Blog Jar: I wish I could change....

....the religious tolerance of people living in this area.

....the lack of appreciation for knowledge and intellect in rural areas such as ours.

....piracy laws.

....drug laws.

I realized, at the onset of beginning this blog post, that all of the things I desire to change are BIG issues, issues that will no doubt label me an atheist, an elitist, a pirate, and a druggie.

When I vocalized my concerns to those in the Writing Center with me as I began this post, Dr. Knight said, "Wow. It's amazing that you aim for such big things. Most people would respond to that (blog prompt) with things they'd like to change about themselves."

The thing is, if there are things about myself which I desire to change, I know fully well that I have the power to change them. It is issues like those listed above that require the voices of many to make a difference.

Recently, I became very enveloped in the Southeastern High School graduation debate. A pagan student voiced his concerns regarding Christian prayer being led during the graduation ceremony. He felt that his religious freedoms were being trampled on because he was being forced to partake in a Christian ritual. In the end, Washington groups contacted the school and told them that the student was correct, and that holding a Christian prayer during the ceremony would, indeed, be in violation of the Constitution.

I followed the Gazette as they covered this story, and I found myself arguing with fundamentalists on the paper's web forums, and realizing how very uneducated many of our local residents are. Those who spoke out against the student's debate called him a "spoiled brat" and said that he should be ashamed of himself and that all of the audience at the graduation should turn their back on him when he walks up to obtain his diploma. The fundamentalist Christians who reacted against the board's decision to forego the prayer at the ceremony did so emotionally, without thinking about the issue intelligently. I was both disgusted by the religious hate on the forums and proud of the religion-tolerant people who were willing to support the boy and his efforts to bring equality to the opressed within his school district.

What this story taught me is that we have a lot of educating to do in this area if we expect to change any of the things I've listed above. I know that a lot of "change" is happening as we speak. I'm confident that our new administration is doing a great deal to combat the willful ignorance that has plaqued our country for so long. I'm not saying I'm a fan of what Obama is doing for piracy, however. Appointing one anti-piracy attorney after another to his team of administrators particularly disheartens me.

So, label me what you will based on this post. I'll continue fighting for truth and knowledge, and I'll hold my breath while those who oppose it die off!

Morning Freewrite / What is beautiful in my life?

My daughter, Gracie, is the most beautiful, precious thing in my life.

When I find it hard to smile, I think of her.

She's the motivation behind my waking up every morning.

She's my pride and joy, even though it's cliche to say so.

I want to teach her so much about life, but, inevitably, she's the one who teaches me.

She teaches me how to be compassionate,
how to have fun at all costs,
how to make every day "The Best Day Ever,"
and how to beat every Lego superhero game known to man.

She's starting kindergarten this year, and I'm not going to be naive enough to say I won't cry.

My beautiful, precious girl is growing up. That's definitely reason enough to smile.

Blog Ideas

In light of our morning discussion regarding blog topics, I did a little research (Okay, it only involved Googling "blog ideas," but, hey, I did it!) and discovered this nice page with a zillion blog ideas. Not necessarily "ideas" as in topics, but "ideas" as in ways to write blogs and use them to your advantage.

And for a more light-hearted approach to "topics," look here.

Reflections

Today has been a rather strange day. Lately, I've been helping tutees who are so overwhelmed by their work loads that they're stressing out about even the most mundane issues.

When it comes to the writing process, these tutees are, instead of taking the time to think things through logically, sitting down at a computer furiously pumping out words to try to reach a quota on a deadline. Everyone keeps forgetting, though, that you can't sit down and start writing a paper until you know what you're going to write about. This quarter I'm realizing, in my own studies and here in the center, that an outline is where it all begins, and without one, you don't have a map to keep you on course towards your destination.

I worked with a tutee today whose instructor had supplied her with a blank outline sheet along with instructions for structuring a paper. I thought it was excellent, so I made copies and created a new slot in the mailbox for them.

