NOTEBOOK 1
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ENGL-2010
January 20, 2017
5g. Write an introduction to an essay, titled "On_________." Fill in the blank with a one or two word description of your issue, or something related to your issue. Use the title as a way to explore the points/ideas/questions that you would like to write about in one of your pieces for the semester. Examples: why is ________ and issue ? What does it mean to be a part of _______? Assumptions people make about ___________ are ______________?
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On Teenage Pregnancy
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I remember sitting there, on the edge of my bed, alone, looking incredulously upon the magic stick I held in my hands; two pink lines betraying my future. From this moment forward I will be living the consequences of my actions, but how can I truly appreciate the gravity of my newfound circumstance? I’m only seventeen, not even yet a junior in high school. Oh, God! How am I going to tell my mom?
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I want my memoir to share a snippet of my life as a pregnant teenager. I want to do so in a way that the reader can maybe feel a little of the fear, shame and anxiety that I felt as it was happening to me. I can pose and respond to some of the questions I had when I initially found out I was pregnant. I was afraid to tell my mother and wasn't sure how to have that conversation. It's not like we ever really talked about sex, so the idea of telling her I'd had sex and it resulted in pregnancy was terrifying. I also worried about what my friends would think. Would they still accept me? Would I continue at the same high school I had always attended or would I need to go somewhere new? Would the baby's father be in the picture to help me at all? Would I be able to go to college right out of high school? How would I support us?
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Some of the more abstract questions about this topic that I can think of pertain to what kind of education and resources are available to pregnant teenagers. Also, how many teenagers have more than one child? I"m not sure I can answer these questions in my memoir, but they will be on my mind as I prepare for future writing assignments.
NOTEBOOK 2
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ENGL-2010
January 27, 2017
2a. What is your personal experience with your social justice issue? What assumptions might you carry in regards to the issue or problem? What kind of research will you do to inform yourself about the issue or problem? Where might you find diverse and conflicting perspectives as you research?
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I’ve chosen “teenage pregnancy” as my social justice topic, and plan to write from the standpoint of prevention. I have personal experience with teenage pregnancy as I was one once myself. Although this was 20 years ago now, I assume not much has changed in the state of Utah with regard to sex-education, access to contraceptives, and overall mindset on the topic, although I could be wrong. I have already seen one set of statistics that showed the rate of teenage pregnancy had come down a little from 1997-2010. It has been a while since I was a young single mother and there may be other areas of improvement that I’m not yet aware of.
I plan on researching additional statistics, along with the current state approved sex-education curriculum. I also plan to cross reference my findings with other states that have the same and different curriculums in an effort to identify enough data proving or disproving a lower rate with a more comprehensive education plan. I would also like to understand the personal impact of pregnancy to the teenager and their family today. This might involve interviewing a few. It might even be helpful to interview professionals that come into these teenagers life in various ways.
It seems the conversation that has been going on regarding updating the sex-education curriculum to be more comprehensive is mostly opposed by religious communities as they only accept abstinence only teachings. I understand their views are that one should be chaste until marriage, but that’s not always the case, even for young members of their own faith. The Utah Eagle Forum has long been an opponent of anything other than abstinence only. They could prove useful in my research. I could also interview people I know who oppose updating our sex education curriculum, but I’ll have to be careful to only interview and not interject my own opinion, at least at that time.
Memoir
NOTEBOOK 3
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ENGL-2010
February 2, 2017
5f. Collect several images that interest you, related in some way to your issue (the relevance can be tangential, as long as you feel it). Then write something that connects the images, one to another. You can think of your connections as a story (one thing connected to the next), or as a web (everything cross-connected), or as a square, with two sets of opposites, or as a circle (ideas leading back to the place you started).
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comprehensive sex-ed
abstinence only sex-ed
abstinence = unplanned parenthood
positive pregnancy test
emotions of fear and shame
pregnant teenager
baby and homework
graduation
NOTEBOOK 4
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ENGL-2010
February 10, 2017
2j. Next, pretend that you are going to write about this space for one of your essays. How would you write about it in a report? Evaluation? Position? Proposal? Profile? Memoir? Where should the story about visiting and experiencing the space begin? What research could you include to flesh out your experiences there and its connection to your issue?
