Premium Essay

Personal Narrative: My Identity In High School

Submitted By
Words 625
Pages 3
17 years old. My mom still wakes me up. I haven’t created a new technological machine yet. The only instrument I can play is the recorder. I forgot how to play it, though. And I’m not locked up in my room studying the whole day. What I have to offer isn't as obvious as most applicants, but what I represent is important. “Utho. Skool time.”, my mom softly whispers for me to get up.

“5 more minutes”, I weep to my mother.

Slightly displeased from my minimal sleep, I remember my dreams and aspirations ahead of me, which awakens me to achieve my duties for the day. My day starts with rigorous study and assessments and ends with an intensive soccer training session to regenerate my mind. My attitude and identity guide me through every single moment: my identity shapes me.

I enter school ready to tackle my day. The classroom setting is a great environment to be in. I perceive the classroom as a place where I am able to explore my curiosities and have my questions answered. I raise my hand numerous times throughout the class, however, I don’t get positive responses from my peers. …show more content…
He asks such stupid questions”. To one, it might impact their self-esteem, cause them to question their own intelligence or be hesitant to raise their hand again because they are being ridiculed. To me, it becomes motivation to ask more questions. I am hungry for answers and for ways to clear my confusion. I am curious to know how one math step leads to another or to understand biological processes. But when the grades come back, why do I score higher? I take my classmate's negative remarks and turn them into positive results since my doubts are answered beforehand. From this, my confidence rises to become the top student in the

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Studies in Professional Life and Work

...STUDIES IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND WORK Mike Hayler University of Brighton, UK Autoethnography, Self-Narrative and Teacher Education examines the professional life and work of teacher educators. In adopting an autoethnographic and life-history approach, Mike Hayler develops a theoretically informed discussion of how the professional identity of teacher educators is both formed and represented by narratives of experience. The book draws upon analytic autoethnography and life-history methods to explore the ways in which teacher educators construct and develop their conceptions and practice by engaging with memory through narrative, in order to negotiate some of the ambivalences and uncertainties of their work. The author’s own story of learning, embedded within the text, was shared with other teacher-educators, who following interviews wrote self-narratives around themes which emerged from discussion. The focus for analysis develops from how professional identity and pedagogy are influenced by changing perceptions and self-narratives of life and work experiences, and how this may influence professional culture, content and practice in this area. Autoethnography, Self-Narrative and Teacher Education Autoethnography, Self-Narrative and Teacher Education STUDIES IN PROFESSIONAL LIFE AND WORK The book includes an evaluation of how using this approach has allowed the author to investigate both the subject and method of the research with implications for ...

Words: 18203 - Pages: 73

Premium Essay

Heritage Language

...Whenever a discussion on identity is introduced, the most-cited poem in Korea is “The Flower” by Chunsu Kim. He sings of being himself as becoming a colorful and fragrant flower. To be the flower that will rightly represent his identity, he needs someone to call his name. In this poem, identity is not seen as something that is solid and concrete but as something that is situated and constructed by others, a glimpse of poststructuralist view on identity. Recently, language learning has been seen as participation and negotiation of self (see Higgins, forthcoming; Kinginger, 2004; Lam, 2000; Morita, 2004; Ohara, 2001; Pavlenko & Lantolf, 2000; and Solé, 2007 among others). The trend is resonated in the growing interest in language learner identity and the studies in narratives. In this paper, a case of heritage language learner will be investigated upon the theoretical frame of poststructuralism. Narrative inquiry will be used to analyze how she negotiates her learner identity. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: First, by looking at the struggle a language learner makes to acquire her heritage language, I reclaim the centrality of identity in defining heritage language learners. Second, to widen the horizons of narrative studies to the cyber space as it provides an ample source of easily accessible data and it has become one of the commonplace media of daily communication. Heritage Language Learners and Identity To refer to the Heritage Language Learners (HLLs), various...

