Rhetorical Methods

With the topic that we are presenting about, athletes receiving special treatment, I think there are many different ways to get the audiences attention. First by using logos, we could give statistics about all of the free apparel and other amenities that are given to them compared to normal students. This would spark the emotions of all the students who have to pay for their classes and pay for their tutoring. We could also use pathos to get the other students to realize how much more the student athletes are valued over the rest of us and catch the eye of others within the surrounding communities. The way the university treats some of our athletes doesn't prepare them for the real world if they don't make it as professional athletes. Turning them into intelligent adults throughout college should be the major priority but that's not always the case.

Unit 3 Portfolio Author's Note

This project has been difficult in some areas but also a good change from the normal papers I have written.

The Letter to the Editor was similar to some papers I have written where I respond to what someone else has written. The first draft I wrote, I felt was a good first draft. After receiving the comments from my group members I recognized I wasn't adding enough of my opinion about the topic. I added a little more opinionated views and now feel that it is a well developed piece.

The Op-Ed piece was probably the most uncommon paper I have written. I had never really been assigned a paper in which I can put as much feeling and emotion into it as I wanted. Because I dislike the parking here at TCU so much this wasn't very hard to do. I feel very strongly about this topic so the feelings flowed freely. When I started this paper I put a lot of my views into it. But for my second draft I added many personal accounts and the views of others as well.

The humor piece was something I liked doing. It allowed me to express how I felt about the parking in a lighter manner yet still get my point across, a comic strip. The first draft I developed was in pencil. For the second draft, I added color, put the drawings on computer paper, and added an additional picture at the end.

Author's Note: Humor Argument

When this assignment was given to us I was not real sure on how to complete it. First off, I am not an artist. Second, I don't know how to write a play or skit. After hearing that its not the art, but the idea that is graded. That's when I decided to make a short comic strip. I think the comic gets across the point I am trying to make without offending anyone or being off topic. Right now I feel I have a decent humor piece but it definitely needs to be re-drawn and maybe add some color.

Humor Argument

With the topic being the parking issue that exists on TCU's campus I chose to draw a cartoon or picture showing what its like. The main way I chose to make it funny was by using exaggeration. I started with a person pulling into the 'Freshman Overflow' lot. Next there is a picture of the person leaving the lot and passing a sign that read, "TCU Main Campus- 25 miles". This is an obvious exaggeration but shows what walking from there sometimes feels like. After the picture of the mileage there is a piture showing how exhausted the person is and how he is going to resort to an alternate of getting to campus.... hitch hiking.

Author's Note Op-Ed

When I started this paper I was a little confused on what to do. It seemed to me that it was alot like the letter to the editor but I couldn't see how I was going to change that enough to create an entirely different paper. After going through the last class, I realized it could be much more opinionated. I could really put some feeling into the paper rather than avoid biases. I was able to finsh the paper due to some family issues but so far I think I am off to a good start. The next paragraph to come will be about statistics concerning this solution such as the potential cost of a parking garage and how many spots are available to students and faculty. The next after that will be opinions from a student, other than myself, and a faculty member to get a wide range of views. I feel most of my mistakes I make in my papers are in a grammatical sense, so until the paper is completely finished I need some input on that area, as well as advice in other areas.

Op-Ed Prewriting

Prewriting

1. When looking at the different Op-Ed articles that were written and published in the Dallas Morning News, I realized just how much opinion is really thrown into these pieces. There was an Op-Ed written about the Dallas police officer, Robert Powell, in which the author didn’t hold any of his feelings back, or so it seemed. After reading a few others, I am beginning to notice how different this paper is from the other two portfolios we have completed. The first two were supposed to be completely unbiased whereas this one is on the opposite side of the spectrum.

2. So what specific topic about the parking at TCU do I feel should be focused on? I feel it should be the fact that a problem exists on campus but yet nobody seems to write about it and the university spends a million dollars on flowers and other landscaping when a parking garage would be much more helpful than a few plants that are going to die or other less useful things.

3. So what should be done? As stated before, I feel the best way to solve the parking fiasco at TCU is to build a parking garage. By doing so it would keep on-campus residents from parking in the lots that commuters rely on. Also think of game days in the fall for the football team. I couldn’t imagine having to park a few miles away from the stadium and walk to the field, a parking garage would be a perfect solution.

4. I believe using logos would be the best approach. By giving statistics on the number of students TCU has commuting each day and showing the limited number of parking spaces available to those students, I think those who read about this will also recognize the problem we have. Also giving the amount of money spent each year by the university could shine some light on the subject.

5. I think a mixture of a few different approaches will be most effective. As said before giving facts and numbers concerning parking spaces and money spent will help uncover this problem as well as using personal experiences. Not only would my personal experiences help but those of other students or faculty that utilize the parking here at TCU.

6. I think the only research I would need to do is looking in to how the money is spent each year, how many parking spaces are available to each group of students or faculty, and getting some personal stories from others around campus.

Author's Note: Letter to Editor

This type of paper was very new to me when I read through the assignment. Most papers I have written don't have to do with what I think about another persons writing but solely on my views. By writing something like this I feel I have broadened my writing abilities. In my first draft I feel I have written a decent paper. One thing I am worried about is the paper being too lengthy, which is something I'm not used to. I would like input on whether or not I am following the guidelines of a letter to the editor, is this what one should look like?

Letter to Editor- First Draft

Dear Editor,
When I first read the this article, “Parking problems require resolutions” by Brian Chatman, I thought to myself, “Finally someone is voicing the opinions that most students here have.” This was until I read the date of the article, February 17, 2004. I couldn’t believe that this was the latest article from the Daily Skiff about the parking problems at TCU. Although I was shocked about the date, I realized that the issues in the article are still issues today: people park illegally and there aren’t enough spaces for all the students who commute, close to their classes. The major point or idea that I support is that of a parking garage.
One way this author shows the existing problems is by adding a personal experience. He walks up and down the rows of cars and notes all of the illegally parked cars without parking tickets and the large amount of commuter students who are searching endlessly for a spot. This helps paint a picture of the problem instead of maybe just stating the number of tickets that have been given to those parked illegally in the past month or so.
As the author says, this problem leads to the next. With so many parking spots being taken by those who shouldn’t be there, those who are coming from off campus can’t park in the spaces provided for them. By saying that he avoided eye contact with the drivers entering the parking lot because over their annoyed looks, he uses the method of pathos to gain support. I myself have been frustrated many times when looking for a parking spot and seeing a freshman’s car parked in the lot for sophomores and upper classmen.
As for the solution he offers to solve these problems, I fully support the idea of building a parking garage for all the on-campus residents at TCU. By doing this it will free up many of the lots that sophomores and other residents fill. Making the addition would also make it more convenient for those who have to park in the ‘Freshman Lot’ or the ‘Overflow Lot’. When I was a freshman the parking didn’t bother too much. Yes it was annoying have to park far away and then walk back to my dorm carrying my laundry I had brought from home, but I thought that was just something I had to go through as a freshman, almost like a rite of passage. Now as a sophomore I have become very annoyed with the parking situation. The ritual of going from the ‘Sophomore Lot’ near the recreation center checking for parking and failing to find one, then to the ‘Daniel Meyer Coliseum Lot’ and again having no luck is not something I like doing. The result of these failures causes more frustration because the only alternative is the ‘Freshman Lot’ and ‘Overflow Lot’. The shuttle that TCU runs from the ‘Overflow Lot’ to the dorms is nice but not as convenient as a parking garage would be. One way Chatmna might have improved this suggestion to the parking problem would be to give some statistics on the number of spaces currently available and how that would change if this solution were put into action.
I haven’t met a fellow student in my two years at TCU that was completely satisfied with the parking layout or situation on campus. Something needs to be done about these existing problems, especially because of the growing number of students each year enrolling to TCU. Whether it is building a parking garage or an alternate plan, these problems have existed far too long.

Cameron Kinlaw

Editorial Topic

The parking here at TCU has always been a topic that I have a strong view about. I've always thought the parking has been less than satisfactory. Yes the school has enough parking for everyone, but who wants to park in the "Freshman Overflow Lot" and walk a half a mile back to their dorm?

Ive been to many other campuses around Texas, visiting friends, and almost every single one has had a large parking garage for their students. So why cant this idea be implemented at TCU? Some would say its because we don't has as many student as other universities. To that I would use SMU as an example. They have about the same number of students if not a couple thousand less, yet they have a parking garage on the east side of campus. Another reason someone might argue not to build one could be that the look of a parking garage would damage the image of TCU. This is possible but I'm not suggesting they build one six levels high. A simple two or three level parking garage would help tremendously.

