students around me because they are more advanced than me, but I really feel like I need to be there. It is really a great way to help me get out of my comfort zone and speak up in class more and share my idea. Symposiums are a great way to spend a class period. Working on our sentence structures using our handbook is very helpful also. It has really opened my eyes to the types of sentences I should include in my writing and that I still have a lot to learn about writing amazing essays. All around, this class will help me incredibly.
Boerhave 7
A concept I found quite enlightening in these past two weeks was the class symposiums. I most definitely find class symposiums very helpful. Not only are they helpful for the student sitting up in the chair at the front of the class, but is also helpful for me and possibly many others in my class. I also find that class symposiums encourage and support other students in writing a better essay. I also like all of the constructive criticism. If there is something wrong with my essay or something does not sound right, I would love it for someone to tell me so I am able to fix it and make it better. I also love helping other students make their essays better.
Another concept that had stuck out to me during the last two weeks was sentence structure. I was always one to think that my essays were good and my sentences were spot on. But in the past few weeks, I have learned that I have been making lots of silly mistakes like using “it” or “they” too much. When we had to highlight these in our essays, I was completely surprised to see just how often I actually used them. I found this to be one of the major things to correct in my essays and to also watch out for in my future essays as well. I also believe that the handbook has made a huge impact on my sentences as well. I love how each day we get out our handbooks and are encouraged to change a sentence or two depending on the chapter and what sentence types are in the chapter. I never realized just how many different ways there were to write sentences and I cannot wait to learn even more!
Steffen 5
Over the past two weeks Composition 101 has perfected, polished and proofed our classification essays. I really like the idea that our essays are due but not done. The fact that we get to clean and improve our weaknesses makes for a strong piece of work. Peer editing gives me a chance to see what I could not; the mindless mistakes I had overlooked. With the symposiums, excellence is possible. Even without being the one that is helped, I benefited immensely from just listening to the comments made by my fellow classmates. Problems that existed in their essays were mine as well. In my paper, I found it hard to rename my classes and get rid of weak words such as it, is, and they. Once I applied the many comments during the symposium, it opened my eyes to just how many different ways you can change one sentence to make it better. Listening to other people’s symposiums raises questions like: is my introduction and conclusion strong enough to capture the attention of my audience? What can I do to vary my sentence structure? Or, that was a superb idea, how can I still use it but change it to make it my own? Even though I have not yet done a symposium, I believe I have further improved my writing skills and creativeness as though I have. I sometimes find myself thinking how far we have come from the simple sentences we used to practice in elementary school. That thought makes me think of what a soccer coach said at a camp over this past summer. She asked us, “are you kids playing soccer, or are you soccer kids?” The coach, Becky, explained that kids playing soccer are just there to be there and do what needs to be done. Like five-year-olds running back and forth on the tiny fields. On the other hand, soccer kids are coachable athletes trying to improve not only themselves, but their team. Reaping the benefits of teammates and coaches, soccer kids excel but are never satisfied. Since elementary we have come a long way, I believe that we are not merely kids composing words, we are the composers of words.
Scholten 2
One of the phrases which has struck me as fascinating and relevant is one that Mr. C has used in class occasionally. The expression is “essays are due, but never done.” Today in class, several students kept repeating this statement when we had to do locate or add some last minute corrections to our classification essays. To me, this statement means that there is always room for improvement concerning our essays. You can always change, alter, create, disfigure, learn and understand more and then apply those lessons later on. For some reason, this statement really stuck with me throughout the day. After school, I proceeded to take out, reread, and review my old womanhood essay. I saw some major corrections I could fix now since I have gained knowledge on how to write better essays using various techniques and sentence structures. Even after the womanhood essay was due, I can still improve upon the paper. The more I thought about this motto, the more I believed that this simple “essays are due, but never done” expression could be applied to other concepts than just essays. In life, nothing is finished. You can always go farther than you believe you can. Whether in athletics, academics, or the fine arts, you have the possibility to go grow and expand farther than you think is feasible. Pushing yourself to run the extra mile, studying constantly to receive a one hundred percent on a difficult test, or trying to create a masterpiece are a few real life examples of that intelligent phrase. Many people become exhausted physically and mentally during difficult times. What these people don’t understand is that they can continue on towards success. Nothing is finished; they have the capabilities to strive forward even more. This simple six word phrase can be applied to bigger and more complex situations. It has taught me that I am capable of doing more even after I achieve my goals. At my job, I have learned and mastered the basics. I am content; I can achieve more though. I know that with further training and knowledge of the more complicated tasks, I can be successful. I am not done expanding and growing.
