Blog #4

1.) Writing a research paper was very difficult and challenging for me because of the fact that I have never done a research paper before, at least not for a college course. Writing is not really one of my strong points and I tend to have trouble with it. My man strugle with research papers is citing the resources and making the correct punctations for quotes. I plan to really learn as much as I possibly can from my drafts, peer reviews, and my friends that are stronger than me in writing. I also refer to notes from your lessons and my English books. I have to say that I have learned a lot this semester and I hope to continue improving my writing skills. I feel that I have become a better writer but there is still much improvement that can be done. This research paper alone has taught me a lot of things that I didnt know. I hope it reflects in my grade.

2.) I think it is very interesting to write a problem/soulution paper. It is different from most papers that I write. You really get to voice your opinion and take a stance on a certain subject or matter. It is always great to express how you feel and let your voice be heard. The most interesting part about our problem/solution paper is writing the paper without using first person. Im not sure if I have ever done that before. It was interesting to see all the different views, opinions, and facts about my problem/solution paper. I was really surprised by a lot of things that I found.

blog #3

Freire mentions "The teacher presents himself to his students as necessary opposite; by considering their ignorance absolute, he justifies his own existence." I feel that Freire is saying that students are stupid and can not learn without teachers. I think he is also saying that students may not like teachers but they have to deal with them in order to be educated. I noticed that Freire refers to teachers as males. He always use he, him, or himself when referring to a teaching in this quote as well as throughout the paper. Is Freire sexiest, or does he think males make better teachers than females? After paraphrasing the quote, i feel that Freires' tone may be somewhat snobby. It seems to me that Friere looks at teachers as a character of great prestige and royalty, while students are looked at as lowly peasants.

Blog #2

In the past money was always my issue with going to school. No one in my family has ever been to college so I didn’t have much help or support with getting ready for school. So I went in to the military and now my education is paid for, now finances for schools is not an issue. The only other issue besides money that I’ve had is weather such as snow. As I type this blog im stuck in the house and can not make it to school because of snow. Besides the previously stated issues I really don’t have any problems getting my education. I am fortunate enough to be able to live at home with my parents rent free and have a part-time job to help pay the little bills that I have. I feel like as students we take a lot of classes that are unnecessary and it takes away from things that we could be learning for our career field. If the curriculum were to be cut down then I think a lot more students could afford college and could be done with school in a short amount of time. I really feel like some of the classes I take are a waste of my time and money. Electives are very unnecessary the time, energy, and thought process could be put into a more useful class. I think school should consist of your main subjects such as English, history, math, science, and then finish with your major field of study.

A giant step

The memoir "A Giant Step" by Louis Gates Jr. was a good story. This was one of his most memorable moments because it changed his life in a dramatic way. Gates was injured playing football and his ability to walk was effected for years. In his memoir Gates faces a lot of tough times, but manages to overcome his issues in the end. Gates is stuck wearing orthopedic shoes throughout most of his life. When it is finally time for him to wear normal shoes he feels as if he is betraying and abandoning an old friend. His orthopedic shoes werent pretty but they have been with him for most of his life and helped him walk. He feels almost as if he were a traitor. It is like not forgetting where you come from. There is nothing wrong with moving on to bigger and better things, but you can't forget what got you there. I think that is the main idea of this story. That is why he says he thinks he will keep his old shoes and get them bronzed.