Last Blog

Still can not believe that this is our last blog. In a way this is bittersweet for me because I enjoyed doing this and it was a new genre for me. The closest to blogging I have ever done is reblogging someone's post on tumblr.

For this blog post I will be talking about my resume and how it came to be.

I never really started to write a resume until I started college, when I actually wanted to apply for a program. I researched everything online to figure out how to write one and still could not figure out a way to make it look professional and have every element it was suppose to have. I had a random thought in my head and asked my friend to send me his resume, without questions, besides telling him I was applying for a research position. I copied his format and changed everything he had as experience with what I have done. I have not really done a lot besides be in a club and help out at my youth group, so I had to exaggerate as many things as I could about it.

I realized from this week's class that the experience had to be relatable to the position you're applying for and nearly nothing was, at the time, but it was the only I could put on a resume. It took me a very long time to come up with something adequate on my resume, but unfortunately, I didn't get the research position and my friend did, even though she wasn't gonna apply until I told her. I'm glad she got it anyways hahah.

Besides having to figure out what to put on my resume, I also had to figure out how to make it fit all on one page. It was not that hard except I used a small font (which I realized now shouldn't be too small) and also I had to figure out what sort of skills I did have as well. Since this week's class, I realized that I really need to redo my whole resume because a majority of the "not to do's" was on my resume.

On the plus side, the same resume with just a bit retweeking, got me my job as a cashier. At least my average resume led me to something new that I can also put on my resume!

Blog #8

The thing about working is that it does not matter what kind of job it is, it is why you're doing it that matters. Some people just need money, like me,or support their families. A job is a job, no matter what education you had or have not had.

Mirabelli defined service jobs as, "any kind of work which fundamentally involves face-to-face or voice-to-voice interactions and conscious manipulation of self-presentation." (pg.144) That is pretty much any job, unless it is an office job that makes you sit on a computer all day long. Every job requires some kind of interaction with another human being and what makes each job different are wages/salary.

Wages are one of the main things why people degrade regular service jobs that do not require a degree. If you are making only minimum wage at a burger shop, for example, the instant judging happens and people do not realize that you chose to get that job at your current age.

Another thing is that people sometimes take it more seriously than you do and there's no really point because you could always find a better job if you wanted to. Skills that were learnt in that job will continue to be with you to the next job or benefit you in your life.

Take Starbucks baristas for example. They probably know how to make a bunch of drinks at home without even having to pay Starbucks pricing. It takes a lot of skill to remember how to make a bunch of drinks and for me, they do contribute a lot to society because they help me stay up all night if I need to for an assignment. The coffee drinks they make probably help everyone wake up in the morning a lot, even the people who believe that low paying jobs are low-skilled.

I also work at these "low skilled jobs," as a cashier at Home Depot. It actually took a lot of effort because I had to learn new terms and figure where some things are, especially when some random customer brings me an item without a bar code. I had to know where everything is on the register and on top of that quickly ring up a customer, while having a huge line behind them.

So no matter what kind of job it is, it does not matter because you learn something from their every time. For me, it was being a bit more social, outgoing, and more brave to go do something random.

blog #7: the mushier the better?

So recently (kind of) I started my first ever job at Home Depot working as a cashier. I applied on a whim, since I had nothing better to do, I needed to save up for a car and just gain experience in something.

I honestly did not know what to expect at all, considering it is my first job, and I was pretty shy when it comes to people. Sometimes it is easier to push my shyness away when it's one to one interaction with a person and not a whole huge group presentation. (I also had to show the manager that I was really outgoing during the interview =') lol)

During my "training" after I got hired, I became a nervous wreck on the inside because I felt that I would mess up a lot. They would go over how the register looked, where everything is and online computer training (which is really useless tbh). I did not get to see how other cashiers ring up customers, until they actually assigned a "coach." I was suppose to get 3 sessions of coaching and actual practice with real customers but of course, since it is retail, there's never anyone there for stuff like that, so I only got one. I was later put on a register and just had to ask questions when I needed help.

I basically had to create my own image based on that one session and adapt to it, again pushing my shyness and introvertness (if that is a word haha) aside, if I wanted a paycheck. While working on the register alone, after that session, I would essentially study how the other cashiers in the other registers would greet customers and how they would scan items. I had to watch how they dressed every day so that I would not be over or under dressed and I had to learn quickly how to look up items that did not have a bar code. (the worst thing that a customer can do)

As I eased myself into the world of cashiering, I got the hang of it and became faster. It became a routine of mushfaking kindness and pretending that I knew what I was doing. It became a repeating process of greeting the customer, grabbing their stuff, scanning their stuff, and asking if it was debit or credit. I sort of seemed like a robot doing it even though it was exactly what the other cashiers are doing and the only time it was different is if the customer had a cute baby or dog with them.

