I am sure you have heard the timeless expression, “The more things change, the more they stay the same”. In reference to writing technologies, and technological tools in writing, it is safe to say that change is inevitable, and the fact that things are always changing is a phenomenon that remains the same. Have I confused you yet with my attempt to be profound? One fact that remains the same concerning change is the evolution or turn over of language. What was “groovy” in the 60’s, was “fresh” in the 80’s, “awesome” in the 90’s, and “fab” in the 21st century. Well, the same holds true with this new world of technological advancements and venues for writers. With the emergence of the internet and writing -“cyber”spaces comes a completely new vocabulary of terms never experienced before now. “Net vibes“, “blog rolls“, “widgets”, and “social bookmarking“…”tag clouds”, “links”, “hypertext”, and “information ecologies“…if you wield these terms around in front of your parents or grandparents, they may look at each other and you as if you are literally speaking a foreign language. There is no doubt that technology is changing, and broadening our scope and style of writing; and with this burgeoning genre comes an entourage of new terms to learn and understand. When these terms are first introduced to a “virgin technologist” they are faced with a grimace and a snicker; but once they are applied and understood, they become comfortable and natural to our budding “vocabulary” reservoir and begin to be slung around with ease and sass, adding to our own sense of “coolness”, competency, and self-efficacy.
I just cannot help myself and must write a blog post in response to a brief news stint featured on Fox News this past Saturday morning, November 17, 2007. Forgive me if I come across as condescending or sardonic, but this news blurb was really quite comical. This news feature highlighted the top five states who house the “dumbest drivers” in the United States of America. A list of five states flashed up on the screen, I cannot recall the list in full; however, the first two states were #1- New York and #2-New Jersey. My first reaction was to laugh in minor self-deprecation at the thought of New Jersey having the second most “dumbest drivers” in the country. My feelings then changed to minor offense, until the list of the least “dumbest drivers” popped up on the screen for the nation to view. In the first place position was the state of Alaska…yeah, you read right, Alaska! The second or third state listed was that of Idaho…yeah, you read right, Idaho! It took me a minute, just as it may be taking you a moment to ingest, digest, assimilate this information and make a logical assumption. I realize there are rural parts of both New York and New Jersey, but for the most part, and as my 10th grade Algebra teacher would say, “It doesn’t take a mental giant” to see what’s going on here. Whoever performed this survey and came up with these statistics, probably came to the conclusion that because there are more traffic violations and accidents in these two Northeastern American States that the drivers are more stupid than those in Alaska and Idaho. But, if you do the math the metropolitan regions of NJ and NY are probably the highest in the nation, ergo more major cities, more people, more cars, therefore more accidents…as opposed to the 50 mile straight single lane road that runs through the entire state of Alaska whose population is probably a third of North Jersey alone. Have you ever been to Idaho? I had the privilege of driving through this beautiful state this past summer while studying the geology of the national parks, and can attest to its “rural-ality” and sparse population. So, come on! Don’t put me in that category with the “dumbest drivers” in the country. I never pass on the right, talk on my cell phone, or forget to use my blinker. I have never been in a collision with my car, but I have been known to eat a quarter pounder on my way home from school, or touch up my lipstick in the rearview mirror. Hmmmm….maybe car insurance is so high in this state because …Oh, never mind.
I won’t “go there”.
I was at the mall a few weeks ago and I noticed that they had been doing some holiday decorating. Christmas decorations were everywhere and it was only the day after Halloween. Now I absolutely love Christmas. It is definitely my favorite holiday and I try to extend it as much as possible but almost two months early is a little much. By the time Christmas actually gets here people will be sick of the carols and brightly decorated trees all around. All they will be thinking about is getting their last minute gifts for friends and family without having to seriously fight someone at the store for it. Also, I feel like Thanksgiving gets forgotten in the shuffle. Everyone loves Halloween because of the costumes and candy and everyone loves Christmas for the presents but Thanksgiving often gets overlooked. There aren’t usually many decorations or any songs about it (besides the few that Adam Sandler wrote) but it’s still a nice holiday to spend with friends and family. I’m actually looking forward to Thanksgiving the most this year because it is such a low stress holiday. After all of the work I’ve been doing for school, I need a day to relax and eat some home cooked food with the people that I love.
So I recently acquired a cold (thank you sick person who passed it on to me). And last night while I was trying to fall asleep I kept coughing. Now this wasn’t just any regular cough. It was a cough that prevented me from sleeping for hours. I felt like I had a tickle in the back of my throat that just wouldn’t go away. What causes those throat tickles? And how do you get them to go away? I must’ve consumed half a bottle of cough medicine, ten cough drops, and about four bottles of water trying to relieve my tickle but nothing worked. I just kept coughing away on my couch until I was too exhausted to even breathe anymore. If I had more energy I’m sure my cough would have continued but I was just so tired that I finally just passed out from exhaustion (or overdose of cough syrup, I’m not too sure).
