Oh, Joe

Entry 127 was really interesting to me since in the author note Malek states that he (I think it's a man) tells this story to his students around mid-semester. I found that very smart and I feel like I may need to utilize this type of method, if not this exact story, if any of my students face this dilemma next semester. I theorize doing it in the same manner as Malek may be more successful than the over-used motivational speech and also allow the students to apply the story to themselves without my directly doing so.

1 tomato, 2 tomato, 3 tomato, floor

So, last night I took my first attempt at a Pomodoro, as suggested by the video we watched in our class yesterday. I began at 9pm and completed my first cycle at 9:25- I mean obviously...it's a 25 minute exercise. Anyway, I felt pretty good about my first one, so I decided I would try it out again. I felt myself stealing peeks at the timer as I wanted the 25 minutes to be over so I could get back on Facebook, but I kept my game face on and held steady on my ride on the Pomodoro Train. After my second attempt, I felt more drained than I had initially though I would and realized an hour had already gone by. Go figure- two 25 minute exercises with 5 minute breaks at the end... who knew it would equal 60 minutes?! (But really I didn't even think about that until I was done) So now it's 10pm and I'm thinking, "I can't go to bed this early." So, I give myself a soup break and get back on the Pomodoro Train at precisely 10:30. I worked on a different assignment since I was a bit burnt out on the first one as I was typing furiously and trying my hardest to give my best effort. DON'T BE OVERWHELMED AND DO A TON OF POMODOROS OR YOU MAY END UP LIKE THIS GUY! vvvvv

This attempt felt substantially longer than the last two and perhaps it was due to the assignment type, but perhaps I had just done too much Pomodoroing for my first day. I guess starting out slowly and easing my way into the extreme 5-a-day Pomodoro cycle, like the pros do I'm sure, is the best option. Though I was skeptical of the Tomato-themed productivity challenge, I am glad I gave it a shot, or a few shots rather, and I'll for sure utilize it in the future- if not every day as my only way of doing work, certainly every now and then to remind myself of the fundamental short-term focus advantages when working on stuff.

Mentor- Peers- Mentors- Peers

One of my cohort posted on this subject last week in response to comp tale 101, and I would like to comment on it as well. As a first semester grad student, I was initially a bit overwhelmed with the fact that I not only had a mentor, but that they would be in constant contact with me and analyzing my work as well. With the semester coming to a close, sort of, I have been grateful that this was a facet of the assistantship program. The peer who inspired this blog discussed how she was successful with the help of her peers rather than faculty members; I believe both are viable sources of mentorship for different reasons. Faculty can share years of experience helpful to everyone while peers, especially higher at levels, can offer specific, immediately needed advice on a range of subjects. Though I'm nto sure if I would have "turned out" the same way had I not had a mentor, I am certainly appreciative and content with the way things went.

Metacognitivenuerodynamics

So, I've started to get bogged down with the work from my personal classes in addition to my GA duties, and I feel like I want to discuss this phenomenon with my students. I want to see how they're doing, since I feel like we're kind of in the same boat. Not to say that beginning a Graduate level program is the same as starting the first year of an Undergraduate program, but I feel like I'm in this new unfamiliar world- the same as my students. If I, a student who did not take any time between Undergrad and Grad school, am having these anxious feelings about the semester almost being over and not wanting to finish my work, perhaps my students are experiencing it too. While I have peers who can completely relate to my situation, I'm sure, I think my focus is on my students because I'm in an entirely new area of education, similarly they may be experiencing classes they've never even heard the name of before; biomechanics, sociolinguistics, metacognitiveneurodynamics! (I know the last one is fake... I'm just trying to prve a point here) Maybe I'm just putting a stereotype on my students, or perhaps I'm just trying to find anyone who can remotely relate to my current condition. Either way, I feel the impulse to just sit down on the desk at the front of my classroom and really talk to my students. How are they doing? Really? Is the feeling mutual? Anybody? Does anyone else have the urge to get to know their students? I'm torn because my last post was about making sure the line between personal and professional isn't crossed, but now I'm feeling quite the opposite. Are there steps I can take next semester so that I am able to overcome this urge in a civilized, still professional way?

Ms. McKendree

Comp tale 91 really struck a chord with me as I have experienced being one of the young, impressionable girls described by Knutson. I have found myself being overcome with my still-teenager-like hormones wanting to sit next to the athletic boys, hoping they will appreciate the fact that I'm doing all their work and possibly indirectly invite me (or I invite myself) to some party in the coming weekend. Until recently, I hadn't really considered the effect these boys and their actions would have on me if I were on the other side of the fence. Being a first year grad student, I'm still relatively close in age to my students; this factor has positive and negative aspects. Positively, the students may be more inclined to trust me, and one of the negative aspects that may possibly come about is showcased in this comp tale. Thus far into my first semester as a GTA, I haven't been exposed to the negative side effects of being a young female in a classroom with hormonal, cocky, male athletes, but I dread experiencing a situation that bears any similarities to the situation described by Knutson. One suggestion to perhaps make sure this situation never occurs, which I find I will implement immediately, is to force the students to call me Ms. McKendree from Day 1. Though it may feel a bit weird at first, if I require this level of formality from my students (and myself), it could be beneficial in helping keep the metaphorical line drawn between teacher and student. I think the main flaw in Knutson's decision, which I'm hoping she realized by the end of her experience, was to just shcluff off the name calling. I will not answer to anything but "Mrs. McKendree." As said by Sebastian in "The Little Mermaid, "You give dem an inch, dey swim all over." The same principle is true with students, though I certainly hope they won't be swimming in my classroom :)

Though it is not a subject in direct relation with the composition classroom, I feel it's an important matter to be mentioned; eating (sort of) healthy. Recently, I've been eating at least one doughnut and a (large) cup of coffee a day. I realize this is unhealthy, but I simply can't help myself as I don't afford myself enough time to make a 'real meal' or prepare a lunch before I leave my place. though I do make a point to exercise regularly, I still feel as if I'm being kept off track by my sugary, delicious, caramel-covered friend; or should I say foe? With this being only my first semester in grad school, I already feel a bit overwhelmed and I can't help but wonder how many more doughnuts and coffees I will consume when I begin to teach my own classes, thus having even less time for myself. Though I was lucky enough not to have gained the dreaded "freshman fifteen" in undergrad, I'm certainly on my way to reaching that point nowadays. So I guess this is just a post to encourage everyone to keep their health in mind- both physical and mental- and don't give into the temptation of the dreaded doughnut...too often :)

NO TEACHERS ALLOWED

I though Tale 86 in Comp Tales was absolutely wonderful. Though the author is poking fun at the story, as many authors do, I think the underlying point is pretty awesome. While some readers may be inclined to be shocked and perhaps even offended by this story, I believe it entails an idea of the more recent approaches to writing that is useful and ground-breaking. The title of the book "Writing Without Teachers" obviously seems to hint at the uselessness of professionals in the English field, but looked at from another point of view, it simply encourages said professionals to rethink their approach to teaching writing. If the man in this story thinks writing is "wonderful, just wonderful" and had a positive experience through a seemingly more self-taught method, there is something to be said about the role teachers play in the classroom. I think the main point is that we must rethink what "teaching" consists of, how it's approached, and what our students are getting out of our "lessons". Perhaps teaching is not simply dictating formulas for creating grammatically correct sentences; perhaps teaching should be reworded to be a guide. We should not, at least at a collegiate level, need to focus on and teach how to correct local issues such as grammar- we should guide our students to be able to explain their ideas coherently, and in an orderly fashion. While this is a problem due to the low level of some students in relation to the coherency of their writing, that should not be our main focus. Encouraging students to utilize tutors is an option, of course, but it is not OUR job to focus on their grammar.

Tale 78 tells the story of one such professor who dealt with professors in other disciplines wanting English professors to focus on issues such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I was as annoyed as the author was to be forced to listen to the complaints of Professor X as they seemed to be ignorant of what a "Teacher" does. Perhaps the task of dispelling the myth of what happens in English classes is too difficult, but perhaps if we describe ourselves as guides more so than teachers, people can start to understand and empathize with the predicament in which we constantly find ourselves. Eh?

We're all in this together!

