Portfolio Requirements

 

Folks:

All portfolios are due on Monday, May 5. This will be our last day together ::cue tiny violin music:: Your portfolio is hefty. It's a big piece of your grade (40%!). Be sure to go a good job with it.

Your portfolio must include:





1. Graded copies of Parts 1-3 with my comments. If you've misplaced my comments, then instead of including this, you'll need to write a one page reflection on your revision process (what you've changed and why) for each missing paper.

2. Your original Part IV -- of course, without my comments. This will be your pre-peer review version.

3. Revised and edited copies of parts I-IV. Part II, the research proposal, can be just edited, but Parts 1, 3, and 4 should show substantial revisions.

Please be sure you're turning in polished work. At this point, I will be looking at grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting in addition to content. Many students have asked if MLA formatting is required. The short of my answer is "yes" -- UNLESS you have a reason for not using MLA. For example, if, throughout the semester, your writing has been focused on a science discipline, you may choose to use APA instead. Maybe your essays are all about how MLA ruined your life D-: in which case, it would make sense to use something else.

So in other words, if you don't use MLA, be sure to articulate WHY you've made the rhetorical decision not to.

How you decide to present this information to me is entirely up to you. As long as it is presented in a way that your audience (me!) can easily make sense of your work, you'll be in good shape. Is turning in a big pile of crumpled/unstapled and messy papers audience centered? I'm thinking no.

You are being graded on the quality of your finished product and the rhetorical effectiveness of your writing.

Drop off your portfolio on Monday, May 5th between 8:30am and 11am to my office, ARHU 269. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED.

May the force be with you! Make it so! For Durotar!

Compocon 3

You've so totally got this (I hope...)

Monday is Compocon 3, the NEXPO! Bring your group's display to set up in the VISTOR'S CENTER. You are required to stay during our class time and man (or woman) your group's display. If your project is particularly awesome, I'd appreciate it if you could leave it there, also. If your project isn't awesome, well...

On Wednesday, we'll have in-class presentations and your reflective essays are due. Be prepared.

Part IV Deets

 Here are the four main "things" I'll be looking for in your Part IV essays! These can also be guiding questions for your peer review discussions


1. Narrative: What story is told in the essay? Does the narrative connect to the author's development as a reader/writer/thinker/gendered-self and their experience in 1302?

2. Vivid Details: Does the author include vivid details? Do these details contribute to the narrative in a meaningful way? Examples of details, for this assignment, can be quotes from class discussions, samples of your writings, quotes/paraphrases from the readings, anecdotes from your group experiences or peer review sessions, etc.

3. Significance: What significance does the essay have to your literacy i.e -- who you are as a writer today, in contrast to who you WERE as a writer before 1302? How do you apply what you learned here to who you are, going forward from here?

4. Claim: How does the author support their claims about their development as a writer? What evidence do they provide?


DUE DATES: Drafts are due WED 4/23. PLEASE BRING 3 COPIES TO CLASS. We will be having peer review. Also, this is the one assignment you won't be getting my feedback on before putting this in your porftolio, so peer review participation will be essential.

We have class 4/7!

Class,

I forgot that compocon isn't until later in the semester, so instead of going to compocon on 4/7, we'll have regular class. Never fear: we're going to be using it as a day to prepare for compocon, which maybe makes a lot more sense. Nothing is due (yay!).

So what's compocon 3 going to be like, you might be asking? Here are some deets:

• Will take place in the visitor's center
• You will be required to have something to set up as a display
• Be ready to discuss and answer questions about your group project.

So, in class today, I'd like you to meet with your groups and address the following questions:

1.  What will your group be displaying at compocon 3? Briefly describe your plans.

2. What does your group need to do in order to be ready for compocon?

3. Do you need any special equipment or materials? Who will be providing these? If you need assistance from me, let me know, too.

Part III Cover letter and conferencing

Don't stand me up >:O

We'll be meeting to discuss your Part III drafts this week. Before we do that, I'll need you to write a reflective cover letter. Here is what you'll need to include in your reflective cover letter:

• Briefly describe your research project. What are you investigating and why?
• What do you think you got right about this assignment, taking into account the four points I'm looking for (original claim, inquiry (research), discourse (connections) and citations?
• What did your peers have to say about your essay? What did you revise based on their suggestions?
• What do you feel still needs work in your essay?
• What would you like my feedback on/help with?

