Workshop Reflection (joining the conversation #3)

What advice did you receive from your group members?

The group all pointed out grammatical errors, and asked that I add more citations, I show where I added my own analysis of the information.
2. What was the most helpful advice? Explain.
The grammatical errors, I think it is very helpful because it allows my paper to flow better.

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3. What was the least helpful advice you received? Explain.

Nothing was not helpful and I feel that everything mentioned added to betterment of my paper.

4. How will you revise this assignment? Be Specific.

I will proof read my paper, add more information and make sure the paper flows well.

Self Assessment #3

1.                   What were your goals for yourself in writing this paper?  To what extent did you reach your goals?

My goals were to completely cover my topic in a way that the reader would be interested enough to read my entire paper, as well as learn and be more aware of how African Americans struggle academically. I feel as if I did reach my goal and did so in a good way.

2.            How did you use your time in developing this paper?  Did you use class opportunities to improve your writing?  Explain.  How did your use of time fit your goals?

At first I focused on creating a strong introduction in order to keep myself from going completely off topic, which is what I used my class time for. I also wanted to find valuable information from all of my sources and not focus too much on one or two sources. Going in I felt as if I picked some great places to do my research and hoped to show that in my paper.

2.                   How did you see your writing changing?  Did you take advantage of the responses from your peers?  Explain how you worked with your peers?

 I definitely considered everything my peers told me during the research. For the most part I agreed with what they said and some of the advice I didn't agree with. I didn't see a change in my writing I kind of still struggle with following through with proofreading.

4.            Who else contributed to your paper’s success?  Explain their role?

My mom, throughout this entire paper I talked with her about everything I've learned and what I am thinking. She would help me think about what kind of information I should look for and how I can use the information I have already found.

5.            What have you learned about yourself as a writer? What did you learn from others?

I learned that writers must be able to adapt to different kinds of writing. Me personally I learned that I do not agree with other peoples critiquing my paper without proof.

6.            What was the hardest part of writing this paper?  Explain.  What was the easiest part? Explain.  Where did you take risks?  Explain.

The hardiest part of this paper was keeping all of your information in line with your thesis and not going off topic. Writing a paper is like a conversation as you add more information you start to see different ways to take the conversation oftentimes you may end up talking about something that has nothing to do with your original topic. The same thing applies to a paper as you add more information you start to venture off into different topics and may forget your main thesis. The easiest part of the paper was finding information, I mean in the 20th century there are many places to finding information about anything so getting information is very easy.

7.            What parts of your paper are you proudest of?  Why?

I am very proud of how I connected my information to the topic and feel as if my paper brings together multiple topics into one cohesive thesis.

8.            What parts of your paper still need improvement?  Why?  How did you attempt to make these improvements before you turned the paper in? 

Well a big problem of mind is that I am too wordy when I write my papers, in my head I think that the extra words help me explain my point better. But when others like my mom reads my paper she just sees it as a waste of words. I feel as if I might have done that in this paper however I don’t know for sure because I think that I used just enough words and find it hard to be as detailed as I want to be without using so many words.

9.            Explain your writing process from brainstorming to now.

 /My writing process was not to complicated I wrote my initial topic down and posted information about different topics, as I started writing the actual paper I began to throw out certain information and add what new information I found to be useful.

Joining the Conversation #3

Across the nation predominantly black communities coupled with poor parenting have directly influenced the success of African Americans in school. The issues that plague most black communities also have an impact on students from those areas. Violence, drugs, and poverty, to name a few, play pivotal roles on the success of their students. Unfortunately the African American’s struggle in school has been a historical problem simply because of how complex the situation actually is.

            Black communities generally struggle financially along with the families within those communities. As a result the parents have to focus more time at work and less time with their child, which prevents them from reinforcing what their child learns in school. According to Janice Hale “The overwhelming majority of African American children come from single-parent households. African Americans work longer hours often for less money than whites earn (Toppo 2000); often they are minimally educated and have substantial constraints on their time”(Hale, pg. 8). Young children are greatly affected by the way their parents raise them. Parents who are too busy at work send a psychological message, that money is essential to survive not education. That is why in most African American communities going to college is not the norm. That message is why students don’t see the value of education or respect the institution they attend.

Most parents do want to spend time with their child and instill all of their values within their child, however because of their love for their child they have to choose between providing for their family and spending time with their loved ones. One might ask how a parent’s involvement directly impacts their child in school. Marcia Caton states “A study of 19 middle schools in the Midwest, found that Black males were sent to the principal office more than their counterparts for more subjective reasons such as “disrespect” and “perceived threat” (Wallace, Goodkind, Wallace, & Bachman, 2008).” (Caton, pg. 4) If most black students are being documented for disrespectful or threatening actions then it would fall onto the parent to correct that behavior. However in a household where the parent does not have time to deal with their child, then that prevents them from disciplining, or rewarding their child based on their academic performance.

I personally disagree with the notion that parents have to spend a certain amount of time with their child in order to ensure that they succeed academically. A few of my friends lived in a household where their parents had plenty of time to spend with them and were very involved with their school. However they struggled through school because their parents were so involved and concerned that it almost seemed suffocating. As a result, when my friends got to school they felt free and instead of doing what they needed to do to succeed in school they focused on having fun. This example shows how delicate a young child is and how too much is just as dangerous as too less. This is where the community’s influence becomes more important on the mindset of the child.

            In a community that is plagued by violence and drugs, the youth are often the ones committing those types of crimes. In a community that struggles, people try to survive in any way they can. This may involve stealing from others or selling drugs. Most people who do not grow up in a community like this believe that the criminal activity that consumes most of the community seem appealing to the young, when actually those actions are seen as the only option to survive and move forward in life. A simple way to remedy this is to push the belief that education will lead to success. Unfortunately in these communities this is not the case. Schools fail to demonstrate how successful students could be if they obtain a good education. Gail Thompson states “This preoccupation with getting rich quickly stems from at least two sources. The first being is the high unemployment rate in urban communities. In many cases, the education system has failed to prepare young blacks for the workforce or for college” (Thompson pg.21). Thompson’s statement connects directly to the communities he talks about in his book. In a community that struggles financially, schools are typically vandalized, and under-funded. The students who attend these schools are not given the same opportunities like someone who attended a school in a wealthy community. As a result these students grow up without experiencing the type of exposure that connects the student to life beyond their community. Without getting out of their community they only experience the type of struggle that has consumed their community. School is more than a place of learning. It is also responsible for connecting the things they learn in class to the positive aspects of life. That second part is essential because it shows how valuable education is and keeps the student involved.

Another important aspect of the community’s impact on African American students, is white students. Quite often black students compared to their white counterparts. For example within most black schools, children who show great or high levels of intelligence in ways such as talking with a good vocabulary, or taking a lot of time to study are often told that they are “acting white”. This creates the mindset that students must conform to the white students that they may have never actually been in class with. This leads to the belief that whites are believed to be academically superior to African Americans. Gail Thompson quoted that “In other words, these students infer that they have to reject their home culture to succeed academically” (Thompson pg. 17). That statement is totally agreeable, so often are children told not to be like the people they see in their communities and do not receive a lot of positive influence from the things they experience from their community. The stereotypes that surround black and white students also affect the type of education these two groups of students receive. In some instances schools tend to give a more advanced curriculum to white students and give black students a remedial curriculum. For example Janice Hale stated “Although, in theory, magnet schools were designed to integrate the schools, there are bizarre instances in which they too, are being maneuvered to disproportionately enrich white children and remediate African American students” (Hale pg. 176).  This information shows how schools themselves have conformed to the stereotypes of black students, which is why the communities must crack down or ensuring that their children are being given a fair chance at a good education.

Positive influence plays a pivotal role in the education of the youth, because of the social aspect of growing up. Janice Hale quoted “Most white Americans understand that education is the key to obtaining the skills for entry and success in mainstream society. Their status is determined by the work they do, the neighborhoods in which they live, and powerful because they dictate the social circle in which a person will move and whom he or she will socialize with” (Hale pg. 174). The last part of that statement, “They dictate the social circle in which a person… and whom her or she will socialize with”, is very important to this argument. It proves that the people you socialize with will inevitably control how you progress through life. Your friends not only represent you but have an impact on the type of person you will become. Which is why growing up in a community, that shows the positive side of life, is so important.

                         Furthermore, in these predominately black communities the N word is very popular when referring to other black people. The history of the N word explains why it has become so popular in black communities (Thompson pg.150). The N word comes from a sense of self-hatred and is also used to insult others. Another reason for why blacks use the N word is to show a negative view of black people (Thompson pg.153). Children who grow up in a community where the N word is very popular quickly understand the meaning of the word and its history. The N word was seen as a popular insult amongst it quickly transitioned, comedians, and politicians began using it in their professional lives (Thompson pg. 151). The sense of self-hatred resonates within black students and their opinion of their black peers. As a result black students do not see a lot of potential within themselves, which translates to their performance in school (Janice Hale pg.111). Confidence is a very important part of life and if a student is not confident in their ability to do well in school then not only will they not perform to the best of their ability but they will be comfortable with achieving the bare minimum.

Children’s performance in school directly connects to where they will end up when they enter the real world. Students who drop out of school or finish school with low grades are less likely to be able to support themselves or a family, and are more likely to end up in jail (Hale pg. 43). The ironic twist to this is that the criminals and bad influences that are present in the community create students who will end up in a situation similar to theirs, it is like a cycle (Thompson pg. 19).

In essence the community’s impact on their students is monumental. Children grow up being exposed to the negative aspects of life ultimately conform to what they see, because they believe that to be the norm. Add in parent’s lack of involvement or too much involvement, leads to a student not seeing the true value of a good education. As a result students are more likely to be interested in the negative things they see in their communities than how they perform in school.         

Joining the Conversation 2

Across the nation predominantly black communities have directly influence the success of African Americans in school. The issues that plague most black communities also have an impact on students from those. Violence, drugs, and poverty, just to name a few, play pivotal roles on the success of their students. Unfortunately African American’s struggle in school has been a historical problem simply because of how complex the situation actually is.

            Black communities generally struggle financially and so have the families within those communities. As a result the parents have to focus more time at work and less time with their child which prevents them from reinforcing what their children learn in school. According to Janice Hale The overwhelming majority of African American children come from single-parent households. African Americans work longer hours often for less money than whites earn (Toppo 2000); often they are minimally educated and have substantial constraints on their time”(Hale, pg. 8). Young children are greatly affected by the way their parents raise them. Parents who are too busy at work send a psychological message, that money is essential to survive not education. That’s why in most African American communities going to college is not the norm. That message is why students don’t see the value of education nor respect the institution they attend.

Most parents do want to spend time with their child and instill all of their values within their child, however because of their love for their child they have to choose between providing for their family and spending time with their loved ones. One might ask how a parent’s involvement directly impact their child in school Well Marcia Caton states “A study of 19 middle schools in the Midwest, found that Black males were sent to the principal office more than their counterparts for more subjective reasons such as “disrespect” and “perceived threat” (Wallace, Goodkind, Wallace, & Bachman, 2008).” (Caton, pg. 4) If most black students are being documented for disrespectful or threatening actions then it would fall onto the parent to correct that behavior. However in a household where the parent does not have time to deal with their child, then that prevents them from disciplining, or rewarding their child based on their academic performance. I personally disagree with the notion that parents have to spend a certain amount of time with their child in order to ensure that they succeed academically. A few of my friends lived in a household where their parents had plenty of time to spend with them and was very involved with their school. However they struggled through school because their parents were so involved and concerned that it almost seemed suffocating. So when my friends got to school they felt free and instead of doing what they needed to do to do well in school they focused on having fun. This example shows how delicate a young child is and how too much is just as dangerous as too less. This is where the communities influence becomes more important on the mindset of the child.

            In a community that is plagued by violence and drugs, the youth are often the ones committing those types of crimes. In a community that struggles people try to survive, which may involve stealing from others or selling drugs. Most people who do not grow up in a community like this believe that the streets seem appealing to the young, when actually the streets are seen as the only option to survive and move forward in life. A simple way to remedy this is to push the belief that education will lead to success. Unfortunately in these communities this is not the case, schools fail to demonstrate how successful students could be if they obtain a good education. Gail Thompson states “This preoccupation with getting rich quickly stems from at least two sources. The first being is the high unemployment rate in urban communities. In many cases, the education system has failed to prepare young blacks for the workforce or for college” (Thompson pg.21). Thompson’s statement connects directly to the communities he talks about in his book. In a community that struggles financially, schools are typically vandalized, and under-funded. The students who attend these schools do not see the opportunities that someone who attended a school in a wealthy community. As a result these students grow up without experiencing the type of exposure that connects the student to life beyond their community. Without getting out of their community they only experience the type of struggle that has consumed their community. School is more than a place of learning it is also responsible for connecting the things they learn in class to the positive aspects of life. That second part is essential because it shows how valuable education is and keeps the student involved.

