Working on focus 1 & 2

My thesis relates to the idea that human relationships must be established between student and teacher before a student becomes comfortable enough to engage in a writing classroom. Looking at the data from my oral history and data from a previous freshman writing class, there may be a connection with teachers who invite students to engage in the classroom versus the current traditional teacher. Furthermore, my research will examine how students tell stories about bad teachers. From the data that I have gathered, I am looking for any patterns that demonstrate mundane trauma that students may connect to "bad teachers".
One story from my transcript discusses the interactions that I had with what I would call a "bad teacher." The teacher didn't communicate what she wanted effectively  This caused me trauma and i disconnected in the classroom. There was another story in my oral history where I spoke of a teacher who attempted to embarrass me to the class. I met the teachers challenge on to lose to him because he had the authority to give me a bad grade. I termed these teachers "bad" due to their lack of talk and effective communication. Furthermore, both teacher had authority issues and pushed their agenda on me as a student. This caused me to regress and disassociate with the teacher and the class.
On the other hand, in my oral history, I also spoke about "good teachers". I explained that the teachers "invited" me to speak with them or in some cases, made themselves available to "talk." either before or after class time. Through my data, I found that these teachers communicate effectively and that they also "invite" students to talk.
The theorists that I plan to use are Shotter and Duffy  These theorist talk about mundane traumas and their affect on students ability to language the trauma. Also, they discuss how spontaneous occurrences are what we live in and respond to. I plan to use these theories as the foundation of my research project.

BP 5: Shotter Project

Before responding to this blog, shortly after class, I considered a project that reflects on the ideas of Shotter. For my project, I can see the usefulness of Shotters theories. As he stated, there are many unprocessed, subliminal ideas and expressions in our mind that may or may not play a huge role in my behaviors and attitudes toward writing. With that said, a project that looks at my unconscious, unprocessed thoughts may help explain some of what I have already processed with my reasoned self.
In my interview, I recall having to constantly think back to find connections to writing. With Shotters methods in mind, I would probably find myself writing more about the unprocessed. That in itself would allow me to expand, and reason more about that which I couldn't articulate in my interview.
Shotters theories give me a great starting point for my research. I now have a tool to use as I begin to look at my two selves differently. I recognize that my reasoning self and my unconscious self can both contribute to my research project. After reading and understanding Shotter, I am confident about generating ideas for my research project through the methods presented in Shotters theory.

BP 4: Speculating My Research Project

Immediately after reading the Gergens article, I began analyzing how my perception of the world is tied to radical relativism. I mean, I agree that what I have learned and understand about the world is somehow tied to a human relationship. At the same time, in my mind, I am still examining how my social interactions are tied to how I talk about and what I can do with writing.
I am excited to explore reflectively, how my social interactions and the stories that I have shared in my oral history interview have shaped my writing and what I can do with my writing because of those interactions. As I think back, I see interesting correlations of where exchanges with certain persons supported my writing. At the same time, I found myself alone, without having a supportive cast to share my writings.
I agree with Gergens that what we experience and much of an individuals knowledge is socially constructed.
With that, I plan to examine how my knowledge or lack of knowledge has shaped my writing style and what I define writing to be in currently. The information that I gather from my data, I hope, can be used as a tool for teaching or mentoring students about the pitfalls or advantages to being a part of a community of writers.

BP3: 3 Places of Writing Interaction

Where I write lends to how well I write. There are a few different places where the atmosphere of writing helps facilitate my writing. My favorite place to write is my room. Its a bright room, very spacious with a desk and lamp on the stand. My room is filled with clothes that my deceased brother owned. I'm not sure if its comforting or just a way to feel reminded of him, but I enjoy seeing his things in various places of the room.
The seat for my desk is comfortable. It has wheels to move about the room and the back of the seat conforms to my posture whether I sit erect or slouch a bit. The room feels like home. I feel comfortable and that comfort allows me to keep my focus while i am completing a task.

The next place that I find myself interacting with writing is when I am at the library. When I am at the library, the setting, whether its people walking around and talking, or a quiet corner in study room, I interact with writing comfortably. At times, I desire to have people around, talking and moving. Other times, I need the quiet to focus on whatever particular writing project I am doing. The space in the library is comforting. I feel that my ideas are metaphorically running around the room and I have to catch them. The space and the comfort of knowing that I am in a academic setting comforts me. It allows me to feel scholarly and able to perform my writing task.

Lastly, the only other place where I write comfortably is outdoors. I don't do it often but, if I do, I write for recreational purposes. I tend to write poetry or journal while I am outdoors. I enjoy being in nature. Trees, water and the blue skies gives me a comfort that puts me in the mood to write. I can not think of any other places where I am comfortable writing. I have written some of my best works in one of these places.

BP2: Research Interests

Writing as a form of being and doing is loaded with options to research. However, what to research, is still a bit of a mystery to me. As I talk through my options, although I probably should be writing my thoughts and any options that come to mind

, one research idea comes to mind. I have interest in researching the connection of writing as a form of being and doing with voice and authority. More specifically, the question that I have considered is, do writers feel they own recreational writing more than academic writing. Are we, as writers, comfortable writing about topics that we don't own? In my mind,writers feel that they aren't contributing to the community of learners on topics or issues that aren't significant in their eyes. Writers in academia write for different purposes. Some share the information that they learned and some write for the passion within them to write. I want to see if there are any issues with voice and authority when a writer is writing on a topic that is external.

BP1: Reflections

What's most valuable to me about writing has changed as I became an adult. I didn't know nor did I understand how important writing is until I learned how writing is the foundation of and closely related to various genres. More specifically, I learned that writing is crucial to communicating effectively in many different subject areas. Another point about writing is that I find valuable is that , writing gives one voice. If one writes and communicates to an effective message, people will listen and validate that voice because it talks to a specific audience.
Knowing and learning this information about writing has effected what I do as a writer. Now, I read what scholars say about writing, and I am much more interested in learning the varies theories that talk about the processes in writing. 
From that, I consider what I have actually learned about writing. As I reflect, I find that what I have been taught only scratches the surface of what I need to know and what is to be learned about writing. 
I am learning and appreciating writing because of this degree program.