After I mushfaked, even now, I molded myself into actually being a cashier and the 4 hour shifts seemed like only 1 hour. I was able to be more of myself with the other cashiers because we would all relate to times we dealt with weird customers and I am able to start my shift without screwing up every 10 sec. So mushfaking into this job worked pretty well, considering I am still working there and have not been yelled at by anyone yet, even though all of the head cashiers are still pretty cool. I still get pretty scared when a customer asks me a really random question or where something is and I guess I use mushfaking to act like I know or just end up asking someone else.

Blog #6

College.. oh college, how it is suppose to be one of the best years of your life.

Of course it is never like that for me at all and I always end up having the direct opposite with schools and "fitting in."

I became a part of the group of kids who were expected to go to college right after high school. Especially I had to go to college or university because of my background. I am a first generation, Mexican-American, who comes from a low-income family. No one on either side of my family has ever gone to college and even more pressure to do well was given to me. (Definitely, not completely living up to that.) Basically, part of the reason I go to college is so that I do not have to deal with having no steady job in the future and sort of take care of my parents in the future because they want me to be successful. The other reason is to have a little bit of a social distance or freedom from my home life and replace it with school, that also has its side effects. Those side effects include, but not limited to, stress, depression, anxiety/nervousness, and feeling of failure/disappointment.

I am most likely not the only one dealing with that, but I have learned to sort of keep it under controlled.

When I started my first year at SDSU, it took me a long time to get used to everything that had to deal with college. New faces everywhere I went, new locations, walking everywhere, and taking tests with 100+ people. Even now, I will probably never get used to it and what made me "fit in" a but more was that I found a small group of friends that I can be around, since we were all in the same major and were taking the same classes.

It took until my second year of college to find this group of amazing people and lessen the side effects. Even though I hated taking tests, I have somewhat got used to failing some tests while doing great on some.

Between school and my family, my family never sees the difficulty I go through with school and expects me to no get Cs (forget about getting a D or F). They always ask why I am up at 1 A.M or when I am going to sleep, but they never understand that coming home from school and having to either go to work after school or start immediately on homework is emotionally draining. I try not to show that side to them because I know they work hard to provide for our family. So the least I could do is keep those side effects within and do well in school, right? Sometimes I feel a bit like a robot when I home because it is always eat, take a nap, start homework, and finally get some sleep. While at school, I can "be myself" part of the time that is not used with lectures and furiously writing notes down.

So, immersing myself in school, an academic discourse community, was a little bit harder than high school because in high school all I had to do was follow directions and at SDSU, I was on my own when it came to needing help, since my family did not know anything.

Good thing I sort of have the hang of it after stating my third year here. One more year to go after this one lol

Hello everyone!!

So it is 1 A.M on a Sunday (actually Monday morning) trying to write this blog, dreading that it is gonna be the start of another school week. Hopefully I can get back to the routine of not being so tired of going to school and pushing/procrastinating assignments back. I am also pretty tired right now but not enough to go to sleep, so I decided to finish this blog and blast music to keep me from sleeping.
  #mood


The reason for mentioning all of this was because the JSTOR Daily article, "Where American Public Schools Came From," reminded me that I have another week of school. =))

In all seriousness, this article explains that way before the American Revolution, free education for children was a huge need, thanks to the Protestant's wanting more people to learn how to read and write. Ideas kept spreading and sooner or later, the Puritans influenced America, at the time, to pass laws for establishing schools. Of course new taxes were made, which discouraged people and others decided to enroll their children in religion based schools. Later on, more reforms were made to switch state-controlled schools to more public schools.

I found it great that people in the past kept pushing for education or else we would not be as far in technology or advanced in some areas of life.
 

I was sort of let down when reading the JSTOR Daily article on the Netflix show "Stranger Things," mainly because I thought it would talk more about the show than a little bit of synopsis and nose bleeds. For some reason, I had my hopes up mainly because I have heard so much about this show everywhere on the internet and that it was one of those shows that you had to watch. I still have not seen it, so on the bright side, at least the article did not spoil too much other than nose bleeds and what the general plot was.

Another reason why I was let down a little was the nosebleeds. It seemed like a cliche that a person with psychic powers would get a nosebleed every time they overused it. The background on the nose bleeds were more interesting in that a 1945 article explained that nose bleeds are one of the "Five Signs of Death." A person would die within 1 to 5 years because of the nose bleeds.

I guess I will stick to actually watching the show, when sometime during the semester I actually have time.

Moving onto Op-Eds, or editorials with the writers opinion on a subject in it, the most interesting one that caught my eye first is "Criminal Rape Cases Should Not be on a Ticking Clock." The author of this Op-Ed,Gloria Allred, explains that victims of rape have a deadline of 10 years when it comes to facing their accusers in court in order for them to receive their justice and a bit of closure on their lives. She explains that this is the average of what most states put as their limitations on filing criminal cases on rape or sexual assault, unless there is DNA evidence.

What made this editorial different than other articles I have read is that Allred explains the situation like there is small chance for hope as long as the bill gets passed by California's state governor, Jerry Brown. She has a point when she mentions that not all victims report their case to authorities and I believe it takes time to talk about those issues to another person whether it be a day or even more than 10 years. They should be allowed to get their justice towards their attackers because they left an emotional scar that is very hard to recover from. It is sad that most attackers get away with it, with barely a scratch on their hand and that most common offenses, receive the most jail time or fines. Hopefully, California works towards being more strict on charging rapists and attackers in the future.

Allred also mentioned the well known case of Bill Cosby taking advantage of many women and the fact that not a lot of legal action has been done in favor of the victims. Of course there has to be some proof or everyone will be accusing each other but, the women that have been telling the truth and nothing but the truth, have not received any compensation for that traumatizing experience.


Well anyways, I've got to end it here because I need some sleep for once this week.

See you all in class!!

Lisset Perales

In the article, "Teaching Critical Genre Awareness," by Amy Devitt, explains the way genres work when writing and that most of the time, genres can constrict the writer to only use one style of writing unless the writing is part of a larger problem in society. Devitt argues that students should learn how to write genres through learning about "critical genre awareness" so that they can make generic choices. Critical genre awareness stems from rhetorical awareness, or being aware of things that hold meanings in people's lives. Rhetorical awareness allows for people to not be confined in writing typical five paragraph essays and allows for them to add more personal elements in their writing because writers would understand the context even more. Devitt uses many sources, who I assume are authors or researchers, to further explain genre awareness and how it should be taught to other students. Devitt also uses very advanced diction in order to show how knowledgeable she is about the subject and adding more credibility. She also includes a detailed chart, that contains three pedagogies as a guide to write different genres.

When I first read the title, I first though of movies because the word "genre" is usually associated with movie titles and what kind of movie it is. Most of the time it is more common to hear "genre" used in movies than it is with a style of writing.

Devitt uses the word "genre" as an umbrella term for every type of writing and only gives examples as a five paragraph essay or a three-part thesis. With these examples, she mentions that teachers can show students how to write those types of paper but they lack personality because students will only write about an argument and the not the ideologies about it.

For the most part, all I have ever learned was to write five paragraph essays, precis, and annotating the text in every essay I have written. Throughout all of this writing, I was never able to write with a personal input into the essays, unless it was just commentary to support the argument. This led to not doing a lot of creative writing, even though I have no creativity in writing whatsoever, growing up. If teachers explored different genres of writing, students would have been more well-rounded in their writing and be more knowledgeable about different types of genres in writing, rather than just the typical introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion type of essays.

Devitt does give insight about the existence of other types of writing because most of the time I do not realize there is a genre besides the "What is the argument?" essays. Also, being exposed to more genres would have allowed us to have more variety in our vocabulary because students, like myself, would be more open to other author's ideas and we would have gotten a taste of those type of diction. For example, I had no idea what a "pedagogy" was and simply it was just another word for "teachings" or the methods of a teachings but, now I know how to use that word thanks to this new type of article I have encountered.

Another argument that Devitt makes is that teachers choose their types of genres to teach students and it is not necessarily teaching, more like showing how it would look like. Teachers choose to assign five paragraph essays because it fits "California Standards," but, within those standards, they still could have chose more variety in their articles and possibly even try a different type of genre, instead of the typical five paragraph essay. As far as I remember from middle to high school, we were given packets of how to write the five paragraph essays, words for transitions and commentaries. When so many people receive those packets, it starts to feel that we are all writing the same type of paper because we were all using basically the same words.