These will be helpful, I think, when we sit down with tutees who can't stay focused on their thesis or when we're helping someone who doesn't yet know what to write about. To us, of course, brainstorming and outlining seems necessary. But to someone who isn't as well-versed in the structural components of an academic paper, this would be very beneficial. And these handouts read a little more easily than Hacker. Of course, these won't be necessary for every assignment type, but feel free to use them as tools whenever necessary.

Therapy

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has found this quarter stressful. It seems like every direction I turn, I run into another struggling individual pouring out their woes. As of late, I've served as a kind ear for many, but it's not so easy for me to open up about my emotional torments. I'm pretty good at bottling it all up until I overflow: a habit I'm destined to manage in the new year. And I think I know where to start. Dishes.

Leona and I had a discussion the other day about cleaning and our most loathsome household duties. She detests laundry; I hate dishes. I'll let dishes go for as long as I can stand it. But, Leona claims washing dishes is "therapeutic." That really resonated with me this weekend. What do I do for therapy? And why do I hate dishes so much?

I don't know what it is about dishes. I started washing them at home as a chore when I was probably seven or eight. I remember my mother pulling a kitchen chair up to the sink so I could reach. I probably begged her to do them at first, like Gracie begs me to help out now. Boy, I wish I had bitten my tongue. Maybe I wouldn't resent washing them so now. I think my aversion to the task is that, when I was younger, I cut my hands on knives and broken glasses hidden by the soapy suds on a couple of occasions.

When I grew up and got married for the first time, I was the only spouse diligent enough to wash the dishes. I remember my ex-husband washed the dishes ONCE in our seven years together. It was after I'd spent three full days and nights at the hospital with my mother. The ex washed the dishes before I came home for a nap and a shower just so that I could make him a steak dinner while I was home. And things haven't changed. Now that I'm remarried, my current husband still avoids washing the dishes. The last time he did it? Mother's Day 2008. I swear. I can remember, because he said he'd do the dishes since it was Mother's Day. I guess that's the one day a year I get to take a break. However, he changes the litter box and takes the trash to the dumpster. I guess I can't argue too much.

The point of my dishes rant is coming soon. The other day, I had a particularly stressful phone conversation with my mother. I was angry, I was hurt, and I had all kinds of raging energy. I set Gracie up with her video game in the living room and said, "Honey, Mommy's going to do the dishes now, because I'm in just the right kind of mood." I took my laptop to the kitchen, started blaring some White Stripes and ran the hot, sudsy dish water. The dishes were piled high. I think every glass, bowl, plate, and pan we own were dirty. That just made me even madder. So, I took to the daunting task of washing the dishes.

I had finished the silverware, then the glasses, all the while staring into the foam and thinking about all of the things that I've been carrying around. I thought about how terrible things have been in my family since my mother and father divorced; I thought about the person I used to be and the person I want to be; I thought about friends I've gained and lost. And as I thought, the tears started flowing. All of the emotions I'd been harboring inside came flowing out into the sink, and I thought, "This IS therapeutic! Leona was right!" It took me a good two hours to finish the kitchen, and by the time I was finished, the tears had started and stopped quite a few times. It was a purging that I needed. Not only did I cleanse my heart of ill feelings, I cleansed my dishes with them!

I like the idea of turning my worst nightmare into something nourishing. That's a start for the new year. :)

Funny of the Day

Today, while on my way in to the Learning Center, I witnessed an advertisement for Burger King's newest rage: The Angry Whopper.



Is it now Burger Kings' intention to incite rage among its consumers?! Now that's customer service!

It's a New Year!

Well, we're all back to work, and I'm very excited about this quarter! We're working hard on getting our online tutoring system up and running, and I promise to stay in touch and keep you all updated on how that's going. For now, how about a little shameless self-promotion?!

Some friends of mine and I are starting a new blog, and I want you all to check it out! My first post is a piece I wrote about my Top 15 for this year.

http://snobmusic.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

My Literature Ladder!