So, I constantly feel as if my efforts in basically all of my classes aren't substantial since I don't have the same amount of background in any of the subjects of my classes. Within the first week or so of my classes, I was asked to define rhetoric, encourage students to attend the writing center, and even reply to chapters in my class books about linguistics and teaching speakers of languages other than English. I'm pretty sure my definition for Rhetoric was something like, "A system of writing tools we use to tell stories", which is not necessarily incorrect, but it felt extremely simplistic in comparison to my cohorts' definitions. I managed to endorse the writing center pretty well as I was able to watch a presentation and basically regurgitate the given information, but as I had never tutored before that time, all of the information was synthetic bologna coming out of my mouth and it made me feel bad. As for replying to my course books, I've managed to receive comments such as "excellent", "nice point", or "good start", but it becomes more prominent that I'm receiving comments such as "okay for credit", or "needs more information, explanation, etc." While I've conferenced in depth about my shortcomings in relation to my lack of English background to both professors and comrades, the encouragement is often in vain. Recently I decided to confide in a friend outside of the department so as to get a different point of view; this turned out to be the most helpful, if not probably the most child-like answer thus far. After she commented on the fact that my peers have all been in a position similar to mine at some point or another and it certainly will not be the last, she proceeded to sing the "We're all in this together" song form High School Musical. Needless to say, the dancing was included. To quote my friend, "You can't be a dance major and not dance when you sing!" While she was being a tad silly in her response, her point was strong, understood, and not taken lightly. After getting to know my classmates and professors a like, I've come to understand a bit more how people in the "English World" work. While I'm not an expert, and probably never will be, I'm sure my surrounding classmates-turned-friends will encourage one another, uplift each other, and push through our next few years together like the "Wildcats" I know we all are inside :)

Confidence

So, I was recently critiqued on one of my "classes" that I taught, and the main portion of the reply noted my lack of confidence. While I realize that I was not completely confident, I feel as if I was decently confident in the critiqued class. I began to think perhaps the reason I seemed unconfident was because of much of my phrase and word choices. Phrases such as, "If you please", "Perhaps/maybe", and my personal favorite "I feel like...." I realized I use these phrases in my everyday speech, so why wouldn't it just be considered an act of politeness? As my mentor told me, it's not that [you're] being rude by simply telling students to do something a certain way, that's just how it is. I started to realize I was too fearful of the students wanting to rebel whenever I told them directly to do something (i.e. move their desks, turn in a paper, stop freewriting, etc).I remembered back to when I was a freshman and started to recollect my feelings toward the teacher when they told me up front to do or not do something. It dawned on me that I never had any negative feelings towards the teacher, nor did I want to rebel against what they told me to do. Perhaps it is just the current generations mentality of "You can't control me. You can't tell me what to do" that has seeped its way into my brain and makes me want to be overly careful not to be forceful. Perhaps I just need to channel my inner Julie Andrews and stroll into class with the tune of "I have confidence" in my head- it wouldn't be a bad idea, right? (As long as I don't actually sing the song?)

To Y'all or not to Y'all?

Since my focus in the English department is Second Language Learning and I'm also from Texas, I found comp tale 59 especially pertinent. Though I have not begun to create a lesson plan for a Second Language (L2) classroom, ideas pop up in my head every day of different tactics that will perhaps reach my students better or assist in their Second Language Acquisition(SLA). One of the recent phenomenons I've been taking into consideration is the aspect of utilizing "real" English language in the classroom as compared to textbook English. While this includes not only pronunciation but grammatical differences as well, I'm torn as to what my philosophy is on the subject. It seems to be generally accepted to at least mention, and sometimes showcase, these differences to the L2 student, but I have yet to find a study on the effects, either short- or long-term, of prolonged exposure to a specific regional system of English on L2 learners. I think it would be very interesting to compare how these students interact in different settings, both professional and casual, with native speakers and non-native speakers. I don't want to begin discussing this idea as I would simply seem to be writing a proposal paper rather than an informal blog post, but hey- it's food for thought right?

So far...