Anderson 5
In the past two weeks, we have done many symposiums. I particularly enjoy these because it gives us a chance to improve our essays before we turn them in for a grade. Being able to deliver ideas to my classmates challenges me to think about other topics that I may not be an expert in. When I help my peers with their essays, I realize that I am also helping myself. Many of the ideas that have been given can pertain to any idea and essay. Also, getting feedback on your own essay is particularly helpful. Your peers will always come up with ideas that you hadn’t even thought possible. Different outlooks on a topic help to expand your ideas in your essay. The symposiums also gave me a chance to hear my classmates’ ideas for their essays. There were many topics that did not surprise me, but there were also others that astounded me. Upon hearing these astonishing ideas, I realized that on my next essays I can come up with some very creative topics that will be just as easy to compose. I also love peer editing; it gives me a chance to read my peers’ essays and see things that I could use to make my essay better than before. After all, an essay is merely composed, never done. There will always be room for improvement. Having a checklist of items to include in my essay is very useful. The checklist forces me to step outside my comfort zone of writing, and forces me to try new things in my composition. Looking ahead on the list, I get a bit worried about the sentences yet to be written, but I know that I will be able to compose a great essay by the time these intimidating scenarios arise.
Arrowsmith 7
One particular discussion that we had in class recently was not a long or overly important one, but a simple talk about dating and couples. I found this topic interesting and thought more in depth about later, in particular the many types of people who date. The different types of daters are vast and complex. There are the dependent daters who need to date simply to feel wanted and important. They need someone to care about them and acknowledge them. Bouncing back quickly, these individuals immediately find new partners once kicked to the curb. Then there are the wanna-be daters. These people date only because they see others dating and the happiness and joy they share. Wanna-bes jump into relationships quickly. Enthusiastic and emphatic, wanna-bes prematurely proclaim there love for their partner only after dating them a short period. These individuals often have little success in dating except for when two wanna-bes join and announce their false love together. Then there are the independent daters, who do not look for a significant other, but somehow find the one. Completely secure about themselves, the independent dater is sufficient with being single and walking alone. But when they do find someone, they capitalize and are true. In class, I also enjoy expanding my vocabulary weekly and the constant constructing and deconstructing of sentences. I feel as though every class period makes me a better writer, hence making me an overall better scholar, which in turn makes me a better person.Though I still have an abundant amount of things to improve, in particular expelling the theys, I still feel I am completing steps. Even if the steps are baby steps, the steps are being made. Symposiums are also a huge help and help everyone. I look forward to the day when I gain the courage to take the chair and receive help with my work.
Etrheim 5
In the previous two weeks, the thing that fascinated me the most was when Mr. C told us to have a sexy title and introduction in our classification essays. What he meant by this was to have an appealing title and introduction. Making titles and writing introductions may not be the strengths of many including myself but it is something we all need to improve on. The title and intro of an essay is very important. They act as the reader’s first impression of the essay. The title and intro need to be sexy and appealing because they set the tone for the entire essay. If the reader is uninterested and unimpressed with the title and intro, the reader may also be uninterested and unimpressed with the rest of the essay. This idea of an appealing title and intro can be carried over into real life. First impressions are important in the real world. Scenarios when first impressions are crucial are at interviews such as a job interview and a scholarship interview. At a job interview, the hirer has little information about you and has little time to decide if you are to be given the job. At a college scholarship interview, the college adviser only has your academic information present; therefore, you need to impress him with other information about yourself. In life, you are often given only one chance and need to take advantage of it. During interviews, you need to prove that you are worthy of the job or scholarship you are applying for. You have only one opportunity to show the hirer that you have what it takes to perform and excel at the job. You also only have one opportunity to show the college adviser that you deserve the scholarship you are striving for. This is one of the reasons Mr. C continuously emphasizes the importance of titles and intros in our essays.
Samuel H period 2
One of the most interesting things we talked about these past weeks was how the emphasis of a sentence can be changed drastically rearranging the sentence. It seems strange. I have found the same thing applies to cleaning my room. I can rearrange the things in my room and the difference is shocking. Another thing I found interesting was the forms the sentence were arranged into. They were strange but they made sense and really improved the writing experience. These are a few of the things that did not enter my mind; however they make perfect sense none the less. I actually do not enjoy writing most of the time. Sometimes it can be interesting. Many things have been interesting and educational in composition class. I cannot think of any more specific instances to write about.