Below is our conferencing schedule. You will be receiving a grade for attendance, so be sure to show up ready to talk about your Stage IV. All conferences take place in my office, ARHU 269.

We will not be having class during these days. Use this time to 1. work on your Part III revisions and 2. of course, work on your group projects. You should be wrapping things up at this point.

Wednesday, 4/2

8:45 -- Olympia

8:55 -- Kaitlyn

9:05 -- Stephanie

9:15 -- Isa

9:25 -- Carlos

9:35 -- Raul

 

Friday, 4/4

8:45 -- Emily

8:55 -- Karina

9:05 -- Eva

9:15 -- Cynthia

9:25 -- Paola

9:35 -- Adriana

 

Wednesday, 4/9

 8:45 -- Lysandra

8:55 -- Amed

9:05 -- Selena

9:15 -- Francine

9:25 -- Jacob

9:35 -- Alex

 

Friday, 4/11

8:45 -- Leonard

8:55 -- Edna

9:05 -- Ydana

9:15 -- Cassandra

9:25 -- Victoria

9:35 -- AVAILABLE

Part III Peer Review Questions

BE the most interesting student in class

1. What research question are they setting out to answer here, and how does it connect to the discourse of gender studies? Why is this question one worth exploring?

2. How did the author go about conducting their research? What methodology did they use? Is it clearly illustrated? How does it connect to their research question?

3. What original claim is the author making? How do they support this claim with evidence? How is it related to the existing research?

4. Here's the big Q -- so what? What does this investigation mean? To whom? What might we do with it? Are these questions answered within the context of the paper?

5. How does the author go about giving proper credit to their sources? Do they incorporate a works cited page for both primary and secondary sources? Do they use parenthetical citations when paraphrasing/quoting?

Peer review responses due on  WEDNESDAY, March 26th. Don't forget to bring 2 copies :-)

How's It Goin'?

Hopefully, it's going a little better than this...

Since we've been working on our group projects for about a month now, this is a good opportunity to see how far we've come. In your groups, work on this progress report and answer the following questions about your current progress. Be sure to incorporate what you've learned from your compocon conversations here, too.

Progress report form 

Typed progress reports are due on:
 Friday, March 21st



Form not working? Here are the Q's.

 

1.       What advice did your group receive at COMPOCON 2? How do you plan to incorporate this feedback into your project?

 

 

2.       Briefly describe your project plans as of today. What is your public document, presentation, and report-back?  How have your plans changed since your last report?

 

 

 

3.       So far, what has your group completed?

 

 

 

4.       What do you still need to do? Here, assign the tasks to your group members and give an approximate due date.

 

 

 

5.       What do you think your group is getting right? What are the strengths of your group and project?

 

 

 

 

 

6.       What difficulties is your group encountering? How do you plan to overcome these difficulties?

Compocon 2

Folks:

A reminder that we'll be meeting in the ballroom on Monday, March 17th for Compocon 2. Your goal at Compocon 2 will be to develop your group activist project ideas, seek advice, and get some feedback. Take notes; you're going to have an activity to complete in class on Wednesday based on what you learned at Compocon.

Feminism!

Hmm... what wave would this dude be a part of?

Here are our discussion questions for the Coleman reading!

1. How does Colemen define Third Wave Feminism? How is it distinct from Second Wave Feminism?

2. What are some of Colemen's critiques of Third Wave feminism? What are some of YOUR critiques of it?

3. Colemen suggests that some of both the old and new ways are problematic -- what do you think feminists should keep/discard from each in order to "return to its status as a contemporary social movement?" Or maybe it already has? :-/

4. How do you see your own projects functioning within the goals of these feminisms? What about your individual research? Would you say that what you're/we're doing is "feminist?" Why or why not?

5. How have your views on feminism changed since we began the semester?

Feminism?

This week, we'll be talking about what feminism is and what it means today. The above video is a TED Talk from Courtney Martin, the founder and creator of Feministing, one of my favorite feminist blogs.

How is your conception of feminism similar/different from Martin's? We'll also be reading and discussing the Colemen reading, which gives an introduction to contemporary feminism and distinguishes how it's different from previous "waves" or generations of feminism. 

