Entry 5

Andrew Krell

English 1100

Professor Young

September 24, 2015

I Do Want to Learn

Sad, but true, I agree would have to agree with Jean Anyon’s research claiming teachers provide different instruction based on the social class of their students.  Unfortunately, I think some teachers decide that their students cannot learn or do not want to learn because they are poor or may have parents who did not attend college, or maybe the parents do not speak English.  When a teacher decides their students have low potential, they do not teach to a higher potential.  

I happen to come from an upper-middle class family.  My father is a cardiologist and my mother is a nurse, but she did not work when I was younger.  Education was always a priority in my house.  I had to do my homework before I did anything else.  My teachers were always impressed by how prepared I was.  They knew my mother was diligent about making sure I did every assignment and more.  Unfortunately, some parents are unable to help their children the same way my mother helped me.  This may be true when both parents have to work, or when a parent does not understand the work.  These kids need a motivated, enthusiastic teacher who believes in them and can get them interested in whatever subject they are teaching.  I had some great teachers who made school interesting and relevant.  However, I was a victim of a teacher who showed a bias toward her students.  This teacher taught basic chemistry and honors chemistry.  When I was trying to download notes to study for an exam, I discovered the disparity between what the teacher posted for her honors class and the basic chemistry class.  The teacher made regular posts with detailed notes for her honors class and rarely posted anything for the basic class.  It made me feel like she did not think I was interested or wanted to learn because I was not in the upper-level class.  I understand Anyon’s observations. 

A child should never be made to feel like they cannot dream of being anything they want to be. It is not fair when a teacher assumes a child does not have the potential or drive to accomplish anything in life.  According to the adage, if you are told something often enough, you start believing it to be true.  The students in the lower social class schools will never be more than lower social class because they are taught not to be leaders but to be followers. 

Entry 4

Andrew Krell

English 1100

9-13-15

Prof. Young

Entry 4

I believe that a student should be allowed to write in their own style depending on the circumstances.  The language used in writing must be appropriate to the setting and should be grammatically correct.  For instance, a scientific research paper should use language that is more proper, formal and suited to the subject matter.  However, assignments that ask the student to be vocal, such as asking an opinion or a personal anecdote, should allow the student to use their own speech/language pattern.  The student can be more expressive in their writing and it will feel more authentic.  The language itself is a statement of who they are and where they come from.

Language used should also be appropriate for the intended audience.  If your audience were fellow students, then the use of slang, and profanity would be acceptable, and not offensive.  Yet, younger people are more open-minded to the language and the message is reflective of culture and society.  In “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” when Gloria Anzaldua wrote in Spanglish, she did not assume the readers spoke Spanish, so when necessary, she offered a translation.  The use of her own language, made her story more personal, historical and cultural.  

Students should be allowed to write in their own styles as long as they are considerate of their audience and basic rules of grammar.  

Entry 3

Andrew Krell

English 1100

Professor Young

September 3, 2015

Identity

When someone brings up the term “identity”, the definition can vary from person to person.  If you ask me, identity is what makes a person different from everyone else.  It pertains to every detail about us, physical, mental or otherwise.  Just as no two snowflakes have the same shape, and no two zebras have the same pattern of stripes, no two people have the same identity.  

Some aspects of your identity you are born with, such as sex, DNA, culture and ethnicity.  Other aspects of your identity you choose such as hobbies, beliefs, friends and careers. 

When you are born, you are either male or female, DNA determines the color of your hair, eyes and skin, and your parents determine your ethnicity and decide your religious affiliation and cultural experiences.  Initially, people with similar characteristics and affiliations are the people you identify with.  As people get older and form their own opinions, they may decide to change some of the identity characteristics they are born with.  For example, people change their hair color all the time, change their appearance with plastic surgery and even change their sexual identity.  Although you cannot change your ethnic heritage, one can either embrace it or try to minimize it so it is not an obvious factor in their identity.  A person might choose to change religions because of marriage or other influences that change their beliefs.  Moving to another geographic location, whether it be a different country, a different region or even from rural to urban will change the cultural influences that are part of a person’s identity.

The saying, “Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are”, expresses the idea that we socialize with people with similar traits, values, interests, and beliefs as our own.  We can identify with people from the same socio-economic class, who enjoy the same activities, and who may work in the same profession.  Have you ever noticed that many professions have their own language?  When two doctors are talking to each other, a non-medical person may feel like they are speaking a foreign language.  People who enjoy similar sports, such as golf, dress in a similar manner.  Even though golfers do not wear a uniform, their clothing style is very distinctive and identify them as golfers.  The people we choose to spend our time with are usually people with similar characteristics to ourselves.  

Our identity is what makes us unique from one another.  It is the combination of interests, ideas, beliefs, and characteristics that make us individuals.  While we have similarities to others, we have our own shape, and our own stripes.