Thesis Paragraph

There is 5 minutes left in class and all you can hear is the ruffling of papers, the zippers of backpacks and the screeching of the tables being folded back into the chairs. Yet, there is still material to be learned. The professor still has things to relay to the class. You sit there trying to understand what the professor is saying and all you can hear is this noise. Some people find this to be very annoying, but others say that nothing important is taught within the last 5 minutes of class and it is a waste of time. Should you stay or should you go? This is a very pressing question in college classrooms and lecture halls across the nation.

Weddings

1. What is the trend or situation on which the commentary focuses?
The trend is that men are increasingly getting into the wedding planning process.

2. Does the author give the reader an interesting introduction to the issue? Why or why not?
Yes, it gives an example of the man putting a lot of focus on him self and his groomsmen.

3. Does the author explain the context of the issue? How in-depth does he or she go? What do you think this signifies regarding the intended audience of the commentary?
Yes, the author goes into a great deal of depth by talking about how the bachelor parties now include spa treatments. The intended target is anyone who is planning on getting married.

4. What are the possible causes of the trend or situation the author explores?
Gender roles are now being equalized so it is now the norm to get married.

5. What examples or observations does the author give from his or her own life to back their belief that these are the possible causes?
There are no examples from the authors personal life.

6. What is the author's stance on the topic?
I don't bellieve they have a stance, they just talk about the situation.

7. What significance does the author see in this trend or situation?
Weddings are now about how grand it can be and not what marriage actually means.

Bobby Forget

5 Questions for Topic with Steven V.

1. Are you aware of people packing up with 5 minutes left in class?
Yes, everyone seems to be waiting for the next class.

2. Do you think the things the professors are teaching in the last 5 minutes of class are as important at the rest of the class?
Not really, I think that it is more of a wrap up of the entire class instead of new material.

3. Do you think the professors acknowledge it enough?
I think that they think the students are the ones missing out in class and not the professors.

4. Do you think that the students that do not pack up and continue taking notes have better grades?
Yes, of course. You get more information and the people who stay for the entire class are more likely to be paying attention during the class.

5. Do you start to pack up with five minutes left?
No, I always wait for the end of class.

How do you know what you know?
I've been in class and seen people pack up and leave early.

Who are you in the subject?
An observer.

How is this event connected to other events?
If people do it a lot they can get failing grades.

What if things were different?
Everyone would pay more attention, people would get better grades.

Why is in important?
It can affect your grades and your future.

Why Students Leave Class Early

It gives me a sense of awkwardness. The class ends at 2:20 but yet at 2:15 people are already packed and ready to go. I am still trying to take notes while all I hear is the sound of notebooks closing and the backpacks zipping up. At times I feel bad for the professors, they rarely know what to do other than continue with the class. Sometimes they are bold and will yell out a reminder that class is not over for another 5 minutes. This whole process that happens in a matter of minutes reminds me of somebody leaving before a dinner is over. As anyone would say this act would be considered rude. But this happens everyday on our campus and I am assuming around campuses across the nation. Shouldn't this be considered rude? Is this teaching students that they can leave a place whenever they want without thinking about the person that is hosting? The professors put a lot of their time into these notes and lectures and they deserve some respect.

3 Phenomena

The first phenomena that I have noticed is that in the large lecture halls, about 75 percent of the students start to pack up when there is about 5 minutes left. Technically those last 5 minutes are still the professors time.

The second phenomena that I have noticed is the reaction of students at the football game when we get scored on. Most students will give up on their team and yell derogatory words at the team. And even when we do score, we will say it is lucky. Where is the faith in the football team?

The third and final phenomena that I have noticed on campus is that there are not a lot of cigarette smokers. This surprised me a lot. I always thought that a lot of college students pick up smoking as a way to relieve stress. But I have not noticed a lot of it.

The World is Improvised

Robert Forget

September 24, 2009

Meredith was about 5’ 3” and you could tell she was a woman who enjoyed good food. Her hair was a wavy brown ocean with golden streaks swimming through it. Always with a smile on her face, she could make any situation turn into a better one. Meredith was always very personable and I was able to talk to her about almost anything. Her voice was lovely but if she had something important to say her voice could send shivers down your back. Considering her occupation, this was her best feature. See Meredith wasn't just my friend; she was my Acting teacher and director in high school.