Some reminders:

Colemen quiz is on Wednesday
No class on Friday

Gilb Discussion Questions

"Me Macho, You Jane" is a little more literary than we've been reading this semester, so you'll notice it's quite different in style. I think, though, that there's quite a bit we can take away from this piece as a portrait of Machismo/masculinity.

Here are our discussion questions for the reading:

1. How would the narrator define "macho?" Does he think it's a positive or a negative trait?

2. How do the women in the essay react to his "machismo" differently from the men?

3. Think about "The Asshole" and the student in the essay. Which does the narrator find more difficult and why?

4. Why does the narrator curse at the boy's father at the basketball game? What happens as a result?

5. How would YOU define "machismo?" How is it similar/different from the portrait Gilb paints of it with his essay?

Part II Peer Review!

Because cats.

1. How does the author explain their interest about their construct/issue? There should be some sort of a personal connection described somewhere in the paper.
2. For the research question -- is it something that can be answered within the course of the semester? Is it too broad/narrow? How might it be improved?
3. Does the author include a hypothesis, a "best guess" answer to their research question, based on what they've learned so far?
4. Secondary Sources: Does the author include at least three secondary sources in their proposal? These should be scholarly (non-scholarly sources can be used, but they can't "count" for the three). Check for correct works cited entries AND a brief explanation of the source + how it's relevant to their project. Can you suggest any additional sources?
5. Primary Plans: Does the author include an explanation as to their primary research plans? Do you think this is the most effective way to go about their research?

REVISIONS DUE TO ME ON 3/3.

REMINDERS:

Group project presentations are WEDNESDAY. FOR FRIDAY, read GLIB.

Part II Example

Well, at least I tried....

REMINDER: On Monday, we meet in classroom 1 in the library again!


A number of you have been asking for an example of a Part II, so here it is! I just decided to use the subheadings provided in the assignment details, but if you'd like to synthesize it into a more cohesive essay explaining your plans, that's ok too.
 


Interest

As an FYC teacher, I often wonder why some activities seem to be successful with some groups of students over others. For example, some class settings seem to prefer whole class discussion and lecture format, whereas others just feel more inclined towards small group discussions. I had never really thought about considering how gender might play a role in what makes some activities more successful than others, and I think that, in order to be a successful teacher, I need to think about what best suits my students in the classroom.

After reading Tannen's article on How Men and Women Communicate Differently, it kind of struck a chord with me, as I found myself really identifying with how she described other female communicate. I, too, tend to rely mainly on anecdotes and stories rather than cold hard facts. I'm not sure if she's correct in her assumptions that males tend to talk more in whole class discussions, but I found her findings very interesting. 

·  Question

My current research question is: How does gender affect the way students communicate in the FYC classroom at UTPA?

My research question is, most of all, important to me. I want to figure out how to be the best teacher I can be for students of all genders. I hope that my methods aren't alienating certain people in my classroom. I'm also curious to examine, perhaps, how an instructor's gender might play an important role in how students perceive and learn information.

 

·  Hypothesis, 

 I have a feeling that Tannen's findings will be consistent here at UTPA, but to a point. I also believe that an instructor's gender will play a role here. So yes, in general, I think I will find that males tend to communicate more in whole class discussion whereas females tend to communicate more in small groups, BUT, I think that the instructor's gender also will have an effect. For example, I think that women will participate more in whole class discussion when the instructor is also a woman. 

·  Annotated Bibliography and Primary Research Plans,

Tannen, Deborah. "How Males and Females Use Language Differently." Chronicle of Higher Education 

     (1991): electronic.

This article discusses Deborah Tannen's research on how males and females

tend to communicate in classroom settings. She found that, in general,

males tend to thrive in whole class discussions and lectures, whereas

females tend to speak more openly in small group discussions. The point

of her article is to encourage teachers to use a variety of different

methods of communication in their classrooms to better support students

of all genders. While I tend to agree with Tannen, I also think her

research is a little too simplistic, and it's dangerous to make sweeping

assumptions about people based soley on their gender (which is, after all,

a social construction). My research will begin where Tannen leaves off

and will serve to complicate the conversation she began.

Penrose, Ann, and Cheryl Geister. "Reading and Writing Without Authority."

      National Council of Teachers of English 45.4 (1994): 505-20. Print. 