Words: 4079 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Narrative for Lifespan Development

...Narrative of Adolescence Years Abstract This paper is a narrative of my adolescent years from twelve to eighteen. I label these years of awkwardness and pain off a hit show from the early nineties called, “The Growing Pains.” Similar to the characters in the show I struggled creating a personal identity and had difficulty blending in with societal norms. As a result I suffered from much insecurity, false conceptions of beauty, and depression. Up until writing this paper I felt these ideologies and feelings were better left in the past. However, I now understand these experiences shape my current beliefs and will affect my identity as a counselor. Therefore I must address these experiences and deal with them emotionally. As I relive these moments I will correlate my development with the research of the following theorist: Piaget, Erikson, and Seltzer. By showing correlation of my development with their theories I will prove many of experiences as an adolescence were typical of an American teenager. Looking into the mirror I was frustrated. Why isn’t my hair pretty? Other girls wear their hair straight. Why did mine always have to be braided? Why couldn’t I have a relaxer to smooth out my curls? I shook my head in frustration and began to look for the hot comb. On my first day of middle school I was going to look pretty like everyone else. I was going to have my hair straight and laid to the side. My mother usually kept the hot comb under the kitchen sink...

Words: 1877 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Bridging the Gap

...their experiences outside the context of the classroom and how those links influence what and how they learn. The purpose of this literature review is to examine the many facets that make up the term Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) and the impact and implications implementing such a broad concept may have on the education system. While the literature discusses several topics connected to CRT, I will confine this review to the following: (1) CRT Background/Definition (2) The methods of study, the participants involved and the significance of the outcomes (3) and finally No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and mandated curriculum vs. the use of CRT based curriculum. I located the material for my review using databases made available by the University of Texas at El Paso, using education as my search parameter. EBSCO Host featured many peer reviewed research articles. Using the terms culturally diverse classrooms, culturally...

Words: 4397 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Transgressions of Transgender

...Vidya Sajna Hameed Assistant Professor, Dept. of English St. Aloysius College, Elthuruth Introduction “There exists no prohibition that cannot be transgressed.” - Georges Bataille “Concern over a rule is sometimes at its most acute when that rule is being broken, for it is harder to limit a disturbance already begun.” - Georges Bataille Blurring the boundaries of race, gender, nationality, and sexuality has become a common denominator in defining personal identity in the twenty-first century. Exploding previous notions of these categories as fixed and static, artists today are taking an active role in exposing them as mere constructions. Nevertheless, transgressing these boundaries is still a delicate dance, and individuals who succeed in walking the line between identity categories occupy a precarious position.  The purpose of this study is to explore the resistance strategies that trans-genders utilize when met with adversity and the ways that trans-genders see their trans identity as providing them with a form of strength and resiliency. Trans-genders are often analyzed from a pathologizing lens within the sociological and psychological literature. I wish to investigate the ways that trans-genders are currently pushing back against the oppressive forces that they encounter every day in hopes of increasing awareness of trans-genders resiliency and strength within the sociological and psychological fields. Terminology Transgender is often used to refer...

Words: 2861 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Stereotypes In College Athletes Essay

...College athletes are under a huge amount of stress from balancing school, their sport and their health. Athletes self-identity usually revolves around being an athlete and this can have negative consequences even before they graduate college. “However, through self-affirmation exercises, athletes can feel better about themselves, and be more willing to accept criticism” therefore they will be more prepared to deal with stress (Harrison and Rasmussen, p. 81). When an athlete is told they fall short academically, whether it is true or not, they begin to develop a negative self-identity. Take for example, about a week ago my Sociology professor asked the class about things we do to “cheat” the system. A classmate said that athletes do it all the time because they take easier classes and get special treatment for being an athlete. There are a few athletes in my class and I could tell this really bothered them. Now we can try to change the stereotype that athletes are stupid or get better treatment, but honestly there will always be people out there who believe the stereotypes. The best thing we can do is teach athletes how to deal with these stereotypes through self-affirmation exercises. The truth is the athletes are the only ones effected by these negative comments about athletes,...

Words: 618 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Wife by Bharathi Mukherjee

...University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 5-2010 Bharati Mukherjee and the American Immigrant: Reimaging the Nation in a Global Context Leah Rang University of Tennessee - Knoxville, lrang@utk.edu Recommended Citation Rang, Leah, "Bharati Mukherjee and the American Immigrant: Reimaging the Nation in a Global Context. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2010. http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/655 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact trace@utk.edu. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Leah Rang entitled "Bharati Mukherjee and the American Immigrant: Reimaging the Nation in a Global Context." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, with a major in English. Urmila Seshagiri, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Lisi Schoenbach, Bill Hardwig Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official student records.) To the Graduate Council: I am submitting...

Words: 30269 - Pages: 122

Free Essay

Art and Story Proceedings 2004

...Proceeding for the School of Visual Arts Eighteenth Annual National Conference on Liberal Arts and the Education of Artists: Art and Story CONTENTS SECTION ONE: Marcel’s Studio Visit with Elstir……………………………………………………….. David Carrier SECTION TWO: Film and Video Narrative Brief Narrative on Film-The Case of John Updike……………………………………. Thomas P. Adler With a Pen of Light …………………………………………………………………… Michael Fink Media and the Message: Does Media Shape or Serve the Story: Visual Storytelling and New Media ……………………………………………………. June Bisantz Evans Visual Literacy: The Language of Cultural Signifiers…………………………………. Tammy Knipp SECTION THREE: Narrative and Fine Art Beyond Illustration: Visual Narrative Strategies in Picasso’s Celestina Prints………… Susan J. Baker and William Novak Narrative, Allegory, and Commentary in Emil Nolde’s Legend: St. Mary of Egypt…… William B. Sieger A Narrative of Belonging: The Art of Beauford Delaney and Glenn Ligon…………… Catherine St. John Art and Narrative Under the Third Reich ……………………………………………… Ashley Labrie 28 15 1 22 25 27 36 43 51 Hopper Stories in an Imaginary Museum……………………………………………. Joseph Stanton SECTION FOUR: Photography and Narrative Black & White: Two Worlds/Two Distinct Stories……………………………………….. Elaine A. King Relinquishing His Own Story: Abandonment and Appropriation in the Edward Weston Narrative………………………………………………………………………….. David Peeler Narrative Stretegies in the Worlds of Jean Le Gac and Sophe Calle…………………….. Stefanie Rentsch...

Words: 117240 - Pages: 469

Premium Essay

How Computers Change the Way We Think

...store, and transmit representations of the world. Although writing remains our primary information technology, today when we think about the impact of technology on our habits of mind, we think primarily of the computer. My first encounters with how computers change the way we think came soon after I joined the faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the late 1970s, at the end of the era of the slide rule and the beginning of the era of the personal computer. At a lunch for new faculty members, several senior professors in engineering complained that the transition from slide rules to calculators had affected their students' ability to deal with issues of scale. When students used slide rules, they had to insert decimal points themselves. The professors insisted that that required students to maintain a mental sense of scale, whereas those who relied on calculators made frequent errors in orders of magnitude. Additionally, the students with calculators had lost their ability to do "back of the envelope" calculations, and with that, an intuitive feel for the material. That same semester, I taught a course in the history of psychology. There, I experienced the impact of computational objects on students' ideas about their emotional lives. My class had read Freud's essay on slips of the tongue, with its famous first example: The chairman of a parliamentary session opens a meeting by declaring it closed. The students discussed how Freud interpreted such errors as...

Words: 2653 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Toiletries

...am I obsessed with the consumption of toiletries and personal grooming products? It was September ‘08 when I first came to the UK. I remember walking down the high street. I had to buy basic care, so someone suggested that I go to the Boots store. It wasn’t that easy because when I entered the store I was surprised to see the huge collection of healthcare and grooming products. I was extremely excited. Just like a kid in a candy store I went around the store more than twice. There was something in all the sections that seemed like as if were made especially for me. Eventually, I ended up purchasing a lot more than I wanted in the first place. This was just a beginning, now that I know, to what has become my obsession to use these grooming and healthcare products. Shopping for healthcare and grooming products in India is a completely different experience to what it is in the United Kingdom. There are not any dedicated stores for healthcare products such as Boots, Super Drug. The differences in such consumption patterns can be better understood through the concept of Sociohistoric Patterning of Consumption, which suggests that the institutional and social structures systematically influence consumption, such as class, community, ethnicity, and gender. I had never seen, until then, a store with such collection of healthcare products. It was a totally new experience for me. Maybe it was also the reason because of my excitement. As evident in Thornton’s studies, experiential...

Words: 2982 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

Similarities Between Jane Eyre And Catcher In The Rye

...Both of these authors have written their own classics, and these two superb literary works will continue to last for generations. Both Brontë and Salinger have very distinct writing styles that contrast one another’s while helping each novel develop an identity of its own. Brontë utilizes a feminine style with its flowery imagery, lengthy and delicate syntax, and incorporates large amounts of emotion into her writing (Literary Analysis of Jane Eyre). Her strong sense of voice helps the novel stand on its own, while also standing the test of time. The book is narrated by Jane, the main character, and having the story told in first person allows Jane to share what happens through her personal view of the situation and provide her thoughts to the reader to help better understand what her character thinks and provides further characterization of Jane. Having this first person filter on the story also helps show how Jane’s character evolves...