So good. I haven't exploded into tears, made a complete fool of myself, or done something embarrassing like loudly passing gas while in front of the class. Luckily I have an awesome mentor and super supportive students, which has made my teaching experience thus far pretty darn decent. I'm feeling more and more comfortable by the day, filling the class time with more useful information and activities. I was actually feeling alright about having to teach next semester, and then the class assignments were emailed out. My first freak out moment happened when I read that I had two classes in a row. This worries me since I want to make sure I'm prepared for each class before stepping into the room. I'm assuming though that this won't be too big of a deal since they're both 104. This leads me to my next issue though- 104! Not 103- the class I've been learning how to conduct- but the next level up! GAH! Not only will I be dealing with not so fresh freshman, which could be problematic since they may believe they'll be more in control of the classroom,but new information as well! In addition to this, the book orders are do soon! There's so much happening and we're not even at fall break yet. Not that I'm extremely overwhelmed (watch me jinx myself saying that), but it's just so much responsibility to think about and start to think about. It's crazy, crazy, CRAZY, I tell you!

"Borders"

I think tale 48 in the comp tales book coincides well with the "writing over borders" video we watched last WC meeting. We must be conscious and considerate of the fact that writing does not only vary across languages, but even the same language in different areas. Not only within the line of phonology and morphology, but the common person can realize that British English is different from Jamaican English, which is different from American English. Even within our own borders, there are regional differences that can obstruct communication between a person from say the deep south and someone from Idaho. Thinking about the word "borders" in relation to physical borders such as between North and South Korea, or even societal borders such as religion, makes me take into consideration the fact that all of these "borders" create the person whose writing I'm to grade. On a more professional level, if I'm ever reading a candidate's application for a job am I to take into consideration their "borders" background, or should I hold them to the same level as everyone else as the recruit in comp tale 48 did? Where should the line be drawn, and are exceptions to the rule beneficial?

My first class

So first of all, I left my spiral, which had my lesson plan for the day, in my apartment. I showed up fifteen minutes early (luckily) and was able to sit down and quickly sketch out another lesson plan, though I knew it wasn't going to be what I needed. I went into the classroom and there were only a few students at this point, one of which was super nice and told me I was going to do fine. I was appreciative, but at the same time I'm like, "You know nothing! This is going to be terrible! I want to apologize in advance for how awful I'm going to do!" So anyway, everyone was in the classroom, I collect papers, etc. and I felt kind of alright. Kind of. So I start telling them how I'm going to be teaching for the next few weeks, how we will visit the library in that time, and how I hope I do alright. So it started pretty seamlessly with me going through the details of their assignment on Bb, then I started my power point as planned. Phew. I know I'm not talking too quickly, which is a problem of mine no matter where I am, because I'm making sure to make eye contact with as many students as possible in order to time my words- does that make sense? So the power point is going alright, but I feel the sweat drops rolling down my back. I get even more nervous when I feel it in my armpits. "Oh crap. Now I have sweat marks." This is obviously only going to make the matter worse. I sneak to the corner while the students are brainstorming stuff on their papers and check my pits... just to make sure. No stains. We're in the clear- for now. After their brainstorming ends, I glance at the clock and realize it's only been TEN MINUTES!!!! WHATTTTT!?????< Why am I so fast?!?!?! I started getting freaked out since I'm basically all the way through my lesson plan. I thought I had spoken slowly and given them ample time to brainstorm, but apparently I have a terrible time-keeping device in my brain OR I'm a relative of The Flash.

I fall into utilizing a group activity, since I can't think of anything to talk about and I can't possibly end class 40 minutes early... I wish. The group activity sucked. I didn't explain it well, though I'm attributing that to my not having planned it from the beginning. I tried to do what my mentor does and talk a bit after group discussions, but apparently I don't do it well and she takes over a bit. I'm completely relieved, but I'm also hoping the students don't think of her taking over as a sign that I sucks- though that's exactly what I'm thinking. She didn't do it in an embarrassing way or anything by any means, but I still hid in the corner like a scared little puppy. So they're dismissed, I wipe off the blackboard, and walk towards my mentor. She tells me she has a cookie for me. I ask her if it's a literal cookie, or a cookie of advice, and she says a real chocolate chip cookie. I really feel I don't deserve it. I take it out of courtesy, but I wanted to give it back and simply take a cookie of advice. Give me your cookie of English wisdom!!

Lettuce discuss

In comp tale #19, the author discusses a few problems I'm dreading when I begin teaching. While the situation described in neither completely out of control nor inappropriate to the classroom, I will escalate the issues. First of all, the issue of attempting to regain control of a class discussion looms over my head me since I digress really easily and I feel this will be a consistent struggle in my classroom throughout the entire semester. I don't think I'll really mind going "off topic" for a short amount of time, but I want to make sure I'm able to keep the students from distracting me and also to get them back on topic quickly. The second issue is when the teacher isn't completely aware of what the correct answer to a question is and what to do when that is the case. As I have discussed with my mentor, the simplest, and usually most efficient, solution is to say "You know what? I'm not sure." Perhaps then offering to look up the information yourself or asking a student to volunteer to look it up themselves. I feel like this could be a good thing as it could encourage not only a new line of discussion- making sure it's relevant, of course- but perhaps encourage students to do work outside of the classroom. I mean, I'm sure we all know how much students LOVE to work outside of class. But perhaps if it is interesting enough and the students are ACTUALLY curious, it could be a good thing, right?

Silence

I have never been a person to appreciate or endorse silence. Whether eating dinner, while in the car, or more recently in the classroom, I find silence uncomfortable. There is a certain wave of nervousness I feel wash over my body when I'm subjected to more than perhaps 3 seconds of silence in almost any setting. As I've been shadowing my mentor's class, this has been a harsh aspect to accept. I have found that this tool is very useful during the lecture classes when taking a "power pause" in your speech so as to give the students' brains a moment to digest the information. But what of the students' silence? It is difficult to force students to speak, and the teacher almost always must take the initiative to continue the discussion. Strategies such as volunteering a student, simply restating the question, or rephrasing the questions in a more assisting fashion are common, but may not bring about the wanted results. While some classrooms are lucky enough to have one or more students who are not afraid of discussing their ideas, how do we as instructors create an environment where all students feel comfortable enough to voice their opinions without fear of judgement? Though a simple statement of "Don't be afraid to speak up in here" could be an option, this problem will not be put to rest so simply. As is with almost any classroom, there is an ebb and flow of the students' willingness to participate wholeheartedly in class discussions. For the times when silence seems more drawn out and the students are less active in voicing their opinions, what should be done? Should the instructor take on the responsibility of pushing the discussion along, or should we allow the students to remain silent until one of the brave souls speaks up?

Numero Uno

The issue of students of lower-class lifestyles being hindered from receiving a higher education due to legal issues, health issues, etc. is expanding and affecting more educational facilities with each new year. Educators, in some instances, have become extremely devoted to their school communities even to the point of encouraging their students and peers to form personal bonds as well as professional. While this could be a good thing, is it placing too much pressure on the educator? Though educators are in essence working almost solely for the benefit of their students, when there is only so much they can do, should they place themselves under that much stress? It can be argued that educators, especially in America, are neither compensated nor appreciated adequately for the amount of work they do outside of the classroom: reading countless papers, creating lesson plans, grading a multitude of tests, sometimes making remarks on many if not all of them. Should the students then expect them to try and go above and beyond the school policies to assist the students in need? Though it is completely on a personal level that educators can decide whether or not to assist a particular student, is it still okay to help one student over another? This obviously should not be a factor when assisting students as it could be seen as dishonest or favoritism, which would not roll over well with the school board and parents alike. How can we deal with this issue? I simple think we can't. There are deeper, underlying rules in place that stop teachers from assisting students in need. While most could be glossed over, altered for the individual, or completely negated, it is not so simply done. To quote Sebastian from Disney's Little Mermaid, "...You give them an inch, they swim all over." Analogous to the issue at hand, if we allow one teacher to bypass certain rules for a student, others will soon follow. This snowball effect could greatly decline our educational system further than it already is. Though I personally agree with helping student's with issues such as the student in Newman's Comp Tale, J. Johnson, changing the rules for an individual is very problematic.

ERMAHGERD

In an effort to take the idea of a meme assignment into my own hands, I created this one for everyone to enjoy. I hope at least some people understand what I'm alluding to and appreciate my effort. Though I guess it can't really be considered a "blog post" since it's simply a picture, I feel like it kind of adequately describes my feelings towards the subject of rhetoric. Please keep in mind I don't mean to insinuate anything negative towards that subject. I just wanted to poke some fun at the fact that I know very little about the subject, I'm a bit overwhelmed by it, and this version of the exclamation OMG really cracks me up. Perhaps I'll utilize this meme in my future classes- if y'all deem it appropriate in certain settings and funny. Thoughts?