This article discusses how authority affects the way students write. Penrose and Geister foundthat students have great difficulties entering into academic conversations in their writing because,primarily, they feel as though they don't have the authority to do so.They discuss numerous factors that affect a students' authority, which include age, level of education, social class, and then the big whammy, gender. Penrose and Geister hint, but never really state, that males have an easier time with writing with authority. They advocate a more "constructivist" model for teaching in the composition classroom to help students develop this authority, which reminds me a bit of Tannen's suggestion of more small group communication between students. Even though I'm not directly discussing written communication, I think that oral communication is closely tied, and I want to use this article to support my ideas about gender and communication in the FYC classroom. want to use it to examine how authority may also influence verbal communication in the FYC classroom.

Lorber, Judith. "Night to His Day: The Social Construction of Gender." Paradoxes of Gender. N.p.: 

     Yale University Press, 1994. 13-36. Print. 

Lorber's conclusions in this essay are vital, I think, to most discussions of gender.

She points out that gender is essentially a social construct, something that we learn

rather than something that we're born with. So, as it relates to communication, women

learn to communicate certain ways, as do men. I want to emphasize this in my research,

and propose ways for all genders to learn to communicate more effectively. So I will

use Lorber as a sort of background information. 

Primary Research Plans:

I plan on observing different FYC classrooms, an equal number of female and male led classrooms. I plan to sit in on several sessions and time how often and for how long men vs. women speak. I will visit two different male faculty (Robert and Colin) and two different female faculty (Mary Ann and Regine). 

I will also use anecdotal evidence from my own class sessions. I like using my own students as guinea pigs, so this part will be fun :-)

In addition to observations, I would like to interview 10 different faculty members and ask the following questions:

1. How would you classify your own gender?

2. Tell me about a typical day in your classroom. What types of activities take up the majority of your class time?

3. Based on your experiences as a teacher, do you feel males or females communicate more effectively in your classroom? 

I also plan on surveying a small number of students (20), asking them the following questions

1. What is your gender?

2. What type of classroom communication do you prefer? Circle one

Lecture Small Group Discussion, One to One, Online

3. What type of classroom communication is most common here at UTPA, from your experience:

Lecture, Small Group, One to One, Online

4. Do you feel as though you relate more to your male of female professors? 

Orbach Discussion Questions

Many of you have expressed interest in the idea of how media affects body perception. The Orbach article gives us some theoretical context to talk about these issues at a little bit of a deeper level.

Here are the discussion questions for today:

1. What does Orbach mean when she writes "every body requires a context?" How has this context changed throughout history, and why might it be more "dangerous" given today's media climate?

2. Many women experience beauty and body practices, such as wearing make-up and dressing attractively, as pleasurable and empowering. What is the paradox about "choosing" these activities that Orbach sees as a form of coercion by mass media?

3. How do you think body context affects men differently than women?

4. Orbach states that children today are growing up with the idea that their bodies are "always in need of attention and transformation." Can you think of any evidence to support this claim, either from your experience or our past readings? What do you think are the implications of a generation raised to feel inadequate?

5. Think about the context for your own body. How has this context evolved, and what are the pressures through which it has been shaped?


Not really related... but...

Here's the link to the video. Making one of these might make for an interesting group project. What types of gender related issues face women here in the RGV?

http://www.upworthy.com/a-french-film-showing-men-what-being-a-woman-feels-like-kinda?c=reccon1

Group Projects

Except this one!

On Monday, we'll be solidifying our group work plans and turning in a basic outline of your plans, which you'll be working on revising for the next week or so. Here are the questions I'd like you to answer in your groups today:

1. List your group members and your issue/construct.


2. In a sentence or two, describe your group's project plans so far:


3. Tell me about your "public document" -- What do you plan to make/create? Why might this be important/significant?


4. Tell me about your planned event. Who is your intended audience for this event? When do you envision this taking place (roughly)? What do you need to do to make this happen?


5. Tell me about your "report back" plans. How will you communicate your achievements to an academic audience (in the class to me and possibly at compocon). What form/media will you use to get this done?


Here are the groups so far:

Group 1: Emily, Carlos and Raul

Group 2: Paola, Ydana, Selena, Edna and Cynthia

Group 3: Adriana, Alex, Lysandra

Group 4: Francine, Olympia, Ahmed and Cassandra

Group 5: Lucero, Eva, Victoria, and Karina

Group 6: Kaitlyn and Savannah

By the end of class on Monday, I would like to see these group rosters finalized.