Unit 3 Topic

When looking through different articles on TCU's news website I came upon an article and video about the parking around campus. This causes a few problems around campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Because of the inconvenience of some of the existing parking, some students resort to parking on neighborhood streets near their classes. I myself become extremely frustrated when I come home from work or out of town late and find that the only parking spaces available are those in the "Freshman Overflow" lot. The article says there are around 7000 spaces around campus but not all are available to students and the ones that are seem to be on the outskirts of campus.

Unit 2 Portfolio Author's Note

The progression of this paper has been long and tedious. Now that I have completed the paper,I feel very strong about the paper as a whole. I made many revisions after all the different workshops we performed in class and with all the revisions I received from my classmates in my group.

In my initial drafts I realized I was drastically lacking in analysis of each of my sources. I also was worried about how I was going to complete eight to ten pages for this paper. By analyzing the sources closer and really trying to find those"hidden meanings" by the different words each author used I extend my paper greatly. Another way I completed the required number of pages was by analyzing more sources. This also gave me a wider range of views on the topic.

Most of my work has been turned in through email. I feel that is the easiest way to ensure I didnt forget anything. To be honest I was a little confused on which documents were which on my computer so I might have included some things that weren't needed. By putting all of the documents together it also give me a sense of accomplishment. Seeing the final project compared to when it started, I can tell how much work I put in to it.

Topic Progression

When thinking abou this paper and how it has progressed since that first day in class I realize how much a paper really can change. When this assignment was given to us I originally was set on doing a topic that related to my major of Kinesiology. I first chose the subject of whether or no doing physical therapy with a center was needed to have a full recovery. I was also planning on looking into the views of people from all different view points such as; a patient who went through physical therapy and one who didn't, a doctor who performed a surgery, and a physical therapist. When starting my research on this topic I became very frustrated. There were some accounts of people's experiences after an injury or surgery but just couldn't find enough information to form a good paper.

Because of this lack of information I changed the topic of my paper to the steroid scandal surrounding Alex Rodriguez. Since baseball is "America's Past-time" and the media is constantly covering stories on this topic I knew I wouldn't have much trouble finding source for this topic. When I found my first few sources I realized that I needed to narrow down my topic, it was too broad. I narrowed it to "Whether or not Alex Rodriguez should still be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame". This proved to be much more successful.

When starting this assignment I wasn't reall interested in the type of paper we were assigned to write. After doing the research and learning more about the topic I was looking at, the paper has grown on me a little, it's not so much a chore to work on it.

Author's Note:
The major part of my paper that I am worried about is the analysis for each source. I feel my analysis on the source from Posnanski's article was sufficient but the rest I was a little hesitant on.

Topic and the Community

When I think about the topic I am writing about, Alex Rodriguez and his mistake of taking steroids, the main way I feel it could effect the community is with the kids. When you're a kid one of the main things you love to do is play sports, in my opinion. As a child you form views about what decisions are right and wrong and by idolizing professional athletes, kids tend to follow in their footsteps, to some extent. If children see superstars like Alex Rodriguez admitting to taking steroids, what is going to stop them from doing it? They might get the idea in their head that its okay, and in turn make a terrible decision.

You can also look at the effect of professional athletes' actions and what the parents of children who look up to them, do in response to those actions. Take the incident that occurred with Kobe Bryant a few years back. No parent want their child idolizing someone who was accused of beating a woman. Just like a parent wouldn't want their child around a smoker because could result in problems later on in life for the child, the same could occur in that situation.

Uni 2 First Draft Author's Note

When writing my first draft over the past week or so I have had a few problems and a few things i liked. Some of the things i had problems with mainly had to do with the rhetorical analysis in the articles and other sources. I don't feel I wrote enough on that, rather I feel I focused more on telling what each writer had to say on the topic. So far I think this is a decent draft but I think it could be longer and probably needs some grammatical work. I also want to make sure I did each of my MLA cites correctly.

Body Paragraph Preparations

When I started writing the two body sections for two of my sources i realized something that changed my view on this writing assignment a little, getting a page to two pages wasn't that hard. By realizing this the paper or assignment became a little more enjoyable to write and easier to put ideas together.

Another thing I noticed while writing the initial bodies for these sources was that there are many more articles on this source than i first thought. Just by trying to learn more about the writers or going deeper into the sources I had already obtained, I have found much more information on these first two sources.

After completing these two drafts, so to speak, I know they need some work. One concern I have with them is he length. They are obviously a little short at first glance. I think by sitting down and taking a good look at the story and using the charts I have available more it will shape into a better paper overall.

Portfolio 2 Pre-Writing

Connections Between Sources:
-When thinking about each of the sources and how they connect, the obvious reason is the topic of Alex Rodriguez and his usage of banned substances. Going a little deeper into the topic, the thing that ties them all together is what the overall result of this event is going to be. Will Rodriguez be left out of the Hall of Fame and just be another player who cheated his way to fame and fortune? Will a numerous amount of other professional athletes be exposed for doing the same thing Rodriguez and this whole incident have no effect? Or will the voters for the Hall of Fame look past this and realize he is an amazing athlete that made a mistake?

Controlling Idea:
-There are many supporters of both sides of the issue of whether or not Alex Rodriguez is Hall of Fame worthy after this event.

Order of Sources:
-Reflecting on the three sources I have gotten sources so far, I feel the one to start with would be the Interview between Peter Gammons and Alex Rodriguez. By stating this source first it give a basis for other sources to go off of. Some other sources make comments about Rodriguez's comments in the interview so this would give reference to go back to. The next two could probably be interchangeable because they are very similar article just arguing opposite sides of the issue. I believe the order of those two could effect the readers final view on the subject because the last source they get information from could change what sticks out in their mind more.

Transitioning:
-Since the last few sources are directly related to the topic in which the interview talked about i feel that making the transition from source to source will be a somewhat easy task. Between the last two sources, i think the best way of changing would be to state that the next source is in direct contrast to that of the previous one.

Research Perspective

When I first heard of the incident with Alex Rodriguez, I was one of those people saying things like, "he's an idiot". By doing that I felt he had thrown his career and his legacy away. After doing research on this topic for a week or so, I have altered my views a little bit. Although he did break the rules by taking steroids, in his interview he claimed to have never known what they truly were. He also talks to Peter Gammons, in the exclusive ESPN showing, about the time frame of his actions. Rodriguez says he first started taking the steroids when he arrived in Texas and was feeling the pressure of fans, owners, and the press. He also says he stopped taking them in 2003 for fear that the substance was banned without his knowledge. When looking at his expressions and hearing his story, I have developed an understanding of what he did. Large amounts of pressure can push a person to many uncharacteristic things.

In Class Pre-Writing

Concerns:

1. I may not have narrowed my topic down enough, I might need to focus on a particular aspect to make this paper as good as possible
2. The sources seem to have very similar ideas and opinions on both sides of the topic

Primary Sources:

-First is an interview with Alex Rodriguez. I chose this source because it shows the emotion and his apologetic comments to the public and his fans. The interview consists of Peter Gammons, a reporter for ESPN asking questions about the time line of the drug tests as well as the most recent events of the truth being exposed. He admits to using and seems to regret it completely. By showing his emotions in an interview he exploits the use of 'pathos' to get the public back on his side and try to gain their forgiveness.

-Second was an article written by Bill Madden in the 'Daily News'. I chose this article because it gives the negative side of this event the many Americans see it. Madden basically bashes Rodriguez and discredits him for what he did. He uses the term 'A-Fraud' instead of 'A-Rod'. By stating his opinion so strongly, Madden is able to get the reader to really feel the way he does and maybe even sway their views about Rodriguez.

-Third is an article written by a sportswriter for the 'Kansas City Star', Joe Posnanski, that was published in 'Sports Illustrated'. This article is basically the opposite of the second source, which helps in comparing the different reactions of the event. Posnanski writes about how he feels Rodriguez was only doing what most guys in the MLB, whether they own up to it or not, are doing. This appeals to those who feel he didnt really do anything wrong. There are alot of people that feel drug testing doesn't deserve a place in the MLB and those people would really appreciate this article.

Topic Research

When looking at this blog assignment and going into the research I decided to change to a topic that had a wider range of reactions. The new topic I have decided to talk about is steroids in professional sports, mainly the particular case of Alex Rodriguez.

My first source is an interview with A-Rod who came forward and admitted taking substances that were banned in early Feruary. Alex Rodriguez did this interview with Peter Gammons on February ninth and it came as a shock to many around the nation and world.

The next source comes as an article in the 'Daily News' by Bill Madden. The article is full of opinionated comments about the recent discoveries of Rodriguez and his actions.