Another important (shocking but important) aspect of the community’s impact on African American students, is white students. Quite often Black students compared to their White counterparts. For example within most black schools children who show great or high levels of intelligence in ways such as talking with a good vocabulary, or taking a lot of time to study are often told that they are “acting white”. This creates the mindset that students must conform to the white students that they may have never actually been in class with. This leads to the belief that Whites are believed to be academically superior to African Americans. Gail Thompson stated that “In other words, these students infer that they have to reject their home culture to succeed academically” (Thompson pg. 17). That statement is totally agreeable, so often are children told not to be like the people they see in their communities and do not receive a lot of positive influence from the things they experience from those communities.

                         

Annotated Bibliography Question Response

What was the most helpful piece of advice you received? Explain.
The most helpful advice I received were points of where I should explain more, and or talk about where I coould use this information in my paper.

2 What was the least helpful piece of advice you received? Explain.

I feel as if the least helpful advice is where Megan asked me to list some of the solutions that the author had mentioned, Seeing how my paper is focusing on the issues involved with African American's education I don't know why I would use the solutions in my paper.

 

 

3What questions do you have about Megan’s comments?

I don't really have any questions pertaining to my bibliography.

 

 

4   What are your plans for revision?  Be specific.  I should be able to understand exactly how your work will change in exactly which places.

Outside of making the grammatical shanges that were found in my paper, I plan on connecting the information I mentioned in my bibliography to where I can use them in my paper.

I

Joining the Conversation Workshop

1. What advice did you receive from your group members?
Danielle: Make the setting of the play clear to the reader
Spencer: Add a cast
Blair: Include a background to the play

2. What was the most helpful advice? Explain.
The most helpful advice was to make the setting clear to the reader. I was thinking to write my play as a book and hope that the reader would catch on that what I stated was the setting. But her advice made it more direct that I shouldn't try and make it to confusing.

3. What was the least helpful advice you received? Explain.
The least helpful advice was to add a cast. I had figured out that I was missing a cast seeing that my other group member was told that he forgot one as well.

4. How will you revise this assignment? Be Specific.
If I were to revise this paper I would add a cast and try to include more information in the play rather than have people just state what they think.

Joining the Conversation 1st draft

Calvin Kennedy

Presents

A black man’s

Struggle with education

4/1/13

On average, African American 12^th graders read at approximately the same level as a white 8^th grader!? Do I read on the same level as a white 8^th grader? I mean I never struggled with reading in school, and I always felt very capable when it came to reading out loud. I’ve heard about all of the saddening facts about African Americans in school and I’ve always wondered if any of them applied to me. But this isn’t about me I want to figure out why African Americans struggle in school and what does their community have to do with it.

Gail: Well you have to take into consideration the upbringing of most of these African Americans. Most likely these children grew up in an urban community, struggled financially and because of the bad economy in that community they probably experienced quite a bit of violence as well.

Calvin: So how does that affect them academically? I mean most celebrities and great people throughout history started off in a struggling family.

Gail: Yeah but the thing about celebrities is that they are the minority, and because they are celebrities does not mean they are educated.

Calvin: I agree, but what about the masses of black people that don’t obtain an education.

Gail: Well if you grew up in a community that struggled financially chances are you did to. So when it comes to school your parents are more concerned with getting the next paycheck and don’t have time to pay attention to how their kids do in school. So if you come home every day and you parents do not have time to talk with you about what you’ve learned then most likely you will lose interest in your own education because your parent failed to instill how important an education is. Don’t get me wrong most parents do think that an education is important it’s just that in their heads other things are more urgent than talking about how your day in school was.

Calvin: I see, so what you are saying is that in a struggling household most parents may not be able to spend valuable time with their child because they are too busy trying to make ends meet.