Here are some upcoming due dates:

Friday, February  14th -- typed group proposals are due. Basically, you're describing, in a slightly more formal manner, your plans for your group project. Your proposal should be detailed and well-thought out. If you'd like, you can type your information into this form

Friday, February 21st -- Have a brief presentation ready to give to the class about your PLANS and progress so far (can be a simple powerpoint, prezi, or even just some notes for talking points).

Pascoe Discussion

 

Slurs and name-calling are, unfortunately, a part of the everyday experience for the adolescent. Pascoe's article brings up a lot of interesting discussion points. Here are a few for us to consider during our group discussions of the article today:

 

1. Why is it that girls rarely use the word "fag" at River High?

2. Think about other slurs or negative terms used among adolescence that you've experieneced. How do they function in similar/different ways from the slur "fag"?

3. Why do you think words about sexuality are so commonly used as slurs among adolescents?

4. Why might LORBER say these slurs are so common?

 

I can see a lot of interesting ways to turn this discussion, too, into a research paper! Perhaps you'd like to analyze and explore how a certain term/slur functions here at a local high school.

 

 

 



Compocon

Kiddos:

On Monday, we'll be meeting with other 1302 classes and experts from around campus as part of the Compocon project. Here are the details:

 

Monday 2.3.14
8am-4pm BALLROOM
Best times to stop by: our class time and/or 1:30-2:30. That's when gender "experts" will be present.

Tuesday 2.4.14

8:00 am – 12:30 pm | HPE1 room 1.166

1:10 pm – 4:00 pm |
HPE1 room 1.166

Please come during our class time with your research question and something to take notes with. You'll have an opportunity to discuss your projects with other students and get feedback from a variety of different people.

Your assignment will be as follows:

Write a one page reflection on your experience with our first Compocon meeting. Who did you talk with? How are you going to use this information to help you with your research?

This needs to be typed, double spaced. It is due on Wed after Compocon. 


Reminder:
Response due on WEDNESDAY and QUIZ

Snow Day! And Part II

Mustache not required to participate

I know how heartbroken you all must be that we're not meeting in class on Wednesday :'(

Never fear! We can still have our discussions here on the blog!

If you haven't already, take a look at the Part II assignment instructions. It's time to start thinking about a research question! Your research question will be guiding your inquiry project throughout the rest of the semester, and is very important. It should be related, in some way, to the greater conversations we've been having about gender, sexuality, and feminism.

Your "snow day" assignment:

Post your research question draft up on the blog. Then, respond to at least 2 other people's research questions with some advice or suggestions. Your research question should be posted before 5pm on Wednesday, and your responses need to be up by the time we meet again in class Friday. 


 If you already have a "sorta question" -- great! If not, no worries, here are a few steps you might take to get your gears grinding.

1. Pick a broad topic that we've been talking/thinking about, like children & gender, LGBTQ/sexuality, feminism, masculinity/machismo, communication, or the media.
2. Think about a potential audience. For example, college freshmen, elementary school teachers, parents, LGBTQ teens, college professors, girls 2-12
3. Think about something you're passionate about. This, of course, can be anything!

Consider how your three topics intersect. So, for me, I'm going to think about children and gender as my broad topic, parents as an audience, and I'm passionate about video games.

So, some possible research questions for me:
How does playing video games affect girls' self-esteem?
What challenges to "gamer-girls" face in the Rio Grande Valley?
Does playing video games affect team-work skills in boys and girls differently?
Do boys who grow up playing video games view women differently? 

 These are really rough, right? I'd need to work on them, but at least they give me a starting point.

Still stuck? Try thinking about your Part I essay. Perhaps some interesting questions may arise from that. For example, remember mine? Well, after discussing my essay with Stephanie, I started wondering:

How does growing up in a single-parent home affect children's perceptions of gender?
Are girls who grow up "tomboys" more successful as adults?
What challenges do single dads face here in the RGV?

Or maybe the Cinderella reading struck a chord:

How does growing up in "princess culture" affect Mexican American girls in the RGV and their perceptions of beauty?
Are girls who loved princesses growing up less likely to choose STEM majors?
How does princess culture affect self-esteem in young girls?
 
Here are a few others I thought about:

What issues do LGBTQ students at UTPA face academically?
Who talks more in the FYC classroom, guys or girls?
What conceptions of feminism exist at UTPA?
How do self-proclaimed machistas do in college?
Are feminists happier than non-feminists?