Hey, guys! I just finished my literature ladder for my English 356 online course. I'm really proud of it and wanted to share. Have a peek if you feel like it!

http://redscarfgirlitladder.blogspot.com/

Yay, Diversity!

I love diversity. I encourage as much of it around me as possible. Most of my life experience, as well as my experience with diverse individuals, comes from my time at the paper. Working in journalism puts you in a position where you must be unbiased and fair to everyone reading what you print, no matter what your personal feelings are or how well you can relate to your constituents.

I've worked with both powerful men and women, from all nationalities. But even though tolerance for diversity was necessary in my job, I was still catering to a primarily white, low-to-middle-class community. Most of our subscribers fit into those categories. However, when you print the news, you know that the information you produce is typically sent out into a vacuum, and you don't get feedback unless you did something wrong. While I was producing news for a certain audience, I had to be constantly aware of offending someone outside of the targeted community.

I plan to use this experience with diversity in my job here at the Writing Center. Hopefully, I can be more tuned in to my tutees' needs and personal convictions without allowing my own to come into play.

My Favorite Paper

Deb asks, "What makes good writing?"

A couple quarters ago, I had the pleasure of taking Lisa Wallace's Intro to Women's Studies course. For our portfolio, we were assigned a three-to-five page paper that reflected upon a topic that we had discussed. The topic was to be one that was personally interesting to us. During the course, we had distributed surveys to gague peoples' reactions to Hillary Clinton running as potentially the first female president of our country. Because we had focused on Clinton and her influence on women today, I chose to write my opinion on the issue.

My paper was an argumentative one. I wrote it before the primary election, when emotions were flying between Clinton and Obama. I made my case for Obama as my candidate of choice, citing that I think Clinton is not necessarily the heroine women today need. I called her out for trying to be too much like a rich white man, and for backpedaling on issues that could actually improve women's lives.

I won't get into specifics here, because politics isn't the point. The point is that I had a fabulous time writing the essay because I was so immersed in the subject. I think that is the one boundary that writers must overcome above all else: You have to find a topic that interests you, that lights a fire under your butt, to produce a great piece. I got an A on the paper and would've been happy with almost any grade, just because I had so much fun writing it.

Happy to Be Here

I'm certainly excited to be working at OUC's Writing Center.

So, here's some background info on me. I'm happily married to an Adult Services Librarian and have a gorgeous soon-to-be five-year-old daughter. We live in Waverly with our three cats. I previously worked as the editor of "The Pike County News Watchman" for five years. I returned to OUC last Winter to finish a degree I put off for six years. It's about time, is all I can say.

I've finally decided what to actually do with my English degree, which is teach. Therefore, I'll make my attempt at grad school before long. I'd like to attend OSU, since they offer a five-quarter Masters program in English Education. I've just always known that teaching is my niche, and I can't waste it. However, I've been determined to avoid majoring in education. I'd rather specialize in my field, and then learn all of the administrative/paper work/how-to-teach mumbo jumbo.

So, this new opportunity is particularly exciting for me. My goal is to immerse myself in this wonderful language we call English, while teaching others how to use it. At my job as editor, I worked mainly fixing others' writing errors, without having the opportunity to sit them down and correct their issues one at a time. Since we were constantly on deadlines, this was just the most efficient way to get the work done. However, I know that those poor writers weren't getting any better by me fixing their errors. Working here at the Writing Center, I'll be able to actually feel like I'm making a difference in my peers' education. I truly believe knowledge is power, and I want other people to have this revelation, as well. I plan to bestow it upon everyone I possibly can!

I also welcome this opportunity to learn and grow my own skills. I know everyone has room for improvement, and I'm ready to improve! I hope this experience gives me more ambition to produce my own works, as well. I've never really thought of myself as a writer, per say, but I think it's in me, somewhere, somehow. Maybe this experience will help draw it out of me!