Blog Feed

*Gets home*

Oh yeah Ms. Smith said my grade would be in by now lets see. *Pulls out computer and starts checking grade* Wait What? No. A 40%.Oh no how am I supposed to bring this grade up. Why do I try so hard and I always do so bad…. Why??? My mom is going to kill me. Nothing ever goes right for me anymore.

Nothing goes right for anything I do at all. Why am I constantly feeling like I can’t catch a break? Why now out of nowhere does everything go bad? I’m going to fail this quarter now.  I’m supposed to be the one who goes to school and gets good grades. Everyone expects so much of me and I feel like they’ll see this and they will be disappointed. This is too much stress and I feel like I’m dropping the ball. Why can’t things just work out for me?

My mom and dad expect me to be so smart and organized and have everything handled but it’s so hard. I can never just get everything in on time. I try so hard to stay on top of the work but it’s like I miss so much and I don’t even know how to do this. I don’t want to ask for help because then people will think I’m not on top of things.

But I have goals and I gotta be strong. I have much to dwell on but I am going to get nowhere worrying about what happened in the past or what people have to think. I have to go to school and get good grades but I will do good. I will go to college to become successful. This is a lot to juggle all the time everyday but I will be able to do it. I realized that the more and more I go through this that it’s hard but it also makes me stronger and stronger, mentally and physically. Over the course of 2017 my mind is so much further than it was.

The Stonewall Riots were undoubtedly one of the most poignant events in the history of LGBTQ+ liberation. The bravery and perseverance of those who fought for their rights during this time period was unprecedented. If modern day life as an LGBTQ+ person seems hard, life in the 1960s was impossible. It was illegal for gay couples to publicly engage in any sort of display of affection. In New York City specifically, people could get arrested if they weren’t wearing at least three items of clothing that was deemed to match their gender. Life as an LGBTQ+ person was strenuous, but they did have sanctuaries to retreat to such as gay clubs and bars. Here, they could express themselves freely and converse without judgement.

One of these bars, called the Stonewall Inn, was a bar bought and advertised as a “straight bar” only to be later renovated and remodeled into a gay bar. This particular bar welcomed homeless LGBTQ+ youth, drag queens, and runaways. Raids were common but no consequences followed as the police were often bribed to keep quiet about the activities taking place within the bar. On June 28th, 1969, there was a raid that caught the entire bar off guard. Police barged in and began to patronize everyone inside. Two of the women inside the bar this night were Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, both trans women of color. It is unclear but likely according to many survivors that Johnson was the first to fight back and spark the riot. Essentially what happened that night was the police raided the bar, violently manhandled the people inside, and the crowd decided to fight back.

So here’s the issue: the most impactful and powerful members of this fight are being left out of the picture. Courageous souls such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera are glossed over as if they weren’t even in the movement to begin with and are painted over as white cisgender men. It seems obvious that these people should be receiving the credit that they deserve, but that’s not the case for everyone, especially in Hollywood.

In the movie Stonewall directed by Roland Emmerich, the main character is a white and cisgender gay boy named Danny. After the trailer for this movie was released, countless members of the LGBTQ+ community became outraged at the noticeable lack of representation in the movie. Essentially what they were saying was that the movie was too white for what the Stonewall community was actually like. Even some survivors of the riots spoke up. According to Titus Montalvo, a survivor of the riots, about 70% of the crowd at the Stonewall was of color.

The most treasured fighters from this time period were trans people, people of color, etc. This whitewashed and erasure-packed movie completely and unjustly strips the beloved martyrs of this movement of their title and their courage. To essentially erase a trans woman of color, who had to fight 10x as hard as a white cis gay boy and paint him in her place is damaging and painfully disrespectful. They did include a minor character to represent Marsha Johnson, but she was played by a cisgender man which perpetuates the transphobic notion that Marsha was simply a man dressed up as a woman rather than a real woman. The point of dissecting this film is not necessarily to belittle the true pain and ignorance people like the main character had to endure, but rather to analyze the privilege that comes with that experience and how it compares to those less fortunate.

How does this apply to today’s trans population of color? Trans people of color know erasure and discrediting all too well. To them, movies like this make them feel like they just can’t have anything. These people already have to endure battles every single day just for existing, and erasure like this invalidates and simultaneously adds to their struggle. Having to speak up and say “actually, it was my people who won those battles for all of you,” isn’t something they should have to deal with. Additionally, a lot of the white and cis people at the forefront of LGBTQ+ movements are notorious for dissing people of color and trans people, even though those are the people that caused for gay men to even be allowed to show themselves in public. Essentially, the Stonewall Riots erasure is only contributing to the challenges that the people involved have to face nowadays.

Male, Female. Nothing but two meaningless words. Or did it mean something that I put one before the other? Could it have anything to do with the fact my mother treats me differently than my brother? Na. Male, Female. Nothing but two meaningless words. Created by man to erase confusion. ‘Created by man,’ that’s just what we say it’s not intrusion. Male, Female. Nothing but two meaningless words. Told we’re both going down the same road but are given different dress codes. Male, female. Nothing but two words. But what could they possibly mean? Could it have anything to do with the fact that only one of us is expected to clean? Be yourself they say, oh but not like that. If I stand up for myself i’m considered a brat? Male, female. Two words. That’s all it took to separate us, to make us different. Who are you to tell me that if I dress like this or like that I am no longer innocent?  Male, female. Why is one seen more superior than the other? Why are we expected to just hide and take cover? Don’t neglect me, you’ll regret it, I guarantee. My parents say americans are the ones with arrogance. But they tell me sit still, look pretty, no you can’t go out to the city. Of course you brother can go, he’s a boy honey you’re a girl, don’t you know? You’re different. I don’t mean to spaz, but mom I want the same choices he has. Get real and go make a meal. You’re different. Male, female. I used to look at life like a fairytale. Then I started wearing a bra and suddenly things began to fall. I’m not supposed to wear certain clothes or i’ll be loathed. If this is the world I don’t wanna live here anymore. But I left syria, this is suppose to be ‘the land of the free.’ So how come just because he’s a he I am on a lower degree? I don’t know about you but it makes no sense to me. Male, female. I don’t care if you’re black, brown, or white. We don’t need a knight just give us a sword we can fight. Fight for our right to live in a world where being ourselves isn’t absurd. Instead it’s preserved. Male, female. Female, male. Just two people, but don’t be fooled, we aren’t equal.

Advance essay #2  

No English

In the essay I wanted to explore the literacy of not speaking the languages. And how it can affect people in different way.   People don’t understand how hard it is to not speak a language in a country that everyone speaks that languages and how hard it is to get through everything.

It was the second day of our new house in in 2011, two weeks in united states.  I did not speak english at that time. Neither did my family. We just came to united states and finally moved into our new house. The moving process did not take long because we did not have that many things with us. Not like we can bring furniture on  a plane. We had to sell all the furniture that my mom customized it in her own design that she was really proud of. I remembered that my mom was really sad when she had to sell her dresses which was completely new she just got it and it’s made out of real wood. After we moved in and finished putting everything away I realized I didn’t have anything to do at all. My mom wanted to take a nap while my dad was at work, and my siblings were sleeping while I was bored in this big home doing nothing. I didn’t have a television either. I wandered around the house and found a window. Then I looked out and saw that you can climb out the window and sit on the roof top but it didn’t have a door to go through. I looked out and saw the next door people had a deck on the rooftop and they had a door so I decided to go out and climb through the window. In the process of climbing I almost slipped and fell but I held on to the window. “Becareful” someone said “Ki” “Oh, I said be careful”  I  just looked at her didn’t know what to say. “Are you guys new here” she said. First I didn’t get what she said but then I knew what the word new was so I said yes. “don’t go to far off the edge” now what she just blabared I didn’t understand, but I just said ok so she doesn't have repeat herself. Finally I was able to come down from the edge of the window to the roof of the second floor. “ did you understand what I said” she said. “I...I no I.. NO ENGLISH” I said to her. Her facial expression changed from normal to confused “OH OK….Well it was nice to meet you” I didn’t say anything not because I didn’t understand but because I didn’t know what to say to her. Then she left and went in the door that was made for the deck unlike me climbing through a window. From that moment in my life I realized that “Flies don’t enter a closed mouth” Interpret that as if I don’t learn or try to learn english there wouldn't be any word coming out of my mouth. And I wouldn’t understand anything people would say to me.

