Weekly Blog 3

This week I got to interview my cousin for English class. I haven't seen him in a while so it was good catching up with him. We talked about his experiences in the Iraq war and what it was like to be in it. He gave me his take on whether it was necessary for us to be there and how he feels about the war in general. I've never interviewed someone before so this was a good experience for me. I was well prepared with questions to ask him so it went smoothly. Overall I liked the experience and I learned a lot about my cousin that I didn't know.

Weekly Blog 2

I recently took a test in my Statistics class. This test counts as 20% of the overall grade in the class so it was essential that I did well on it. This is the class that I have the lowest grade in so if I was successful in doing well on it, my grade will improve tremendously. Although the test itself was hard, I was well rested and I studied a good amount during the course of the week. As I took the test, I knew a lot of the answers to the questions. Not every answer came so easily though. Some of them I had to really think about and do the best that I could on them. Overall the test went pretty well. This is great news considering I had to do well on the test.

Weekly Blog 1

Classes are going  very well so far. I have the grades that I want and I think that I am on track to get off of academic probation. This semester has been a lot than the first, class wise. My grades are better and my GPA is way better than first semester. It's getting close to the end of the school year so that means that finals will be coming up any week now. I feel like I am preparing myself well for the finals and it is essential that I do well on them. If I do, I will be able to get off of academic probation and be able to breath a little bit next year.

Interviewing

Interviewing someone can be a difficult task, no matter who it is. It can be hard even it's a brother or sister or a family member like them. Being prepared is the biggest factor in conducting a successful interview. Questions that will be asked should be pre-planned and ready to be asked once the interview starts. If you are not prepared, it will be much harder trying to think of questions on the spot. Other things that should be done beforehand are setting the location of the interview, picking the person that will be interviewed, and also setting a date and time for it. Without those three things, there will be no interview. Professionalism is also a key to conducting a good interview. Treat the person being interviewed as a professional and do not treat them as if they are under you. With all of these tips being utilized at the same time, your interview will go smoothly and you will come out of it with all the information that you will want and need.

Memoir Reading Blog 4

Jackie Robinson had a son named Jackie Robinson Jr. His son had a reputation of disliking school very much and even being a trouble maker at his school. Jackie's son got into lots of trouble and was consistently doing it over and over. In a particular scene in the book, Jackie's son runs away from home with his friend. Both his mother and father were in a state of panic and were very distraught about the events that were unfolding. Their son was gone and they had no idea where he had run off to. As I read through the scene, I could feel both of his parents pain. They had lost their son and they were so desperate to do anything that would help to get their so back. If I was personally in that situation, I would most definitely do the exact same thing that his parents did. I would do anything and everything that would help to try and get my child back. It's a natural instinct to protect your children and when something happens to one of them, everything will be done by that parent to protect their child and get them back. 

Memoir Reading Blog 3

Jackie Robinson's life after his baseball career is what makes up the framework of the memoir. He moved on to even greater things than baseball. Things such as becoming a politician and getting involved in civil rights. Robinson had relationships with numerous civil rights activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. It was his life after his career in baseball that left a lasting impression of who Jackie Robinson really is. Choosing to write about this aspect of his life, as well as his baseball career, really showed Robinson's character and who he truly was. He left a lasting impact on both the game of baseball and civil rights. Putting these two things together helps to create a positive image that will always be linked to the life of Jackie Robinson. This memoir is for those who are either fascinated with the game of baseball of civil rights itself. Robinson played a big role in both and this memoir can appeal to a wide variety of people and audiences.

Memoir Reading Blog 2

The memoir that I have chosen to read is on the career and life of Jackie Robinson. Before the great African-American players such as, Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, and Reggie Jackson, came into the league, Jackie was the first of his race to be allowed to play professional baseball. Jackie Robinson broke the race barrier in the MLB in 1947 when he became the first African-American professional baseball player. This allowed other great African-Americans to do the same and fulfill their dreams of being baseball players. This memoir focuses on his career and how he came to be able to do the things he did as a professional athlete. Jackie describes his early trials of battling Jim Crow laws and how he had to battle to get the career opportunity that he did. Most of the memoir is focused on his playing career and the great things he did. Without Jackie Robinson, who knows if the MLB would be different today.

