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I. Research question:
What are the differences between a public school and a private school when it comes to the censorship of books? How do the schools differ in their choices of books that they read? What are rules and regulations in those institutions on censorship? How do the teachers views vary between the two schools?

II. Primary sources:
Glossinger, Brett. "Case Study Interview." E-mail interview. 17 Nov. 2008.
Graziano, Rocky. "Case Study Interview." E-mail interview. 17 Nov. 2008.
“Fiction.” The Pultizer Prizes. 2 Dec. 2008

III. Major Findings:
The major difference I found between a private and public school is that private schools must follow the teachings of the particular religion their school is based on. Anything or subject that challenges what the church said is not allowed or will not be discussed. Aside from that major difference, minor differences included stricter guidelines. For example, Mr. Graziano could choose what books he wanted his class to read and the students were also able to choose, whereas Mr. Glossinger was assigned certain books from the head of the department to have his class read. Mr. Graziano seemed more relaxed and at ease about the books his class was reading while Mr. Glossinger had to be constantly keeping in check with the school’s beliefs.

IV. Implications/Future Questions:
Working on this study made me curious to find out what the viewpoints of parents or students on the issue of censorship from a private and public school would be. I also started wondering if the discussions that students had about books would vary between a private and public school.

V. Secondary Sources:

Allen, Jr., John L. "Private schools avoid press freedom laws: Catholic student journalists often censored". National Catholic Reporter. . FindArticles.com. 29 Nov. 2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_n7_v33/ai_18962939

Leon, Rene. "School Book Talk SIlenced: Censorship or Student Protection?" Newspaper Tree. 17 Aug. 2007.El Paso's Online Newspaper.4 Nov. 2008 .

Lydersen, Kari. "Censorship Reaches Ridiculous Extremes." AlterNet. 13 Mar. 2003. 4 Nov. 2008 .

Having your say

1. What did they say in regard to your RQ?
Most of the articles I found focused on the issue of censorship in other aspects such as journalism and how censoring can affect a childs learning as well as a teacher. The articles talked a lot about how even though it may not be appropriate for that particular school setting, censoring a subject could potentially affect their learning experience and them in the future. I also found some articles how private religious schools don't have to follow the guidelines of the First Amendment because they set there own guidelines rather than following the governments.

2. What gap still exists?
I want to find the differences between the books that religious schools choose as compared with public schools. I want to know how the opinions from administrators, teachers, students and parents changed between those two schools. I already know that censorship can happen anywhere but specifically how the learning process of students in those two different schools might be altered because of censorship or not.

3. How might your research fill this gap?
Primary research will really help because it is what my working question is dealing with. I feel like a lot of articles can't help my direct question because my question is dealing with direct interaction and interviewing of people.

How do you establish when a student is mature enough to deal with certain texts?

I think that teachers must slowely bring in texts and their maturity level. Starting out a certain level and working there way up, perhaps to build a students maturity. I also think it is important that teachers address the issue before assigning it and talking about it openly with the class. I feel that way the teacher can gauge the maturity level based on the students responses how they might handle the book or topic. Perhaps if the students dont handle the discussion in mature manner then maybe the students aren't ready to handle that particular subject. Maybe even before having an open discussion , the teacher could have the students write about a paritcular subject, expressing their ideas thoughts or beliefs which might give insight as to if they are mature enough or not. In my opinion, I feel after the ninth grade most students are capable of handling most topics. I say ninth grade because it seems that the transition from eighth to ninth grade is a pretty big one and in ninth grade students are keeping those immature values while learning to be a high schooler. They still can't handle some issues but are simultaneously learning how to deal with others. Yet, I also feel that some tenth graders can't handle some mature topics but that is also based on their background and what they have been taught growing up.

