Perhaps..?

While I was doing some research for my ENGL 461R, I came across the ten most banned books in America as of October 1, 2012. As I sped through the top ten, I saw books like Harry Potter, The Catcher in the Rye, and Huckleberry Finn. I couldn't help but be disturbed by the idea that many all-time American classics have been challenged and even banned from the school shelves. Come to find out, Huckleberry Finn is frowned upon due to the excessive use of the "n" word. A few years ago, publishers released a "better" Huck Finn, replacing over 200 "n" words with the words "slave". Since 1884, Mark Twain's novel has been challenged. I find this incredibly relevant with what we are learning in class because I couldn't help but ask myself why in the world would they take out every "n" word and replace it with "slave"? How does making a drastic change such as that, deem the book more "readable" for teens and adolescents? Language is such a powerful thing and I believe that it lies in the love of literacy too. We can't have literacy without language and vice versa.

I guess I should probably define my project a bit  more clearly:  I want to see how language has changed, how society has evolved, more specifically dealing with Huck Finn. I want my students to be able to come across a novel and look at it critically...and love doing it, of course. I don't want them to be restricted from the greats like Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird simply because the society we live in does not accept the language that was acceptable at the time. I want my students to be able to recognize the differences in the use of language.

Transcripts + Gregging.

Looking at the transcripts has certainly been entertaining. Even though we have only seen three transcripts, there has been such an array of strategies and situations but the one I see the most occurring is the teacher prompting and asking questions. They are never lecturing and telling the students what they want to know, but instead, they are probing through their knowledge through conversation in the classroom. I find this very intriguing. However, I do notice that if none of the students are talking, it appears that all of them are talking.

When it comes to my own classroom, I want it to look similar. I want to have class discussion and let the students learn from each other, not just me. I want them to ask questions about things they don't understand and more importantly, I want them to learn in a new way. Not just from lecture. I can imagine this happening but I understand that class will not, oftentimes, go as I plan...a lot of gregging may occur. 

C.C.R.

1.  When I picture C.C.R., I picture high school students ready to enter the "college world". I see them capable of filling out their college applications,  able to register for their own classes, and in those classes, succeed because they can read and write. Isn't that what we see as being literate? Shouldn't our students be capable of doing those things as they move on from the high school life and transition into the real world? As we dig into this definition of literate and even the English language in general, I am beginning to see more clearly what I want my own goals to be as a teacher. Along with many other goals, I want my students to leave feeling like they can fill out an application or write a paper with ease. I don't want to produce fear, dread, or anxiety whenever the words "paper", "read", or "write" come up. I was lucky to have left high school feeling capable and I want my students to leave feeling that way as well.
2. I want my students to leave not only feeling confident that they can fill out paper work, but also feeling comfortable with who they are and who they are becoming. I realize this is a bit sentimental but I get to work with high school students on a regular basis through an internship that I have with my church and every single one of them needs someone to believe in them. I want them to leave feeling like they are capable of greatness and can be whoever they want to be. To say they are literate is to say they can read and write with no problem and they can do it well.

Literate or Illiterate...Is that how you say it?

Literacy, literate, illiterate...mah. Why isn't it unliterate instead of illiterate? Ill reminds me of sickness...certainly that can't be right. This is the point. I don't think we can ever distinguish a line between the literate and the illiterate but if I had to draw a line I would say it in regards of communication; between whether or not I can understand what they are trying to tell me. If someone is literate, I can tell what they are trying to communicate to me. If they are "ill"literate, I have no clue what they are trying to convey to me. For example..someone who says the word "unliterate"...I would understand what they are trying to tell me. But if someone say "bobfinkitoo"...ummmm need I say more? I believe English can be taken to literate. It can be taken too seriously. We talked the other day about how who/whom is being lost:  I completely agree but do I care? Not really. As long as my students understand English, grammar, and are able to communicate effectively, isn't that the point? Isn't that enough? Maybe it is, but perhaps it isn't.

Grammar, Grammar, Grammar, Hey!

I think the issue with grammar is an ongoing one. For me personally I always thought grammar to be diagrams and rules and only diagrams and rules. However, Hartwell's article certainly opens my eyes to the misconceptions I have about grammar. Grammar is not about the diagrams...it's about far more:
1. Internal rules
2. Technical rules, analysis, and linguistic sciences
3. Linguistic is not grammar etiquette
4. School Grammar
5. Stylistic Grammar
I thought number 4 was all it was about. But now I am beginning to see that grammar is a more complex topic. It is all five of these points interwoven with each other. I feel like you can't have one without the other but our instincts and responses are based on our internal rules. It's a lot like the ten commandments...you cant break one without breaking the first commandment. In grammar, you can't break the others without breaking the first. I believe we all know what is correct and right, but we often go against that. I believe that is how I can help students...but realizing that grammar isn't a singular rule and class...it's a network of the inter-workings of all five of the above points.

When Bedtime used to be 7pm

It took a few minutes...maybe close to an hour for me to remember anything pertaining to my "early learning years". I lost my hearing by the time I was four years old so my speech and language became a bit delayed. It was also easy for me to go to bed because all I had to do was take my hearing aids out and all was quiet. Of course, that wasn't so much a blessing then than it is now. My parents told me before they found out about my hearing loss, I would crawl out of my crib every time they set me in and they would spank me and put me back in. Five minutes later I would be out of my crib and spanked once again...let's just say that I've learned to appreciate the fact that I can't hear at night.
 When it comes to remembering my bedtime stories, I think my childhood looked a little different because I couldn't hear. However, I do remember bits and pieces of it rather vaguely. I remember my parents singing to me. I remember the different story books they read (although I have no clue what they were called). I remember the stories my dad used to tell. I even remember the cereal boxes I read/looked upon before I went to school in the mornings. I never realized that those moments could have prepared me for school but I am especially grateful that I was able to catch on so quick to the language around me. I learned to read lips real quick and became an expert at it at an early age.  I wish I could remember the finer details but that's all I've got.

AppaJamainglish

Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the presentations. It was fun and I actually learned a lot. I feel that I am naive to the world around me. Language is so complex and ambiguous. I don't think anyone can ever fully understand and know language. There is so much history and so many concepts within language it blows my mind. Even when we were learning about Appalachian English...it's right here in the United States but is a separate language in itself. I always assumed that English was English and Chinese is separate from German that is separate from Russian. I put it all in boxes but really, it's a web. Language is not a box, it's a web...hmmm interesting thought.
I feel like everyone did a great job preparing for their portion and it was a great activity.

The Question: Am I at Fault?

I've been thinking about all that we have been learning as a class and couldn't help but turn the focus on me. Yes, that sounds conceited but it is not what I mean. We have been spending all this time looking at the English language and pointing out the differences and challenges that lie before us as a teacher. What if I look at myself though? What are the assumptions and expectations I am going to have of my students? Is it possible to expect too much of them? Is it possible to place too much of a "proper English" burden on my students so much to the point that they will not want to learn or try to speak up? Will they be intimidated to speak this classroom English and not want to learn? I want my students to be able to grasp and appreciate the diversity of English and even the world as a result of my English class. I just don't want to have unrealistic expectations of  my students. I certainly do not want to be at fault of that.

Contract Rather Than Constrict

This class has been opening my eyes to just how naive I really am. My "english" and the way I talk is the right way and the way everyone else talked was simply because they were from another town or country...or so I thought. It's safe to say that my eyes have been opened. They have been opened to the broad reality and question of "what is English exactly?". As I have battled with this question, I have found the answer:  There is no definitive answer to that question. I have come to the conclusion that there is no right or wrong. However, as I look in my own life, I write and carry on in classroom conversations so differently than if I am talking with my social group. I tend to "be on my best behavior" when it comes to  my school language but when I'm with my friends, "totes my goats" is a term in the dictionary. What I'm saying is in a high school setting, I know that will be true of my students. I know that they are going to be restricted when it comes to school but rather than feel constrained and confined to the "proper english" I must expand and contract my understanding of english and what I expect of my high school students. It is not just my students that need to be "fixed" but, instead, it's myself as well.