From then on I always Look at the book my dad brought to learn english. I watched TV and cartoons like my aunts said to. She said it would help me know some words and learn  how to use them in real life.  

Another time I had to I had experience not understanding english  was with my mom. It was 3 years after the time when I met the lady on the deck. By then I knew how to speak english good enough to understanding everything and not no know to speak. I could speak fine then. I was in 7th grade.  I became the ultimate translator in my family. I had to go everywhere with my mom and dad from grocery stores to green card office to school  report card conference.

One day I was just sitting in my room after school  thinking about everything and how much my life has changed from when I was in my country to now. And the differnce between teachers, how they teach vs how teachers teaches in my country. One of the most different thing about teachers in united states vs teachers in Bangladesh is the strictness. Which reminds me of a time when I didn’t bring my homework to school in Bangladesh….

I woke up in the morning with knots in my stomach. I knew that this day wouldn’t go right. It was one of those days where nothing goes your way and everything you do ends up being wrong.  I walked down the hallway to my bathroom to get ready for school. After I got ready I went to go have breakfast but no one was awake to make breakfast. Sighing…. “Okay I’ll just take a granola bar and eat it on the way,” I said to myself. I went to go put everything in my backpack but I saw all my stuff in the in my backpack already, Then I remembered I never did any of my homework because I didn’t feel well that weekend. “Oh my god , oh my god “ I kept saying.” I didn’t realize I was saying it a little loud. “Why are you screaming” my mom screamed at me. “I’m not screaming” I said yelling at her. She just looked at me knowing she's right. Sigh… “I’m leaving.” I said to my mom. I walked down stairs and open the gate and started walking down the block. Half way through the walk I realized I didn’t eat any breakfast neither did I bring my granola bar with me. I silently shook my head at myself knowing that it can get way worse today, I just know it. As soon as I went near the school I look at the watch on my hand to see that I have a minute until they ring the bell. I ran up the stairs to the 4th floor, I had english first today. Walking in I sat in my assigned sit near the window. I sat down and took out my english textbook and my homework book to show my homework but I didn’t do it. I put my hand under my chin and looked out the window. I didn’t realize that the teacher was in front of my desk calling my name. “ huh.. Oh ami kori nai = Oh I didn’t do it” “ Cano= Why?” “Āmi asusta chilam ēbaṁ āmi ēṭi bhulē gēchi = I've been sick and I forgot I had homework”  She looked at me like I forgot my passport for my flight that’s leaving. For ten second she just stared at me which felt a lot more than ten second. Never in my life did I have more strict teacher than her. She always seems mad. “ Bā'irē dām̐ṛiẏē thākō yatakṣaṇa nā āmi tōmākē āsatē bali = go stand outside until I tell you to come in ” That day she made me stand outside the door of the classroom  for 10 minutes. When she finally told me to come in she gave me a lecture about how she going to tell my mom. It always fascinates me how much of a difference in teaching  over there and how they teaches in united states.

Works cited

How to tame a wild tongue By: GLORIA ANZALDUA

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HiE7cGVyGIXXl1vYOQw3_vETIl66U3W-UN2Ht6Jih48/edit

“5 minutes till landing”

At home the war was a huge topic, some people would be horrified that the nazi’s could come marching through at any moment, others like my mother would just calmly go about their day like nothing was happening, then there were people like dad who wouldn’t let this war slip by without a fight…..I never thought that I would be one of the soldiers on the frontlines

“4 minute’s till landing”

I miss dad, I wish I could have said goodbye. They shipped me off so fast that I couldn’t make it to the hospital in time. I hope he’s proud of me up there.