I met Meredith, and yes we called her by her first name, on the first day of my junior year in high school. This day was also the first day of her new occupation. Meredith was a professional actress but she decided to give teaching a try. Unfortunately Meredith did not have a choice in where she taught and the classroom that we were in for our Acting I class was not really a classroom. Classes were taught here but they were not normal classes. The space that we called our own was full with electronic keyboards and a stand up piano. See we were in the Piano classroom. It was a square room with a shelf about four feet off the ground going around the entire room. On this shelf were the keyboards and a couple of computers. In front of every keyboard was a chair. In the middle of the room there was nothing and in one corner there was the stand up piano. On one wall was a whiteboard and next to this was the door to the band room. When we entered the classroom on the first day we had to use this space as our space. We didn’t have desks and we had to turn the chairs around to form a circle. We didn’t know it at the time but we had to improvise.

The first week went by just like any other class. We met Meredith, went over the syllabus, and introduced ourselves. We found out that not only was Meredith the new Acting teacher but she was also going to be the director for the upcoming fall play. After week one I decided that this could be a fun class and I kept it in my schedule. As the days went by the class had gotten into a usual routine. We would get to class, pull out the chairs, read a play, discuss what we thought, put the chairs back and leave. After every play we would act out a couple of scenes and then take a test on what the play was about and how we interpreted it. Even though the class was in a routine, this did not mean that it was boring. Meredith really wanted us to think in the characters shoes and not just read the play. She made every class extremely engaging.

Classes kept up like this for a couple of weeks until one day I came into class to find something a little different. We all sat down in our seats and when we were settled Meredith announced to the class “Today we are going to learn the art of improvisation!” Now I had heard of improvisation before by watching “Who’s Line Is It Anyway” on TV but I was always scarred of doing it myself. I was worried that I would not be able to think of anything to say and that I would just be standing up there like a bumbling idiot. So Meredith has us all face the same way in class and asks for three volunteers. For some reason, and I do not know why, my hand raised in the air even though my mind was saying “are you insane?” So I found myself in front of the class with two other people ready to do some improvisation. Meredith decided that it would be a good idea to pick an improv game to start with. She decides on the game “Alphabet”. Now let me quickly explain this game. There are three people in the space, a.k.a. the stage, then a place and conversation is chosen. For example it could be two straight men entering a gay bar and the conversation that takes place. The catch is that each sentence has to start with the next letter of the alphabet. So Meredith asked the rest of the class what the scene and conversation should be. They chose the husband walking in on his wife and another man. I was the husband. Meredith also decided that she wanted us to start with the letter “S” instead of “A”. “Begin,” she said. “So work was pretty shitty today but…” I sputtered while in the space. “Tom, I didn’t know you were coming home so early!” said Hallie. “Um, man I can explain this,” explained Kyle. The back in forth of the conversation continued on till we reached the letter “R”. When we finished, I realized that I actually did a pretty impressive job. For some reason the things I should say just came to me. I was never lost and the words just came out of my mouth. Meredith came over to me and told me that I did a fantastic job. She was surprised that I did so well on my first time. I told her I was also surprised. She asked me to come to class a little early the next day. So I did.

The next day I walked into the classroom and Meredith was sitting in a chair. She told me to grab one and pull it up next to her. We started to talk about yesterday’s exercise. She then told me that she wanted to do a Murder Mystery dinner and that she wanted me to be the lead role. I agreed but had some questions. When will I get a script? How does a murder mystery work? She told me that a Murder Mystery dinner ran just like a play, but it was all improv. I understood the concept but was confused on why she wanted me to be the lead. She told me that some people have a natural ability to improvise very quickly and that I was one of these people. Not only could I use this ability in acting but that I could use it in everyday life.

We held the Murder Mystery dinner and it was a huge success. I continued to work with Meredith on my improv skills for the rest of the school year. Over the summer I sold cars for my dad and was very successful. If it was not for Meredith helping me discover my talent, I do not think that I would have done as well as I did selling. See when you sell cars you are always put up against new challenges that seem to come out of nowhere. Learning to improvise helps you stay on your feet and think on your toes and overcome these challenges. What I learned about myself with the help from Meredith will help me for the rest of my life.

Memoir Draft

Robert Forget

September 16, 2009

Meredith is about 5’ 3” and a little pudgy. She has wavy blond hair with brown streaks in it. She was a lovely person who always had a smile on her face. Meredith was always very personable and I was able to talk to her about almost anything. She was a strong woman though, she was never afraid to tell you what she thought. This was a good characteristic considering her occupation. See Meredith wasn’t just my friend; she was my Acting teacher and director in high school.

I met Meredith, and yes we called her by her first name, on the first day of my junior year in high school. This day was also the first day of her new occupation. Meredith was a professional actress but decided to give teaching a try. The classroom that we were in for our Acting I class was not really a classroom. Classes were taught here but they were not normal classes. The space that we called our own was full with electronic keyboards and a stand up piano. See we were in the Piano classroom. The room itself was pretty basic. It was square with a shelf about four feet off the ground going around the entire room. On this shelf were the keyboards and a couple of computers. In front of every keyboard was a chair. In the middle of the room there was nothing and in one corner there was the stand up piano. On one wall was a whiteboard and next to this was the door to the band room. When we entered the classroom on the first day we had to use this space as our space. We didn’t have desks and we had to turn the chairs around to form a circle. We didn’t know it at the time but we had to improvise.

The first week went by just like any other class. We met Meredith, went over the syllabus, and introduced ourselves. We found out that not only was Meredith the new Acting teacher but she was also going to be the director for the upcoming fall play. After week one I decided that this could be a fun class and decided to keep it in my schedule. As the days went by the class had gotten into a usual routine. We would get to class, pull out the chairs, read a play, discuss what we thought, put the chairs back and leave. After every play we would act out a couple of scenes and then take a test on what the play was about and how we interpreted it. Even though the class was in a routine, this did not mean that it was boring. Meredith really wanted us to think in the characters shoes and not just read the play. She made every class extremely engaging.

Classes kept up like this for a couple of weeks until one day I came into class to find something a little different. We all sat down in our seats and when we were settled Meredith announced to the class “Today we are going to learn the art of improvisation!” Now I had heard of improvisation before by watching “Who’s Line Is It Anyway” on TV but I was always scarred of doing it myself. I was worried that I would not be able to think of anything to say and that I would just be standing up there like a bumbling idiot. So Meredith has us all face the same way in class and asks for three volunteers. For some reason, and I do not know why, my hand raised in the air even though my mind was saying “are you insane??” So I found myself in front of the class with two other people ready to do some improvisation. Meredith decided that it would be a good idea to pick an improv game to start with. She decides on the game “Alphabet”. Now let me quickly explain this game. There are three people in the space, a.k.a. the stage, then a place and conversation is chosen. For example it could be two straight men entering a gay bar and the conversation that takes place. The catch is that each sentence has to start with the next letter of the alphabet. So Meredith asked the rest of the class what the scene and conversation should be. They chose the husband walking in on his wife and another man. I was the husband. Meredith also decided that she wanted us to start with the letter “S” instead of “A”. “Begin,” she said.

“So work was pretty shitty today but…” I sputtered while in the space. “Tom, I didn’t know you were coming home so early!” said Hallie. “Um, man I can explain this,” explained Kyle. The back in forth of the conversation continued on till we reached the letter “R”. When we finished, I realized that I actually did a pretty impressive job. For some reason the things I should say just came to me. I was never lost and the words just came out of my mouth. Meredith came over to me and told me that I did a fantastic job. She was surprised that for someone who had never done it before it came so naturally. I told her I was also surprised. She told me that she wanted me to come to class a little early the next day. So I did.

The next day I walked into the classroom and Meredith was sitting in a chair. She told me to grab one and pull it up next to her. We started to talk about yesterday’s exercise that we did. She then told me that she wanted to do a Murder Mystery dinner and that she wanted me to be the lead role. I agreed but asked her how this was going to work. She told me the entire dinner was going to be improv. I was confused on why she wanted me to be the lead. She told me that some people have a natural ability to improvise very quickly and that I can use this not only in the Acting world but my everyday life. She told me that I would be very good in a business situation because I can think on my feet and find solutions. I told her I would try it out.

Later in the year we did the Murder Mystery Dinner and it was a huge success. I continued to try different improvisation situations and to try to improve at it. In the summer I sold cars and I could tell that the improvisational skills that I had discovered with the help from Meredith greatly helped in my success.