My Journey Through English 101D

Table of Contents Reflection Letter Introduction to Critical Thinking Piece Spanglish Outsider Introduction of Revision Piece Original Paper "A Source of Support" Revised "A Source of Support" Introduction to Awareness of Voice and Audience Flexibility is a Must Introduction to "Writer's Choice" That's My Life

Reflection Letter

I had been contemplating going back to college for the last twenty years. Being a military wife, I had to put it off over and over. At least twice I had inquired from two different universities in two different states about transferring my college credits that I had earned overseas. By the time my family and I felt settled down at a new duty station, it would be time to pack up again. My college dreams were repeatedly put on hold. Now that my husband is close to retirement from his military career, I have started thinking of what I will do when he is finished. Because job hunting has always been very difficult and stressful for me, I finally put my foot down and enrolled at Everett Community College for this ongoing winter quarter. At the orientation class, I discovered that I would have to take at least one English class given that my English credits are considered ESLs (English as Second Language). In the meantime, I sent my transcript to get evaluated by a company that specializes in evaluating overseas transcripts and is approved by the college. While waiting, I enrolled for English 101. When I saw the requirements of the class from the syllabus, I told my husband that there was no way I could do it. I am a busy homeschool mom of three (one now in college in another state completing her senior year in high school and freshman year of college at the same time), and I worked swing shift five days a week in a stressful environment – the medical field. I had to look for a day job to find time to do my schoolwork. My husband encouraged me to continue school and assured me that my brain cells would start functioning again. After all this, here I am, still holding on after an attempt to drop out in the middle of the quarter. My transcript evaluation finally came back during this time. It is such a relief that all my credits are equivalent to the courses here in the U.S. My hope is that I do not have to take many more courses to satisfy the requirements that I need to earn a degree here at EvCC.

English 101 has been an enormous challenge for me. The requirements were overwhelming. My anxiety level has skyrocketed since I have started the course. I have always considered myself level-headed, and my co-workers always consider me as a calm and joyful person. My demeanor during this quarter has changed noticeably due to juggling home, work and school. I ate, slept and breathed English 101. I do not remember ever working so hard in the past. I always had A’s and B’s in my first two years of college. This class has definitely traumatized my confidence level about school. Thankfully, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is almost over! I cannot say I did not enjoy this class. I actually had a wonderful time reading and interacting in the discussion boards with my classmates. The writing assignments were quite a challenge; I had a lot of brain freezes during the process.

As we worked on the different themes in our class, I learned new things and gained new perspectives about our society. From the Identity theme, I came away with the understanding that our identity is what we are born with or what we can choose to be. The reading that touched me in this unit was Lucy Grealy’s “Masks.” After reading the essay, I felt really sad. She was so right that we take things for granted, big or small. The Community theme was an eye-opener. It was always my perception that a community is a group of people with common goals, circumstances or surroundings. We have learned that we belong to so many diverse communities. I came to realize that I belong to so many other communities besides my homeschool group, church, and neighborhood. My English 101 class is a community, military spouses are community, coffee drinkers are a community, and many other groups that I cannot even begin to list are communities. It was incredibly interesting to read everyone’s thoughts concerning their own communities. We then had the Traditions theme. When I think of traditions, the past comes to mind. In this section, we focused on the impact of popular culture to our traditions as a society or a family unit. From the discussion boards and reading assignments, our discussion of the influence of the television and technology reigned supreme. We almost all agreed that pop culture has ruined or damaged most cultural traditions, but yet we embrace them despite its negative effects. It was also a consensus in our class that reality shows are not “real”; they are twisted by producers and directors to manipulate the audience.

