DigitalPenny

I was thinking as I walked down the hallway in HBC, "Do I remember all of my elementary school teachers?" I think I can. Let me see.

K - Mrs. Bryant
1st - Mrs. Bridges
2nd - Mrs. Dance
3rd - Mrs. Mullin
4th - Mrs. McCallester
5th - Mrs. Ross (the lady who had a thing for the PE teacher)

Apparently, my K-3 teachers impressed me.

I also remember my 6th grade math teacher, Mr. Wallace. He was superfantastic! He was the only math teacher I had who seemed to take a genuine interest in my math skills. Guess that's why I studied math from basic all the way up through Calculus II.

Don't get me wrong, but many teachers have helped me along the way. It's just that some left more of an impression on me than others.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 01:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I dedicate this poem to my sister, who continues to live an abusive life, and has lost her way home:

my sister, my deep dark black
sister. Why do you suffer in that
lonely hell? participate must you?
allow it must you? I struggle to
understand why you keep with
i struggle to understand why this
profound darkness hushes you
My sister My sister My sister
i cannot feel your pain
i cannot feel your agony
i am blind to your darkness
be great must you, hide must you
keep secrets must you? WHY: tell them!
i feel for you because you are
O p p r e s s e d e p r e s s e d
and he is o b s e s s e d p o s s e s s e d
regressed like a shellfish you won’t talk
and as I sit, I read about empowerment
Black pride, struggles of Black WOMEN
yet you won’t talk; they won’t talk;
i read of the nurturing Black Woman
yet you are powerless even in your own home
My sister My sister My sister
best friend torture is yours
think of your children you must
eye black body fragile health failing
Do you even remember what it’s like to be you?
Lean on me; I will support you; I will be strong for you.
I need you to be strong and walk away.
Life is too short. Listen to me. Listen to me.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 12:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So, I was costing the web, looking for information to pass on to the students in my WRT 205 course, and I came across this rant/advice to students about plagiarism and using citations in their essays. In fact, now I don't remember what I was looking for. I'll have to think about that one.

I find this seriously hilarious, not because of what it says, but because of the way it is formatted and laid out for the readers. It seems as if there was no consideration of web design when this person put this together.

I immediately thought about Becky because she often discusses plagiarism.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On Friday, I returned essays to my students from the Unit 1 assignment, which was to write a rhetorical analysis.

It is amazing what an email can do.

When you write emails, there’s a certain tone that comes across to the reader. So, you have to be especially careful of what it is you need to say or want to say without injuring the person on the other side.

I recently read, “Constructing Teacher Identity in the Basic Writing Classroom”, which was written by Jacqueline Jones Royster and Rebecca Greenberg Taylor. In this particular essay, Royster and Taylor discuss identity formation, specifically that of the instructor, and how that instructor is “located” in the “created” “learning space”. Well they not only ask that instructors take a critical look at this created learning space, but that they, especially view it from the teacher’s perspective in terms of work ethics, ethnicity, class, gender, age, cultural and economic backgrounds. Taylor takes these terms a step further by insisting that instructors must consider identity formation in terms of “academic success", "institutional status", and a "cultural sense of being”.

The reason I’m saying this is because this morning when I logged into my email, one of my students had responded to an email that I sent to my entire class. Now when this student is in class, the student participates, and is not afraid to ask questions about the discussion, or about what another student has said, or about something that I’ve said. I knew that the mail I sent out would provoke responses, but I didn’t realize that I would strike a nerve in one of my better students. This student's response made me really think about what I'm bringing to the classroom, and how students perceive me as an instructor. And although I am African American, believe me, it had nothing to do with that. This email was about hurting feelings, and all of the emotional substance that comes with it.

This is why Royster and Taylor’s essay is so very important. The learning space that we create and our identity (what we bring to the classroom) must be considered when we teach. Yes, we are always asking, “What are my students going to be like; where are they coming from; how much writing have they done in high school; what will they look like; who will they be?” But as an instructor, have you really taken the time to situate yourself in the classroom, to think about what issues you bring to the learning space as an instructor? Have you thought about how critical that space is? Can you really identify with your students on levels beyond handing out an assignment, and requesting that they read and participate in class?

Although Royster and Taylor’s essay was directed, at the time of its writing, to instructors who teach basic writing, I believe that all instructors, no matter what discipline they teach should internalize the message presented in this essay.

By writing this, I guess this is my way of providing a public apology to my student, who is exceedingly exceptional, a student who I can identify with on various levels both inside and outside the classroom. To that student—Thank You.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's not what you think, but I wanted to share.

This makes my evening, as I sit here working diligently. This is a note I've taken directly from my email. How nice.

"i want to thank you for being so generous for extending my paper. i'm not surprised you did that for me, your a very kind lady. The one thing that stands out the most from your class out of the hundreds of others on campus is that you maintain to keep eye contact with all your students while you speak, which is a sign that you care about your students and how well they achieve. Happy Valetines day!"

Posted by Digitalpenny at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a quote from Malcolm X. :

“There can be no black-white unity until there is first some black unity.” (New York City, March 8, 1964).

My sistas and brethren think about this. Think.

Shall I say more?

Posted by Digitalpenny at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know that the line “ home is where the heart is” is cliché, but home is that place where you find support, lots of love, happiness (even when you don't have money), and a good meal (even if all you have is a can of corn and non-salted crackers as dinner). It's funny to think about a home in the way that I've described it cause I tried to explain that concept to my five year old, who at that time was four, and she insisted that when we lived in Aurora, just before moving to Syracuse, that we lived in an apartment. I thought of it as home.

Tyratae started this some time ago, and I've seen academom, StepAside, and DawgNotes work it too. The idea is to write out the places you've lived. My list is not long, but I've lived in homes (not houses or apartments).

Shreveport, LA (home)
Grambling, LA
San Jose, CA
St. Louis, MO
Wilmington, DE
Hazlewood, MO
Aurora, IL
Syracuse, NY
Dewitt, NY

Posted by Digitalpenny at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following commentary is that of the Black Informant:

"It’s Black History month. You want to do something a little different this year besides looking at the usual black and white documentaries on the civil rights era. This just might be the better option that you are looking for:

Association of African American Museums has a website that provides information on African-American museums all across the United States. They even have a on-line video tour of one of the many museums that they feature on their site. A great option for the whole family!

Association of African American Museums (http://blackmuseums.org)"

And there's more.... Thank you Black Informant.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'd been saying all this week that I would tell you of my adventures with my five year old, but I've been putting it off. Well, each morning, I birth a five year old. What do I mean, you say?

Trinity, my five year old daughter, is a barrel of joy. In the mornings I wake up late cause I'm up late. Trinity wakes up late cause she never wants to go to bed. So each morning I'm prodding her to wake up. After she's up, she begins procrastinating by saying she can't find clothes to wear, she doesn't want me to comb her hair, she's hungry, she can't find her shoes, then she can't brush her teeth alone; the list is endless. There's always something.

When I've dressed her and she's been fed, she wants to play. At the same time, I'm still trying to get dressed myself, and haven't had breakfast. With time dwindling away, and as I race against the clock, she wants to play the tickel game. All along I'm thinking, "I've gotta get your (Trinity's) lunch together; other wise you aren't going to eat today."

It's been a mad scramble, every morning this week. But I'm so happy to have such a bright cheery enthusiastic jovial child in my life. She makes getting out of bed fun.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Since reading Frank Smith’s, Understanding Reading 6th edition, I am finding that my being able to “cope with [a] particular situation” (61) is having some affect on my being able to comprehend what I’m reading.

Composition theory is a new area of study for me; and, I’m not just putting that out there as a shield to hide behind because I often find myself not being able to articulate what’s on my mind. That too is a new area of development for me. I’ll try and explain that in a minute, but first let me talk about Composition.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but I had no idea of the exhaustive theories that have been formulated, articulated, argued, or discussed about writing--how it should be done, who my audience may or may not be, what’s comes naturally to me as a writer, and so on. This semester, I’m compelled to focus on how my brain is supposed to ache because certain areas are developing because I’m resisting being overwhelmed by understanding the relativity of probing for a way of understanding information when it’s right in front of my face. Prior knowledge, that is, my background and current knowledge of the subject matter is a necessity for comprehending theory. I’m finding that I have holes or gaps in my brain that need filling, yet my brain is constantly resisting. How do I know that I’m in resist-mode? Well, I find other things to distract me when I know that I need to read. And it’s easy to become distracted. Like right now. I’m typing what I’m thinking. This was a moment of realization, so I’m thinking this does not count.

Now back to the not being able to articulate part. Well, all my life, I’ve hardly had to say much. I’m pretty good with one-to-one conversations, but I have to begin to mentally codify or organize in my head, a way of saying what I mean to say. I guess the more I’m placed in situations where I have to step outside the peek hole of the door I stand behind, the better I will become at handling such moments of articulation.

I must say that being in a room where I have to stand before twenty students and articulate for them the goals for a particular day along with facilitating the conversation (or trying to get one started for that matter) helps tremendously.

We all have different experiences, right? Well, over a period of time (after having to stand in the front of a classroom), I have learned to become conscious of many things, like—my southern accent (I must articulate in order for people to understand what I’m saying); the way I dress (Since I’m representin’, my children, and my husband, I can’t go out looking any kinda ole way, although on some days, I could give a shit); and I’ve become more reflective, about my life, my skill set, the way I teach, about my students, about conversing on an intellectual level with my peers. I feel that I’m growing. I’m stretching. I’m reaching. And it’s all because I decided to read with an engaging attempt to comprehend with errors, noise, and bottle neck memory in overflow mode. Thank you Mr. Smith.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 12:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I can't believe they fired her. Carly Fiorina is was one of the shrewdest business executives I knew (not personally). When Hewlett-Packard Co. needed leadership, someone to transform the business, they looked to her. Guess they got what they needed, and now they are rid of her.

I wonder if Fiorina will receive from HP the same type of "golden parachute" that Rich McGinn duped from Lucent Technologies when he left. As I understand it, McGinn pocketed (as it was written in his contract) about 19 million dollars. Yes. And that didn't include certain amenities he received as well. Bet Lucent is somehow still paying for that mistake.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 06:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's an article that was written in the Chicago Tribune yesterday. You might want to read it before you miss my point here. Then again, you don't really have to, but I'll leave that up to you.

Why in the world would a teacher of any race do such a thing?

Marvin Wiley, pastor of Rock of Ages Baptist Church in Maywood, IL once said, while rendering a very powerful sermon, "Remember when you were a child, and you would sing or say these words, 'Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.' Well, WORDS WILL HURT, and they hurt deep." As I sat there listening and reflecting on my teenage years, I remembered saying those exact words. And as I shouted them to a girl who was determined to bully me, I remembered feeling as if she, had taken a knife, jabbed it into my chest, and forcefully, yet slowly pulled it down through my stomach. Although she never physically touched me, what she had said made me feel terrible. I've never forgotten Wiley's message.

Words do hurt, and to that end, language—and the context, in which we use it—no matter what community of people or social or ethnic group we belong to, can damage one's inner being. There is power in language; it oppresses, colonizes, marginalizes, and often lends itself to a hierarchy of authority, especially when one person is placed either in an authoritative role, or when that person has a better grasp on the subject matter than his/her colleague or counterpart.

Additionally, whether we know it or not, language does not carry emotion, but people do. And when you begin to verbally abuse someone by the words that spew from your mouth, you should think about the emotional impact that your tone of voice, attitude, and choice of words might have on that person or group of people.

There are some of us who walk around unconscious of the fact that we do this, and there are those of us who do it intentionally. All I’m sayin’, is take a moment to consider that other person’s feelings, even if that other person is your bestest friend.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I was supposed to write this entry sometime last week, but because of my schedule, I wasn't able to. So here goes.

Since this is my first time teaching college composition or in any academic environment (aside from the 2nd graders at Gombert Elementary School in Aurora, IL), I've often questioned whether or not I've been "teaching". A word that I have yet to assign a definition.

Anyhow, I was discussing with my WRT 205, their projects for the rhetorical analysis assignment I'm having them do. Well, one of my students was having some trouble understanding the assignment. This student was thinking that the assignment called for writing a research paper. Totally NOT.

In class, I spoke with this student, as I did all of the students, about the object of this student's rhetorical analysis. The student was very adamant about perusing the idea of writing about computers (a very broad topic). Then the student went on about all the different areas that one could study involving computers. As I sat there patiently talking with the student in an attempt to explain the assignment, I turned to the other students who were sitting there and said, "Hey, would someone like to contribute their understanding of the assignment to this student?"

Before I could get the question completely out of my mouth, I saw hands raised. As I called on each of the students, they were able to clearly articulate, just as I had been doing for the past several class meetings, the assignment. I could not believe it. I was at a loss for words. They all "got it".

For someone who had been unsure of how to go about "teaching". I had surely been able to articulate the meat of the assignment. Oh, tears of joy. I thought to myself, "I'm doing something right." So now, I don't have that dreary outlook on "teaching". If at this very moment I had to assign a definition to the word "teach", it would be: an activity in assisting a learner, using specific procedures by way of small connected segments, in understanding concepts of specific or general subject matter. That's a draft definition that I hope to expand and expound on, in the near future.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 10:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Black Enterprize Magazine was founded by Earl G. Graves, Sr. in 1968 (the year of my birth). This magazine strives to keep Black business men and women informed of ideas, issues, and economic changes/strategies that will or may result in transforming the way they conduct business.

This is yet another reason why I'm proud to be Black.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was reading the February 2005 issue of Intercom, the magazine of The Society for Technical Communication. The president, Andrea L. Ames believes that the technical communication community must institute changes in the way they practice technical writing. That we must, "[D]emonstrate to our employers and clients that we improve the bottom line, and communicate that value in and outside our organizations and throughout our industry" (2). Furthermore, we need "[to] communicate our value throughout the industry, we must share our experiences, perform and participate in practical and academic research projects, and publish, publish, publish—not just to ourselves but to the world outside" (2).

Okay. I agree with Andrea, and I would be most enthusiastic to jump at the opportunity do so. But, I've worked with an organization that went through a period of downsizing and outsourcing to some remote location in a "third-world" country. It's not easy to make these things happen under certain conditions.

For example, as writers in that organization, as with many others I'm sure, we were expected to "do more with less". I know that this sounds cliche-ish, but I was suffering from a lack of intellectual stimulation because we were unable to take classes to learn about new technology or to learn new skills, and I felt impeded because as a "technical" writer, I was seeing new technology (e.g., web design) advancing, and had no way to partake in it.

Many times, we (the technical writers) were expected to attend the same technical information sessions or "chalk talks" with engineers, developers, systems engineers, product managers, and lab testers. How in the hell does a company expect someone with deficient subject matter knowledge to walk into a "chalk talk" and listen to an architectural engineer discuss converting hexadecimal algorithms into internet protocol addresses and write that shit in plain English, even if there existed a text to read before hand, when that text needed to be translated as well? How can we demonstrate any competence when we are denied access to improving our skills as writers? When one does not grow intellectually, their work suffers, the business suffers, and that affects the bottom-line. Now, I'm not saying that I wouldn't eventually figure it out after some conversations with the architectural engineers or some other technical persons, but even that takes some time.

And how are we supposed to "publish, publish, publish", learn concepts of new technology, find ways of negotiating our jobs to cater to changing industry needs, and perform research, when we spend 50-60 hours on the job per week, and have families to take care of? Obviously, I'm a working mother in need of locating a way to juggle all that shit; In my world, flex-time doesn't really exist.

Once, I was talking to a colleague, who had been categorized as a performance technologist. We laughingly kidded around about publishing an article about the work we were doing at the time, playing around with ideas of what we envisioned such an article to discuss. In a moment of seriousness, she looked at me as said, (I'm not quoting verbatim here) "Shit, with all of the hours we put in around here, and with all of the work people have to do, and then having to go home to a family. Who can find time to write and publish outside?"

Despite the conditions of being truly overworked and underpaid, I am down with Andrea. But how does one go about accomplishing such a task without managerial support, and without affecting their well being?