Ullom 7
The subject we have talked about these past few weeks in class that was not just interesting, but helped me in my writing, was not starting sentences with the subject and verb. I never really thought about variety with sentences before. After thinking about how starting sentences with adjectives would increasingly improve my essay I decided to read through and try to change multiple sentences. This proved harder than I thought. I went through and eventually was able to change a few of my sentences. After reading through my essay again, I realized that delaying the subject and verb really does make the essay more appealing. Delaying the subject and verb creates a more flowing feeling.
What made this process a little bit easier was volunteering for a symposium. The main reason I did not start any sentences with adjectives was because I was having trouble thinking of synonyms to use. At the start of the symposium I told the class that I had issues with thinking of synonyms. Many people contributed. With the help from the class, I gained multiple words to use as adjectives. Eager and willing, I was able to create even more sentences starting with adjectives. I would like to point out the irony I just used by starting my last sentence with two adjectives. Along with learning to use this technique, I found chapter 42 and 44 in The Saint Martin’s Handbook to be particularly helpful. The chapters opened my eyes to multiple ways we can set up a sentence to make an essay more enjoyable to the reader. All in all, I enjoy when we take time to discuss these writing techniques in class because I feel as though when I apply these to my writing my essay I become a better writer.
Heisel 5
While discussing sentence structure during class, I found out that my essay lacked sentence diversity. Upon browsing chapters 42-44 I realized that my classification of my class’s classification essays essay was missing something. I had many long, complex sentences, but no short sentences. I also included many vague pronouns. This caused my composition to be dry. By adding simple sentences and replacing pronouns with more direct, interesting words, my essay blossomed into something much more vibrant and captivating. The more diverse the sentences became, the more compelling my essay became. Using my writing handbook helped me immensely by giving great examples of well worded sentences. It also kept me entertained by including topics of great interest, but needing very little background. These real-world examples helped me confirm that the handbook’s information was valid. If most of the greatest authors of all time use sentence variation, then I feel like it might be beneficial.
The handbook also dealt with my excessive pronoun usage. Using vague words like “this” or “it” will make your essay seem more redundant and break up any flow that may have started forming. Repeating any word excessively should be avoided. If your composition is about cats, you should not continuously refer to them as cats. More creative words, such as felines, prowlers, or stalkers will effectively connect your sentences and enhance your writing style. When writing my own essay, I replaced the word “essay” with masterpiece, literary work, or composition. Making these small changes in my essay improved word flow and made my essay seem more intellectually stimulating. Changing the word flow allowed me to effectively draw people into my essay, making it able to inspire people and persuade them into believing the things I intend for them to believe. When you writing style becomes more interesting, it allows you to slightly skew people’s opinions in your favor and make you more successful.
Stephens 7
Many discussions we have had as a class in Composition have intrigued me, but something that fascinates me the most is how we discuss. Students respond to you in a different way than I have ever seen. When singled out or asked a question you can see the gears in their mind turning deciding how to respond in a scholarly manner. Meticulously selecting each and every word they say before it is uttered. I am a culprit of this phenomenon as well. So, my question is, why do you have that affect on your students? What makes you different from the other teachers? Do you purposely cause this to happen or is it natural? I just can’t put my finger on why I feel an extreme desire to portray intelligence with my words that is not present in other classes. For example, in class you asked me if Ben Shultz was nice to everyone. With any other teacher, I would have answered, “yeah, he was nice to some people, but not everyone.” In your class I just responded, “To some.” It was concise and had a different, more intelligent tone. Even as I type this entry, I phrase sentences and use vocabulary that I would not usually use in casual writing. I am perplexed by the atmosphere in the classroom every day, seventh period. The next question I have is if this is beneficial to the students or not. It could be healthy for them to feel pressured to be more conscious of what they say and how they say it. Should other teachers command this atmosphere as well? There are some disadvantages to this pressure to sound sophisticated. The students are striving to be something that they are not and changing themselves to be good enough for you and the other students. I believe it is mostly healthy though, because the pressure will mold them into successful college students and members of intelligent society.