The third source is a article from 'Sports Illustrated' by Joe Posnanski. The piece is a little different from the other article. It takes the opposing position, saying what Alex Rodriguez wasn't that bad and his actions were understandable.

I think this is a much easier topic to see the different argument and rhetoric involved than my
previous topic.

Portfolio 2 Topic

Degree in Kinesiology
-Different places to Work:
--Ben Hogan Sports Therapy Center (personal experience)
--Texas Sports Medicine (personal experience)
---Different Jobs Available:
----Physical Therapist
----Doctor
-----How each affects patients
------How it has affected me
This basically an overview of how I narrowed down my topic. I plan on going into to the topic of Physical Therapy. Deeper into this would be the subject of the views people on different sides of physical therapy feel about it. In other words seeing the topic from a bunch of different angles (doctor, patient that has gone through it before, patient without the experience, physical therapist.

Author's Note for Unit 1 Portfolio

Upon turning in my first draft I was questioning whether I had written a good paper. After receiving the different suggestions and proposed revisions and putting them into effect, my view has changed. I now feel I have written a very sound and well put-together essay. Most of the corrections that I made to my drafts had to do with elaboration. Whether it was elaborating on the argument that the space was making or just going into more detail about the colors used or what sort of things are on the walls. By making these changes I feel the paper is easier to keep up with and get a better idea of what its like to sit inside the restaurant.

By completing this final draft, it almost feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Not that this was a painful task but finishing a writing assignment is always a gratifying thing. This one in particular has been especially gratifying to finish because of the type of assignment, I've never had to write a paper on spacial analysis. Overall I feel it was a satisfying experience and a big change from the normal writing assignment.

Draft 1 Revisions

After looking at both the revisions two of my classmates made I have reevaluated my first draft in a few different ways.

One very good suggestion I received was about the tense of my essay. In some portions of my essay I often changed from first person to second person. By doing this I realized that it may cause some confusion with the readers and how these thoughts came about. I have changed all of these parts as best I could and feel that the essay has improved a lot just by making these alterations.

Another helpful change that was offered by the revisions was about the structure of my arguments and finding while visiting my space. One of people that revised my paper gave many suggestion in how separate sentences or rearrange my ideas to give a clearer picture of whats going on or explain something better. By separating some of the paragraphs I can even lengthen my paper.

Author's Note

I have currently finished the first draft of my essay. After completing it I reviewed it and one thing I liked about the assignment and the essay itself was the freedom it allowed in writing it. I could tell how I felt about a particular event and how it was shown or effected others. I would like to know what topics I should elaborate more on or add to the paper and if there are any errors either in the form of the paper or grammatical ones that can be fixed.

Meaning to Community

While observing Dutch's I got the feel of what types of customers they brought in and why they came to this particular place. It has a friendly environment that many people love. This causes many families to go there as a nice homely place where the employees are nice, the food is good, and the prices aren't bad at all. It also appeals to the students at TCU for being a place to hang out with friends and get a cheap meal, which is something every college student looks for.

Observation Notes

On the few trips I made to Dutch's there were some things that caught my eye:

Arrangement of Furniture and Chairs:
There were more chairs located in the center on the restaurant. May suggest that they want more people to sit in the center and close to the ordering counter. This may be to encourage customers to purchase more food.

Drink Station:
Along with the soda dispensers there were two machines from which you could get tea. On the left was the unsweetened and on the right was the sweetened. The two were identical in look except for one major detail; the sweet tea machine had a flashy, enticing sticker on the front of it. This might show that sweet tea is more exciting and customers should choose that particular drink.

Room Separation:
Another thing I noticed was the separation of each room. Although there are no doors between sections of the restaurant there was a division of the whole place. When you walk in, the first thing you see is the bar with barstools, some two-person tables, and a single booth in the first section of Dutch's. In the second section, which is directly connected to the area where you order and separated by a wall from the first section, is filled with four-person tables and includes the drink machines. The third section is separated similarly from the middle and has fewer chairs.

Maximum Occupancy Sign:
There was a maximum occupancy sign on the wall which can be seen as an argument of definition of what the legal number of people are allowed in the building when talking about the fire codes.

Welcoming to All Ages:
Like all restaurants all ages are welcome but in some restaurants they frown upon the typical young kids who like to be loud and have fun. At Dutch’s it is a loud environment that has a family feel to it, which would encourage families to go there.