Gee vs. Deplit

Gee and Deplit are talking to each other and feuding about how discourses can effect people. Gee believes that people are stuck in a particular discourse and that is how they are suppose to live and act. Whereas Delpit disagrees with Gee, stating that discourses can be changed and overcome. Gee sees discourses and the things encompassed with that discourse as unfixable, not transferable.
In Delpits article she directly refers to Gee and the faults that she finds in his viewpoints. The two main areas that Delpit disagrees with are how discourses cant be taught in a classroom setting, but can only be taught in a home setting. And people must have access to certain discourses to get ahead in life and if they dont they shouldnt plan on moving ahead; essentially what a person is born into is what they'll be forever. The second point Delpit disagrees with Gee on is how he thinks that some discourses may come into conflict with other discourses with other values when trying to become apart of that discourse.

I agree with Delpit disagreeing on Gee's views. I think that it is possible for other discourses to be taught in the classroom. If students want to become apart of another discourse, they just need the resources to do so and generally those resources are taught or introduced in a classroom. Gee sees the situation as being stuck or set, but as Delpit proves in her argument that people can learn to be apart of another discourse. I also disagree with the whole conflict of values between discourses. There will always be a conflict of values between any group of people but I think people can overcome those problems if they wanted to or they could come to a mutual agreement between the two diverse values.

I dont think there should be set boundaries to things like particular discourses. It bothers me that Gee thinks there are. I think people can grow up a certain way, learning from there family and surroundings but can change that in the future if they choose to do so. I mean we have all heard stories of people being the first generation college student, and that in a way is learning a new discourse because the student is breaking away from the norm of the family and learning about a new way of life, and knowledge.

I think it is important as I plan on becoming an English teacher that we dont set boundaries for students but let them explore as they choose to do so. To give them the resources, if they want, to become whoever they want to be regardless of its out of their discourse.

Language Investigation #3

In high school, the four main classes I remember taking were American Literature, Creative Writing, Independent Reading and Advanced Composition. In American Literature we read The Great Gatsby and To Kill a Mockingbird. We mostly did group work on those stories rather than writing individual papers to discover the theme behind each book. In Independent Reading we were required to read a certain number of pages each week but could pick what books we wanted to read. Each day we would write down what happened in the particular section that we read and once we were done reading the book we had a list of projects we could do which varied from writing a paper to creating a collage.

Advanced Composition was the class that had the most specific guidelines and regulations to the class. We wrote a number of papers each varying on their topic. Fortunately I kept all of mine so I can tell you a little about each. We had to do a compare and contrast paper, I compared driving versus flying. I wrote an informational paper on the No Child Left behind Act. One paper on how information can easily be misinterpreted via television or the newspaper because content is relayed from one person to another. Women’s image in society, how women are always looking to be reassured because society forces us to constantly look at ourselves. Lastly, a paper on how people sue companies for there own mistakes and why it is not okay (Example: McDonald’s lady suing because she split hot coffee on herself claiming the coffee didn’t say it would be hot). Each paper had specific guidelines to follow. We were graded on organization, technical aspect, sentence fluency and content. Organization consisted of: method of organization, justifiable title, thesis meets the established standards and is a definition, full paragraphs and transitions unify paper. Technical aspect was: all rules of form style are followed (3rd person, present tense etc.), all rules of formal grammar are followed, proofreading is evident in spelling and usage, punctuation is correct, agreement is consistent, use of “to be” verbs is avoided, and 2 errors per 100 words is unacceptable. For each section there were a certain number of points and if you failed to meet some of those requirements per 100 words you would loose points. So some areas on the rubric wouldn’t receive a number grade if there were two many errors, it would read UA meaning unacceptable. If we received an unacceptable we would be given the chance to go back and correct those areas by ourselves to receive credit. Sentence Fluency consisted of: essay illustrates student “voice”, word choice is appropriate for intended audience, sentence beginnings are unique, different sentence types are used (parallel, loose, periodic, balanced), and writing is interesting and unique. Content consisted of: validity of assessment based on development of definition, respect is tendered the audience, topic is dealt with in a mature style, ideas are specific and focused, ample evidence and explanations are used, and objectivity is shown.

Although, this rubric may seem hard and unfair, these strict guidelines really helped my writing. Sometimes they were frustrating to follow because I wasn’t used to writing in that particular style with so many guidelines but after a while it was easy and just the norm of our class. One paper we couldn’t use any “to be” verbs throughout the entire paper which was extremely hard to do because “to be” verbs are used on a pretty regular basis. Those words consisted of: am, is, are, was, were, has or have been, had been, will have been, being, and to be. I would write a paragraph and then stop and go back to see if I had used any “to be” verbs. It was easiest to just write the paper using the “to be” verbs then go back and rewrite the sentences that had them versus trying to write sentences right away without using them. Our teacher knew that college professors wouldn’t be as specific as he was about certain rules but he wanted us to be one step above that, so if we were forced to follow very specific guidelines we could without trouble. This class taught me how to formulate a thesis, make a statement and give backup for that statement and compare and contrast two things effectively. I also learned how to write a research paper, citing references when appropriate and how to make a works cited page. If I hadn’t taken this class I would not be prepared for writing college papers.

Taking Advanced Composition made me want to become a teacher. The prompts my teacher gave us and restrictions we were required to follow, forced me to think in ways that I never thought were possible. Just by doing those two things I was greatly affected. No other teacher, throughout elementary school, junior high or high school forced me to think in that variant of a way. I never knew I had it in me to think that particular way or come up with these ideas myself. It was because he was able to find that side to me that no other teacher had, that I was instantly affected by his class. For me, that is huge. I think it is a huge accomplishment for a teacher to have that much of an effect on a student. I want to be able to have that same effect on a student of my own. I want to open up the world for them, enable them to see something that they couldn’t before and because of me they are forever changed. It sounds a little extreme, I know, but if a teacher was able to do it to me, I know I have the power somewhere in me to do it to someone else.

Warm Up 9/17/08

#1.What kinds of reading and writing did you see students doing in school? Why do you think Rose choose these assignments?

Rose had kids write about particular pictures from magazines that he chose. He also had students bring in their favorite books. Rose choose these assignments because it was a way for them to connect in a more open environment. They could write whatever they wanted and it wouldn't be graded. Before, these students were constantly worried about being graded on what they wrote, whereas Rose made it so they didn't have to worry about that and could just freely write.

3. What did you notice about the language schools used to refer to the students Rose featured in this chapter? How did this language mark students as “insiders” or “outsiders” to school? How do you think these labels might have influenced students’ literacy development later on?

The schools referred to the students has having less of an ability to read, labeling them illiterate and not on track with all the other students. These students that were being labeled felt as if they couldn't participate, they were scared to engage or even just followed along with their label because they didn't want to go against the label that was given to them. Instead of doing better they just fell farther behind because they had this so called label of being dumb. At first many of the students when meeting with Rose didn't want to open up or write because of what there label was. I think when students are placed with a label it leaves them feeling like they have to be that label, almost as if they are incapable of doing better than that. Once again they are scared to do better or think that they can't do better because they have this particular label engraved to them. No matter what anyone says, they will always have this label displayed on them, which can affect how others think of them and how they think of themselves.

Language Investigation #2

Amanda Tyler
Language Investigation #2
CO301D/Fall 2008

This summer I worked at a whitewater rafting company on the Cache La Poudre River. Although, I was not a guide I interacted frequently with guides and got to know the rafting terms that they used. For the most part, customers had no idea what these terms were prior to our safety talk. It was during our safety talk that we would discuss the basics of rafting and use some of the terms I am about to discuss. It was really interesting interacting with guides and getting to know entirely different language. There was always constant conversation of what happened to whom on the river. Because I was working so much I got to really know this group of community and all of us become close friends. Even outside of work we would hang out and talk rafting. Let me warn you now, if you ever hang out with river rafting guides they will talk about rafting all the time. We try not to talk about rafting outside of work but it is almost impossible. So let me go ahead and explain some of the terms I heard and used on a daily basis.

1. Booties- neoprene wet suit foot wear designed to keep your feet warm.
2. Bowline- a line tied to the outside of a raft. We tell customers that if they fall out and are able to grab onto the bowline to do so. It makes it easier for us to pull them back into the boat.
3. Carabiner- a clip that is used to secure items onto the boat, they are also used for safety and rescue. Most of you I am sure know what a carabiner is, they are also used in climbing.
4. CFS- cubic feet per second (how water is measured when passing at a certain point)
5. Current- moving water (pretty self explanatory, but it can be fast or slow)
6. Dry bag- a bag used for keeping gear on the river dry
7. buckie- a one or two person inflatable kayak, which uses double sided paddles to steer
8. Dump truck- when people are literally dumped out the side, back or front of the boat
9. Eddie- an area of water that continues in a circle where there is no current. It was mandatory for our guides to wait in certain eddies for other rafts to come down the river and make sure everyone was safe.
10. Eddie Out- to catch an eddie
11. Farmer John- a wet suit which looks much like overalls, it goes from the shoulders to the ankles.
12. Flip- when a raft literally flips completely over and is now upside down
13. Foot cup- shaped like a half of a shoe, attached to the floor of the raft, helps rafters stay inside the boat
14. High side- when rafters have to literally jump to the high side of a raft when coming up against an obstacle sideways. Rafters must always jump towards the rock or obstacle to prevent the raft from flipping or wrapping.
15. High water- when the river flow is well above the expected level. It makes the current a lot faster and also easier to guide on.
16. Hole- a hole that is found below an underwater obstruction such as a boulder. Holes often have water pouring in from upstream, downstream and the sides. Rafts can get stuck in holes resulting in a flip.
17. Line- a route through a rapid
18. Low water- when water flow is below the expected average, causing more rocks and obstacles to show. When this happens, rapids become more technical because guides have to use alternate routes down the rapid.
19. Put in- river access where a trip usually begins (there a different put ins depending on the class of rapids)
20. River Rafting- a measure of the difficulty of the river or rapid. The scale is from 1 to 6. Class 1 is considered to be a float trip, guides are generally the only ones paddling. Class 2 is a few bumps here and there but nothing extreme. Class 3 is more advanced where rafters must participate at all times to get through the rapid. Class 4 is even more advanced than class 3, we only suggest class 4 trips to those who are intermediate to advanced rafters and know what they are doing. Class 5 is un-raftable, it is only used by kayakers because the areas tend to be narrower. Class 6 is impossible, Niagara Falls is considered to be a class 6.
21. PFD- personal flotation device. Most people call if a life jacket but that is an incorrect term. These jackets are designed to help save someone but it doesn’t guarantee that it will.
Safety Talk- a talk which happens before every trip, in which customers learn about safety on the river
22. Scout- to examine a rapid from shore
23. Sweep boat- a boat with first aid supplies which usually runs last
24. Take out- river access where a trip ends.
25. Throw bag- is a bag stuffed with floating line. We use this to rescue swimmers from the river. A guide throws the bag to the person in the water while holding onto the end of the rope. While the bag is soaring through the air, the rope unravels and thus the swimmer can be pulled to safety.
26. Thwart- tubes which run across the middle of the raft
27. T-grip- a T shaped paddle handle. Placing the hand over the T allows for the paddle to be easily controlled. We tell customers to hold onto the T grip at all times because it can be a dangerous weapon.
28. Trip leader- a guide who is considered to the “head” person, they usually do safety talks and deal with any issues that come up during the trip.
29. Undercut- an overhanging rock or ledge with current flowing underneath it. Undercut rocks are extremely dangerous. Here’s a little history lesson- Claire’s Rock, a rock on the Poudre River, got its name from a kayaker named Claire who got trapped under the undercut of the rock for 45 minutes.
30. Wrapped- when a raft literally wraps itself around a rock or obstacle. The current will either push the boat downwards or push it upwards causing it to flip. (This has happened to me and it is NOT fun! )

If you have never rafted before I highly suggest it, it is addicting!!