ADDED IN: Feel free to snatch and modify one of the research questions I posted. Imitation is the finest form of flattery after all, isn't it? :D

Reminders:

Revised drafts of Part I will be due when we return to class on Friday.
Also, please bring a draft of your research question to discuss!

What's Wrong with Cinderella?

 On Monday, we'll be discussing Orenstein's article, "What's Wrong with Cinderella?". It's an except from the book, "Cinderella Ate My Daughter."

Here's an interview with the author

These are the questions that will be driving our group discussions:

1. Orenstein suggests that "princesses" cannot be held solely responsible for constructing girls' beliefs about femininity. What other kinds of characters appear on television and film that might support or contradict Orenstein's claims about media impact on young girls?

2. How do you think Lorber would respond to Orenstein's views about the dangers of princess culture?

3. What about boys? Think of some examples of boys' toys and representations in the media and discuss whether or not you think they teach dangerous constructions of gender. 

A few reminders:

Revised drafts of Part I are due on Wednesday! You'll need one hard copy.
Begin looking at Part II under the assignments tab and start brainstorming a research question, also for WEDNESDAY.

Peer Review?

We'll be discussing peer review in class on Wednesday and conducting our actual session on Friday. What are your experiences with peer review? What do you think we, as a class, can do to ensure our peer review sessions are successful? Feel free to use the comments section to discuss this, and as always, there's some extra credit in it for you if you're particularly insightful.

For homework:

Write a critique for each of your partners' papers. Your critiques should be 1/2 page each, and you'll need to bring 2 copies of each one. As a guideline, try using the PQP format, and be sure that your critiques are as specific and helpful as possible. Critiques are due on FRIDAY.

Thoughts on Part I

It's time to give our ideas about gender a slap in the face!

As you're working on your Part I essay assignment drafts, you'll want to consider the following things (hint hint, these are also the four things I'll be looking for when I grade your essays down the road)

Details -- How does the essay address/define "gender?" It should include narrative, details, and/or explanations so as a reader, you can easily visualize and understand the concept.
Inquiry -- How does the essay use inquiry to challenge their definition of gender? How do they support their claims (with quotes, examples from personal experience, maybe some informal research?).
Discourse -- How does the essay connect their experiences to the greater conversation about gender? Perhaps these experiences support/refute Lorber's theories about gender.
Significance  -- The big "so what." What does this discussion mean in terms our understandings about gender, feminism, or sexuality? This can either be stated or implied.


Rough drafts are due on Wednesday when we return from MLK day. Please bring 3 copies of your draft to class, as we will be conducting a peer review session next week. Also, keep in mind that this is only a draft; you will have ample opportunity to revise this piece of writing before I'll be evaluating it. Be sure to bring something to class on Wednesday, and we'll go from there. 

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the essay, you're welcome to pose them here. You're also welcome to perhaps post a piece of your essay for some feedback, or even just run your ideas by us. I'll be popping in throughout the weekend, but if you provide assistance, answer a question, or maybe even just say something insightful about your experiences writing this, there may be some extra credit in it for you! Happy writing. 

Introductions

Before we get into the full swing of things, you've got a few things to do:

1. Check out the course syllabus and calendar! It'll give you a good idea as to what to expect in the coming months

2. Print out the readings. You'll need to have these all printed out by Friday, so you might as well do it now and stop procrastinating >:0

3. Introduce yourself! I'd like us to think of this blog as a space for us to exchange ideas, give advice, ask questions, and it's a good opportunity for us to get to know each other a bit better. Please post in the comments section your name, the time your class with me meets, and something about yourself as a writer/thinker/gendered person in this world. I'll go first to break the ice:

My name's Katie, but you can call me Professor Hoerth (which is, by the way, pronounced like earth but with an H. Don't worry, you can totally mispronounce my name all you want. I'm used to it).

I'm really passionate about feminism. I love to write about feminism, read about it, explore it, reconsider it. I think "feminism" is a really huge, complex and loaded term, and so my conception of what it means to be a feminist might be really different than yours, and I think that's totally cool. Here are a few fun facts about me: I love poetry, baking, blogging, and teaching. Oh, and if you were planning on bringing me food, I have the world's biggest sweet tooth. My favorite food is cheese cake. Just sayin' ;-)


Your turn!