I have chosen four compositions that are necessary to complete the requirements of the e-portfolio. I cannot say if they are my best writings, or not. For my critical thinking, I chose my first timed write. When I sat down to take this test, my hands and knees were shaking. I could not even think of writing a three-paragraph essay in one hour, not knowing the exact instructions until the clock started ticking! I was a nervous wreck. I had a few seconds to spare when I clicked the Submit button. I chose this because I believe I did a good analysis of the movie Spanglish, which was reflected by my best grade. It was a confidence booster for the next timed write. But alas, the second one was a flop! I was very disappointed, but I continued the course, albeit not very willingly. For the revision and rewriting, I chose my community paper “A Source of Support”. I thought I did my best on this one. I had so many revisions. I begged my husband and my sixteen-year old to proofread and critique it. I thought I did fairly well, but it was not satisfactory enough. On my revision, I eliminated the unnecessary “fluff.” For awareness of audience and voice, I picked my thread for “’Blaxicans’ and Other Reinvented Americans” because I believe I drew the most response compared to my other pieces in the discussion board. For the Writer’s Choice, I picked my first blog “That’s My Life”. I believe I did rather well on this writing because despite the fact that I didn’t have to do too many revisions, my thoughts flowed given by the inspiration of what is in my wallet.

Well, my dear professors and classmates, I bid adieu. Special thanks to Ann, Sue F., and Tan C. – you were all a great encouragement to me. Marcia and Jeff W., thank you for challenging my thoughts. To the rest of my classmates, best wishes to your educational endeavors. I hope you will enjoy reading my portfolio…

Yours truly,

Trinidad

Introduction to My Critical Thinking Piece

I have chosen my first timed write for my critical thinking skills. The instructions for this test were to develop a thesis-driven discussion that demonstrated how the film Spanglish defines what it is to be an outsider using one or two characters of the film as an example. I was also required to explain how this definition upholds and challenges my own cultural understanding. Despite the time constraints of this writing, I believe I defined an outsider well – by analyzing the different characters of the film as examples of an outsider. As Ann agreed, Deborah was an outsider in her own family because she was portrayed as not caring for what others felt but was always focused on what she wanted for herself. My analysis of this film also drew some questions from the Movie Talk discussion board. Sue asked, “Do we really all feel like outsiders or are we outsiders in our own minds?”

Critical Thinking Piece - Spanglish Timed Write

The film defines an outsider as a person outside of their comfort zone, where they feel uncomfortable and they may even feel that others are hostile towards them. For example, if a person cannot speak the language of the culture that they are in, they feel like they do not belong. And also, when people do not hold on to the same values, it is hard for them to identify with each other, creating misunderstanding.

An example from the film is that Deborah was an outsider within her own family. Her values were almost totally contradictory to the rest of her family. This woman valued temporal things and she focused mostly on her appearance and the appearance of her family. Without consulting her daughter, she intentionally bought clothes too small for her in hopes that she would lose weight. She was obviously not sensitive enough to her daughter's feelings. Her husband's feelings were hurt because his wife ostracized their daughter. She also felt left out when her husband gave 20% of his restaurant to his assistant chef without consulting her. These situations made her outside of what the family valued.

Another example is that Flor felt like an outsider when she went to work for the Claskys because of the language barrier. She could not communicate effectively because she could not express herself verbally. Most of her understanding of what was going on was watching their actions. This cultural barrier gave her the decision to finally learn English. A specific example is when Deborah brought home clothes for Bernice. Flor did not realize what was going on until Bernice tried her clothes and checked the tags of the rest. She witnessed how everyone was upset, so she wanted to get out of the house as quickly as she could because she was uncomfortable and did not know what to do.

The comparison that I see with the films definition of an outsider and my cultural understanding of an outsider is that in both cases, it is apparent that anyone, regardless of race, nationality, language, gender, or economic status, is immune to being in a situation where they are an outsider or even feel like an outsider. Any time a person is in a situation with other people that they do not know, they feel like an outsider. This feeling is compounded, the more interaction that is required, which forces someone out of their comfort zone, especially when there are communication barriers.