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While I was conducting field research for my social justice topic of teenage pregnancy and more specifically, teenage pregnancy prevention, I visited a local alternative school that has a program designed to assist young mothers, as well as those expecting, with completing their high school education. My appointment with a school counselor was scheduled for a specific time, however it was delayed almost forty-five minutes because she had a student in need of some help. While I waited in the main office space, I had some time to think about how I could use this source to further explore my topic.
I really enjoy the research aspect of journalism as I think it’s vital to the ability to make any sort of real social change. I believe one must first understand the issues, including the mindset of the affected citizens in that society including their fears and opposition, in order to create a policy for change that both works, and satisfies the concerns of the citizens. As a result, I would mostly likely write an evaluation of the services the school provides, a profile on one of the students receiving services, and subsequently a position paper once my research and evaluation has concluded.
To write this evaluation, I think it would be appropriate to observe a full school day for these students, and write from my own observations as I went through the day. I would include the variety of classes offered and attended, the engagement of the students in each class, as well as how the daycare interact with them and their children throughout the day. I could also use the observation time to write follow-up questions for one or more of the counselors, and hopefully get some of their ideas on how this program could be even more successful for each student that attends.
NOTEBOOK 5
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ENGL-2010
February 17, 2017
6c. Write or create a PSA on for your issue in which you explain the causes and effects of a problem associated with your issue. Explain what should be done to address the problem.
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In the year 2014, 20 out of every one thousand Utah girls between the ages of 15 and 19 gave birth. This number does not include teens that became pregnant and miscarried, or aborted the pregnancy. While numbers have declined over the last few years, there is still reason to work to reduce the instances of teenage pregnancies even further.
Research indicates that having a baby during adolescent years creates long-term hardships for the mothers, children, and society as a whole. Poverty, along with other negative socioeconomic effects, can be attributed to this occurrence, as young mothers are less likely to complete high school or receive any higher education, which reduces future employment prospects and hinders earning potential. In addition, babies born to young mothers are at increased risk of low birth weight and infant mortality, and their physical, emotional, and mental development is also lower than those who are born to older mothers.
What can be done to eliminate teenage pregnancies? Introducing comprehensive sexuality education curricula that is taught in all public high schools has been shown to reduce teenage pregnancy rates by 50%. These programs are developed by professionals, and are age-appropriate, delivering medically accurate information focusing on a breadth of sexuality related topics including human development, relationships, decision-making, abstinence, contraception and disease prevention.
What can I do? Contact your local legislators and let them know you support comprehensive sexuality education courses taught in our high schools. You can find yours here https://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp.
NOTEBOOK 6​
ENGL-2010
February 23, 2017
6d. Write a haiku that explains what your essay is about. Write another haiku that explains what your essay is really about.
Just a teenager.
Wanted to go to college.
Got a kid instead.
When you get knocked-up,
And you are only sixteen,
What did you not know?
NOTEBOOK 8​
ENGL-2010
March 9, 2017
8f. Look at “Collaborating Online” by Anthony Atkins. What opportunities do Googledocs or other open source tools for composing afford you as a writer? How do those compare with using a proprietary platform like Microsoft Word? How does each work for collaborating?
Tools such as Google Docs and open source sites allow many people to easily and efficiently collaborate with each other from the comfort and convenience of their own spaces. Because these tools are internet or cloud based, they are accessible from anywhere with an internet connection, so long as you have the appropriate user name and password. These tools differ from Microsoft Word because they don’t require the user to own the program. When sharing a Word doc, for example, the document is created in Word, then saved on a local machine. In order for another person to review the document, the creator must email it to the receiver, or save it on a flash drive and physically hand off that flash drive. The receiver must also have the program downloaded onto their computer in order for the document to be opened. Also, programs like Microsoft Word cost money, whereas Google Docs is a free platform so long as you sign up for the service. While I work in programs like Microsoft Word when doing a solo assignment, I often use Google Docs and Google Drive when collaborating with others. My real estate brokerage uses the Google platform and this is how we agents share our client files with our broker. These are great tools for team assignments!
NOTEBOOK 7​
ENGL-2010
March 3, 2017
2f. Write a letter to one of your sources or to a politician whose ideas you disagree with. Explain, respectfully, why you disagree with their ideas. Explain your own ideas. Discuss where you think compromises could/should be made between you and the audience for your letter.
NOTEBOOK 9​
ENGL-2010
March 24, 2017
8b. Choose a section of text, or an image, or a piece of media, and write in response to it. you can structure a dialogue with your selection, or write a counterpoint to it (contradict it); write about what experiences it connects to, for you, or what other texts/images/media.
I watched the short 20-minute YouTube film Trapped (2016) about unplanned teenage pregnancy. As I watched, I found myself being pulled back into my own experiences with this topic twenty years ago. I compared our stories and cried a little because it’s hard to watch someone so young be so afraid; to be confronted with a reality you will never be able to comprehend until is it veritable, and unfolding before you in real-time.
In reflecting I was reminded of my own feelings of despair and of being so utterly alone. Until you find yourself in that scenario, there really is no way to fathom the feelings and fears that come with finding out your future, as you thought of it just yesterday, no longer exists. The responsibilities that come with being a parent are inconceivable at such a young age. You haven’t even been responsible for yourself up to this point, how can you now suddenly be thrust into having sole responsibility for another human life? The missed experiences in your life will always haunt you, though you won’t know it until you feel that pang of regret. Regardless of the choice you make in the end, whether you choose abortion, adoption, or parenting, life will never be normal again. You can never undo the moment you found out you were pregnant, for it is truly life changing on so many levels.
The experience depicted of the young woman in the video, although similar in outcome, was quite different from my own. She had the support of her family, and of the boy with whom she would co-parent. She had options available to her that I never had. I can imagine how the presence of support would change the experiences she has, leaving her with a different impression on that time when she has the opportunity after twenty years to look back on it all. This video reminds me that what is right for one person is not right for everyone, but more importantly, that we should do all we can to educate and prevent the occurrence of unplanned teenage pregnancies so our daughters don’t have to face such heavy decisions, especially because they are largely avoidable.
NOTEBOOK 10​
ENGL-2010
March 31, 2017
6o. Create an annotated playlist related to your issue. Choose a set of six (or so) songs--you could even make the playlist on Spotify--and and write a 50-100 word annotation for each, sharing how each song comments on the issue.
Let’s Talk About Sex – Salt-N-Pepa
This 1990 song was one of my childhood. Granted I was 10 when the song was released, I remember belting the lyrics around my house to my mother’s dismay. I can appreciate the group’s attempt to create awareness for the need for dialog regarding sex. Schools weren’t teaching it, parents weren’t talking about it, the internet didn’t exist yet…teenage pregnancy was a public health crisis, and still is to some extent.
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Papa Don’t Preach – Madonna
Papa Don’t Preach was released in 1986 and tells the story of a young girl who becomes pregnant, and upon telling her father, she informs him of her choice to keep her baby. From having conversations with my mom from around the time this song came out, I understand one of the more common decisions for young single pregnant girls and women was to give their babies up for adoption as their pregnancies were shameful to them and their families. I wanted to include this song as it specifically calls out teenage pregnancy and the fears of telling your parents, along with the decisions one has to make
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What Would You Do – Bastille
Bastille performs a remake of the 2001 City High song What Would You Do that talks about two people who meet at a party and the guy realizes he knows the girl, who is dancing for money, from junior high school. They have a conversation about why she’s dancing and she tells him she has a child, and that she’s basically poor and alone, doing what she can to make money to put food on the table. While this isn’t every young pregnant girl’s story, it is the still the story for many and I felt like the realities of the hard life as a young single mother need to be told because most girls who become pregnant and have babies end up raising them on their own.
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The River – Bruce Springsteen
The River is a 1980 song about a teenage couple that becomes pregnant during one fun summer spent down at the river. They marry and raise the child, but the story depicts the struggles the young man has adjusting to his new life and the hardships they faced as a result of growing up too soon. While it’s more rare in today’s society for the couple to marry, the tribulations they face are still relevant. That life is a hard life no matter the circumstance.
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Brick – Ben Folds
Brick was a song that was released in 1997 that tells the story of a young couple that after becoming pregnant seeks an abortion. There are a few options a young woman can opt for when learning of her pregnancy, and although it is not one many like to even consider, abortion is still currently an option, and therefore an important inclusion in my social justice topic playlist. It does well to relay the despair the couple experiences separately as it has driven them apart and they are only together for a time out of necessity and obligation to the decision.
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Some Devil – Dave Matthews
This 2003 song talks about the love one person has for another, and the complete loss they feel when the relationship ends, even though it was supposed to go on “always and forever”. I included this song because it reminds me of the way I felt shortly after telling my boyfriend I had become pregnant, and though I was just seventeen I thought we would be together forever no matter the circumstance. I trusted him and he left me and our daughter to live our lives without him, and the sadness and loneliness that accompanies that life is long, as the lyrics state. I imagine I am not the only person who felt this way after confessing a pregnancy.
NOTEBOOK 11​
ENGL-2010
April 7, 2017
7e. Ernest Boyer asserts,
Increasingly, the campus is being viewed as a place where students get credentialed and the faculty get tenured, while the overall work of the [college] does not seem particularly relevant to the nation's most pressing civic, social, economic, and moral problems. [Campuses should] be viewed by both students and professors not as isolated islands, but as staging grounds for action ("The Scholarship of Engagement." The Journal of Public Service and Outreach, 1996)
Respond to Boyer's position. Do you agree or disagree? How might SLCC look different if it were one of these "staging grounds"?
If SLCC were more of a staging ground, in the way Boyer suggests, there would be more community based assignments and learning than there currently is. I see education in this way resembling internships, where a student would have multiple short-term assignments at or with various companies and organizations around the community that the school serves. This is an interesting concept, one that I hadn’t really thought much of until now, but I can see how traditional schooling lacks the action required to be considered a staging ground, truly preparing the student to be a contributing member of society. I also think this more hands-on approach to learning would provide students with a better opportunity at selecting a profession that really suits them. Often times one will choose a degree path only to end back up in school because their chosen profession wasn’t as good a fit as they conceptualized. Also, if students were out interacting in their communities, these networking opportunities could prove almost as valuable as the degree they’re working to obtain. Overall, I agree with Boyer’s assessment of current higher education and how it could be improved with a more societal conscientious approach.
NOTEBOOK 12
ENGL-2010
April 14, 2017
For this activity, think about the following:
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What were the notebook activities that made you think differently about a project, or about your writing (or research or revisions)?
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What notebook activities were the most interesting or fun?
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Which notebook entries do you like the best now?
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Which notebook activities might you try again, in other writing circumstances?
Respond to these questions, and answer one more:
Name three new tools or strategies you now have as a result of doing the notebook activities, ones that you can use with some confidence going forward.
The notebook activities I felt provided the greatest opportunity for reflection were notebook 5, which was the public service announcement, along with 7, writing a letter to your representative, and 9, which was to find media that spoke to my social justice issue and write about my experience in why it connected me to my issue. I was able to look at my issue from a perspective of affecting change rather than just awareness. I hope to one day enact the ideas I’ve garnered throughout this semester to really help reduce the number of pregnant teenagers.
I found notebook 3 and 10 most fun as they delved into the creative, or artistic side of my social justice issue. I had never used Spotify before, and I really enjoyed putting together a playlist pertaining to my issue. I think I best like notebooks 2 and 7 because with notebook 2, I was reminded why my issue was so important to me, and 7 gave me practical ideas I could pursue to help make changes in my state that would positively affect teenage pregnancy. I will continue to use all the prompts in future writing because are all helpful and have a place depending on the subject.
During my notebook assignments I’ve gained more experience with the Wix website platform, which has helped me not only in this class, but in my business as well. I was able to quickly create an e-commerce site for a new business I’m starting. Spotify was another platform I had little experience with. I like that it’s embeddable in websites. I can see other useful applications for this tool as well. Lastly, I used GoAnimate a few times throughout this course and I love it. I was able to substitute a GoAnimate video for a PowerPoint presentation in another class, and I’ve already created outlines for videos I can use in my business.