The research project t is stretching me in many ways such as improving my patience and communication skills. I have a tendency to work ahead and finish up everything on my own. I don’t really like to work in a group because of the bad experiences I had before. I always had to do everything and the others would just watch me do it. My perspective has changed because everyone participates equally and do their part. We help each other out and if one doesn’t understand then we explain and help out. I have grown as a thinker and a student.

My group is pretty cool right now. We are kind of confused but I think we have figured out what to do. Working in a group like this kind of research can be frustrating because it can be hard to track everyone on the same page. We might go off-topic and not get things done on time. Everybody might not contribute equally and do their part but that’s not a problem in our group. There are advantages of working in a group such as sharing ideas and improving our skills (communication, leadership, teamwork).

Suggested Roles for Basic Project Management:

Keeper of the Calendar: Manisha Monger

This person is in charge of the overall calendar, including the major project timeline and interim deadlines. This person oversees the interim group deadlines, as well, to keep the project moving along.

Files Supervisor: Joey McElroy

This person is super organized and likes to keep all the files together and appropriately named, shared, and folder’ed. Whether keeping hard copies of items that must be printed or keeping everyone in the digital spaces where the knowledge vault is, this person knows how to find everything in the group.

Group Scribe: Madison Kendrick

This person takes notes at each of the meetings, whether in class or out. They keep the notes handy and share them with everyone after each meeting, or at least get a copy over to the files supervisor for managing.

Project Guru: Jessica Breving

This person stays in touch with the instructor and has a solid handle on what the research project is all about and what the group prompt is really asking for. They keep the team on track and out of the weeds.

I feel confident that our group is getting things done ahead of time. We are communicating well through Snapchat and Google Hangouts. We are working well with each other and remind ourselves what is due when, ask questions. It’s going pretty good right now. I have a tendency to not wait and get things done. I don’t think I work good in a group so I want to build skills with people in our group because it will help me in the future.

I was assigned to read “Challenging Our Labels: Rejecting the Language of Remediation by Tejada, et al (page 130).

Many students were put into remedial classes. They never thought they would be put into this kind of class but when they figure out that there are placed into this kind of class they get shocked. Students throughout the nation get tested before they begin college and when they get tested they figure out that they are placed under the grade-level classes. Students don’t want to be placed under these classes because it becomes disappointing for them to say to their family that they were not successful in achieving the grade level they wanted to placed in. Even the students who were earning a high GPA during their high school were getting placed below their grade level and they were concerned with their college career. It delays them to finish their requirements for the career they want to go into.

I think this kind of test is useless because it doesn’t measure the student’s intelligence and labels them as below the class level. I have been there as well. When I moved from Idaho to Ohio I was required to take a placement test and I didn’t do so well on an English test. After that, I was put into a regular English class and another class to help me with the regular class. When I was given an extra class to help me with the regular class, I felt as if I was not smart enough to be in college. The extra class also took up space because I could have been taking some other class instead of taking that extra class.

I have learned that my literacies come from people around me like my professors, classmates, and my family. Reading and Writing are different in college compared to high school. In high school we were required to write like an argumentative essay, poems, and many more. I didn’t enjoy reading or writing at that time because it was a requirement, not something I wanted to do. I have learned new things from the book Writing about Writing and I am actually starting to enjoy reading/writing.

We are 1/3 of the way through the term and college is going good for me. Some of the things that I have been doing that’s helping me is setting up a calendar and writing everything ahead of time like what’s due in each class. It’s helpful because I know what’s due when and what time. Another thing is taking out time at home and studying for each class. I am more organized and motivated than before because I paid lot of money out of pocket to get in the classes that I am in. I can’t just not care and fail these classes.

Question #1 from pg. 114

I think Malcolm X’s intended audience is everyone from kids to middle schoolers. He wants his African American people to have the knowledge and be educated. He desired that his people got the same freedom and chance. I know this because back in the days’ black people didn’t have opportunities and privileges compared to what white people had. African Americans were on their own. There was no one to come and offer to teach.

Question #4 from pg.104

Sandra Cisneros and her father have different ideas about what it means to be successful. Her father thinks for women to be successful it’s important to get married, have a family, and children. Being successful for men means working in a high-level field of occupation, something that doesn’t have to deal with labor works. He had a tough life as a labor worker and he worked hard to make a living out of it so he always tells his children to use their mind. He also had discrete sponsors, which made him like the way he is now. Cisneros had a different mindset because of how her father treated her. She had a new thought of showing her dad that a woman can also do the things a man can do and make her parents proud. Both of them have separate views and set of ideas due to time frames, experiences, and generations.