Based on some of the mean spirited comments I've been seeing on facebook and twitter, I decided to post "Man in the Mirror." Cut out all the child molester and plastic surgery jokes! Michael was never convicted of any crime. And, remember, Michael is somebody's father, son, brother, uncle, and friend, so give his family some respect! Before anyone judges, (s)he needs to look at themselves in the mirror and let he who is without sin cast the first stone!
1) I've learned that my dissertation is like a layered cake. Each chapter is a necessary layer that builds on the next. If I'm doing a teacher-research study on an Afrocentric curriculum, I need a) a chapter that provides a context for how Afrocentricity (vis a vis Ebonics) is situated in education, sociolinguistics, and rhetoric and composition scholarship; b) a pedagogical chapter that describes my Afrocentric pedagogical practices and the theoretical rationales for implementation; c) a methodological chapter that uses previous teacher-research studies on Afrocentricity and Ebonics to demonstrate how my teacher-research study builds on them; and d) chapters that discuss my data results on African American students and all students. (Of course there's a conclusion that I'm still working out.)
2) I've learned not to take on projects where people easily lose interest and expect other people to do the work for them. I have a dissertation to write!
3) I've learned not to apologize for being MIA. I have a dissertation to write!
4) I've learned that support and mentorship is irrespective of race, class, or gender. The people you think are least likely to help you with your work are the ones who've been the most helpful and influential.
5) I've learned not to buy clothes when you're bloated and it's humid. I bought two dresses that fit on Thursday only to find that they were too big by Saturday. At least I got the $241 bucks I spent on them back.
At first I thought about The Jacksons, but thought that would be too obvious. Then I thought about the Clark Sisters, and saw that Regina's Family Season chose them. So, what about the Hawkins Family? They are by far the most underrated gospel group out there! Enjoy!
This space will serve as my teaching and research blog. My tentative dissertation topic will be a Teacher-Research study on two TIER I (First-Year Writing) courses at Michigan State University. This blog will consist of reflections about the course and research conducted from Fall 2008 - Spring 2009. Students from my WRA 125: Writing the Ethnic and Racial Experience course will also blog about course readings and class discussions.
I'm a PhD student in Rhetoric and Writing at Michigan State University. My research focuses on African American literate, rhetorical, and linguistic practices, Afrafeminist rhetorics, and Writing Program Administration. I'm in the middle of taking my second qualifying exam and will be blogging about that process and the dissertation process. This blog will help me get through my PhD (I hope!)