This Meme Means...

Prompt: Find a school appropriate meme. Discuss the rhetorical devices of the meme. How does the meme use ethos, pathos, logos, purpose, audience, stance, genre, and medium?

This meme is about the Patti LaBelle Pies (sold at Walmart) that surfaced at Christmas time.  It uses pathos to exploit the supposed battle between two R&B divas, Patti LaBelle and Aretha Franklin.  It also uses ethos to suggest that perhaps Patti didn’t really make the pies herself.

The purpose of the meme is to make fun of the pies since many have assumed that Walmart massed produced the pies and “slapped” Patti LaBelle’s name and likeness on the box.  The genre is the fun, teasing side of African-Americans who like to boast about their pie making skills.  The audience is specifically African-Americans, but could be anyone familiar with the pies.

The Writing Process

Prompt: Discuss the writing process. What is it? How can it help a writer?

I am a big believer in and follower of the Writing Process.  The five steps are: Pre-Writing, Writing, Revision, Editing, and Publishing.

I feel that every writer should follow the process because it helps you pay attention to the various steps of your writing.  It can help focus on your writing in a methodical way, particularly if you pay attention to each step, and focus on your writing at that stage.  You should not skip a stage in the process because your work can be damaged because of it.  You may have to go back to a previous step, but that’s okay because the process is cyclical.

A writer should always take a moment to check and make sure they are staying true to their outline, which is part of the Pre-Writing step.  Also, a writer should never skip the Revision or Editing step to save time.  Your work will not be credible because it will contain mistakes and errors.  The whole process is important.

Respecting the Process will produce quality writing.

Go to College

Prompt: Discuss advice you would give to high school seniors about college.

I would tell high school seniors that college is a fun place to grow and learn.  You can become whoever you want to be, just by learning about yourself, new subjects, new people, and more.  You just only have to take a chance.

College has become a special place where you can be whoever you endeavor to be, by growing as a person and student.  You get to meet people of all kinds of nationalities, who can enrich your thinking and worldview.  There are people there who know so much and have so many experiences that can teach you more than you ever thought you could learn.

College is hard work, but in the end the hard work pays off.  Not only in money, but in experiences that you may never have had were it not for attending college.  There will be struggles, but these struggles help develop your character, work ethic, and self-motivational skills.  You will learn things that will help you later in your career, as well as in your life.  Don’t be afraid of a challenge.

Academic Writing

Prompt: Discuss why academic writing is important to a college student and their college career.

Academic writing is important to a college student because all throughout college students will be writing.  It is important that college students learn how to write well.  They will use writing in their careers as well, so learning to write in a freshman college English class is vital.  This class teaches students how to express themselves in an effective and acceptable way.

Most incoming freshman students currently comes into college speaking TextSpeak, which is very inappropriate for academic or professional writing.  Also, they have a rudimentary level of writing.  Most importantly, most of them coming in disliking writing because it is an arduous task that they were asked to do in high school.  This creates issues for college instructors because they must tear down writing myths created by years of writing being rammed down their throats, and build a love of writing in a way that it will create a comfort for the student.  This can be both a task and a treat.

Overall, students must learn that writing is necessary as they go through college, and into the workforce.  Taking Freshmen writing courses should not be looked at as a “CHORE,” but as a way to grow as a person, which is what college is all about.

Woven in the Fabric of Life Writing

One day, I walked into the house and announced to my mother that I wanted to be a writer.  This happened after I read a story that I wrote for my Creative Writing class when I was in the 8th grade.  My story was the only story that the entire class, including the teacher listened when I shared it to class, as was part of the assignment.

I have always liked to write stories.  Ever since I can remember, I have written stories.  Even when I wrote poems, they ended up being epic poems that told a story in some way.  I am not sure how this storytelling gift came about because I am not good at telling stories verbally, but when I write them, they become great.

I discovered the writing genre called “Life Writing” while I was in college for my Master’s degree, years after I had been writing in my storytelling style.  It was for an assignment for an English class.  I still do not remember what the assignment was, but I remember reading about Life Writing.  Life Writing is recording one’s story, memories, experiences, etc. through autobiographies, biographies, diaries, memoirs, letters, personal essays, blogging, emailing, vlogging, etc.  It is a way to keep track of your life.

I discovered what I would come to know as Life Writing, when I was a young girl by watching my grandmother write in her diary.  I did not know that this simple act would propel me into my career field of writing.  I saw Grandma’s Hands write in her little book, and share something about her day.  Shortly after that, I began keeping a diary, writing random thoughts, things about my day, stories ideas, and things I wanted to write about later.  It was fun.

I developed my skill of Life Writing by writing stories about people, and things that happened in their life.  As I think back to the many stories and poems I have written, I made up lots of stories about imaginary people’s lives.  That has been my writing style ever since the 8th grade.

I wrote a short story for my Short Story Writing class while in my Master’s degree program.  My professor said it was a great slice of life story.  At that moment, my career as a Life Writer was reinforced.  I discovered how I could bless the world with my talent, fully.  I would share a message of hope and redemption through sharing the life stories of the imaginary people I make up.

Change Is a Must for Even Me

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Ghandi

Change is a hard thing.  It makes many people nervous, including me.  Do we really want to change?  Do we really want to stand up and say, “Something is wrong and we need to change?”  if we are really honest, most people would say no at first, but when faced with the inevitability of change, we are forced to change, if not be the agent of change.

As I reflect on the things that are happening in the USA at this time, there is so much going on… We’re about to elect a new president, many issues that we were once silent about are coming to the forefront, and personally, I’m being taught new strategies and techniques to use as I teach my English classes.  Change is all around me.  And it’s SCARING me to death!

When I pay attention to the national landscape of change, I wonder if Colin Kapernick thought about what he would face when he decided to “be the change,” and not stand for the singing of the National Anthem.  Did he imagine that he would be the “talk of the town?”  Did he imagine that a well-known sportscaster would cast aspersions on his “BLACKNESS?”  Did he know that people would burn his jersey?  Did he think that it could cost him his job?  I wonder.

However, Colin’s action has caused us to think, read, evaluate, and process what we value as Americans and humans.  Will anything change because of his actions?  Perhaps.  Will Americans come together and work towards some solutions.  I don’t know.  But, Colin made a stand, and it has affected us all in some way.

As I think about the changes going on in my own small, diminutive world, it seems insignificant compared to the world at large.  So much is going on, that I often think… “Will making a change in my life or in my teaching make a difference?”  The conclusion I come to each time I ask myself that question is… YES!

Grandma’s Hands Taught Me How to Write

Sitting at my grandmother’s feet watching her write in her small journal is what I remember most about her.  She left this world on August 3, 2016 at 9:30 AM.  I found out at 10:03.

All I’ve been able to think about is her sitting in her brown or green recliner, picking up her small notebook from a flowery decorated tray table sitting on the left side of the recliner, and writing something in it.  She never wrote for a long time, though.  It always seemed to be no more than one or two sentences.  That is the memory that I see when I think of my grandmother.

She’s the first person I saw write.  She’s the first image I have of someone putting pen to a piece of paper and writing something on it.  That’s why I began journaling… because I saw my grandmother, Bertha Allen do it.  She was my introduction to writing.

I have writing in my DNA.  I was blessed with the gift on my father’s side as well.  He’s a writer.  Funny thing is… my father likes to cook, too.  The boys, my two brothers got the cooking gene, and my sister and I got the writing gene.  I laugh every time I think about that.

I have been writing since I was nine years old, when I wrote a poem for an Easter program at my church.  After that, I began writing almost every day.  I always had a pen and some paper, usually a small notebook like my grandmother had on her tray table, in my hand.  Jotting down and observing the things around me became a quotidian task.  I know I got on people’s nerves.

I still love to write today.  I still get excited when I get an idea for a story or poem.  I still get emotional when I experience the emotion of one of my characters.  I still feel a sense of pride when someone says they enjoyed my writing.  I laugh as I read an old story, poem, or essay I wrote.  Looking at my writing portfolio gives me pleasure, as I reflect on the skills I have learned over the years.  I get a moment of joy when I complete a writing job.

I’m a writer because God gave me that talent.  But, my grandmother is the person who opened my eyes to the gift that I had inside.  She started me on my path as a writer.

Prayerfully, one day, I can do the same for some young writer.

Why Creating Writers...

Here's why I call my blog Creating Writers One Semester @ a Time.  It's from my Teaching Philosophy.

"I want my students to know that I am a writer and that they are being taught by a writer. I want my students to know that I struggle at times with writing and that I have had to work my way through a writing task. I want them to know that I get writer’s block, don’t feel like writing at times, and sometimes dislike the writing tasks that I have been assigned.

Most importantly, I want to teach my students that they can be better writers by writing more. I feel that if your students know that you have experienced what they are experiencing, then they will believe in you more and be more willing to hear what you have to say."

When a student walks into my class, they are writers.  When they leave my class, they have a different view of writing, usually, a more positive one.

Posting Writings

I will be posting various writings that I do based on the assignments I give my Composition students.  I've always wanted to write the essays assignments that I give my students, but never seemed to take the time to do it, so, here's my opportunity.

It should be fascinating.  I wonder what grade I would give myself. :)

In-Class Essays

Each class meeting, I have my ENGL1301 students write an essay at the beginning of class.  It’s either a prompt essay or an explanatory quote essay (an essay based on a quote).  I decided to write each essay as well, and post them to my blog.

Welcome to My Blog

I've asked by Freshman English Composition students at Collin College to create and maintain a blog this semester.  I decided to posts just like I ask them to do.  It should be interesting because I will be posting to two other blogs.  My teaching adventure blog and my Technical Writing Blog.
#girlyoubeblogging