Minihan 7
The past couple weeks of English have been dedicated to constructing our Classification essays. While reading from our handbook, I have been learning how to sensibly examine the features of my sentences. By adding gerunds or by adding adjectives to the beginning of a sentence, the sentence will snatch the attention of the readers. Having more varied sentences, I will improve myself in my writing capability. I noticed Mr. Christensen kept reiterating the fact that we no longer write like middle-schoolers. These comments struck me and continue to keep my mind thinking. I realized that we now do write with extended grammar techniques and I have to admit that it feels like a small type of accomplishment. In middle school I wrote to just receive my grade by doing the bare essentials. I actually quite enjoy how we are taking these advanced techniques and applying them to our writings. Also, by rhyming and incorporating alliteration and other devices, it creates a more enjoyable and interesting essay for a reader. If it is interesting then we know our techniques are put to good use.
Another concept we learned was taking each other’s writings and improving them. When we pass around essays we are able to learn to give and receive helpful criticism. Also, this allows for all classmates to be able to make their essays outstandingly better in all aspects. This in turn makes our grade better as well as increasing our intelligence. Along with increasing our intelligence we are preparing ourselves for a bright essay writing future in college. This will prepare us to work better in the college atmosphere and be able to impress our professors with all that we are learning in this incredibly amazing class.
Rollag 5
The topic we discussed in class that I found intriguing and relevant was the one where we talked about varying the length of your sentences to add power and spice things up. It was helpful. Many of the hints and tips that you gave to the class to improve our essay made me a much better writer. Short sentences have a power all their own. When a writer adjusts the length of their sentences they can get across the same information with less word and more emphasis and what it is in the sentence they want the reader to understand. I used this information. To craft sentences worthy of full credit and to composes works of literature that command respect takes great skill. I hope that in the time we have together you can help me to gain this level of skill. If not it will be from my failure to learn the knowledge you teach to me. The story we read out of the book about the class that read a perfectly good paper but could not figure out why it didn’t flow and was weak connect with my own life and the attempts I have made in the past to write story. It was stimulating. Reading the passage made me look at the essay I had before me and frown at the constant use of they to start sentence and all of those bland sentences were about the same length. Variety was needed but I lack the adequate time to change my entire story structure to flow better under the new ideas that had filled my mind. I changed only the worst structured sentences. I hope that on the subsequent essays I can apply this new knowledge I have gather to improve my skill as a writer.
Rogen7
A concept that has remained in my thoughts from the past few weeks was our discussions on pronouns. Through the teaching of Mr. Christensen, I discovered that pronouns can make strong thoughts and expressions sound weak and confusing. After assessing my writing, I found that I was an incessant offender of this new found teaching. With some bolstering, I improved in the areas of comprehension and flow. Enlightened and intrigued, I went through the next few days analyzing the uses of these troublesome pronouns. In my government class I was listening to a colleague give his opinion on a free speech case. I noticed when he spoke that the word “it” was always accompanied with “like”. This became quite confusing when the cases became more confusing when the cases involved multiple subjects. If the case study were about profane speech on a bathroom wall and spoken profanity, he would say something on the lines of “Its like, if I went to the store and it was bugging me, I can’t just be angry towards it.” For me this was puzzling, because he was speaking of one type of profanity, but I could not figure out what kind he was referring to. Fixing this problem was found to be quite a simple concept. All a writer is required to do, is find an alternate way to explain the subject. So to fix the young man’s statement he could have said, “If I went to the store and his words were bugging me, I cannot just be angry at him for his statements. The cloud of confusion these pronouns bring to conversation and writing has created an immense problem among both the older and younger generations. Although pronouns become habit, I have been trying to eradicate these pesky insurgents from my writing and speech.
VandeBerg 1
I appreciated the symposium that I was a part of. I was able to add more to my essay because of it. However, being that there were quite a few suggestions, I could not add them all into my essay. Adding all of the elements that my classmates said to my essay would have run me over the limit by far. Instead, I was able to just add a few things that tweaked my essay. I was able to cut down on the ones that I deemed less significanat, and focused on the ones that would make an impact on my essay. Also, changing the "they"s in my essay made a huge difference. Changing bland sentences to sentences that somebody would actually want to read helped me out a great ton. That part of class truly influenced me to create better sentences within my better written essay. It was much better in writing, and much better in content. This week was just a building block for what needs to happen to my essay everytime I write one. I know I have a lot more to learn, and a lot more to study and improve upon, but it does give me something to start with as this school year progesses and continues.
