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More and more, it seems like this semester's maxim is not a titillating magazine. It is the phrase "you get out what you put in." At least regarding writing, this seems true. Not so much with people in general, or bartenders in particular. But in reference to this I-search thing it seems dead on. I am a bit wary of the "FORM" suggestion at the end of the reading though. "What, why, how, what now," seems to sum it up; it's very close to formula though. I realize it's only a suggestion to help the I-searcher along, but it would be very easy just treat it as a preset outline. On the upside when Macroy points out that "In short papers, introductions and summaries are bulky and unnecessary" all I could think was "and clunky, junky, and really irritating to try to write." Every time I read something less than 8 or so pages that has an intoduction, all I can think is that the writer knew what his page count was and needed that extra half page. Time to check if the paper has been 2.1 spaced or if the period/comma trick is present as well. Figuring out what I'm gonna do mine on should be fun ride.

Scott rocks. I know three or four of him, and that's exactly who I want to help develop their ability to express themselves on the page.

The story of Diedre in 9R made me want to cry. The only reason I didn't was because I was sitting across from someone that I reeeeeeeally didn't want to explain to (She's seen me cry enough already this month). I know three or four of her also. Each 'Diedre' I know is great at burying her pain, believing she's strong, and just pushing forward. I'm no psychologist, but I think the release and control of writing that story would be cathartic and maybe grant some bit of release, but all they end up writing is 'research' or academic projects. I've done my own version of the emotion packed account, about the experience of walking in on a cheating incident. It hurt to write, but it let me work through some of it that got lost when the experience was immediate. No one ever read that, but it was still worth it.

Blog Se7en

The story of Scott in WTL was heartwarming, to say the least. I adored the opening line of "The urge to communicate must be as basic a need for humans as hunger and sex." (49) Even the first example of the mute girl was an excellent supporting example. I like that Swoger refers to writing as a catalyst to learning, and that if approached the right way can do wonders for a student. I like that she also makes a point to stress an understanding of language, which the WTL text has a lot of and I find to be the most important thing when trying to improve your writing. If you have the time and care, you should look over what you write and make sure that each word counts and that the meaning or possible meanings the word or words you chose correct. Overall, I love that the underlying tone is that everyone has potential, and that the best thing you can do for a student is to guide them into tapping that potential and developing talent.

I like that Spandel reinforced the need for a personally important topic. The chapter fit in well with the i-search project. Spandel hit the nail on the head in saying "Writers who discover their own topics write with voice and commitment" and "When the voice is strong, the writing literally becomes and extension of self." (18) When you write on something you have a strong opinion about, or maybe even a passion for, your work is unparalleled. The chance to have the work be strong, even for a person that you don't know and wouldn't recognize the voice as yours, is quite an opportunity. And the choice to chose what you write is where the empowerment lies. Having done an i-search for Julie before, I can say as a college freshman I didn't like the option of finding my own topic to passionately research. If I remember correctly, I bombed it because I got hung up on the "interview" aspect of it. I got scared and flummoxed, and I didn't know what I wanted to research. And I really hate interviewing. Not to scare any of you away, but as a freshman that's how I felt, and now I'm actually excited to give this a better college try. This time I hope to be working off of stronger grounding in the subject I'm researching. And I hope to approach the first hand research more positively. And I hope to get a better grade.

Blog 7

I like the idea of an i-search paper because when we're actually interested in a topic, that's what we naturally do. It doesn't feel like work because, well, it's not. I like that it can be informal, which would make it feel more someone is sitting down with you to tell you about a topic of interest instead of you reading an impersonal report. I also like that it encourages interviews, which puts the writer in touch with actual people instead of just books, articles, etc. I started to run into trouble, though, in the sketch of i-searching. Is there really just one way to do it in order for it to count as i-searching, or are those just guidelines? Does the topic really have to fulfill a practical need in your life, like something you're shopping for, a future career or a vacation spot? Or, can it just be something you're really interested in, just for the sake of finding out more about it? What if you're just curious? The other issue I had was with form. I'm not sure that organizing an i-search paper in chronological order makes the most sense. If you're presenting the story of your search rather than the information itself, that story will be personal, especially since the topic is one that is interesting to you. The focus should be telling a good story, and good stories aren't always in chronological order.

In reading the Spandel chapter, I was struck by how subtle, yet powerful, making a connection with your reader can be. I found myself grinning at the description of Sam, who sounded like Bob Dylan off-key (more off-key). I'm so used to people worshipping Bob Dylan just because he's Bob Dylan that as soon as I found out this person was on my side, I was hooked. I suppose the same sentiment could just as easily have turned someone else completely off.

Favorite quote: "Assigning writing is like picking out and wrapping our own gifts. We get what we think we want, but we also give up the chance for a wonderful surprise from someone who might know us better than we know ourselves."

Blog 7

I was kind of left wondering about the practicality of the I-search paper. It seems like a great idea as far as getting students into writing and familiarizing them with their own voice and writing style, but an I-search paper can not replace a research paper. Writing in depth research papers has helped me immensely in my development as a writer because I really have to know my stuff. Not only do I have to know it, I have to make sure that everything in there is valid so that anyone who wants to check my sources can see that I knew what I was doing. The I-search paper reminded me a lot of journalistic writing. In the hand out when the girl is investigating becoming a firefighter, it felt like I was reading an incredibly well written newspaper article. This is an important style of writing because it has a very personal feel. You feel as if you are there with the author, or having a conversation with an author that you can trust. I just wonder how this type of paper could work in the classroom other than a starting point for understanding one's own writing. It seems as if a teacher could build off of this exponentially, but the actual way to do this is escaping me at the moment.

I also liked Swoger's article and how she chronicled the progression of the learning disabled student. I think that once you get a kid writing, a great strategy would be to save copies of all his or her work so that they can physically see the progress that they made as a writer. This is because someone's personal writing is much more important to them than anyone else’s and being able to see the results of your efforts works as an incredible motivator.

Don't Get Me Started

The I-search paper is compelling but also a little frightening. Compelling because it is essentially reflects Spandel’s proposed right of every writer to choose a personally important topic. Frightening because most of the rules are gone and so are the crutches.
Macrorie pointed out that “School term papers that are written from the directions in English composition textbooks or study aids are the most unoriginal writings the world has ever seen.” (pg 54) I know I have mentioned here before the research paper I had to “write” in tenth grade in which every sentence had to be a paraphrase or direct quote of a previously published work. While that was incredibly frustrating to me, it was also in a way comforting because I did not have to have an original thought. But don’t get me started on how frustrating and insulting that is… again.
I am not sure how the Swoger piece fit with the other readings, but let me try to figure it out. It could be that Scott was given the opportunity to find his own topic. Swoger mentions that for the first time Scott was able to express emotion. None of his teachers had seen such an expression from him before. Scott experienced freedom and it allowed him to open up and to grow.
Again, I’m ticked at the establishment. I haven’t had any teacher’s quite as frustrating as Spandel’s Mr. Graphite, but many of them operate under the same principles and philosophies. Those of you going into teaching, please do not forget the lessons we are learning here.

Finally, a research paper without all painful side effects!!

I must confess that I quite taken aback by the logic involved with the i-search paper. Throughout my schooling I have written quite a few research papers and to be honest, most if not all close to a complete waste of time. It was not by a lack of effort but rather we are expected to present this stuffy, academic bore fest for consumption. I wouldn’t go as far to say that I learned nothing from the experiences but I can say with certainty that I was not emotionally attached to the projects. It would be a refreshing exercise to be guided by our own instinct and efforts and likes and dislikes in lieu of researching long-winded academic journals for just the right author that we can at least tolerate to read. I have generated no ideas just yet, however I am already assuming that the i-search paper will be a project that I will look back on and remember.

It must have be a worthwhile experience to notice a child’s intellectual growth firsthand as described in WTL. The boy, Scott, arrived to the teacher from special education class and was tentative about discovery, but with some guidance he was like a bird flying for the first time. Scott wanted to learn and it showed in his significantly increased levels of learning and interesting despite his learning disabilities. Scott is a memorable example as to why writing workshops can be a valuable tool/experience for young, developing students.

