Below is an example of a student post for the second post. I will comment on the post in red:
Note that she turned this in on time and her spelling and grammar are correct. She writes clearly and properly. (Academic Expectations)
I don't have a car, but this past week my dad went on a business
trip to Dubai and I got to drive to school. I also had to park at the
train station, because I don't have a parking pass. If you have
ever walked from the train station to school, it isn't bad but it is a
little bit of a walk. Also I like being to school early so it was about 7
am when I took this walk and I walk slow (it was a long walk). It gave
me some time to think. Every step I tried to be mindful of all the
things that were happening around me. For example, how so many other
people had walked this same path making it easier for me to walk because
all the snow is trodden down or how my scarf was made in Thailand and
some worker across the world had made that scarf for eventually me to
wear, or my favorite is how someone, long ago when the side walk was
paved, drew two circles with dots in the middle (to be interpreted as
what ever you please) right by parking lot A and it makes me laugh every
time. Then it went to how my steps could be saving someone else in the
future from slipping, or maybe my owl hat was recognized by one of the
passing cars which would brighten their day since they really think my
hat is cute (I mean it is) and that will make them a little more chipper
going into work and so on.
See how she relates of this to unique examples from her own life? Her writing is authentic - it only applies to her. (Sociological content)
In that short but
long walk, I started to get it. Everything around me at every moment in
the day is created by others and society makes me who I am. My mom was
telling me about some woman who lost all of her memory, and had to
relearn everything as if she were an infant and it makes me wonder how
much different she'll be. The influence of society will be so different
for her now opposed to when she was born, say, in the 60s.
I
really like the picture my teacher drew that helped me understand the
difference between sociological imagination and mindfulness
demonstrating how imagination is how society affects you and mindfulness
is how you affect society.
She uses the terms from class (sociological imagination and mindfulness) and explains what they mean. (Sociological Content)
It's
crazy to think how everything is intertwined. I agree completely with
what Schwalbe says about sociological mindfulness being so rare because
of the guilt that accompanies it. Knowing that you have such a great
impact on the world, and all the power it inhibits is frightening that
you could be supporting child labor by buying a certain shoe, or that
your bad mood could set off a string of bad moods to make others unhappy
or do something drastic. At the same time though, it's incredible. That
same power that can creating bad can also create immense good. In this paragraph she demonstrates that she understands what the reading was about and she comments on the reading by talking about it in her own words. (Literacy)
Sociological
imagination: Realizing that my friend turned my bad day into a great
one just by one hug and recognition that I am loved.
Sociological
mindfulness: Taking my now escalated mood to change another friend's
bad day into a better one by going on a whim to go to "Color Me Me"
after school with her since she was upset.
End result: Happiness. (: