Eng 100-11/Blog#7: Informal Exercise-Discourse Communities

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Danielle Rogers

Ms. Julie Sanford

Eng 100-11

Blog #7: Informal Exercises

10/27/11

 

Informal Exercises/Discourse Communities

            Within the week I am constantly working with many different nationality from blacks, to

Hispanics, to Indians these people are my co-workers in the morning and afternoon.  I then, find

myself chatting and texting my best friends Shamone, Regina and Sheena later on during the

day.  Finally, I will call in talk to my family members: mother, sisters, brother, aunt, cousins, just

to name a few.  But on Wednesday’s that’s when I have work and school.  I have to go to my

Eng 100-11 class at 6:00 pm, my Professor name is Ms. Julie Sanford, and by the way, she is a

great professor. 

Then on Thursday’s I have to attend my Physical Geography class at 6:00 pm, my

Professor in this class name is Mr. Alan, he is fun and funny.  I am planning on starting a great

Volunteer Internship Program working at the FBI headquarters next summer for 10 weeks.  I’ve

just filled out my application 2 weeks ago, and waiting for some feed back from the recruiters. 

This internship will be a great burst for me because my major is Criminal Justice; I’m going to

become an investigator for the FBI.              

            I found myself being apart of Volunteer Internship Program for the FBI with other

college interns. 

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When I became part of the FBI community there was this 2 year college intern, and two FBI

recruiters had the authority of my group and showed the group the list of rules that one had to

follow while working in that specific area.  The rules were no eating in labs, no shorts or gym

shoes, only casual wear, stay in your area at all times, do your job, complete your assignment in

a orderly fashion, just to name a few.  If any rules are broken you will receive a fair warning,

after that your internship assignment would be terminated and the FBI recruiters will put it on

your background, so you will not qualify to work full-time for the FBI headquarters. 

It was a whole list of rules, but majority of the rules I already knew of from my place of

employment.  As the weeks went by I managed to learn different tasks within the department I

was placed, which was the evidence department.  I started with the files, organizing them, then to

entering significant data into the computers.  Learning a different task almost everyday, gave me

a bigger advantage to gain authority/power in the group by helping others how to enter

information into the computer system, files folders, etc. 

Working at the FBI headquarters for the 10 weeks in the summer of 2012, I found that

everything I’ve learned from taking notes to preparing files, that the FBI uses writing in all their

assignments.  Writing is a very valuable asset to the FBI recruiters, helping them to be able to

keep track of offenders, victims, rapist, etc to help protect the communities.  With the National-

Incident Based System and Uniform Crime Report were the FBI get statistics information on

crime, rapes, burglary and so forth. 

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These two report systems are a great tool the FBI uses again for not only the crime rates, but to

inform them of any offenders near or on the move in and outside of our communities.  With

these systems it is a great source to help warn the FBI, so that the FBI would help warn in protect

the people. 

            With such great advantage I have working for the FBI headquarters, I found that other

company’s approaches “writing” in a valuable way too.  One company I can say that uses writing

as an asset as the FBI, is the construction company.  In order for a building to be destructed and

reconstructed the head boss has to write a proposal to the mayor asking for his consent to

proceed on with the construction work.  Once they get the approval from the mayor and so forth,

then the contractors would then have a written outline.  Followed by a blue print of the new

foundation of the building being reconstructed, with a huge board letting the communities know

about what is being built as well as informing them that construction is on the way.

            As I can see every company and communities has to use a form of writing in their

everyday activities to communicate, to construct, to warn our people, for approval, for strikes,

etc.  Whatever the case may be we all need writing to help us learn and get by in our daily tasks.

Eng 100-11/Blog #6: Sommers' "Between the Drafts"

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Danielle Rogers

Ms. Sanford

Eng 100-11

Blog #6: Sommers’ “Between the Drafts”

Sommers’ “Between the Drafts”

            It’s funny how I was taught throughout school to write the “academic” way as Sommers

states in her journal entry, “Between the Drafts,” “Or, to use the metaphor of revision, I was

stuck in a way of seeing: reproducing the thoughts of others, using them as my guides …post-

structuralist vocabulary give authority to my text” (Para. 2, pg 135).  Not being able to express

how I felt from constructing different papers using the “Everyteacher” methods, where they give

me a specific topic to write a paper on made me feel very underpowered.  With this “authority”

from the teacher, I grew to accept this way of writing to be the best way coming up.  At some

point I grew out of the “academic” way of writing, and begin taking control of my own

“authority” and how I wrote.

            This moment of truth occurred when I was a sophomore in college.  In English 102, I was

giving an assignment where I had to construct a research paper on a topic of my own choose,

“Causes of youth joining gangs.”  But of course, there where specific guidelines I had to follow. 

Excited about being able to construct a paper I choose, at this time I felt in charged and

empowered.  Now here is my chance to express my own thoughts and feeling inside my research

paper.

            Before I started constructing my research paper, I began to think of some youth I knew

who had joined the gang. 

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At first, the writing was going very well, until I remembered that I had to answers some

questions that my professor had instructed me to answer.  Going back trying to answer those

questions had made me feel very disconnected from my writings, because at this point I am now

losing power in my own essay.  I was losing power because again I was now writing in some one

else voice.  Trying to combine my own personal experiences with another person resulted in me

being giving a grade of a “B-.” 

            I made the right choose to give my own thoughts and personal experiences, because I felt

that it would bring my paper to life and maybe another person can relate to it.  But being giving a

guideline to follow I feel that I messed up, because I erased most of my personal experiences to

make sure I answered most of the required questions.  With not a lot of my own examples and

relying on different sources to much, that’s why I was giving the grade I’ve received. 

Next time I would keep my own personal experiences inside my research paper, because

being able to express and give some of my own  personal experiences inside my paper helps me

to gain and use my “authentic” voice more.

Eng 100-11/Blog #5: Freire

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Danielle Rogers

Ms. Sanford

Eng 100-11

Blog #5: Freire

The “Banking” Concept of Education

            According to Freire, “The teacher is no longer the merely the-one-who-teaches, but one

who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also

teach.  They become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow.” (pg 249)  While I was

in grammar school, I had experiences using both banking concept and problem posing.  I used

each concept as a tool to help me learn different skills such as reading and writing.  Here are two

experiences using the banking concept and problem posing.

            When I began grade school I was taught by using the banking concept.  The teacher

would deposit words in my head have me go home in learn those words.  The next day in school

I would stand in front of the class and say my words out loud.  I began with the word, The, Cat,

Bat, and Ball just to name a few.  Once I finished saying my words, my teacher gave me a star

and told me good job on learning and saying all my words so perfectly. 

            It wasn’t until I got into 8^th grade when I was using the problem posing, my teacher

would have me read out loud in front of the classroom, and I would stumble across some words. 

That’s when my teacher word helps me out in pronouncing each of the words I may have

stumbled across while reading.  After I finished reading my paragraph the teacher would assign a

paper, where I would have to write about what I have read.  But before I leave, my teacher would

give a full dialogue on the book, so the class would have a clearer view/understanding of the

book. 

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Well in grammar school until where I am today, college, I really enjoyed both the

banking concept and problem posing, because I was able to learn reading and writing by using

both methods.  But I’ve been using the problem posing method throughout the pass few years,

in high school, I would give the teachers ideas about specific topics, and in college I would also

help my English professor out on different projects for the whole class to construct.  With the

problem posing method, the teacher-and-students become partners.  In with the partnership

between my teacher and me, this helped me to learn more flexible with all the one-on-one

training and tutoring.  I not only was able to learn by using the problem posing, but I passed as

well.

            Although I like using the problem posing, most of other classes are taught using the

banking concept, because the teacher wants the students to learn how to focus, study, and

prepare themselves for the world around them.