An argument in class last week that discredited the Writing Center as a site of service learning was that there is never a time when consultant and consultee are both experts on the writing they are doing. The consultee is always there for help that the consultant gives.
I disagree. Many times undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty come to the Writing Center as experts of their own fields and the questioning, brainstorming, writing, and revising that is formed as a result of these consultations is more collaborative in nature that the typical tutor-over-tutee relationship.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Positioning and Service-Learning
Last week I wrote "Public service entails joining others in a common project of social change. How are we helping a larger public than just the LJHP? And why haven't we discussed issues beyond our immediate projects?" I've given this topic a lot of thought, especially as I've worked on my annotated bibliography, and the conclusion that I've come to is that our project is safe. I say safe because (our and their) race and class among other positionings are not challenged in the process of completing our project(s).
Students and instructor included, we are all white (though some of us may have well-hidden racial backgrounds) and bring with us white privilege. We all have at least four years of university experience and, since we are highly educated individuals, we are all assumed to be middle-class Americans, or at least people who had a middle to upper-middle class upbringing. All of those distinct positionings, though we rarely analyze them, give us the privilege to do exactly that--ignore our positionings and assume that we are all the same (or drastically different from Others).
Flaim and Jim, as representatives of the LJHP, are white, college-educated, middle-to-upper-middle class individuals, so there is little to discuss as far as social issues in our project(s) with them. However, one of the goals in many definitions of service-learning is to work with a group toward social change. Without the added critical look at social issues within the LJHP, I feel like this part of the course is aimless. So I've helped and will continue to help these people. So what? Without a critical look into "social injustices" that brought about the need for this project, I cannot answer that most important question. In fact, without professor guidance (i.e. questions for the blog, modeling of stories, etc.), we are not posed to delve into the issues, if any, that bring about a real need for this project.
I guess the question of need is a stopping point for me. I have a hard time justifying the work I'm doing as a real need of the LJHP and the greater community. In fact, considering the positionings and privileges of LJHP members, I see our research as fulfilling more of a want than a need. They want to produce their book sooner rather than later (maybe in five years, as opposed to the ten without our collaboration). Does the community need this book? I don't really think so. Will the community benefit from this book? No. Flaim and Jim claim that one of there missions is to stop the growth of McMansions on Lake James, but I don't see a connection between their project and this.
What could their projects, and our reflections, look like if the focus was truly on stopping the McMansion-izing of Lake James? First of all, I don't think the final product would be a book. In fact, I believe this course would focus on creating and performing public events in Angola and around Northeast Indiana to shed light on how upper classes taking over lake property effects other classes and lake life in general. Flaim and Jim already do this, but their focus is more on nostalgia and entertainment rather than on preservation. Instead of helping them with research for a book, we could be writing to government officials and giving demonstrations at town halls. Instead of journaling about research gaps, we could be reflecting on social injustice in class readings, our personal lives, and in our service-learning experiences. In this way, the course could also be cross-listed with an undergraduate sociology course.
Students and instructor included, we are all white (though some of us may have well-hidden racial backgrounds) and bring with us white privilege. We all have at least four years of university experience and, since we are highly educated individuals, we are all assumed to be middle-class Americans, or at least people who had a middle to upper-middle class upbringing. All of those distinct positionings, though we rarely analyze them, give us the privilege to do exactly that--ignore our positionings and assume that we are all the same (or drastically different from Others).
Flaim and Jim, as representatives of the LJHP, are white, college-educated, middle-to-upper-middle class individuals, so there is little to discuss as far as social issues in our project(s) with them. However, one of the goals in many definitions of service-learning is to work with a group toward social change. Without the added critical look at social issues within the LJHP, I feel like this part of the course is aimless. So I've helped and will continue to help these people. So what? Without a critical look into "social injustices" that brought about the need for this project, I cannot answer that most important question. In fact, without professor guidance (i.e. questions for the blog, modeling of stories, etc.), we are not posed to delve into the issues, if any, that bring about a real need for this project.
I guess the question of need is a stopping point for me. I have a hard time justifying the work I'm doing as a real need of the LJHP and the greater community. In fact, considering the positionings and privileges of LJHP members, I see our research as fulfilling more of a want than a need. They want to produce their book sooner rather than later (maybe in five years, as opposed to the ten without our collaboration). Does the community need this book? I don't really think so. Will the community benefit from this book? No. Flaim and Jim claim that one of there missions is to stop the growth of McMansions on Lake James, but I don't see a connection between their project and this.
What could their projects, and our reflections, look like if the focus was truly on stopping the McMansion-izing of Lake James? First of all, I don't think the final product would be a book. In fact, I believe this course would focus on creating and performing public events in Angola and around Northeast Indiana to shed light on how upper classes taking over lake property effects other classes and lake life in general. Flaim and Jim already do this, but their focus is more on nostalgia and entertainment rather than on preservation. Instead of helping them with research for a book, we could be writing to government officials and giving demonstrations at town halls. Instead of journaling about research gaps, we could be reflecting on social injustice in class readings, our personal lives, and in our service-learning experiences. In this way, the course could also be cross-listed with an undergraduate sociology course.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Oral Performances at Camp
(Chapter 6, Box 27 Action)
Here are three songs representative of what at least one generation of campers sang at Camp Pokagon for Girls.
SPIRIT OF POKAGON
By Lou Meynard
Wake up every morning with a smile upon your face
Like the sun as it dawns across the lake.
Dreams of Pokagon that your memories can’t erase
The fragile times that time could never break.
Spring has its blossom, and autumn drops her leaves
But summer at Pokagon never ends.
‘Cause now it’s yours forever, sing out what your heart believes:
The spirit of Pokagon is your friends.
The spirit of Pokagon is your friends.
Due to lack of humor, this particular song seems to be one of the more serious songs sung by campers. From the use of metaphor in this song (and the sheer amounf of songs I've compiled--about 200) we can tell how much of a bonding force 4-8 weeks of camp life was for these girls.
TAKE ME OUT TO POKAGON
Take me out to Pokagon, take me out to the camp.
Buy me a sweatshirt and sleeping bag;
I don’t care if my counselor’s a hag!
For it’s slap, slap, slap the mosquitoes,
Stay away from the snakes!
For it’s 1,2, 3 clean the john
And the other rakes!
This song, sung to Take Me Out to the Ballgame, illustrates some of the more humorous elements of camp life. Campers eveidently needed sweatshirts, which tells us that weather was probably unpredictable at camp. Apparently, there also seems to be a tradition of ugly "hag" counselors, as well as persistant pests, such as mosquitoes and snakes. This song also reveals some of the values at camp; cleaning was definitely something everyone, like it or not, had to participate in.
WE ARE POKAGON GIRLS
We are Pokagon girls, we wear our hair in curls.
We wear our father’s shirts, we are the biggest flirts!
We wear our dungarees way up above our knees.
Hey boys, here come Pokagon girls! Hey!
To me, this song reveals the desire many girls had to maintain their feminine side while spending their summers in a traditionally masculine way. Though these girls wore men's clothing, they still did their hair and maintained a charm to attract what I assume to be the boys from Camp Pokagon for Boys. This song also alludes to the fact that there may have been a connection between the boys' camp and girls' camp, though they were located in different areas on Lake James.
Here are three songs representative of what at least one generation of campers sang at Camp Pokagon for Girls.
SPIRIT OF POKAGON
By Lou Meynard
Wake up every morning with a smile upon your face
Like the sun as it dawns across the lake.
Dreams of Pokagon that your memories can’t erase
The fragile times that time could never break.
Spring has its blossom, and autumn drops her leaves
But summer at Pokagon never ends.
‘Cause now it’s yours forever, sing out what your heart believes:
The spirit of Pokagon is your friends.
The spirit of Pokagon is your friends.
