Task Two Questions

1.) Did you drop out of high school to help you family when your father and brother passed away?
2.) Do you feel that you have achieved all your goals in life without continuing your education?
3.) If you had the chance to go back now, would you and why?
4.) Do you think that furthering your education is crucial in today's world?
5.) What did you enjoy most about school while there?

All of these questions I have wondered throughout my life and it seems appropriate to ask them now.

Cuentos

This story was very hard for me to follow, I didn't exactly enjoy the story so I couldn't follow along very well.  I know that a Cuentos  is a story or a tale of some sort, but I do not recall ever being told any folktales growing up.  I really do not even know what to write about. Im sorry

Sister Flowers

I think that she felt that Sister Flowers was a genuine, smart, nice person who she admired.  She states that, "She was one of the few gentlewomen I have ever known, and has remained throughout my life the measure of what a human being can be."  She looked up to here and enjoyed the smiles she gave her.  She liked that she had invited her into her life even though she was a stranger.  She encouraged her to read and remember poems, to read aloud and know what each word meant.  She felt respected by everyone once she spoke to Sister Flowers.  I think of my father when I think of a measure of what a human being can be.  He did not graduate high school, therefore people would think he is not smart and could have had a better life.  I disagree with this because he has come a long way in life regardless of his educational background.  He taught me the values in life and to never give up, something they don't teach in school.  He has always been so kind, he would give his last dollar to someone if they really needed it, leaving him with nothing.  I compare him to all men in my life whether its a boyfriend, a friend, a co-worker, whatever the situation.  He showed me how I should be treated and how I should treat others.

Task Two

• Why are you interested in these subjects? I am going to interview my father because he has come far in life even though he did not graduate high school.
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• What makes him/her interesting and unique? My father had a very rough life growing up and always made sure that our family was happy and taken care of.
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• What sort of questions would you ask and why? Why he dropped out of high school and I would like to know if he had the chance if he would continue his education now.
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• What sort of problems do you think may arise for Task Two? Honestly the one situation that I can see arising from this is that it might make my father think about his life in a different way even though I'm proud of the way he is now.
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• What do you anticipate? Why? I hope that my father will be honest with me and be proud of me for what I am trying to accomplish by  interviewing him.
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• What questions do you have for Task Two? I do not have any questions at this time for the task.

Peer Review

What would you like to see changed? I just wish there was more time to get to everyone, maybe make the groups smaller.

How would you like for it to be done?Make the groups smaller

Is there too much time in class that is devoted to peer review? Just based on last weeks peer review I didn't feel like there was enough time but if we have smaller groups I think it would be enough.

On Becoming a Chicano

I wouldn't define my racial identity as anything other than a White girl.  I have never been called any names that associate with being white.  Ive heard the labels people use, such as Cracker, Honkey, White Trash, etc.  As for myself I have never been called them.  I do however have mixed nephews and have heard several labels thrown out in conversation.  Not so much directing it towards them but in general or as a joke.  I personally do not appreciate those jokes nor do I find them funny.  I don't want my nephews to grow up to use those words or to think that it is okay to say those kind of things to people, whether it's joking or not.  In my eyes everyone is equal and should have a fair chance at everything, whether you are White, Black, Hispanic, or any other ethnic.  The color of your skin, hair, or accent that you have does not define who you are.  I want my nephews to grow up being treated equally and not be expected to for sake of argument, "Sit at the back of the bus".   I do not want them going through life have racial slurs thrown at them and think that it is okay. I just don't believe that you should have to grow up with the stereotype that people believe others have based on their ethnicity.

How it feels to be colored me Reflection and Writing Question 1

I give myself the label a homemaker.  I know that sounds like a 1950’s women who stays home, makes sure that things are in order and dinner is on the table at 5:00, but that is how I feel.   I like to know that my house is clean, beds are made, dishes done and dinner cooked to perfection at a decent time.  It affects me daily, I wake up every morning and begin cleaning house, making the bed, doing laundry, putting dishes away, and setting out the meal that I have planned for each night of the week.  I love to cook, if I had time I think I would write a cook book, I rarely make the same meal twice.  I compare myself to families who eat out all the time because they don’t take the time or have the time due to children’s activities or activities of their own to prepare a decent meal for them.  I believe that your home shows people who you are.  If you don’t keep up appearance on your home or your belongings, then people assume that you are a slacker, procrastinator, a slob, etc.  I  choose to be like this because I don’t want those labels.  It has actually gotten to the point that I have OCD from being like this.  I make myself a to do list for my house daily.  I guess I compare myself to the 1950’s housewife or a Betty Crocker if that makes any sense. 

Rite of Passage Question, What I remember of my grandmother

This story reminded me a lot of my own grandmother.  I remember her house always being the place to go for family dinners, Holiday's, Birthday's, etc.  She always made the best food.  I loved walking into her house and thinking I love that smell, the smell of fresh apples and cinnamon.  She always had apple crisps for us.  To this day when I smell it I think of her.  She was her families "Rock".  Her husband, (my grandfather) died from lung cancer at the age of 50 so grandma had to take care of the 9 children alone.  She learned to be strong in every situation.  A few years later one of her sons died in a car wreck at the age of 19.  I never got the privilege to meet my grandfather or uncle, I just get to hear the stories and see their pictures.  After that she tried to keep the family together the best she could.  As my dad, aunts, and uncles got older they moved out, moved away, got married and began families of their own.  She would have Sunday dinners every week with those of us that were around.  As time passed we started noticing she didn't know who we were or where she was.  She would yell about things that no one knew she was talking about or talk to herself.  All of my aunts took turns caring for her until one night she woke up in the middle of the night and took off walking.  After a long search the police found her walking down a street.  The next day she was taken to a nursing home where we visited her every week until she passed away in 1996.  I remember going to the funeral and watching my family cry harder than I've ever seen.  To this day we still talk about her at family dinners like she is still here.

Task One

I plan to write my task on a specific person in my life.  I am writing it about my nephew who has made a big impact on my life.  He has been through more in the first year of his life than most people go through in a lifetime.    The only problem I see with this, is that I wont be able to keep it short.  :)  I hope that it will bring awareness to childhood illnesses to everyone who reads it.  Cant wait to get started.

Letter of Introduction

My name is April, I am 29 years old born and raised here in St. Joseph, MO. I have 4 sisters and 1 brother,  5 nephews and 2 nieces who I absolutely adore.   I graduated in 1999 from Lafayette High School and have been working the past 3 1/2 years as a Adult Career Counselor at the Missouri Career Center.  In June our funding was cut and I was layed off.  I considered this lay off to be to my benefit because it has given me the opportunity to go to school to achieve a degree in Elementary Education.  In high school I took World Literature, Creative Writing, and English 104 my Senior year.  In those classes I wrote several essay's, wrote a book, and read Othello as our big essay for English 104.  I love to read in my spare time.  My favorite author's are Nicholas  Sparks and Jodie Picoult, I have read all of their books.