“3 minutes till landing”

I wonder how wyatt is doing up in russia, last I saw of him, he was with the brit’s for specialized training. I hope to god that when this is all over, he’s ok.

“2 minutes till landing”

Mom must be terrified, knowing that her two darling boy’s are sent out to the killing fields. In the papers we would see pictures of nazi weaponry recovered by the soldiers and it was terrifying.

“1 minute till landing”

Oh god! I feel weak, like there is no hope for us. We are the forsaken few, god please guide and protect us with your ever watchful eyes.

“50 seconds till landing!”

The rifle hanged heavy as I feel the boat rocking violently back and forth. It’s been a hard month on the sea.

The cold metal makes my hands numb as the boat shakes more violently as we reach ever closer to our destination.

I hope to god that my rifle doesn’t jam, it shouldn’t jam.

“20 seconds to landing!” I can’t believe we are so close.

A hand taps my shoulder; “hey man, ya wanna smoke?”

Nah, I don’t smoke. But… what the hell. I’m about to get shot at anyway. What’s one cigarette gonna do to me.

Last night was one hell of a party.

The cigarette ash scorched my throat.

The soothing feeling of pain acts almost like a painkiller, prepping my lungs for the hell coming my way.

“10 seconds till landing!”

“Alright men! We are the first battalion out”

“We were trained for this exact moment!” but were we trained enough?

“We are the last line of defence!”

After presenting to my group I learned how to improve my slide dramatically. First, the text in my slide should have been bolder and a different color because it did not contrast with the background and was hard to see. I also learned that the computer was a distraction to the eye so it would be easier if I took it out or made it bigger. Since I received this feedback, I decided to make the computer bigger and change the font and color of my text.

To make this slide I used various resources. I started by reading some of the articles that were provided for us. From these sources, I learned about contrast, blank space, and the rule of symmetry. Later in the project, I watched several youtube videos on how to make a professional slide. These videos taught me various tricks and effects. Finally, I used my classmates feedback and teachers advice to create a finished copy of my slide.

Learning how to make a proper slide is essential when attending SLA. Since SLA is a project based school, I can used these new skills to better my projects and grades. Even after high school, the ability to make slides will prove helpful in college and often times work. Overall, I hope to further improve my slide creating and presenting talent.

Introduction:

This goal of this essay was to explore how people are judged based on the way that they speak English. I am very proud of the way I narrated the experiences of my family members. Something I could’ve worked on is my time management with my social activities, so I wouldn’t have to ask for an extension. I also could’ve provided a deeper analysis of Amy Tan’s work, and how I integrated it with my ideas.

Advanced Essay:

My mom often tells me a story from her childhood. She grew up in Fairless Hills, a predominantly white working-class suburb. It was 1974. She lived with her two parents, recent Filipino immigrants, and her younger sister. They were the only people of color in that area, besides her relatives who lived in the same suburb. On one of their first nights in the neighborhood, while they were sleeping, my mom heard a crash and the sound of breaking glass. Someone had thrown a brick through their living room window. Later when she was in high school someone had vandalized their new van by spray painting in large neon yellow letters, “CHINA BASTARDS.” Over ten years later the message was the same; my mom and her family were not welcome. They were not wanted.

I have grown to understand that these awful events happened because my grandparents were obvious immigrants.They had dark skin, jet black hair, and almond-shaped eyes. They also spoke to each other almost exclusively in Tagalog, a mix of Spanish and clucking, tangy sounds. For both of my grandparents English is not their first language, but when they speak English they do so with extremely thick accents. Even though they both lived in the United States for over 40 years, they were never able to grasp English like a native speaker. This is what made them stand out the most. Often they complain that I talk too fast. Even talking to them now, having spoken English their entire lives, it’s still hard to have a strong and detailed conversation. I find myself speaking extremely slowly to them, our conversations mirroring a parent speaking to a child. While I recognize the unfairness of this analogy, it has been my view of their literacy skills my entire life. While I have an abundance of empathy and understanding, I still can’t shake that feeling. And I know that this is condescending.

