WELCOME

Welcome to our Eng 100 Blog “Conversation Beyond the Classroom”! The title of this blog refers to the community of active readers & collaborative learners we are creating by sharing our academic writing for Eng 100 with each other + a larger group of students, instructors, academics, and just about anybody who chooses to follow our blog! When you write and post your reader responses here (and, later, as you write your essays for the course), I encourage you to use this audience to conceptualize who you are writing for and, most important, how to communicate your ideas so that this group of academic readers and writers can easily follow your line of thinking. Think about it this way: What do you need to explain and articulate in order for the other bloggers to understand your response to the essays we’ve read in class? What does your audience need to know about those essays and the authors who wrote them? And how can you show your readers, in writing, which ideas you add to these “conversations” that take place in the texts we study?
As students of Eng 100, you will use this blog to begin conversations with other academic writers on campus (students and instructors alike). We become active readers of each other’s writing when we comment on posts here. And, best of all, we are using this space to share ideas! I encourage you to use this blog to further think through the topics and writing strategies you will be introduced to this quarter. As always, be sure to give credit to those people whose ideas you borrow for your own thinking and writing (you should do this in the blog by commenting on their post, but you will also be required to cite what you borrow from your peers/instructors if and when it winds up in your essays. More details on that later…).
Finally, keep in mind that writing to and for this audience is a good way to prepare for the panel of readers (faculty at WCC) who will be reading and assessing your writing portfolio at the end of the quarter. We hope that as a large group of active readers, we can better prepare each other for this experience. But, in the meantime, let’s have fun with it! I am really excited see how far we can take this together!


--Mary Hammerbeck, Instructor of Eng 100

Saturday, January 8, 2011

A student named Michael


Greetings.

My name is Michael.

I used to describe myself as a single Dad but both my sons are on their own and today I am “just a student”. This is my 2nd Quarter at WCC. It may sound strange to just say it straight out like this but over the course of many years I’ve neglected myself. That has recently changed. Her name was Billy and we were in love. Our plans included her selling her home in the UK and moving to the fine state of Washington to begin our new life together. The plans ended tragically mid-way through last year when my Billy died in a head-on accident on her way to visit her grandchildren.


Billy’s impact on my life continues through today and came through something that I found absolutely amazing. She was concerned for my health and wanted me to get a checkup (reasonable enough, yes?). The part that I found so amazing in this woman of 53 years was her response to my very gruff reply, “I don’t need a mother, dear.” It seems I had been single too long and was out of practice. Somehow she was able to suspend her concern and objection, summon the resolve, and table the conversation. Not once did she nag or cajole but she let me know that she cared and really only wanted the best for me. My assurance that I would take care of it before she moved was activated by her trust. I promised myself that I would begin a course of self-improvement. One that includes addressing both health and educational concerns. Today, my feet have stayed the course; my resolve is strengthened, “I’ll do it for her.”


One month after Billy died I kept my promise to her and went for my first checkup in many years (I don't like doctors). Life changes, eating well and regular exercise were the prescription. In the past 6 months I’ve been to four different doctors but I won’t bore you with the stories. Suffice it to say that my time here at WCC continues to be a labor of love and stems from a commitment to a healthier me. Perhaps my proudest accomplishment is my two sons who are both grown now. Neither have been involved in drugs, they’ve not been to jail and are both involved in healthy, stable, loving relationships. (Whew!). I raised them as a single Dad since my youngest (now 24) was three years old. They are both very proud of their dad and I am happy to be counted among those who have made similar decisions to follow a course of health and self-improvement.

~Michael


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2 comments:

  1. Mary H.January 8, 2011 at 12:19 PM

    What an inspiring story you have to share, Michael. I hope that this winter quarter continues to be meaningful to you as you carry on with your promises to yourself. --Mary

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 13, 2011 at 12:44 PM

    Michael, your story is inspiring to me because you haven’t given up on yourself, quite the opposite. A single parent is dedication and your son’s must be very proud of you.
    I am so sorry for the loss of your loved one Billy. Our lives sure can take unforeseen twists and turns. I wish you all the very best. May I ask what you plan to do with your degree? At forty eight I am trying to do the same thing for myself but this quarter feels a little tricky. Katherine

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