I thought that Devitt's idea of genres fit so well with how students only writing the same types of essays  because she claims that "The spread of a genre creates shared aims and social structures" (pg 342). Since most students do not use too many different genres, unless it is like a poem, we do not really share too many aims or different social structures unless it is outside of school and on other forums, for example, social media.

Since starting college, I am kinda glad that I am being more exposed to different genres because I have not written a 5 paragraph essay in a while and usually it is more. (internally cries) Also in this RWS class, I am a bit conflicted on how I feel about writing these types of blogs, because it is so new to me, and also the different type of essays we will be writing in the future.

Prologue

So let's first start through the cliche and easiest way to say hello and introduce myself a little bit.

Hey guys!! My name is Lisset Perales, even though Starbucks and other stores like to call me "Lisa." My mom tells me to say my name in Spanish but, every time I do, it always ends up being Lisa. Long story short, I either spell it out for them or say it with a "z" instead with an "s." I can not believe that the first thing I tell you is how to say my name correctly and it's not even that it bothers me, I just  notice it a lot. 

So for the more application type of details about me; I am 20 years old, a third year at SDSU, I am also majoring in Biology and planning on declaring a Spanish minor soon.

I am the oldest child of three and I have a younger brother and sister. They're cool. My littlest sister is 8,which I find so funny and weird that we're about 11-12 years apart. That's like the age of another kid.

Personality wise, I am about 60% introverted, 40% extroverted but those numbers completely change on the situation. It's always the new things that make me more introverted, anxious, nervous and all synonyms to describe shyness. Whenever I have to speak in front of the class, my words stumble and I end up speaking really weird. For example, I end up thinking way ahead of myself and say it out of order, even if I think or plan it out many times. It's so weird that when I am talking to someone one to one, it is the complete opposite and I could talk to them for a while, until I run out of things to say.

A lot of people say I am friendly which sort of surprised me because usually I have a blank straight face when I am not talking to someone or if I don't smile. So I thought that would give people the opposite impression.

One thing that I hope to accomplish is to stop drinking so much coffee and indulging in snacks. Also, to make procrastination my enemy instead of my best friend, like in the past. It's not even the crazy long coffee names that I am addicted to. It's just iced coffee with flavored creamer and a bunch of sugar (which is the worse part). I just realized this post is kind of ranting about myself but, trust me, I don't complain too much, unless it is ochem or some really hard class.

Another thing about me is that with my biology major, I plan on working towards medical school and becoming possibly a pediatrician or a family doctor. I say possibly because med-school is so hard and sometimes I feel that I will never be enough for them. But there's no foul in trying to get in. I really enjoy the whole hospital theme and creepy as this sounds, I enjoy being around kids. They have their own little world, language, actions and basically, I want to be a part of it. Also, they're really cute.

My life is pretty boring as well, compared to people who do a billion things at one time, while I am sometimes just sitting at home studying my butt off, binge watching Youtube channels or kdramas.

That's another thing about me is that I like to watch kdramas or Korean dramas. It randomly started with me trying to figure out what to watch scrolling through tumblr and seeing random screenshots of dramas. My favorite drama is called "It's Ok, That's Love," which is a sort of medical theme that centers around a psychiatrist dealing with her issues while also meeting this new famous writer. I think it's pretty good and I always try to reccomend it. Of course there's subtitles because I don't even know how to speak Korean, but I always plan on learning a little bit.

Most of the time I do not mention the kdrama obsession thing or this new phenomenon I encountered last year, called kpop (Korean pop music). One reason I do not tell a lot of people about it, is because they think I am weirder than I already am and one of the main questions I get towards this "hobby" is "Why do you watch it, if you don't understand them at all?" So to explain a little about kpop is that there are a lot of groups with sometimes a lot of members in them, about 4+ but there has been a lot of groups with about 7 or more people in it. They all work hard to sing all together in a song and also remember the hard choreography to it, depending on what types of concepts they want to show to audiences.

The first group I officially started be a fan was BTS, which has recently become more famous around the world. A couple other groups that I have became a fan of is Seventeen (that has 13 members!), Exo, and Monsta X. Some people think that this is strange, but it's the same concept as liking an artist in the U.S or Mexico. One goal is that I hope to see one of those groups live, either in South Korea (when I have the money to travel =) ) or if they ever decide to come to the states again.

So hopefully this introduction gives you a little insight on who I am, but honestly, this is who I think I am and it might not be the same when you meet me in person. Thanks everyone for reading this because sometimes it's hard to talk about myself in a non-narcissistic way especially when I do not do this too much! I hope this class will be fun with everyone!!