I am an elementary education major with a coordinate in writing arts. In addition to this, I am also going for my special education certification. I absolutely hate when people try to tell me that education is an easy major or that teaching isn’t a real job. I’m taking seven classes this semester and six next semester in addition to three or four summer classes that I will be taking all so that I can graduate in five years, not four. Then on top of all that, I have observation hours, lesson plans, and papers to write. I really do enjoy most of my education classes and besides having to wake up early, observation is fun as well but it is definitely not easy. Our classes are preparing us to teach the future of America. There is a lot of pressure in that! I usually find that the people who undermine the education program the most are science or engineering majors. They think that just because they dissect frogs or build cranes that makes their work harder. But who would be there to teach them these things if it was not for the education majors? Who would be there to spark their interests when they are younger? Who would inspire them to do their best and work hard? Wait, what was that? A teacher you say? That’s what I thought. My point exactly 🙂
So the other day I was checking my bank account online and I came to the very sad conclusion that I am completely broke. And the worst part is, I don’t even know where all of my money is. I feel like I worked so hard all summer to make enough money to last me through the school year and all of a sudden, it just disappeared. Who knew that living on Ramen Noodles and tap water could cost so much. During my first two years in college I was attending the local community college and working full time so money was never an issue. Even last year, my first year away from home and at a four-year school, I still had enough money saved up to live comfortably. My friends and I would go out to dinner, go shopping, go to the movies and money was never an issue. This year is a completely different ballgame. I had to pay rent for an apartment that I wasn’t living in all summer in addition to utilities that I wasn’t using. And since I don’t have a meal plan, I find myself spending more money out because I don’t always have time to cook. So I guess I am truly living the college life. The little money I make from working at my on-campus job is supposed to be paying my rent and putting gas in my car for now until I can go home and work at my better paying job there. Over winter break I’ll probably have to work all day every day just to make enough money to pay for my second semester. Although I may sound like I am complaining (because I am), I’m actually not that unhappy about my choices. I still have fun with my friends and I’m making memories that will stay with me long after all my debt is paid off.
Discipline is a topic that I hold near and dear to my heart, and one that I have thoroughly investigated as an adult and future educator. Discipline is essential for the success and development of a child. It is not something done TO a child, but rather something done FOR the child. It is a tool by which we train a child in the way he/she should go. In my opinion, the key to successful effective discipline is the spirit behind it. What is the driving force…to control or to guide? I am not an advocate of paddling in school. If that is the discipline of choice of a parent, that is something the parent should be responsible to administer in the privacy of their home. I will be candid and admit that I am a product of paddling or spanking. As a little girl my mother used this form of correction; but she never did it in a spirit of anger or frustration. After she caught me, she would explain to me the consequence of my bad behavior and administer the correction. I believe it worked with my disposition as long as she was consistent. I can really only recall being paddled a handful of times. However, every child is different. Suspending or taking away a privilege is the end of the world for some kids, a phone call home to a parent will whip a child into shape in a heart beat, just sitting and having a heart to heart with a child can get to the root problem and change a child’s behavior. I believe we need to be incredibly discerning as parents and teachers. Humiliation is NOT the answer! Something I learned in preparation for becoming an educational missionary overseas that has always stuck with me warranting a desired behavior from a student, is that a student should be praised in public, and punished (or corrected) in private. We must be careful not to crush a child’s spirit, but seek to modify wrong behavior. What I have witnessed and experienced first hand is that the children in the long run will love you more for it! Any discipline is not pleasant for a time, but it will reap a good return in the end. If possible, due to age appropriateness, I believe is is essential that we give children UNDERSTANDING of why their behavior is inappropriate. Is it detrimental to THEIR own successs or health (mental, physical, spiritual or emotional). Is it hurting or causing harm to another child or affecting the learning environment in a negative way? Boy! If we can get kids to possess compassion and instill in them perspective and the simplicity of treating others the way they would like to be treated, then we’d have it made! We need to let kids know that when any kind of discipline, correction or punishment is administered it is not because THEY ARE BAD or unacceptable, but rather, in the words of The Super Nanny ( and it is much cooler spoken with that British accent) their behavior is not acceptable.
According to The Humane Society of the United States, “puppy mills are breeding facilities that produce purebred puppies in large numbers.” I am sure that the concept of a puppy mill has been around for awhile and are functioning across the nation; however a large hub of mills in the eastern United States are located in Lancaster, PA. Owners of puppy mills have one aim or goal and that is to make money by producing large numbers of purebred dogs quickly with a “snappy” turnover. Puppies are to either be sold to local kennels, pet shops, brokers, advertised in the newspaper or to even be sold over the internet.