Memoir Reading Blog 1

The memoir that I chose to read was one of Jackie Robinson. He was the first African-American baseball player and he broke the barrier for more African-Americans to break the barrier as well. This particular book attracted my attention because it was about a man that changed the face of a major league sport and was recognized by everyone, everywhere. As I read this book, I'm expecting to learn more about how Jackie was given the chance and what he had to do to make it into major league baseball. This is a history changing event because without Jackie Robinson, who knows where major league sports would be with allowing African-Americans to play alongside everyone else. There's not much to relate myself with to Jackie Robinson, but if there was anything, it would be the fact that Jackie never gave up on his dreams. I myself am the type of person that does not give up when it comes to achieving something that I want. This should be a great book and I am looking forward to reading more about the life of Jackie Robinson.

First Attempt at Writing Memoir

The very first attempt at writing memoir, I was excited to write about an event that was specifically special/significant to me. As I continued to write my memoir, I found an event that happened in my life and was very significant to me. This specific event was the death of my grandfather. He was very close to me and it was very hard to let him go once he died. Some challenges that I faced when writing the memoir was trying to recollect all of the memories from that long ago. Other then that, it was too difficult to write since it was my own life and it came very easy to me. Sometimes I feel like this part of my life is a little personal to share,but I feel like people should know about a man that was very close to me and also helped shape me to be the person that I am today. In the end, I believe that this is a good event to write about, as it really did impact my life at the time that it occurred. 

Maxine Hong Kingston Three Step Response

Three Step Response:
1. Dumbness
    I stand frozen....
    flunked kindergarten
    quiet Chinese girls
    toy saucer
    school became a misery
    barest whisper
2. Anxious
    Bashful
    Curious
    Envious
    Indifferent
    Interested
    Optimistic
    Sad
    Sympathetic
    Thoughtful
    Worried
3. I want to know more about how hard it was to speak English for the first time. Did it take the author longer then the other kids, or was it a shorter amount of time? Also, I would like to know what it felt like to go to a school where the kids in it were of a different nationality then the author was. Was it scary? Or was it pretty easy to fit in and get along with the other children that attended the school.

Free Write:

I chose this selection because I wanted to know what it felt like for a person whose first language is not English to speak it for the first time. I realized from the passage that it can be a scary thing. The author was very nervous and did not want to speak at all in fear of embarrassment. In my opinion, I would be the same way if I had to speak another language for the first time. It would be very nerve racking to say the least and I'm not exactly sure how I would respond. I feel as though I would respond like the other did in the situation.

On Writing Well 1/15/14

The first two chapters in "On Writing Well" discuss how writing can be different for everyone. Some people find it very easy and others find it very hard. This is ok because everyone writes differently. The key to writing is to simplify what you are writing. Take out words or phrases that do not need to be there and make your writing as simple and concise as it can be. The reader will have an easier time understanding you and will be more interested in what you have to talk about. Otherwise the readers, that have an attention span of 30 seconds, will become bored with the writing and may even fall asleep. But, if the writing is simplified and easy for the reader to comprehend, the effect will be opposite. Those readers with short attention spans will become more interested and will stay interested throughout your piece of writing.

Motivation

My first motivation for college was to make money and have a job that will support me and allow me to have a good living. As I continue my education, going into my second semester, I have maintained the same mindset. My main goal and motivation as a college student is to get good grades and earn a degree that will allow me to get a good job.

After watching Mr. Pink and listening to the research that he has done and the results that came about, I was very surprised. I have always thought that if you rewarded someone, their performance would be a lot better. But after listening to Mr. Pink, I have changed my mind completely about that. The results of the researches that were done to see how a reward would affect the performance of people suggest that if someone is offered a reward, they do a lot poorer than if they were not.

It is very hard to believe this because it almost seems completely backwards to me, but I have ultimately been convinced that it is true. My whole life I have thought different and this has truly been an eye opener to me and I now think a lot differently when it comes to motivation and how people are motivated.