Table of Contents

Table of Contents Reflections of Jessica Ford Introduction to Critical Thinking Timed Write- Lone Star Introduction to Revision The Community of a High School Drop Out Introduction to Awareness and Audience Online Dating Vs Traditional Dating Introduction to Writers Choice What's in your Wallet?

Reflections of Jessica Ford

“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
-George Bernard Shaw



Dear Reader,
Than you for taking the time to read my portfolio of my work this quarter. For those of you who don’t know me my name is Jessica Ford. I am twenty-one years old and I live in Everett with my husband Max and our dog Leo. Aside from working forty hours a week, I love to read, beautify my house and travel to new destinations.

In high school I did not try my hardest, and unfortunately did not pass. After realizing what a huge mistake I had made, I waisted no time and enrolled in a program at Everett Community College called Youth Re-Engagement. After three long and difficult quarters I finally had the diploma I was longing for. At that point in my life I did not feel it necessary to continue in my education since I had what I wanted. Time passed and my life felt like it was moving too fast. I was happily married, overwhelmed with purchasing our first home and working full time. I knew there was something missing in my life, it was to learn. After being out of school for quite sometime now it made me long for it. I wanted something more out of my life than just working. Summer of ’08 was when I decided that I was going to start school in the fall. I was just going to take one class per quarter because Max was in school to become a Respiratory Therapist and wouldn’t graduate until June of ’09. So then after he was done I could go back full time.

Since then I have taken two english classes and am in the process of finishing my third one. I have never been great in english, so I knew there was some sort of challenge ahead of me. My first two classes I took were english 97 & 98. Leila Bowers, my teacher, taught the classes very well and I passed with flying colors. I figured english 101D would be the same. However, I’m not going to lie and say it was easy because it wasn’t. It was a challenge for me but a challenge worth perusing.

Our class was broken down into three categories; identity, community and tradition. We read different passages in our book ReMix by Catherine Latterell, watched movies, discussed topics in groups and wrote. I learned a lot about myself throughout this class. We have learned about identity and how it can be shaped on choices that we make in our life. We’ve discussed the purpose of communities and that “[p]eople belong to many different communities based on their interests, needs, and values, and, as these shift, so do the communities they identify with”(86). We last learned about tradition and different types of it and why it’s significant, and how it impacts the American culture. We talked about what makes a tradition a tradition ,they are everyday things we do for no reason, they don’t even have to make sense.

The four pieces of work I have chosen demonstrate a little bit of each category. I feel that they are the best and most enjoyable things I have written in this class and they are,



1. Critical Thinking- Timed Write Lone Star
2. Revision- Community of a High School Drop Out
3. Awareness of Audience and Voice- Online Dating Vs Traditional Dating
Writers Choice- What’s in your wallet?

I felt that throughout the quarter each paper got a little better each time. I think the area I struggled most on was my thesis. I need to come up with a more solid thesis that is debatable. I have gained a lot of insight to to Tradition, identity and community. Even though this class was a struggle I’m glad I got to be apart of it.

Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoy it.

Sincerely,
Jessica Ford

Introduction to Critical Thinking

"Critical thinking is purposeful and reflective judgment about what to believe or what to do[1] in response to observations, experience, verbal or written expressions, or arguments. Critical thinking might involve determining the meaning and significance of what is observed or expressed, or, concerning a given inference or argument, determining whether there is adequate justification to accept the conclusion as true." (wikipedia.com)

During our Intermission section of the class I watched the movie titled Lone Star and had to take notes about the different characters and how they crossed different boundaries. I then had one hour to complete a timed write in which the prompt was not revealed until we decided to take it. I picked this assignment because I feel that I had to analyze each character and their roles throughout the film and do it under pressure.

I feel like I struggled a little bit with this timed write, however I did my best and I ended up doing better than I expected.

Timed Write- Lone Star

The movie Lone Star has many examples of non- conforming and over the line actions. Who defines what
boundaries and certain choices are over the line? Each community has its own personal and cultural beliefs which
defines what is right and wrong. Non- conformity is refusing to conform to accepted standards, rules and laws. During the film
and my group discussion there were many things that challenged my perception as to what boundaries were crossed and
considered over the line.