Words: 1642 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Of Mice and Men Theme

...literature) Big Ideas & Understanding(s): Essential Question(s): We are authors of own identity. 1. How would I describe the people in my community? Students will understand that… Stereotypes change over time; individuals must resist stereotyping. Individuals should consider themselves members of fluid or changeable groups. An extended metaphor can be a powerful way to structure an argument. 2. What are some different ways that I define my own identity? 3. How can a metaphor be extended to tell an entire narrative? 4. How can cultural differences within the United States strengthen us as a country? Student will know… Students will be able to… Comparisons (extended metaphors) are powerful ways to structure an argument 1.Trace the author’s argument in an article How different figures of speech can function in an argument or narrative: alliteration, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, personification, and imagery Background information on Ellis Island, and/or immigration, depending on visual texts chosen How to write a different type of Response to Literature…one modeled after the English Proficiency Test (EPT), rather than focusing on characterization or traits. 2. Make connections to themselves, other texts, and the outside world (text/self/world) 3. Use and reference words of others 4. Create and express ideas about their own identity 4. Analyze visual texts to “see into the lives” of immigrants 5. Create their own Response...

Words: 4158 - Pages: 17

Free Essay

Literary Theory

...Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction ‘Jonathan Culler has always been about the best person around at explaining literary theory without oversimplifying it or treating it with polemical bias. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction is an exemplary work in this genre.’ J. Hillis Miller, University of California, Irvine ‘An impressive and engaging feat of condensation . . . the avoidance of the usual plod through schools and approaches allows the reader to get straight to the heart of the crucial issue for many students, which is: why are they studying literary theory in the first place? . . . an engaging and lively book.’ Patricia Waugh, University of Durham Very Short Introductions are for anyone wanting a stimulating and accessible way in to a new subject. They are written by experts, and have been published in 15 languages worldwide. Very Short Introductions available from Oxford Paperbacks: ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY Julia Annas THE ANGLO-SAXON AGE John Blair ARCHAEOLOGY Paul Bahn ARISTOTLE Jonathan Barnes Augustine Henry Chadwick THE BIBLE John Riches Buddha Michael Carrithers BUDDHISM Damien Keown CLASSICS Mary Beard and John Henderson Continental Philosophy Simon Critchley Darwin Jonathan Howard DESCARTES Tom Sorell EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY BRITAIN Paul Langford The European Union John Pinder Freud Anthony Storr Galileo Stillman Drake Gandhi Bhikhu Parekh HEIDEGGER Michael Inwood HINDUISM Kim Knott HISTORY John H. Arnold HUME A. J...

Words: 45107 - Pages: 181

Free Essay

Literature

...Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction ‘Jonathan Culler has always been about the best person around at explaining literary theory without oversimplifying it or treating it with polemical bias. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction is an exemplary work in this genre.’ J. Hillis Miller, University of California, Irvine ‘An impressive and engaging feat of condensation . . . the avoidance of the usual plod through schools and approaches allows the reader to get straight to the heart of the crucial issue for many students, which is: why are they studying literary theory in the first place? . . . an engaging and lively book.’ Patricia Waugh, University of Durham Jonathan Culler LITERARY THEORY A Very Short Introduction 1 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford o x2 6 d p Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bogotá Buenos Aires Calcutta Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Paris São Paulo Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsaw with associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York © Jonathan Culler 1997 The moral rights...

Words: 44695 - Pages: 179

Premium Essay

How Does Charlotte Bronte Create Identity In Jane Eyre

...enthralled by the illusion of suspense surrounding the climax of the novel and its subsequent falling action, Charlotte Brontë has, in fact, already delivered a subtle clue concerning her Jane’s fate through her use of a first-person narrative and her personal experiences in nineteenth century Victorian society. During this era, women were relegated to domestic tasks and frivolous hobbies meant to distract them from more satisfying aspirations such as authorship, which Jane, the novel’s protagonist, desires. However, the mere existence of the novel Jane Eyre foreshadows Jane’s eventual achievement of the personal agency that enables her to explore creative and intellectual gratification through her memoir...

Words: 1607 - Pages: 7