Author's Note: Final Portfolio

The only piece in my portfolio that does not match up with the grading rubric is the pre-writing. I did both pre-writes on MS word because I was sick the day we did it on the blog.

My overall topic or theme for this portfolio was about teen truancy and the daytime curfew that was implemented in order to solve the problem. The solution to this problem, which I focused on in all three pieces, was the parents taking responsibility for their children.
My letter to the editor takes a very honest approach and while I agreed with some of the author's arguments, I made some of my own. I believe it was very direct and did not dance around my opinion, but rather stated it clearly. This was the one piece that I had a problem cutting down and I was a little bit over the word count cut off, however I could not pull things out without the whole argument falling apart.
The OP ED piece is my favorite piece that I have written. