Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
WEEK 14 - I Know Who We Are...
The talented humorist, storyteller and author, Garrison Keillor wrote, "We need to write, otherwise nobody will know who we are." I believe this now that I've taken the West Los Angeles College business English class, Business 31. My instructor required each of us to write a blog every week and share it with the class. These writing exercises forced me to engage in a great deal of introspection and face some very painful experiences in my life. The writing assignments have also allowed me to discover that I have the ability to put pen to paper and share my interests, joys and heartbreak with others. I didn't know that I would so very much enjoy creative writing.
Before my Business 31 class started, I had at least a passing knowledge of nearly all of my classmates as they are all colleagues. Now, however, the gift of their words has allowed me to learn something special about each of them and to know them better.
Arturo's blogs showed me two of his strengths: his physical ability to train for and run in marathons - four of them to date - and his capacity to share difficult and heart-felt emotions with his classmates that stemmed from the illness of a beloved pet. Lisa audited the class at the start of the semester, but an unfortunate accident prevented her from continuing her participation. Her one blog explained to us the scope and importance of the filming industry in California. I wish she had been with us throughout the entire 14 weeks. Dwayne's writing opened a window to look into the life of a person who is of strong moral character and who believes in doing the right thing. He shared insightful analytical pieces on the subject of basketball, a sport much enjoyed by him. Then there's Shirley - always smiling and joyful Shirley who created a MySpace page. Her entries allowed me to understand the depth and importance of faith in her life, and that she's forged and maintained exceptional long-term relationships. Terence, a tall and talented photographer, father, and dedicated professional - his writing made me laugh. And I mean, really laugh when he shared a story about a trip down the lumber aisle at Home Depot and described the passion it evoked in him! You'll never live that down, Terence. And there's Bahston Joe. Laker-lover, techie and dad. He shared stories of the sweet nostalgia he has for his childhood athletic experiences and how he loves to create similar memories for his own sons.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the instruction of our fine teacher, Isidra. She challenged, chided, encouraged and nurtured us this semester, requiring us to face weekly writing assignments and periodic extemporaneous and prepared speeches head-on. She is a creative, patient instructor who took what could have been a semester's worth of tedious memorization, and turned it into laughter-filled sessions of camaraderie and learning. Thank you, Isidra for believing in each of us and encouraging us to do our best.
I know we will all leave the library meeting room next week as better spellers, writers, speakers and grammarians. I will miss our fun Monday nights. Take care everybody!
Before my Business 31 class started, I had at least a passing knowledge of nearly all of my classmates as they are all colleagues. Now, however, the gift of their words has allowed me to learn something special about each of them and to know them better.
Arturo's blogs showed me two of his strengths: his physical ability to train for and run in marathons - four of them to date - and his capacity to share difficult and heart-felt emotions with his classmates that stemmed from the illness of a beloved pet. Lisa audited the class at the start of the semester, but an unfortunate accident prevented her from continuing her participation. Her one blog explained to us the scope and importance of the filming industry in California. I wish she had been with us throughout the entire 14 weeks. Dwayne's writing opened a window to look into the life of a person who is of strong moral character and who believes in doing the right thing. He shared insightful analytical pieces on the subject of basketball, a sport much enjoyed by him. Then there's Shirley - always smiling and joyful Shirley who created a MySpace page. Her entries allowed me to understand the depth and importance of faith in her life, and that she's forged and maintained exceptional long-term relationships. Terence, a tall and talented photographer, father, and dedicated professional - his writing made me laugh. And I mean, really laugh when he shared a story about a trip down the lumber aisle at Home Depot and described the passion it evoked in him! You'll never live that down, Terence. And there's Bahston Joe. Laker-lover, techie and dad. He shared stories of the sweet nostalgia he has for his childhood athletic experiences and how he loves to create similar memories for his own sons.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the instruction of our fine teacher, Isidra. She challenged, chided, encouraged and nurtured us this semester, requiring us to face weekly writing assignments and periodic extemporaneous and prepared speeches head-on. She is a creative, patient instructor who took what could have been a semester's worth of tedious memorization, and turned it into laughter-filled sessions of camaraderie and learning. Thank you, Isidra for believing in each of us and encouraging us to do our best.
I know we will all leave the library meeting room next week as better spellers, writers, speakers and grammarians. I will miss our fun Monday nights. Take care everybody!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)