In the film there were many people who broke the law. One that first comes to mind is Charlie Wade. Charlie wade is a sheriff in the small town of Rio. Charlie Wade crossed boundaries by doing things unnecessary and was known for being a tough sheriff. killing a Mexican who was crossing the border is one example of how Charlie Wade broke the law. Charlie took advantage of being the sheriff and was never caught doing wrong.

In the grouped we concluded that Charlie Wade was a powerful man who made up his own rules and did whatever he
pleased. Charlie would even kill people who stood in his way or who would disagree with him. This is one of the main example in the movie as to what I thought over the line is. Charlie Wade crossed the line numerous of times and still got away with it, until eventually he was killed. People in many communities are judged by what laws they break because they are the ones who determine what is right and what is wrong.

Introduction to Revision

For my revision piece I chose my second paper about community. Although I did a fair job on this, I had a hard time developing a strong thesis and word choice that made sense.

As I revised It I feel like I did a better job selecting new words and adding to my thesis to make it flow and make sense with the next paragraph.

I chose to revise the first two paragraphs.

The Community of a High School Drop Out

Original Draft

A community is group of people having particular characteristic or certain interests in common. The community of high school dropouts is made of different types of students, each with a different story as to why they choose that path. As stated by http://www.willamette.edu/, “When analyzing the impact of the high school dropout rate on a community, one should examine other potential resultant indicators such as unemployment rate, drug use rates, crime rates (particularly among teens), teen pregnancy rates and poverty in the community”. My mother, Elizabeth says that, “Twenty-six years ago it was hard to be accepted by the community as a pregnant high school dropout and today more students are offered special programs and are more accepted by their community.” Dropouts are more accepted in todays society because of the community’s support and programs to help them succeed and get their lives back on track.

Today there are many programs that help dropouts get back into school and eager to learn. One particular program that is offered at Everett Community College is called Youth Re- Engagement. Youth Re-Engagement is a free program and only for teenagers between the ages of 16-21 who have dropped out from a traditional high school. The teachers help students get their high school diploma plus aid their developing skills for a better career. Elizabeth informs me that, “There was nothing like this when I was younger and if there was I would have totally taken the opportunity to be apart of it.” Just like my mother I too was a high school dropout and because of all the support I had I was fortunate enough to be in the Youth Re-Engagement program. It helped me better myself and gave me the chance to be a successful student, something I wasn’t in high school.



Revised

A community is group of people having particular characteristics or certain interests in common. The community of high school dropouts is made of different types of students, each with a different story as to why they choose that path. Many dropouts feel shameful or disappointed in themselves for the mistakes that lead them to make the decision to leave school. My mother Elizabeth became unexpectedly pregnant at an early age and was forced to begin a life without a full education. She states that “Twenty-six years ago it was hard to be accepted by the community as a pregnant high school dropout and today more students are offered special programs and are more accepted by their community.” Being in a similar position as my mother, yet living in a different decade, I was able to experience a different path than those who left high school before me. Dropouts are more accepted in today’s society because of the community’s support and programs to help them succeed and get their lives back on track. The public’s response to the youth who leave high school has changed the community for the better.

Today there are many programs that help dropouts get back into school and eager to learn. One particular program that is offered at Everett Community College is called Youth Re- Engagement. Youth Re-Engagement is a free program and only for teenagers between the ages of 16-21 who have dropped out from a traditional high school. The teachers help students get their high school diploma plus aid their developing skills for a better career. Elizabeth informs me that “There was nothing like this when I was younger and if there was I would have totally taken the opportunity to be a part of it.” Just like my mother I too was a high school dropout and due to the support I had I was fortunate enough to be in the Youth Re-Engagement program. It helped me better myself and gave me the chance to be a successful student, something I wasn’t in high school. The option for those who drop out of high school to reenter and graduate with a diploma gives hope to those who want a second chance at the mistakes they have made. It has helped improve their lives for the better.

Introduction to Awareness and Audience

For my Audience Awareness section of this portfolio I chose my third paper. We were to write about a certain pop culture and how it challenges a certain tradition. For my paper I wrote about online dating versus traditional dating and how it has changed they way of traditional style dating. I feel this was the strongest paper I have written all quarter, hence the best grade I received. I had a solid thesis, and improved on my paragraphs making sense. I also picked this one because I think that it is an interesting subject to read about and gets readers attention right away. We are so focused on the internet, our life revolves around it. So who wouldn't want to read a paper about this?