Introduction of Revision Piece

I chose my Community paper, “A Source of Support,” for my revision piece. I really like my introduction on this one. Sadly, the development of the whole paper was not clear. As Marcia commented, the thesis was not supported in the last three paragraphs. With this assignment, we were told to show how and why something works the way it does, and to demonstrate our skills in presenting concrete and specific examples of the “then and now” of our chosen community. We were told to interview someone from the same community who is at least ten years older or younger than us and to give specific examples on how the particular community changed over time. My chosen community was the community of military spouses. It was not hard to write about it, but it was difficult to answer the prompt and to fit in a quote from our readings. I added many sentences that I thought at the time would go with my topic and to satisfy the 3-5 pages requirements. On my revision, I still used the same content, but I reworded and tried to place the sentences in the right locations. I eliminated unnecessary words and a quotation from the fourth paragraph that did not connect to what I was trying to explain.

Original Community Paper - "A Source of Support"

The babies are crying. The rent is due. The car quit working. Getting low on food, parent-teacher conferences, school plays, sports and noisy neighbors. Mom is tired. Mom is going crazy. Aaaah! Mom needs help! A phone call! Here comes the help wagon... For survival and sanity, communities provide help and support to its members.

Communities function in different ways and different styles. The assumption that communities provide us with a sense of stability (Latterell 87) holds true. Take for example the life of military spouses. Military families have transient lifestyles. They move every two to three years all over the globe. There are many struggles and challenges along the way. But the military community has an enormous support system in their midst. As military families move away from where they grew up, their sense of belonging is somewhat shattered. Seventeen years ago, when my family and I were stationed overseas, military families get together for potlucks and games on the weekends. We shared our activities of the week, struggles and anxieties and in turn received advice and nuggets of wisdom to solve problems. Our community provided moral support which was much needed especially being away from home. When one of us hurt, we all hurt. Our support group provided a safety net to all its members. When somebody needed help with the kids, someone always stepped in. When something broke, someone from the mix always had the ability to fix it. The support was tremendous and unmatchable. We were one big family sharing the same purpose and needs.

As communities change and evolve over time, the need of support is still necessary. Today, military spouses still have the same challenges and struggles as we did years ago, but the support system is not quite as personal. Micole Dixon, military wife of six years, gets her support from social networking on the internet and her cell phone which makes communication so much easier. She said that she doesn’t need to go socialize outside of home, as she puts it, “My greatest comfort is home.” Back in the early 90’s, cell phones, computers and social networking sites were not the norm. We depended on each other and the command ombudsman for news and the whereabouts of our loved ones. E-mails were restricted for fear of compromising their positions and were permitted only through the commanding officer’s approval. Because of phone bill costs, we were able to call home once a week for free through the DSN (Defense Support Network) system. Today, military spouses get their information about their loved ones through e-mail, twenty-four hour cable news, and military websites. Cell-phones are handy so long as there’s a signal. The need to personally interact with other spouses is now replaced with chat rooms and social networking sites. Help is just a phone call or a click away. Micole said, “I pretty much stay by myself, to avoid the drama and cheating.” When she needs help, she deals with it alone or calls home to Chicago.

Communities also provide spiritual support to its members. When members are together, there is this spot that you can get where all the tensions will melt, all-time pressures will be relieved and happiness can be realized (Brooks 147). Again, in the military community, there is a slew of religions represented. For anyone who needs spiritual support, the community has different avenues to answer those needs. Members are always willing to pitch in. There are costs of being in a military atmosphere though. The personal sacrifice is tremendous. Because of the constant moving, most spouses put their dreams on hold. As Micole said, “I set aside what I want to do for myself; I never feel settled and my greatest challenge is finding a job!” Micole graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing which she took online. Loneliness and worry are the two major struggles in this community. But the support and activities distract these anxieties because of members experiencing the same circumstances.

Loyalties in communities are not restrictive. Although communities provide their members with a sense of belonging, members are free to seek support from outside their core group. Micole gets her support more with non-military friends than military friends. In the military community, members are very patriotic. Their mission to defend the freedom of all is what holds them together. If someone from the group has a different political view, the community as a whole does not alienate or force submission of that individual. Moral and spiritual support is not withheld. Diverse opinions are encouraged and thus make the

organization stronger.

Although communities change over time with new cultures, traditions and advancement of technology, its main function is what holds it together. Communities are sources of moral, spiritual and physical support. Members within the community feel protected and their sense of belonging is being satisfied. The fear of being judged is not a concern; the community becomes a safety net.

Revision Piece - "A Source of Support"

The babies are crying. The rent is due. The car quit working. Food is getting low. It’s time for parent-teacher conferences, school plays and sports. Noisy neighbors are driving the family insane. Mom is tired. Mom is going crazy. Aaaah! Mom needs help! A phone call! Here comes the help wagon to the rescue. A car load of military moms…The community of military spouses provides help and support to enable one another to be strong while their spouses are gone.

The assumption that communities provide us with a sense of stability (Latterell 87) holds true. Take for example the life of military spouses. Military families have transient lifestyles. They move every two to three years all over the globe. There are many struggles and challenges along the way. But the military community has an enormous support system in their midst. As military families move away from where they grew up, their sense of belonging is somewhat shattered. Seventeen years ago, when my family and I was stationed overseas, military families got together for potlucks and games on the weekends. We shared our activities of the week, struggles and anxieties and in turn receive advice and nuggets of wisdom to solve problems. Our community provided moral support which was much needed especially being away from home. When one of us hurt, we all hurt. Our support group provided a safety net to all its members. When somebody needed help with the kids, someone always stepped in for assistance. When something broke, someone from the mix always had the ability to fix it. The support was tremendous and unmatchable. We were one big family sharing the same purpose and needs.

As communities change and evolve over time, the need of support is still necessary. Today, military spouses still have the same challenges and struggles as we did years ago, but the support system is not quite as personal. Micole Dixon, military wife of six years, gets her support from social networking on the internet and her cell phone which makes communication so much easier. She said that she doesn’t need to go socialize outside of home, as she puts it, “My greatest comfort is home.” Back in the early 90’s, cell phones, computers and social networking sites were not the norm. We depended on each other and the command ombudsman for news and the whereabouts of our loved ones. E-mails were restricted for fear of compromising their positions and were permitted only through the commanding officer’s approval. Because of phone bill costs, we were able to call home once a week for free through the DSN (Defense Support Network) system. Today, military spouses get their information about their loved ones through e-mail, twenty-four hour cable news, and military websites. Cell-phones are handy so long as there’s a signal. The need to personally interact with other spouses is now replaced with chat rooms and social networking sites. Help is just a phone call or a click away. Micole said, “I pretty much stay by myself, to avoid the drama and cheating.” When she needs help, she deals with it alone or calls home to Chicago. Years ago, spouses networked with each other to get the help and support they need. There was drama which was superficial but the cheating was not as common.

Military spouse support group provide moral support to one another. Because of the constant moving, most spouses put their dreams on hold. Finding a job is a huge challenge. As Micole said, “I set aside what I want to do for myself; I never feel settled and my greatest challenge is finding a job!” Micole graduated last year with a bachelor’s degree in Business and Marketing which she took online. Like Micole, I face the same challenge and anxiety during every move. Loneliness and worry are the other two major spiritual struggles. Without each other, the stresses of military life will drive someone insane. Although the spouse community provides a sense of belonging, it is not restrictive. If a spouse does not want to seek help from other spouses, they are free to do so outside of the group. Micole said she is more likely to ask help from her non-military friends. Also, if someone has a different view on things, the community as a whole does not alienate or force submission of that individual. Moral and spiritual support is not withheld. Diverse opinions are encouraged and thus make the organization stronger. A specific example is from our group overseas in 1992. From our small group of eight couples, one voted for presidential election one way and the rest of us, another way. Of course, he was teased, but he was not ridiculed for doing so.

Although communities change over time with new cultures, traditions and advancement of technology, military spouses stay supportive of each other due to their common goal, to see their loved ones safely return. The spouse support group provides moral, spiritual and physical support. Members within the community feel protected and their sense of belonging is being met. The fear of being judged is not a concern; the community is a safety net.