Sabrina Shao's 2nd Blog Post
I didn’t know that I was signed up for the service learning First Year Writing course. I don’t think anyone knew. Before school even started, I had heard some of my friends say that their English classes had a service learning component to it, so I went to check on blackboard and the northeastern website to see if I was also in one of those classes. After 15 minutes or so, I determined that I was not and I was happy about it. I did not want to have to spend the little free time I had during the day going to a children center far away and teach a bunch of four year olds how to read. I am not a big children person. After spending numerous hours babysitting my cousins’ kids, I am almost certain that my future will consist of no kids and a lot of dogs.
Obviously, my 15 minute research did me no good because during the first class, I was told that I was in fact in the First Year Writing course with the service learning component. As of right now, I’m kind of indifferent towards service learning. I don’t really love the idea of having to readjust to my schedule once the service learning component kicks in but I also don’t hate the idea of trying to help improve these little kids’ or teenagers’ ability to write. I think that it would be fun to read what little kids are worried about these days. I see those memes of children misspelling words and I find them very funny so I am kind of hoping to see some of that. I am also interested in reading what the teenagers might be writing since their writing is more sophisticated and it can give me ideas for themes or help me learn a new writing style.
In Murray’s “All Writing is Autobiography”, he mentions how he has his “own peculiar way of looking at the world and [his] own way of using language to communicate what” he sees (Murray 67). I think this is applicable not just to writing but to everything we do. Our experiences in life has had a huge impact on us and how we perceive the world. When describing the banana duct-taped to the wall, the director of museum relations referred to the banana as an idea (Fox News). I refer to is as a con to get people to pay an outrageous sum of money of something any four year old could easily do. Some people were raised in a more romantic environment. They romanticize the world and see it in a more utopian setting. Where most people see normal everyday acts, they may see beauty.
In “Who Are You And What Are You Doing Here?”, this same concept that can be applied. Where most people see college as a necessity to get a well-paying job, Mark Edmundson and his family see it a little differently. They were taught to see it as a once in a lifetime opportunity and they were told to pick what they were interested in studying and not what they think will get them a well-paid job. His ideas about college are very unique. He calls it out for what it truly is. A place where “life is elsewhere. The professor saves his energies for the profession, while the student saves his for his friends, social life, volunteer work, making connections and getting in position to clasp hands on the true grail, the first job” (Edmundson 4). Edmundson’s description of college is very influenced by his father’s beliefs and his father’s life experiences. It is his father’s teachings that opened up his eyes to see that college students and professors are all living somewhere else and that their life at the college is not really their life but a way to get to the life they want. Even though Edmundson has a more romanticized perception of college, it turned out to be beneficial because his decision to pursue his interest has made him both happy and successful in the future. Not only is he doing what he wants to, he is also making money. This kind of life is better than one where someone is earning money at a job that they are not at all interested in.
Obviously, my 15 minute research did me no good because during the first class, I was told that I was in fact in the First Year Writing course with the service learning component. As of right now, I’m kind of indifferent towards service learning. I don’t really love the idea of having to readjust to my schedule once the service learning component kicks in but I also don’t hate the idea of trying to help improve these little kids’ or teenagers’ ability to write. I think that it would be fun to read what little kids are worried about these days. I see those memes of children misspelling words and I find them very funny so I am kind of hoping to see some of that. I am also interested in reading what the teenagers might be writing since their writing is more sophisticated and it can give me ideas for themes or help me learn a new writing style.
In Murray’s “All Writing is Autobiography”, he mentions how he has his “own peculiar way of looking at the world and [his] own way of using language to communicate what” he sees (Murray 67). I think this is applicable not just to writing but to everything we do. Our experiences in life has had a huge impact on us and how we perceive the world. When describing the banana duct-taped to the wall, the director of museum relations referred to the banana as an idea (Fox News). I refer to is as a con to get people to pay an outrageous sum of money of something any four year old could easily do. Some people were raised in a more romantic environment. They romanticize the world and see it in a more utopian setting. Where most people see normal everyday acts, they may see beauty.
In “Who Are You And What Are You Doing Here?”, this same concept that can be applied. Where most people see college as a necessity to get a well-paying job, Mark Edmundson and his family see it a little differently. They were taught to see it as a once in a lifetime opportunity and they were told to pick what they were interested in studying and not what they think will get them a well-paid job. His ideas about college are very unique. He calls it out for what it truly is. A place where “life is elsewhere. The professor saves his energies for the profession, while the student saves his for his friends, social life, volunteer work, making connections and getting in position to clasp hands on the true grail, the first job” (Edmundson 4). Edmundson’s description of college is very influenced by his father’s beliefs and his father’s life experiences. It is his father’s teachings that opened up his eyes to see that college students and professors are all living somewhere else and that their life at the college is not really their life but a way to get to the life they want. Even though Edmundson has a more romanticized perception of college, it turned out to be beneficial because his decision to pursue his interest has made him both happy and successful in the future. Not only is he doing what he wants to, he is also making money. This kind of life is better than one where someone is earning money at a job that they are not at all interested in.
Reading your first paragraph was very interesting to me --- coming from someone who loves service learning! However, I do respect your opinion and feel as though your viewpoint was accurate. Juggling something that takes extra time amongst other things such as social life and school work is a lot of anyone to handle (especially first-year students). In addition, sometimes the problem with service learning sites that aren't regulated well enough is that we often feel as though we aren't making an impact and question "is this even worth my time?" I had a first-hand experience of this in Greece when my service learning site was hard to work with due to the fact that there was a huge language barrier. Nonetheless, I have hope that the writer's room will be fantastic and always remember that any influence, no matter how small, matters to the community, organization, or person you have impacted.
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