Posted by Digitalpenny at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2380)

Lately, I've been confronted with so many definitions associated with the term "diversity", it sickens me. Even when I worked at Lucent Technologies, the word "diversity" was abused and overused. Now, when I hear the term or see it written somewhere, I question how the author intends the meaning to really be conveyed, even though he/she provides a plausibe context.

With it being black history month, which I have come to know as a nonexclusionary month that not only showcases the intellect of Black folk, but provides an avenue for other "minority" groups to feel liberated, I want to know how someone else defines and feels about the term, "diversity."

One of the questions that's being asked on the PBS website is, "Have Americans learned to embrace diversity?" Embrace diversity. In what sense? This is my immediate reply.

Have you embraced "diversity?" In what way? and how do you define that term? How far do we have to go, do you think, before we arrive at a time and place where we can properly articulate what it really means to embrace "diversity"? Can we put our prejudices aside and step outside our comfort zones to truly explore the meaning of "diversity"?

Let me know what you think.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 05:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (2217)

For those who are priviledged enough to work--

performing a job to bring home money to keep the bills paid--on a daily basis, we must begin to consider what we do, and whether we love what we do. I've often spoken with people who've dreaded getting out of bed just to go to work. I've even talked to people who were in positions of power on their jobs, and they did not enjoy "the rush" anymore, and have felt heavyhearted. If we would all take a moment to consider the value and purpose of money, maybe we'd see things a bit differently.

Money does not carry value. We use it, but really, what purpose does it serve? I think of its purpose as a bargaining chip. You may take that how you choose to. Its value lies in what we decide to do with our money, in how we decide to use it. Some of us invest, some of us use it to help others, and still some of us spend it all in one place (or all at one time for that matter). I guess what I'm trying to say is this: when you have money, you've paid your bills, and all else is accounted for in your house, then do something good for someone else (even if it's not monetary). If you try it once (the doing something for someone else part), then you've done it. Then think about the person you've helped. If you didn't get out of bed to go to work to get paid to help your family to help someone else, what would you have done with your life?

Life is such a precious gift, and often we don't realize that it can disappear in an instant, in a moment when we are having the best of times, in the blink of an eye. What makes life so precious is the fact that unconsciously, we believe that we will always be around. NOT.

So why do we take jobs that we don't like? We all serve some purpose; other wise, we wouldn't be here. Some people aren't able to work. Be thankful that you have a job. If it's something that you seriously detest, move on. You're never too old. So don't give me that shit. And while you are at it, take a moment to do something nice for someone else, even if it does not involve money.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 04:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My Father, Darnell Thompson, has owned and operated Thompson's Cleaners for 47 years (and counting). And although he is at retirement age, he and my mother, Cecile Thompson still wake up before dawn, and sometimes work more than 12 hour days because they have a passion for the task.

There have been five generations of dry cleaning businesses owned and operated by patriarchal lineage:

Emmanuel Thompson, my oldest brother, owner of Benton Cleaners
Darnell Thompson,my father, owner of Thompson's Cleaners
John D. Thompson, Sr., my grandfather, owner of Thompson's Cleaners
Sim Thompson, my great grand father, owner of Thompson's Cleaners
Bob Thompson, my great great grand father, owner of Thompson's Cleaners

On a super note: My sister, Shelita Thompson, also owns a dry cleaning business, Three-Way Cleaners.

I salute them because they work under grueling conditions, especially in the summer months (in Louisiana).

Your heart has to be in it, and you’ve gotta love the job, especially when taking care of other people’s dirty laundry.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This month, I have taken the initiative to search the web to find interesting tidbits about Black people, whether they be of American, African, or some interracial coupling with Black emphasis. Here's a website that I've come across in my mining, and thought it would be nice to share. This web site lists African American women and men who have been awarded PhDs in multiple areas of science.

http://www.princeton.edu/~mcbrown/display/first_phds.html

I'm especially proud of the women listed here because Black women seem to face so many challenges in life and in their chosen careers.

You go girls!

Posted by Digitalpenny at 04:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On this day, in 1926, Carter G Woodson, the father of Black History Month, started “Negro History Week”.

Posted by Digitalpenny at 07:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)