The essay Mother Tongue by Amy Tan resonates with my ideas about who determines what proficient literacy looks like, and how people are judged by their English speaking skills. Proficient literacy in America is defined by white men, who have the most cultural capital. This is because of their place in the hierarchy of America. White English speaking American men are very privileged and are in a position of power. They don't usually have to worry about being judged or treated unfairly because of their literacy skills. In this short essay, Amy Tan describes in depth the experiences of her mother not being a proficient English speaker, and how judgment follows that. Quoting Amy Tan, “You should know that my mother's expressive command of English belies how much she actually understands.” This quote reminds me of how I am able to interpret what my grandparents are saying. I often rely on their expressive way of communication to understand them. For example, when my grandmother’s voice rises, I can tell she is excited about something. When my grandfather defers to his off-topic phrases, I can tell that I spoke too fast and he didn’t understand what I said. And when they sit quietly watching as my parents, brothers, and I chat and joke with one another, I can tell that they’re happy to be around us.

Building on the ideas of expressive communication and the complexities that lie below the surface level of people’s English communication, an idea I want to explore is that language is more than words. As Amy Tan said in Mother Tongue, “Like others, I have described it to people as 'broken’ or ‘fractured’ English. But I wince when I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than ‘broken,’ as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. I've heard other terms used, ‘limited English,’ for example.” I used to think of my grandparents’ English as broken, but limited is a more appropriate term. Language doesn’t only revolve around speaking or English. That is an easy way to judge people, considering that is the main way people communicate in the United States. My grandfather has many other ways to demonstrate his literacy skills. It can be through his printing press, his vast knowledge of classic swing music, his fluency with Tagalog, his knowledge of his homeland, his social skills, etc. All of these skills are independent of his ability to speak English. His interactions with the world are richer than merely speaking English, but this is not recognized in the United States. Without “sounding smart” opportunities are limited.

I understand there are more complexities to people who appear not as intelligent because they aren’t originally English speakers. My grandfather worked at the Princeton University Printing Press for over fifteen years, and never got promoted. He was perfectly capable of receiving a promotion and the responsibilities that would come with it. I’ve come to the conclusion that he did not get promoted because he wasn’t able to communicate as well as his co-workers, which isn’t fair at all. His bosses should’ve taken into account that he is an immigrant, and isn’t as skilled with English. This is very analogous to my experiences with my grandparents. I used to assume they weren’t as smart when I was very little, but as I grew older I found that not to be true. Just because I can’t always understand what they’re trying to say to me, doesn’t mean they’re unintelligible. My grandparents are very smart people in so many ways. They read, write, speak, hear and think in two languages. But more amazing, is that they have decades of wisdom in their ability to navigate between their world in the United States and their home country.

Works Cited:

Mother Tongue, Amy Tan

Intelligence versus what is considered smart. What’s the difference between them? You can be intelligent and smart, you can be intelligent and not smart, you can be smart and not intelligent, you can be neither smart nor intelligent. This is because in order to be intelligent a person has a vast knowledge on any particular topic. In other words the person knows a lot of things. In order to be considered smart a person must know how to implicate the knowledge they know. The person doesn’t necessarily have to know a lot of things but they do know how to use what things they do know to their advantage in life.

In I Just Wanna Be Average, Mike Rose argues that teachers in vocational education struggle with helping students apply knowledge: “Students will float to the mark you set… Vocational education has aimed at increasing the economic opportunities of students who do not do well in our schools. Some serious programs succeed in doing that, and through exceptional teachers… students learn to develop hypotheses and troubleshoot, reason through a problem, and communicate effectively- the true job skills.” The reason why teachers struggle with helping students apply knowledge is because the students are not being given enough knowledge to apply to things. That is because the students give up on themselves and, eventually, the teachers give up on them also.