Gail: Exactly so as a result the child grows up valuing what their parents’ value which in that case is making money and surviving.

Marcia Caton speaks up

Marcia: Oh this conversation is getting very interesting I have to add my seven cents.

Calvin: Well seeing as I cant control the voices in my head I guess I can’t stop you.

Marcia: Hey don’t sound so sour you should be happy I’m here.

Calvin: Okay well what do you have to say?

Marcia: Well what I wanted to say is that in school African Americans are the majority of students expelled, or suspended, especially males. This comes from two things. A parent not disciplining their child and the child’s low value of education. Both of which extend from the parent’s absence due to work or other things, incarceration for one thing. Did you know that African Americans also lead the nation in single parent household?

Calvin: Ok so are you saying that poor parents are the leading reason for why African Americans struggle in school?

Marcia: Yes

Gail:  No

Marcia: What do you mean no?! If parents had a high value of an education then they would be able to pass that on to their children.

Gail: But those parents would be able to if they had that “time” to give it is because of the lack of money in the community that makes it harder for parents to get jobs and the violence in the community comes from that struggle to make money.

Marcia: What does violence have to do with the students?

Gail: Well a violent community could cause them a loved one or their lives, also on a psychological level it makes the students less social which could have all kinds of results on a child’s mindset about those he/she goes to school with.

Marcia, and Gail’s voices fade out of my mind.

They both make a point but I have a feeling that there is more to this community impact on a student than what we have covered. Monica Caton pries her way into my thoughts

Monica: Calvin your right to think so. Many people forget that the community also impacts the school itself. Most of the teachers and faculty come from neighboring communities and probably lived there for a while.

Calvin: Yeah that was definitely the case for my school but how does that affect the school’s curriculum?

Monica: Well see it doesn’t necessarily affect the curriculum just how well the students absorb the material. In most of these schools there are teachers who are not qualified to teach effectively and they may not even value education, or at least how well their students do. So the students receive a poorly taught education because the delivery was weak. Now I’m not saying that every teacher is unqualified to teach, but if you take 6 classes and 2 of your teachers didn’t do a good job then you may struggle in those areas further down your academic career and start to doubt all of the opportunities you could receive through a good education.

Jacqueline: Hold on their missy you are totally overlooking a big part of how the community impacts the school.

Calvin: Hey Jac—

Jacqueline: Shut it loser!

Monica: Wooh there what’s the attitude for?

Jacqueline: Its for you, how could you assume that the teachers are the only reason for why schools are ineffective. Did you forget about the social battleground that schools have become. In an urban community your clothes have to be named brand, and if you can’t relate to most of the people around you, then you become a daily target for the cruelties that kids bring to school every day. Most of these behaviors and norms that stem straight from the community the school was placed in.

Monica: Okay I hear what you are saying but even if the students were socially united they still wouldn’t be able to learn a thing because of the growing numbers of poorly trained teachers that populate these urban schools.

Jacqueline: Yes but a united group of students will fight for a better school, just like the kids that ask for a better playground or new basketball court. The thing about a united youth is that they will be able to bounce ideas off each other and thus learn how to better their lives.

Calvin: I actually agree with Jacqueline I can’t say that I have witnessed students take charge of their learning outside of studying and working together. However if we didn’t have a lot of social barriers between each other than that could definitely be possible.

Monica: Well this is your head we are talking in and I guess I cant make you agree with what I say.

Janice: Hey everyone sorry I’m late I was busy trying to find my way into your thoughts. But I would like to talk a little more about the community aspect.

Calvin: Really? What more could you say?

Janice: Well I want to talk about all of the people that report and discuss the things that happen in the community and how their statements may lead communities to move in the wrong direction.

Calvin: Okay well do explain.

Janice: Well most of these news reporters who talk about students who have difficult lives don’t actually understand how the community impacts the student academically. So when they report their opinion of the matter the schools become defensive and try to make quick irrational changes without truly understanding how to fix the problem.

Calvin: Yeah well the thing I learned at the beginning of my research is that there is a reason for why this issue has plagued us for years. My head and heart feels a little irritated because the more I learn the bigger this task seems to get.

All Sources: Well Calvin nothing worth doing is ever easy!

FIN