At first knowledge, puppy mills may not seem such a “dirty” business; but once further research and investigation is completed its “dirty little secrets” become exposed. Many problems crop up as a result of mass-producing puppies to meet the needs of the consumer population. The mills are overrun with animals, many of which become unwanted and needlessly euthanized. The overcrowding leads to a gamut of sanitary problems. Many of the purebred, mature dogs are used for breeding only and are not nurtured or cared for or properly socialized. Often times the adult males and females are bred too close together, too soon, or are inbred, resulting in genetic disorders such as hip dysplasia, bone cancer or ear infections, depending upon the breed. Inbreeding may also lead to an obvious changes or alterations of the disposition of a particular breed. Allow me to share a personal testimonial about my father’s golden retriever, Reggie. Against professional advisement, my dad purchased a purebred Golden Retriever from a local kennel, which was later determined to have received the litter from a mill in Lancaster. At first glance, many of the puppies were extremely passive and lethargic, although large in size and assumed physically healthy. Overall, Golden Retrievers are gentle, teachable, relatively passive, yet socially friendly dogs, ergo the reason they are often chosen to be service dogs, or Seeing Eye dogs. However, “Reggie” was aggressive, possessive, wiry, and running on high voltage. My mother and I kidded that he had ADDHD (Attention “Doggie” Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Which I believe, in fact, was the case. His disposition, much to my father’s dismay, only grew worse as he matured, regardless of my dad’s constant discipline and training sessions, at which he is/was relatively adept. I must confess, that at one point, after Reggie bit my dad for not wanting to drop a stocking of my mom’s, we painstakingly considering having him “put down”. After research, professional input from our veterinarian, and obedience training classes by a professional, it was concluded that “they”, the puppy mill breeders, had bred the gentleness right out of him. I must be honest and say that this cannot be proven, but is very likely the case. Through continued obedience classes, training, and nurturance, Reggie has become the love of our life, a constant source of entertainment, a companion, and quite obedient (most of the time), but not without much persistence.
Puppy mills are big business in the United States, but beware, if you seek to buy your purebred from a pet store, kennel, online, or via an ad in the paper you may be in for more than you bargained! A word of caution, you may do better to go directly to the breeder, preferably a private one. Meet the canine’s parents. Surmise their disposition and medical history before taking your “pick of the litter” home. You may save yourself, time, money, stress, and heartache in the long run…not to mention your baseboards and chair legs.
Plagiarism, what is it exactly, and why do most colleges and universities have such stringent rules and strict penalties and consequences for those who are found guilty of this offense? Plagiarism is actually a form of theft and can carry with it the same sense of violation and betrayal as does stealing someone’s credit card, checkbook, wallet, artwork or precious heirloom, such as Grand mom’s wedding ring, or Dad’s stamp collection. According to the online Encarta dictionary, plagiarism is the process or act of stealing someone else’s thoughts or another person’s ideas or written words and claiming them as your own. It is an act of writing what someone else has said verbatim without properly citing the origin or giving due credit to whom credit is due.
With the popularity or resources readily available and easily attainable via the “information super highway”, “Internet Plagiarism” is becoming a growing problem, especially among college and university students. Information, research, and reference material is floating in a virtual vast sea of data to be viewed and accessed at the ‘push of a button’ or ‘click of a link’ and then “X’d” out and cast back into the deep ocean of technological text, making it very difficult to verify the source of that collected information. The internet has change the world of writing term and research papers for college students around the world. More and more students who are required to write many term and research papers throughout their educational career, are opting to retrieve there information from Web sites, and online reference sources. Because of this phenomenon, it becomes very difficult to track or trace whether or not a student is properly citing work attained from the internet. A borrowed line here, a slight paraphrase there inserted falsely into a students work can very easily go unnoticed, yet be illegal. There are even online sources or companies that are selling papers to be plagiarized to students for the “right price”. This is a problem, and regardless of your personal convictions, is a crime, especially against the person or author of whose work you “borrowed” and called your own. It is something that may be done unconsciously and may need to be brought to your attention; I know that it has been brought to mine as a point of caution and notation. Since “Internet Plagiarism” has been a slow growing epidemic, it may be time to bring the problem to light, call writers and students to accountability, and perhaps protect and advocate for the ethics of writing.
Hey guys,
I just wanted to let the rest of you know (if you haven’t seen this) that as of yesterday our blog has had over 1,000 views. For a simple class blog, that’s pretty good.
Kate and the Fab Four 