This leads into another idea about knowledge. In Other People’s Children, Lisa Delpit elaborates on the idea that knowledge is controlled by other people: “These issues include: the power of the teacher over the students; the power of the publishers of textbooks and of the developers of the curriculum to determine the view of the world presented;… and the power of an individual or group to determine another’s intelligence or ‘normalcy.’” To put this idea into simpler terms, people do not control what knowledge they take in from their education. This makes it easy for textbook publishers and educational leaders to control what students learn. A lot of times the textbook publishers and educational leaders limit the amount of knowledge the students take in. This leads to the students not being given enough knowledge in order to be smart or intelligent making it hard for the students to succeed in life.

In Superman and Me, Sherman Alexie points out how someone’s identity can influence whether other people think you’re smart or intelligent: “He reads ‘Grapes of Wrath’ in kindergarten when other children are struggling through ‘Dick and Jane.’ If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy.” In this quote Alexie is referring to himself and the reason why he probably isn’t considered a “prodigy” is because of his race and his family’s background. His race should not influence whether or not he is considered smart or intelligent. However, in our American society race does influence whether or not people think you’re smart or intelligent.

Many times racial influence can lead to people making assumptions about other races and whether or not that race is smart or intelligent. For example, in Other People’s Children, Lisa Delpit assumes that White people are very closed minded: “When you’re talking to White people they still want it to be their way. You can try to talk to them and give examples, but they’re so headstrong, they think they know what’s best for everybody, for everybody’s children.” Based on this assumption, the closed mindedness of White people causes them to not be as smart or intelligent as other races. This however is an assumption because in 2015 the SAT test was given to elite people in the United States with a variety of races. After this test the mean scores were taken and White people had the second highest mean score. The race with the highest mean score was Asian people. Now if White people are not smart or intelligent then why did they have the second highest mean score? The answer is that most White people are not closed minded and therefore are smart and intelligent. There are only a few White people that are very closed minded and not smart or intelligent whatsoever.

Advanced Essay #2 - Andrew Rodebaugh

When you are on social media do people know that it is you? Do you feel more open to your opinions when you are online? Do you feel like there is less consequences for your actions? Or do you know that but think you can simply “figure it out” in the future? Are you more open about/to people online vs in person?  Being online can make you a different person because it is so easy and their are either no real consequences if any they are not immediate most of the time. The ability to change your identity online can make it seem like you have the ability to be more open about people or show your true personality but can lead into future problem mostly out of your control. We have a different personality online and offline which is not a bad thing generally but the seemingly absence of consequence online can make you do things you would never think to do offline or people in your life would never want you to do at all.

After stressful days at school wanting to disconnect from life I jumped out of my Andrew Rodebaugh self and jumped into my other self “Cosmic” my online identity where I was seen as the normal nerdy teen (among other things that I don’t want to share) that I wanted to be seen as in real life but it is hard to or not wise to. I got a couple good friends and got pretty popular online. It was good at the time being able to share my thoughts without being judged and being able to think for a while before responding which helped me avoid making mistakes of which I make in real life. I created projects with them since they were mostly programmers like me and they were really awesome about working on them. The best part was that they did not know who I really was, what I looked like, where I was from, and same about them. All they knew about me and all I knew about them is that I program, I try to listen to people and I can be helpful with life situation.

Unfortunately I became to used to it I went online and they were online most of the time… they were nice and they helped me through some tough times and we had fun making projects together. But then after a while the username became them and they became like my personal chatbots I did not really put a person behind the keyboard it might sound creepy but it is easy to do when talking to someone you do not know while online. Then you become more  open, more honest and you are quicker to criticize because you don’t really see their true emotions during a situation which can obviously lead into some problems. Then I was lead into a choice between two online friends…

Hero -> Cosmic: “Cosmic I cannot stand @jordan anymore he thinks he owns this whole project though he barely does anything.”

