Procrastination? It's my middle name.

By karlavillacis |

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

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We’ve all been there and felt the stress of the clock ticking until deadline. I can most definitely speak from experience. In high school we don’t have many big responsibilities but in college we are burdened by them. As shown in Cheese Crackers and Root Beer by Makani MacDonald, we seem to leave our work for last, especially when it has to do with English papers. His poem written for an English assignment perfectly depicts the situation a college student is in the couple of hours before an assignment is due. I can definitely relate to it. The question is: “Why do we leave our work for the last minute?” My answer: “I work better under pressure.” Maybe we use that as an excuse to feel better about being on Facebook for multiple hours instead of doing our academic work. Maybe we haven’t gotten used to how to use our free time in college. I can tell you from firsthand experience that in college, it’s not a joke. You can’t sweet talk your teacher of 400 other students for extra time. It’s a matter of making yourself not feel guilty for the inevitable procrastination that occurs every single time you have a paper to write. This poem aims for the college crowd. For those who are on the edge of academic probation. For those who are struggling with prioritizing their school work. For freshman like me who waited till the last hour to do my assignment and felt that if I had started it yesterday it wouldn’t have been as good.

Adrian College: A Time Capsule on our 150th

By Matt |

Monday, October 26, 2009

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Sigmund Freud once said, "the child is the father of the man," that is, who we are today is a result of our experiences and who we were yesterday. A Time Capsule aims to remind us to not forget what shaped us and to thank those involved in that process.

High School Sweethearts by Erin Wilkin follows the love lives of her parents when they were younger. Wilkin opens her essay stating how her parents didn't really remember how they met and started dating "it just sort of happened." Rather than settle with that typical answer, Wilkin asked for them to think it over and for each of them to send their side of the story. After they reflected on it, each parent sent the e-mail. Herein lies the ultimate goal of this gallery: reflect upon times past. By reflecting upon our former memories we can discover who we truly are. This gallery is full of former events, cementing peoples lives in history.

Suppressed Reality by Eric Britz shows us what happens when we do not allow our history to surface. Britz's poem personifies the inner child we all posses. Most people today block out their inner child, they trap it inside and never let it see the light of day. As Britz portrays this only ends in constant struggle. The inner child is fighting to get out, while the grown adult is fighting to keep him in. As Britz points out, "Darkness closing, choking, Rendering me motionless," suppressing this reality will only end in suffering.

Many of the writings in A Time Capsule also recommend thanking those who shaped your life. In Kayleigh Nelson's Becoming an Elementary Teacher she reflects on the people that inspired her to teach. Throughout the essay she gives thanks to every person who helped her, pointing out that if it wasn't for them, she would not want to be a teacher.

Adrian College: A Time Capsule on our 150th

Writing in the Online Community

By Ayana Campbell | 0 comments

Writing has always been a part of life. From a young age we are taught to write and how the ability to write well is an important skill to have. As we've all grown, technology has come to play a larger role in our day to day lives. With this change came a variety of mediums in which the things we write can be shared not only with those around us, but with the world. It used to be that we'd write an essay on paper and the only eyes to see it would be those of our teacher, our parents, or even one of our classmates. We write to inform, we write to express, we write to persuade, but what purpose does our writing really serve if it isn't shared with the world? Now, with the invention of the internet, one's audience can be much larger. There are now so many different ways to communicate our thoughts and ideas online, including via Twitter, Facebook, or Blogger. The gallery I discovered, Writing in the Online Environment, features a variety of blog posts and essays pertaining writing in the online community. I also think that as the times change it is important for the education system to stay up to date. One of the essays in the gallery, titled "Classroom Technology", emphasizes this point. By implementing the technologies available to us in the classroom, a student's learning environment will be enriched.

Gallery Link: Writing in the Online Community

Reasons for Writing

By Matt |

Monday, October 19, 2009

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There are many different reasons for a person to put their thoughts onto paper. Writing is often used to communicate and exchange ideas. The best example of this is an online chatroom. Of course the audience and context matters; but writing is used to develop ideas and to pass the time by entertaining each other. Entertainment is one of the most common reasons for writing, we experience this most through fictional books. Many people have early memories of reading fairytales as a children. These imaginative stories had a way of transporting us to a world beyond our own and escape the pressures of our community. Curling up with a good book is a great way to pass the time and just forget the world for a while.

We also write to inform others of issues facing our community and evoke change. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was famous for not only his speeches but the letters he wrote to representatives all over the South. Through his writings, he was able to inspire and empower members of not only his local community, but communities throughout the South and the nation. When we write we can play the same role as he did by inspiring our following college students.

The reasons to write are boundless. With our blog, we hope to share a collection of different examples of the reasons we write and what these writings can do in our community.