Chapter 2 in 9R was funny the way that the uptight, wound too tight teacher found love and instantly became a more alternatively guided instructor and permitted more freedom in subject matter. The author remembers this teacher as a child was able to make the connection the stern, no-nonsense teacher existed only in”the world of school” and it was much different in the real world. And as the author finds out later in life, it can be difficult to not have guidelines and just write, and also be interesting as well. Although it wasn’t too provocative, I enjoyed the Andy Rooney paragraph with his thoughts of learned knowledge and experience. I have always enjoyed the way Rooney can just dissect what ever topic and make something seem ridiculous, comical, or thought provoking, Seinfeld has a similar gift with more of an emphasis on the humor than intellectual analysis.

Blog 7

I love the idea of I-Searching. It finally puts a name to what I and a number of other people do whenever we run into a roadblock- hit the internet or the streets to find an answer. It's an investigative report like you'd see on the news- except on paper. I think the hardest part of the assignment for me is going to be carving out the time to interview people; and I think that would be an issue for students as well. They'd also have the added complication of finding transportation to different places to speak to people about their topic. Another problem? Choosing a topic! Part of me wants to do something related to teaching, since there's plenty I don't know about it at this point. But on the other hand, why not learn more about something I'm interested in on a purely personal level? Decisions, decisions.

And that directly relates to this week's readings, doesn't it? The right to choosing a topic. Letting students pick their own topics, though they may find it hard to decide which one to do, could end up with some interesting papers that could teach all of us something as well. If we write what we know, the words flow more freely and are organized more easily than when we just regurgitate something that we could care less about. It allows us to dig deeper into a subject or even into ourselves, and pull out words we didn't even know we were there.

I enjoyed the essay "Scott's Gift." When I was in middle school, I'd spend my study halls in the learning-disabled classroom, working with the students there. I guess you could call that my very first field experience. :) (Gasp, an emoticon!) My mom and the teacher had worked together at some point, and that's why I was allowed to be in there. I think I learned more from her students than they ever learned from me, much like Scott's teacher. It was amazing, watching his writing and reading skills blossom in the essay, to see him become more than what people expected him to be.

Blog 7

I'm just not feeling the readings this week. Again, Spandel had to talk about stuff that I did care about in the beginning of the chapter like Mr. Graphite. The only thing that I thought that was interesting was when she said, "Students look to us for writing ideas not because we inspire them, but because it is easier to follow an assignment than to think on your own what you will write." That is definitely the truth, but it makes for boring papers. I mean really who wants to read the 75 versions of "what I did on summer vacation". I did like the section the end by Tom Newkirk about banning books and also banning student stories. I don't want to get on a tangent, but banning books is one of my biggest pet peeves.

I really enjoyed the essay Scott's Gift, but I have no need to talk about it further.

The reading about the I search paper was helpful, because I knew a little bit about it but not a lot. It seems that it would make for more exciting research and reading as well. I'm not really sure if the I search paper is going to help students before the "accepted" research paper that they're probably going to encounter at some point.

blog 7

I enjoyed all the readings for this week. First, I really liked Macrorie's handout and the idea behind the I-search paper. While I was reading about the process that goes into this paper I realized that this is automatically what I do anytime I want to learn more aboout a subject. For example, when I read The Poisonwood Bible, I wanted to learn more about King Leopold and his colonization efforts in Africa. So I took out books and looked up articles on the computer to learn more. Had I been assigned this topic in a history class I probably would not have been so enthusiastic about it, but because I had a personal desire to learn more in relation to the book I had just finished, I was eager to find anything I could to learn more about the topic. This is what I usually do anytime I finish a book or a movie, or maybe hear something on the news, and I want to find out more about it. I think the I-search paper is a smart idea because a person's natural curiosity is the best motivator in any research situation. And of course, as we learned before, when a writer is interested in the topic the paper is usually easier to write and turns out better in the end.