Cosmic -> Hero: “What happened?”

Hero -> Cosmic: “Don’t you see how he is constantly telling us what to do? He barely even knows how to code! Why did you even invite him!”

Jordan -> Cosmic: “Is @hero talking bull crap about me again? He constantly complains. I am just trying to keep things organised. Why did you even invite him he constantly complains and does annoying things?”

Cosmic -> Jordan: “Well maybe you guys need to work this out yourselves. I don’t want to get into any of this”

Jordan -> Cosmic: “Well if that is the case… If you do not kick him out I will quit and if you haven't forgotten I own the server which has the code in it… so it is either him or me and the code.”

That whole week was full of arguing online and it started to crumble this project I have been working with them for a long time was removed from the server so we were unable to use the code. People left and stopped chatting with me because I got impulsed to say things out of anger and frustration which was more than I would ever offline because I thought everything would work itself out like it always did. There was some other stuff that happened which is why you should not mess with programmers Jordan was able to take from a domain name I bought the IP address of my computer to be able to pinpoint my location being able to get my name to then get images of me. Then it happened I was out, they now knew who I was that safety I once had of being able to talk openly about myself went down the drain. I now had a real identity and they were learning things about me I did not want them to learn like my heart defect, what I look like, how I sound, my school, more of my interests and more. The web is a scary place that has so much information about you which anyone can find just by using my name. Your past is online and will continue to be online for the foreseen existence of the web and it is highly accessible with a simple online post. Put something embarrassing online then deleted it… don’t worry it is in some archive somewhere for someone to access.

Your identity affects how people will treat you that is why I wanted to hide it to create a new identity. Now they thought I was a disabled kid that needs help and is going through problems in life. And now they treated me that way which is the way many other people offline treated me… these were supposed to be the people that only new the good stuff about me: my close to perfect identity the person I would want to be seen as in life.

In conclusion, when people do not know your true identity such as online, people treat you differently. Your race, gender, ethnicity, disability and look among other things that make up yourself define how people interact you making online a safer place to express yourself sometimes. Making it safer until your identity comes out if it does.

Introduction

The main goal of my written essay is to a point of view of someone who speaks multiple languages. People have different experiences with languages and how it affects their knowledge of education. I wanted to express the issues that my parents see and how I experience a daily life being a multi linguist.

Hidden In Plain View Of A Multi Linguist

Language is a beautiful way to communicate with people In both spoken and written ways. Most languages have culture behind them and sometimes are much different than others. Although, language is sometimes referred to as person’s identity because it is how others see how well educated they are. Education plays a huge part in how a person’s identity can classify how successful they might be in the future. A person without the knowledge of learning how to read, write and properly speak can effectively cause someone to look down upon them.

In Mother Tongue, Amy Tan discusses the way her mother uses English, that it is “fractured” or not as fluid as how other Americans speak. She grew up influenced by her mother’s speech and she adapted into the language of “broken” English. Tan is first generation Asian American, and readers can see the view of point of how the author experiences her mother speaking English is very different in comparison with most Americans. She believed that it wasn’t her mother’s fault for not speaking English fluidly as she is an immigrant who is making an effort to effectively communicate, and Tan claims Americans dismiss her mother’s speech just because it is not standard, writing, “I’ve heard other terms, ‘limited English,’ for example.”

Language has always been incorporated to how well educated a person can be. How well a person is taught, shows in their knowledge and their mindset. In I Just Wanna Be Average by Mike Rose, the author’s work describes his personal experience of going to college as an Italian American. His environment was different than others. His identity was a label of how his professors would consider him as a student and the work he turns in. Rose mentions that education does not have the best system: “School can be a tremendously disoriented place.” He believes that sometimes schools can judge based on identity and the person’s origin.  