Argumments of Definition

When observing Dutch's one of the main arguments of definition is the menu and its prices. Most of the food is reasonably priced, as long as you are not placing an order for two or three things from the menu. By having these reasonably priced items on the menu it allows for all different kinds of people with all different sorts of income and it will still be feasible.

Observations- Part 2

On both my trips to Dutch's to view the environment my initial hunches were close to how the place felt in person. While I was there i noticed many different things that could be turned into arguments.

One arguments that could be made had to do with the drink area. Along with the soda dispensers there were two machines from which you could get tea from. On the left was the unsweetened and on the right was the sweetened. The two were identical in look except for one major detail, the sweet tea machine had a flashy, enticing sticker on the front of it. This might show that sweet tea is more exciting and customers should choose that particular drink.

Another thing I noticed was the separation of each room. Although there are no doors between sections of the restaurant there was a division of the whole place. When you walk in, the first thing you see is the bar with barstools, some two-person tables, and a single booth in the first section of Dutch's. In the second section, which is directly connected to the area where you order and separated by a wall from the first section, is filled with four-person tables and includes the drink machines. The third section is separated similarly from the middle and has less chairs. This causes me to think that they are wanting more people to sit in the main section.

Space Analysis

When thinking about places to observe I wanted to go to one that always had a decent amount of people going through it throughout the day. This is why I chose to observe Dutch's. The restaurant has a large variety of people and to be honest another reason was that it's close and I wouldn't have to drive anywhere.

Now the question is when to observe. I think the best time to observe would be when there are a lot of people going in and out of Dutch's either around lunch or dinner time. This is why I plan on going there on Thursday around 5:30 or 6:00 p.m., this will give me a good feel for the dinner crowd. I am also planning on going to Dutch's on Saturday around noon to get an idea of how the restaurant is run around lunch time.

From the few times that I have been to Dutch's I have always been satisfied with my visit. I believe this is because it has a very welcoming feel. The employees there are nice and the food is nothing to complain about. I think by observing this place my thoughts about it will only be reassured.

Communities

When I think about communities I belong to the first one that comes to mind and the most obvious one is being a TCU student. A particular part of TCU that I "belong" to has to do with my job, an intramural referee. Being involved with this has made my time here at TCU very enjoyable at some points and has helped in meeting new people. This also in a way has to do with a second "community" I'm involved in. That would be the major I am pursuing, Kinesiology. Having the major takes me to the Rec Center at least once a day which also allows me to have a reason to be at the Rec Center to workout, when the motivation isn't there.

Another community would be where im from, Richardson, Texas (North Dallas). In high school the one place some of my friends and I always met up was a burger joint called Purdy's. They have some amazing burgers and shakes which we took advantage of many times.

Pathos

The other day, as I was driving, I noticed a billboard with a very sickly looking African child. The billboard was asking for money to be sent to a certain foundation to help feed needy children in Africa. When referring to the three different types of appeals the one that is utilized the most is the emotional appeal or pathos. Seeing that picture would hit right to the heart of most people who read it. The major attribute of the billboard that caught my eye were the words that were printed to go along with the picture. It read, "It only costs pennies per day to save a life!". I think without those words it would be less effective. With this quote it allows people to see that it isn't hard to save a child's life in Africa.

Unit 1 Blog- 1/14/09

Hey everyone, my name is Cameron Kinlaw, and I am a sophomore at TCU. Up until this semester I was studying Biology with the intentions of going to med school. I have recently changed my major to Kinesiology with the goal of maybe becoming a physical therapist. I am from Dallas, Texas where most of my family currently resides. I have a twenty-one-year-old brother named Chance and a seventeen-year-old sister named Jordan.
In relation to this class my honest reason for enrolling in this class was solely to receive my sophomore comp credit. I'm hoping that this class can also help me in bettering myself as a writer. Outside of school I don't do much writing, other than the daily texts and emails I send to my friends, teachers, and family members. This sometimes causes me to think less of myself as a writer because of the lack of extensive writing I participate in.
So what has made me into the person I am today? I believe it has been the surroundings I've had throughout my life. The major thing would be where I was raised and the household I grew up in. I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas in a huge family. Although I don't have a ton of brothers and sisters I have nineteen cousins that I see more than some people see their siblings. By having such a close and large family I have developed into a very non-shy person with good family values.
I have have read, understand, and agree to the terms of the course syllabus, which I see as a contract for our course.