A Belated Intro

In cast you haven't caught on, my name is Jourdan Winn. I was born and raised here in good ol' Bozeman. I love running, wakeboarding, camping, spending time with my family, and long walks on the beach (seemed appropriate).
I am in my senior year of college, hoping and planning to graduate in the Fall of 2013. How I came to attend MSU is pretty common:  as a senior in high school and having grown up in Bozeman, I wanted out. I wanted to go out and find myself. I wanted to explore. So I went to Missoula to explore...shhh. But! If I may redeem myself, I only went for a year and then immediately transferred back upon returning from a brutal semester. I wanted to go to school for Radiologic Technology and become a radiation therapist. All that changed when I transferred to MSU and discovered a newfound appreciation for English. I switched my major and continued on the path to success. People ask me what my plans are for when I graduate. My answer:  I have no idea. Maybe go on a mission trip...who knows. All I know is I don't know which way I'm going but I'll get there someday:)

A True Story: Read over and over and over again.

I must admit:  reading that Mark Twain excerpt was a bit of a struggle. It took my undivided attention and I had to think about what was being said. I was not surprised by the linguistic features and differences among the reading. The biggest one was the pronunciation. I began to read it out loud because it was so hard for me to "interpret" what was being said. I started to talk like Aunt Rachel. My voice had a bit of a twang in it and my pronunciation was way off. I believe that pronunciation was the big problem. Aunt Rachel did not pronunciate very many of her words, leaving a lot of them "half said", like "an'"and "de". The syntax of her English is totally different. If you were to classify her language (as we did in class on wednesday) Aunt Rachel would be in the lower class portion, uneducated, speaking "uneducated" english. Aside from the "proper" use, it sounds the same. I could gather what was being said and could easily figure out what she meant because of the way it sounded. That is one pro to the English language. It is easy to determine what one is trying to say...even though it took me a few times to read it.

English Education: My Thoughts

Ahhh the world of English and language...if only we were able to have a step-by-step guide telling us everything we needed to know and teach about the language in general. I suppose since that is not possible (at least for the time being) I could give my input on what I think should be taught in the classrooms about the essence of language. Looking back on my own personal experience as a student in an English class setting, I see the ways in which we did not look at the English language very closely. Rather, it consisted of reading and writing...strange, right? That's not what I mean though. I am implying that my classes lacked reading and writing. The only thing teachers were concerned with was whether or not we knew who the characters were.
 If it were my own classroom, I would want to start off with an activity similar to the one we did yesterday in class and really analyze the differences between the languages we encounter. I've always known that we all speak in various ways but I've never looked at how. Ever since that class, I think about all the ways in which someone else talks differently than me and want to figure out why. I want to open my student's eyes to that as well. I want them to question, ponder, and find out why someone else talks differently in the very same language they speak. I think that students should be taught to analyze and think critically about the English language. I fear that we have become lazy when it comes to our language. It comes too easy to us and we constantly try to water it down and make it less intelligible. Like texting for example, need I say more? I think it would be fun to challenge students to write in a "different" kind of English and look at why that may be. For instance, one could look at and see all the ways a boy from Brooklyn would write differently than a woman in upstate New York. (just an example off the top of my head). Language is not merely writing and reading. Language is the dig-deep-find-out-the-deeper-meaning. It is thinking critically and analyzing English itself. One more issue that should be taught about the English language would be the origin...I'm a senior in college and I have yet to figure that out. With that said, I'm going to go do some research right now.