This goes right into Spandel's chapter on the right to choose a personally important topic. As a person who has always had (and still does) trouble choosing a topic for papers, I found it interesting that Spandel says it is a teacher's responsibility to help their students learn how to select topics for writing. I wish that is one of the things my teachers would have taught me in school. If we ever had the opportunity to choose our own topic, I was always baffled as to what to choose. Instead of helping me find a topic, the teacher just assigned me something. At the time I thought they had made my problem go away, but now I realize they made the problem worse. Spandel wrote that students who have not had practice selecting a topic may feel abandoned and adrift when asked to do so, and this is certainly the reaction I have every time I am asked to choose a topic. Before reading this chapter I also never realized how important it is to the writer to learn how to choose topics. I never considered what an essential part of the writing process topic selection is. I only wish someone would have taught me this sooner.

I am looking forward to the I-search paper because I think I've been doing this all my life without even knowing I was I-searching. Besides, it's much more fun to research something you actually want to know about as opposed to something you are forced to question.

Blog 7 or Choose Choice for Choosy Choices!

Choice is something that resonates with all of us. What to read or eat or wear or who our friends are, are fundamental ideas that we all can agree upon. No different is the choice of what to write or write about. When we know the subject the material flows that much easier. The old adage of "write what you know" is still valid and important. I like the idea of prompts for facilitating a writer's creativity but I can't imagine the boredom of 20 papers all on the subject of Genghis Khan or whoever. Each person will write it a different way but there will be more thought given to "what does the teacher want" then genuinely delving into the character of the piece. Most of the time.

The example of the student, Scott, by Peggy Swoger emphasized how important it is to have choice. No doubt in certain aspects of his life structure is/was needed but the chance to write his own works with his own choices and at his own pace helped to facilitate growth throughout his life. A simple thing to us, choice, can be the catalyst for major changes and major disagreements. Just think of how many wars are built upon the ideas of choice or the lack of choice.

Newkirk, writing at the end of Spandel's chapter, addresses if their inappropriate choices for the classroom. I imagine there are. That would be one of the things to discuss with the students as they consider their writing subject. Possibly through discussion some of the horrors recently visited upon schools could be avoided. Possibly.

Blog 07

I am attempting, and badly at that, to figure out this week’s readings. What was I too learn, what small grain of truth was to explode within my mind giving me the realization and understanding of what the readings presented. Simply put I have nothing. Both readings were interesting, short, and thankfully missing the ever boring work of Smith. However, I seem to be missing something, or if not missing, overlooking a variable that I had not previously considered. Being that my workload is immense I can not afford to re-read assignments over and over so twice has to suffice and as such all I can add to any discussion, either physical or verbal is as follows. Also there was a mention of a handout in the schedule listings a “Macrorie, Handout” however I cannot seem to find it.

While Spendel’s 9 Rights reading was interesting, highly so I found it to be simple repetition of what has been drilled into my mind for years. I was nice to see that the old “write what you know” idea was expanded and clarified as to show that it means that to write as an authority a person needs to do research. This opens up many doors I know classmates of mine in high school found bared because they assumed that “write what you know” meant that a person should only write what they readily knew and that everything outside of their readily available knowledge was evil and taboo. While I was happy that this was said I have a feeling that to this day it is something not taught in classrooms, and while I can see the reason why (time constraints, teachers not wanting to be bothered giving their students true guidance and just offering nothing but silly platitudes, etc) this is a subject that needs to be fully understood, and more so in the field of creative writing were students can stumble far easier than in more formalized composition and research writing.

The reading that I found to be far more interesting this time around came out of the WTL, and involved the writing workshop and how it affected the learning disabled. Unfortunately I wish Swoger would have given more information on her actual day to day practices and life in the classroom. While it was nice to follow along with Scott’s improvement and journey into the world of writing I felt it would have been much more helpful to actually get an idea of the inner workings of Swoger class. Since I could not step through her open door and share the experience of that particular workshop I feel as if I missed something vital in its workings and how to attempt to emulate it in a future classroom.

I-Search ... Easily identifiable with the late 1970s. Anyway, this sounds interesting, and I have had the unfortunate pleasure of doing this my first year in college. Unfortunate I say because the things I find interesting are not exactly as easily available as a fire station. There is also the small problem as what I would like to talk about is often received the wrong way. The last thing I need is someone thinking I'm making a threat when all I'm talking about is my love of firearms. Question (yes I know it won't be answered, I've given up on that) is the interviewing process a requirement? I ask this because something are impossible to get interviews for.