Due to lack of humor, this particular song seems to be one of the more serious songs sung by campers. From the use of metaphor in this song (and the sheer amounf of songs I've compiled--about 200) we can tell how much of a bonding force 4-8 weeks of camp life was for these girls.
TAKE ME OUT TO POKAGON
Take me out to Pokagon, take me out to the camp.
Buy me a sweatshirt and sleeping bag;
I don’t care if my counselor’s a hag!
For it’s slap, slap, slap the mosquitoes,
Stay away from the snakes!
For it’s 1,2, 3 clean the john
And the other rakes!
This song, sung to Take Me Out to the Ballgame, illustrates some of the more humorous elements of camp life. Campers eveidently needed sweatshirts, which tells us that weather was probably unpredictable at camp. Apparently, there also seems to be a tradition of ugly "hag" counselors, as well as persistant pests, such as mosquitoes and snakes. This song also reveals some of the values at camp; cleaning was definitely something everyone, like it or not, had to participate in.
WE ARE POKAGON GIRLS
We are Pokagon girls, we wear our hair in curls.
We wear our father’s shirts, we are the biggest flirts!
We wear our dungarees way up above our knees.
Hey boys, here come Pokagon girls! Hey!
To me, this song reveals the desire many girls had to maintain their feminine side while spending their summers in a traditionally masculine way. Though these girls wore men's clothing, they still did their hair and maintained a charm to attract what I assume to be the boys from Camp Pokagon for Boys. This song also alludes to the fact that there may have been a connection between the boys' camp and girls' camp, though they were located in different areas on Lake James.
Insider Language
(Chapter 6, Box 25 Action)
In gathering information about Camp Pokagon for Girls, I found a lot of terms used by former campers. For instance:
Pow-Wow The end-of-camp newsletters issued by Herman Phillips--"Phil"--the director. I found copies of these newsletters dating from 1966 to 1976.
However, I found many mentionings of camp events and, without explanations, I can only guess from pictures what they entail. For example, I found pictures of whaleboating, Miss Icky, Water Olympics, Kangaroo Court, Pokagon Playhouse, Dew Drop, Horseback Breakfast, and several other events.
I'm awaiting a reply from the former Camp Pokagon for Girls staff, but so far all I've gotten is an automated message that tells me rather enthusiastically that I will be receiving a reply soon. Without an interview, will some of the events be lost, only recorded as random pictures? Here is where our family history project research ties in with service learning research. In both areas of study this semester I've come across great artifacts (pictures, letters, etc.), but have had little luck finding an insider to tell me the stories behind the artifacts.
Due to limited time, what I might have to do is collect as many songs, jokes, and other written oral performances as I can and let those artifacts tell the stories. Afterall, performances reveal at the very least "the everyday rules and rituals that a culture lives by" (337), so I might be able to create narrative materials loosely based on the word choices repeated in songs.
In gathering information about Camp Pokagon for Girls, I found a lot of terms used by former campers. For instance:
Pow-Wow The end-of-camp newsletters issued by Herman Phillips--"Phil"--the director. I found copies of these newsletters dating from 1966 to 1976.
However, I found many mentionings of camp events and, without explanations, I can only guess from pictures what they entail. For example, I found pictures of whaleboating, Miss Icky, Water Olympics, Kangaroo Court, Pokagon Playhouse, Dew Drop, Horseback Breakfast, and several other events.
I'm awaiting a reply from the former Camp Pokagon for Girls staff, but so far all I've gotten is an automated message that tells me rather enthusiastically that I will be receiving a reply soon. Without an interview, will some of the events be lost, only recorded as random pictures? Here is where our family history project research ties in with service learning research. In both areas of study this semester I've come across great artifacts (pictures, letters, etc.), but have had little luck finding an insider to tell me the stories behind the artifacts.
Due to limited time, what I might have to do is collect as many songs, jokes, and other written oral performances as I can and let those artifacts tell the stories. Afterall, performances reveal at the very least "the everyday rules and rituals that a culture lives by" (337), so I might be able to create narrative materials loosely based on the word choices repeated in songs.
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