Blog Post 9

In our writing circles this week, we had an intriguing conversation about our papers and how they were so very intermixed. The underlying thread of Mike’s paper and the main idea of my paper were very much aligned. We talked about how you have to connect with the students in order to motivate them, as well as build a rapport. Somehow, we got into a conversation about how these papers and research experiences will shape and fit into our future. We discussed how these experiences have altered our view of “research” and that we feel more capable in our future endeavors because of the wide variety that we now understand to be “research.” The next changes in my paper will be based on Mike and Emily’s suggestions. They reiterated the fact that I need to bring everything back to my main idea and state my experiences, while incorporating research that either agrees with my ethnographic writing, or expands upon it to validate it on a greater level. I am looking for my paper to really make people contemplate and reflect upon their own experiences with rapport. I want to impact the readers who are in the field of education, as well as those who are not. Mike and Emily both expressed their interest and excitement to read my final essay. They feel that my research is pertinent to the field of education and will be encouraging and inspirational. Their interest and profound support has motivated me to continue editing and reworking my paper.