Livingston 5
A concept this year in Composition I that has struck me as fascinating is the symposiums we hold in class. The first time Mr. Christensen held a symposium in class I was literally awestruck. Never before have I had an in-class discussion that has been so deep and so justifiably helpful to everyone. Despite being in higher level English classes in the past, I have never had a class spend so much time and put so much thought into making each individual’s essay more exceptional than before. Symposiums are not just about correcting grammar mistakes and punctuation, but about changing sentence structure, starting sentences with gerunds and adjectives, and improving word choice to put a professional mark on one’s essay. Having twenty or more peers and fellow scholars helping you with your essay is a truly enlightening experience. I was called upon to be the subject of a recent symposium we had in class last week. Seeing everyone else benefit from this activity had me pretty optimistic about participating. Walking up to the chair though I had so much doubt in the work I had amassed so far, fearing my classification categories were not as outstanding as they could be. That feeling swiftly turned around as my classmates immediately helped me select more impressive titles for my categories and helped me bolster my introduction, one of the most important aspects of any paper. My sentences now started with more adjectives and less nouns and my sentence structure had tremendous variety compared to before. Regardless of how I felt about my essay before, I now felt extremely confident in the work I produced after my classmates assisted me. Although in recent years my writing has been sub-par, the affects of Composition I have already brought out a more impressive writer from within me. Viewing these affects has instilled tremendous confidence and remarkable ambition in my composing. These symposiums are without a doubt one of the more profound paper enhancing activities I will ever be a part of. Having the chance to ask an entire class how to magnify my essay for an entire year is an amazing opportunity, one that I will no longer ignore and will volunteer for more often now!
Kirkus 2
I have really enjoyed doing symposiums these past couple of weeks. They not only help the person up front, but also the rest of the students. It can give them a general idea that could apply to many topics. It helps us, as writers, see many different points of view that could change our own perspective on the topic. It gives our thoughts more diversity and dimension. I think many already good essays can be dramatically improved by our symposiums. I haven’t done a symposium yet, but I’m looking forward to it and I hope it can help me as much as it has helped some others. I know my writing is far from perfect, as is everyone’s, and I enjoy having other people’s thoughts and experiences improve my essays.
Another aspect of our class that is similar to symposiums is the critiques written directly on the page. Again, I love how it gives so many points of view and lets the writer take a break from their own essay. Sometimes, when I’m writing, I have to take some time away from my essay; then, when I read through it again, I find things that I can improve on. Passing our papers gives us this chance, but further improves our essays by adding one person’s thoughts, then another, and another, and so on. I think our class has some very gifted writers, and it’s great to see many talented people coming together and helping each other improve themselves.
So far, I think this class has done a great job preparing us for college and the higher level of thinking that must go along with it. Mr. C has done a great job of challenging us and testing our limits of what we can and can’t handle. One thing that I have never heard of from another teacher is when he told us he looks at his senior picture and asks himself, “Could I have handled this?” It is very important for a teacher to look at things from a student’s point of view and teach the class based on that. I am definitely enjoying this class so far.
Rusten 7
There were a few topics that I found very interesting during the past few weeks. One being the symposiums. I wrote about this topic a few weeks ago in the last blog with mixed review. I was not sure if I appreciated the thought of our ideas out in the open for people to rip apart. Thinking about it now I absolutly love the idea of getting different thoughts and ideas about the essays we have to write. Sometimes you get into your own mind and don’t expand to get “out of the box”, but with the symposiums you get about 24 other minds to help and make that essay better. The one setback that I have with the symposiums is that some peers might get so reliant on others to get ideas and essentially have the class write it for them. It is not origional from their own mind and not fair to other students who actually try to make an excelent essay. The new idea this week where we give a page to mr. c and he copies it so every student can examin and critique is a fantastic idea. Another thing that we have been doing in class is the three critiques per page and then you pass it off again. It gets the people who didn’t get a symposium to be helped with new ideas and a fresh mind. It can also be a great motivator to actually try and make your essay sound intellegent, improve grammar skills, and stop the “fluff” and add concrete words to make it better. Lastly, I believe the atmosphere of the class is very light and friendly, you can be yourself or make a fool out of yourself and it’s okay because Mr. C is right along with you. I enjoy this class for these reasons.
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