Growing up as an Asian American, there are unique things to learn that are essentials to life. My main issue is my primary language, Teochew. I was told that English was an American language, and that the only way to be able to communicate in America was to twist my tongue to English. However, my life at home is different. The language that I speak at home is Teochew, a dialect of Traditional Chinese. It is one of the Chinese dialects that still exist, but barely a fraction of the world knows how to use it. Sometimes speaking the language made me feel like I was different from the world around me. Here in America, the most common language is English

I remember a time when my dad and I were coming back from Jetro, a restaurant depot. As we came back, my dad was driving and I sat in the passenger seat. Everytime we drive back home as the sun begins to set across a highway, we have a long discussion about life and ways I can be independent. One of the discussions that we talked about was about the culture that my parents grew up with. The best conversation is when one topic become another. Though, coming from Jetro, we were tired and exhausted from lifting supplies into the trunk of our mini van. My mood was stressed and tense from lifting so often and my arms sore from shoulder to shoulder. My dad started talking about how my sister’s future would might become if she didn’t start being wise about her own surrounding.

My dad said, “I fear for her life. What might become of her when she has a husband and a child of her own. If she doesn’t start now, she wouldn’t be able to help her own family. She is powerless. Her intelligence is poor. She could barely communicate with me in Teochew words.”

I told my father that I didn’t know I feel. I told him that I have experienced times when she was being lazy and doesn’t want to do things herself.

My father stated, ”She relies on others to help her get through many things that she wants. If she doesn’t put effort in her education and worry about her future, she won’t have a future.”

I agreed. I sighed and watched the remaining rays of light glow in red and orange across the thin clouds from the sunset.

The conversation began to switch about how much of the Teochew we each knew. My father pointed out that I was fortunate that I had parents who was able to teach me to be bilingual. There were a lot of perks to be able to speak another language than English.

He told me, “When there are times of trouble, you can communicate without others knowing what you are saying. If you were hostage and you see someone with a gun, you can warn people who speak the same language to be cautious of the armed person. You don’t want to be the first ones dead. Having to learn two languages is a gift. The gift should be used wisely.”

He explained why I was lucky to be born in America and have a school to get education from. My father never had the ability to learn in a school because his parents never had the money to pay for school. He was one of the children that hid behind an open window to be able to listen to what the teachers were teaching. He ended up with a bit of education to start with. He wasn’t able to read and write properly, so speaking Thai, Teochew, and a bit of Khmer (Cambodian) was part of his identity. Now in America, he learns a bit of English to be able to communicate with the people around him. My question that I keep asking him was, “Why do not a lot of people not speak Teochew?” Most of the people that I have met spoke popular languages such as: Khmer, English, Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin. After years of researching, there were people in certain areas that was able to understand and communicate with Teochew. Not everyone is perfect in the dialect and accent but they have a sense of understanding.

Citations:

Rose.pdf. http://userwww.sfsu.edu/mmartin/rose.pdf. Accessed 11 Dec. 2017.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8Cvq7ioloJpZGNkYTM0ZjUtNDczZC00NWE2LWEyMTQtMjgzZDRhYTAzNTBi/view

My name is Andrew Bowers, and I made an improved google slide. I have created this slide after weeks of research and editing. Before My skills and slide design were like a baby not about to say a complete sentence but just saying one word. now I can say a full sentence. After i'm finish tech class I hope to say paragraph. That being said, I still have much to learn.with more  research, my classmates and Mrs. Hull giving me ponters I have made some small changes in my google side.

Everyone's  constructive criticism of my google slide inspired me to make a some changes to my slide design of my slide. Imade the text bigger so that picture and the words We're not on the same line because that doesn't look pleasing to the eye. Also, I Change my pictures of wasn't so blurry.Finally I made the text pop off the page. These changes Improve my slide tenfold.

to make my Google slide look as good as it does I had to do some research.Some things that helped me were Presentation Zen because their slide was very minimalistic and eye catching. That's why I don't have a lot going on in my side. In conclusion I'm on my way to being fluent  in Tech and in slide design.