My research question is how does the difference in Illinois public school funding affect the students’ futures, regarding career paths and emotional states. This question examines the unequal funding in Illinois public schools and the effects that follow cutting or increasing funding. I will interview my dad because he is a high school teacher at a large Illinois public school, so he possibly has observed the impact of changes in school funding.

            These are the questions I plan on asking:

1.         Have you noticed any changes in your school due to a change of funding?

2.         Along with changes in your school, have you noticed any fluctuations in student performance?

3.         What areas of the school would be affected first when funding decreases?

4.         Do you believe that funding affects teachers’ attitudes towards teaching?

5.         How would increasing school funding impact your school?

6.         Do you believe that your school would suffer if funding was cut in any way?

I might interview a high school teacher or principle because they would have knowledge about the impact of funding in public schools. They could have experience with changes in funding and be able to explain the effects of decreasing or increasing funding. It would be useful to give specific examples from a teacher or principle’s point of view.

Two possible questions that I could ask include:

What changes have you noticed in your school due to a change of funding?

Do you believe that your school currently needs more funding, or would it suffer if funding was cut in any way?

My research question examines the differences between public and private school funding and the impact this has on students’ lives. One source that I found is from 2015 and provides background information about how majority of the United States are cutting school funding. This article will be helpful to my paper because it gives a lot of facts about the funding that each state provides for education along with the consequences that follow a lack of funding. There is also some information that explains outside factors that influence a cut in school funding.

According to Bizup’s BEAM reading, this article is a background and argument source. It can be categorized as a background source because it has a lot of factual evidence that provides the reader with knowledge pertaining to the change in school funding, specifically for each state. Since this article writes about the consequences of cutting funding, it can also be categorized as an argument source because it shows why funding should not be decreasing. In my paper, I plan on using some of the specific facts, such as, “At least 12 states cut per-student funding this year. In nine of these states, the cuts came on top of previous cuts, leaving the state even further below pre-recession levels”. I can use this background information in the beginning of my paper to help my audience become informed about the current state of school funding compared to past years.

Article: http://leaguelafayette.org/files/states_cutting_school_funding12-10-15.pdf

My sponsors of literacy include my parents, teachers, pastors, social media applications and government officials. Before reading Brandt’s article, I would have only considered my parents, teachers, and pastors as people who have affected my literacy. I was not aware that social media and government officials have impacted my literacy too. I consider these different groups as sponsors because they all have provided me with knowledge and influenced my thoughts. When I was little, my parents always read stories to me and had me watch educational television shows which improved my ability to read and write in school. Most of my teachers are great examples of positive literacy sponsors because they provided us with several tools to learn such as books, lessons, and activities. The pastors from my church are also literacy sponsors because they taught me how to read religious texts and form my own beliefs based on the readings.

The less obvious of my literacy sponsors are social media and government officials. I talk to my friends through Snapchat and Instagram, so those apps have played a role in the way I speak and write. I also frequently see advertisements and read news on social media which influences my thoughts. Like Brandt stated, sponsors are usually powerful, influential, and have money. Government officials have all these aspects and influence my literacy because they provide information and have power in schools and the companies that promote ads on social media. The government benefits when children receive a good education because then they can later be employed for the government.

My first writing assignment in college was for my Sociology 100 class and it connects to the main idea in section 1.0 which is that writing is a social process, even if we do not realize it. A part of the prompt for my paper was to relate experiences from my life to situations that occurred in the book assigned for class. In order to do this, I had to analyze the author’s writing, and section 1.0 says, “No matter how isolated a writer may seem…she is always drawing upon the ideas and experiences of countless others”. Along with the author’s thoughts, I reflected on the concepts my professor taught because I learned a lot of new knowledge from her that I included in my paper. Even if I thought an idea I expressed was my own, I now realize that it was partially influenced by my experiences in the class.

Section 1.0 also states that the way we write is shaped by past writings which inform current writers. Since this paper was a comparative analysis, it needed to have a specific layout which I was familiar with based on past assignments. Some necessary parts of my paper was an introduction, thesis, and conclusion. My past assignments informed me how to organize my paper.

Some of the main terms we have discussed in this unit are code-switching, code-meshing, translingualism and rhetoric sensibility. I have experienced the meanings of these terms, but I did not fully learn about them until this class. I have realized how these terms have appeared in my life, especially in school. One main takeaway I have gotten from this unit is that it is important to be accepting of other languages and provide an atmosphere that is not monolingual. Typically, Standard English is the only language promoted in school which forces students to code-switch from their preferred language that they are more comfortable with. It is important to understand that different ways of speaking can share the same meanings, so it is unfair to expect everyone to conform to one language.

I think we are talking about language in Rhetoric 105 because we all have different backgrounds and experiences with language. It is important to be aware of this when we are talking with each other and peer-reviewing other classmates’ writings. If you criticize someone’s way of speaking, then it often sounds degrading to that individual and make them feel self-conscious about the way they naturally speak.

Gloria Anzaldúa writes in her linguistic autobiography, How to Tame a Wild Tongue, about her experiences using different languages throughout her life. There are aspects of Anzaldúa’s story that are similar to Starr Carter’s life in the movie, The Hate U Give. Anzaldúa speaks Chicano Spanish, along with seven other languages depending on her situation and audience. If she failed to code-switch between languages, she was often criticized by others, including teachers, her mother, or other Spanish speakers. Similarly, Starr also made sure to separate her languages between her mostly black neighborhood and mostly white private school. In Starr’s neighborhood, she commonly used slang and was even teased when she used the word “inherently”. At school, Starr refused to use slang even though her classmates frequently used it towards her.

Although Anzaldúa and Starr face difficulties with understanding their identities, they both realize that they should not be shamed for any language that they use. For example, Anzaldúa states, “I will no longer be made to feel ashamed of existing. I will have my voice…I will overcome the tradition of silence”. After being criticized throughout her life, Anzaldúa realizes that language cannot be tamed because everyone’s is unique and is a large part of one’s identity. Another powerful quote from her is, “Wild tongues can’t be tamed, they can only be cut out”. All of the languages that Anzaldúa has learned resembles some part of her life, so when individuals try to fix her languages, it feels like they are not accepting her. Starr also changes her stance on keeping her two worlds separate when she decides to stand up to her friends and make herself heard at the police protests. She starts to use code-meshing at school instead of turning into a different version of herself by completely changing her language. Although some of her friendships at school are tested after Starr allows herself to share her real opinions, it teaches her who her supportive friends are.

My writing has been critiqued throughout my experience in high school and college. Comments were typically given by my teachers and classmates during peer reviews. In peer reviews, lots of feedback was encouraged, but my own classmates often would not criticize me as much because they use a similar language as me.  I received comments on my writing and speaking at school since it is a more formal atmosphere compared to when I am communicating informally with my family and friends. It is sometimes difficult to switch from slang terms with your friends to using proper, Standard Written English for assignments in school. I think my frequent use of social media, such as Snapchat, texting, and Instagram also makes it harder to speak the “correct” language. Pattanayak’s article argues against the common idea that there is only one correct way to communicate. This article related to my educational experiences since Standard Written English has always been encouraged to be used for my writing and speaking. In high school, each assignment had strict rubrics that did not allow individuals to write or speak in a different way. These restrictions made it seem that only one language was correct, however different ways of communicating does not automatically make an individual wrong.

My family and friends rarely criticize my writing and speaking, so there is less of a sense of having only one correct language. I am able to speak more informally around them which I enjoy because I do not have to worry about following rules. My friends especially do not care if I have grammar mistakes or use slang terms since they often do too. I am glad that my family and friends offer a place where my writing and speaking is not as heavily judged since that commonly occurs in school.    

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton