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Fig. 1. Cesar Chavez transformed farmworker rights and conditions in Imperial Valley. Many of my students come from farm-working families. Below, you will find a few community profiles that pay tribute to the parents, grandparents, and other family members that paved the way for our students to pursue higher education. This is what Cesar once said: Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed….
Community Profiles
- Infertility in Couples Today: Revealing the Physical and Mental Obstacles - by Morgan Gutierrez
- Healthcare in America: Land of the Impoverished - by Alessandra Loza
- Boundaries Within Our System: A Society Built on Racism - by Estephanie Fernandez
- Erica Neves: The Pillar Of Strength - by Joseph Estrada
- James's Life in Rehab - The Long-Term Effects of Drug Addiction - by Nathan Escoto
- How a Parent's Criminal Record Can Impact Family Well-Being - by Stephany Contreras
- Small Businesses Struggle During Pandemic: Coping Through the Hardship - by Wendy Castro
- The Struggles of an Uneducated Immigrant Fieldworker - by Jeremy Carrillo
- Drug and Depression: The Life of a Drug Addict - by Sofia Bringas
- Ramon's Story: Reality of Life After The Military - by Jazlynn Bojorquez
- My Grandpa Roberto Rosales: The Fight for a Better Life - by Andres Bermudez
- World Wide Fitness Alert: Increase in Obesity? - by Christopher Benedict
- DUI: 30 Deaths a Day - by Aaron Baeza
- Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood: Deandra’s Early Transition Process to Adulthood - by Berenice Aguilar
- Broken Homes: Willie’s Blind Ambition - by Ayla Worthy
Fig. 2. Did you know back in 1969, over four thousand farm workers joined Cesar Chavez on a march from Indio to Calexico? That’s one hundred miles through rough terrain and extreme temperatures. But these campesinos never quit, for they had a cause that was greater than their journey. They were fighting for the rights to work with freedom and dignity. “Si se puede!” I read about it in this book by William Vollmann. More than a few of these marchers just may have been grandparents, family members, or neighbors of my students.
Fig. 4. Above: Candido and America in The Tortilla Curtain. This We Believe: In America, anyone who wants to build a life for themselves, they can do it here - if they work hard enough and have the determination to succeed. "I want one of those houses," America said. "A clean white one made out of lumber that smells like the mountains, with a gas range and a refrigerator, and maybe a little yard so you can plant a garden and make a place for chickens.... Was that so much to ask?" (29).
Fig. 3. Above: The technology brings us closer together. It used to be like this: My students would write three or four essays per semester. They knew it. I knew it. The requirements for each essay are printed in the syllabus. I worked hard to create engaging assignments, but in the end, I just would never feel the enthusiasm or see the effort I was looking for. Students went through the motions. Writing for publication, however, changes things. When students realize someone beyond their teacher will read their writing, they appear to step up their game. They feel a greater sense of responsibility. They take ownership for their ideas. On Canvas, students write more, edit better, and revise more carefully. Since I have begun creating classroom blogs, I have seen an increase in both the amount and quality of student writing. Students spend a lot of time sharing their ideas on classroom discussion boards, and they contact me more often with meaningful questions about their writing. It’s more collaboration, and less isolation.
Fig. 2. Above: Joni Mitchell sings "Coyote." Below: Student musical selections for our Tortilla Soundtrack. This semester we all chose songs to both represent and celebrate our reading.
Jay's Sample Soundtrack - Joni Mitchell's "Coyote"
"Impossible Year" from Panic! at the Disco - by Cassandra Hernandez
The Beatles' "In My Life" - by Gerardo Jauregi
Nickelback's "How You Remind Me" - by Andres Bermudez
April Lavigne's "Head above Water" - by Morgan Gutierrez
Hamilton's "It's Quiet Uptown" - by Linda Gomez
Shania Twain's "Up" - by Ayla Worthy
From an Unknown Artist: "De Colores" - by Jeremy Carrillo
Calibre 50's “Corrido De Juanito” - by Amanda Rodriguez
Coldplay's "Fix You" - by Edna Mora
Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" - by Victor Sandoval
Mario Domm's "Sueño Americano" - by Jose Mariscal
The Eagles' "Hotel California" by Estephanie Fernandez
Gaby Moreno's "Fronteras" - by Dulce Gonzalez
The Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road" - by Cesar Romero
Los Tigres del Norte: La Jaula de Oro - by Jazlynn Bojorquez
Steve Earle's "City of Immigrants" by Laisha Gomez
Peppina's “Mademoiselle Noir” - by Wendy Castro
Fig. 4. Above: The Hotel California. My students know this song. So do their parents. Most immigrants come to America in search of opportunity or freedom represented in the lyrics. The Hotel California becomes a symbol of an escape and/or a better life… but things are not always as they seem. The student narratives I read often refer to the constant struggle of immigrant life: the toil in the fields, the financial woes, the family separations. Many newcomers find life in California to be an illusion.
Fig. 3. Above: Sample Classroom Blog Cover. Below: Classroom Blogs that Feature Student Writing.
Fig 4. Above: One of Jay's Favorite Authors. Below: Student Book Recommendations
Jay's Sample "Book Out of My Past": What I Talk About When I Talk about Running by Haruki Murakami
Victor Sandoval: The Outsiders by S.E Hinton
Morgan Gutierrez: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Linda Gomez: Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
Gerardo Jauregui: 1984 by George Orwell
Wendy Castro: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Britney Lopez: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Jordan Bernal: George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones
Edna Mora: On Writing by Stephen King
Jose Mariscal: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Berenice Aguilar: Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
Victor Sandoval: The Outsiders by S.E Hinton
Morgan Gutierrez: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Linda Gomez: Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
Gerardo Jauregui: 1984 by George Orwell
Wendy Castro: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Britney Lopez: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Jordan Bernal: George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones
Edna Mora: On Writing by Stephen King
Jose Mariscal: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Berenice Aguilar: Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
Fig. 5 - Above: Many of my students research the causes and effects of our Teen Pregnancy problem in Imperial Valley. Below: To develop their essays, they choose from a number of writing strategies and patterns of development (Click on links to student samples). Here we practice DEFINITION.
Above: John Lennon, who once claimed, "We're more popular than Jesus." Below: Students blend meaningful passages from their research with their own analysis - We call it a QUOTE SANDWICH:
Fig 7. Above: The Death of Marilyn Monroe. Below: Students integrate summaries of their own research into their community profiles.
Jay's Sample Summary of Resarch Article (and Writing Model) - The Death of Marilyn Monroe
"Pandemic Unleashes a Spike in Overdose Deaths" - Summary by Sofia Bringas
"Ask Providers the Right Questions" - Summary by Dulce Gonzalez
"Building a More Dynamic Economy: The Benefits of Immigration" Summary by Andres Bermudez
"Pandemic Unleashes a Spike in Overdose Deaths" - Summary by Sofia Bringas
"Ask Providers the Right Questions" - Summary by Dulce Gonzalez
"Building a More Dynamic Economy: The Benefits of Immigration" Summary by Andres Bermudez
Fig. 8. Above: Jay's "Coming Soon" Blog. Quite by accident, several of my classes are reading novels from the sixties, of the sixties, about the sixties. For me, it’s FUN. For my students, it’s like ANCIENT HISTORY. To support our reading, I assign sixties research papers. My students write about Civil Rights, Women’s Liberation, the Moon Landing, Cesar Chavez, Muhammed Ali. I let the students choose. It’s all GOOD. Below: I’ve selected a few samples of student sixties writing from recent semesters.
Anti-Vietnam War Movement: A Country in Peril - by Joe Basurto
The 1965 Watts Riots: Is History Repeating Itself? - by Jonathan Blackstone
Corky Gonzales: Unbreakable Activist - by Eva Morales
1960s Women’s Liberation Movement: The Long March Towards Equality - by Alma Reyes-Torres
The Student Massacre of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics - by Maria Gutierrez
The Stonewall Uprising: A Primer for Modern Perspective on LGBTQ+ Issues - by Camerino Ramirez Jaramillo
The 1965 Watts Riots: Is History Repeating Itself? - by Jonathan Blackstone
Corky Gonzales: Unbreakable Activist - by Eva Morales
1960s Women’s Liberation Movement: The Long March Towards Equality - by Alma Reyes-Torres
The Student Massacre of the 1968 Mexico City Olympics - by Maria Gutierrez
The Stonewall Uprising: A Primer for Modern Perspective on LGBTQ+ Issues - by Camerino Ramirez Jaramillo
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« English 110 Students Take the Research Plunge | Main | Note from the Editor: Intro to Jay's Community Profiles - English 110 »
01/02/2021
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