1. Looking Back

Hello,

I, Amanda Louis-Kuhnert, am very pleased to be writing here today. The time is among us to say goodbye to another class; and some how in a time of happiness, I’m am sadden. Sadden for the fact that the fun, for now, is over. Fun times…filled with chest cramping pain from the endless hours cramming to meet deadlines; and to display perfection on our papers. The idea of studying for a college course is similar to that sang “what doest kill us only makes us stronger.” Yet after all that has been said and done, all that grueling learning that we’ve all endured, we see the strings tighten holding our heads a little higher.

To truly understand where I stand; I will have to go into some detail with you about the beginning of my educational years. In my first year of early learning education I was diagnose with dyslexia. My learning, as far as, reading and writing has been stunted by the anxiety of not being able to compute. So, then some are probably wondering how I got here, well the truth is I needed to show my boys that a person can do anything one wants no matter what disability one has.

I lost my father in 2000 and my life was turned upside down and my dreams came to a screaming halt. Since then my children have rekindled the inspirations and passions that my father once ignited in me, ten fold. Love driven aspirations has set me on this journey of achievement. Once shy about my disabilities because fear of rejection and disapproval, now “hardly” (some days are better than others) stands in my way. I am always reminded of the old sang slow and steady wins the race. I feel my life is extremely blessed because of the second chance I have received that has further my understanding of life through education. Besides my three little inspirations, I am supported by my admirable and loving husband.

I am currently working on my AA degree in environmental sciences. This course was one of my three classes that I was involved in this quarter. Being my freshman year I was a little nervous but now that it’s close to the end, I can’t wait for sophomore year. So, here I am, a girl with lots compassion that needs the ability to articulate. This class has been wonderful, and now that the “sleep” is rube out of my eyes I can see the analogy of life. This class has given me the further perceptions and ability to compare and contrast, to judge and persuade, to make and developed a true and understanding piece.

Our English Diversity course focused on identity, community, and traditions. Catherine G. Latterell’s Remix, Reading and Composing Culture was a great book to get familiar with. Even though, I was impressed with all the stories that we read there was a few that stuck out in my mind throughout the course. For my readers choice award I would have to chose “Blaxicans and Other Reinvented Americans” written by Richard Rodriguez. The title says it all; I thought the essay was able to provide a clear analytical perception which I constantly kept in the back of my mind thought out my wittings. I was really impressed with the voice and rhetorical tone that Lucy Gray had in her essay “Mask”. All our readings were used to apply to summaries, papers, short writings, assignments for discussions, and the famous blog pages. Other than reading we were able to watch movies and put are analytical thinking skills to the test with timed writings; for me it was tough, but oh so fun! The taste of diversity that this class was able to provide was so inspirational and an eye awakener.

I would like to present my four pieces that I chose for my presentation. My choice that demonstrates critical thinking skills was my first blog What in Your Wallet. I had a real fun time diving in and analyzing what was in my wallet, the tricky part was articulating it. The choice that demonstrates my skills at revision and re-seeing my work will be my timed writing that I did on Spanglish. My illustration piece that best demonstrates my awareness of audience and voice will be my second blog, Who’s Your Community. I really had a fun time analyzing and voicing my discoveries that reflected community. And finally, for my “Writers Choice” piece I chose the “F Word” assignment. Looking back to the spark of our class discussions and seeing the interest that we showed each other, got the ball rolling. I was able to capture this engagement thought this assignment. I am really excited to be posting all my pieces shined up.

It was fun going back and looking at our work; it was a nice chance to take a second look at what we have done and see how we expanded our skills. The online class room setting is an awesome experience, especially for English. It supports and strengthens are ability to articulate and perform unified ideas. This online class gave us the support from our four wonderful teachers, as well, support from our peers.

Thanks for reading!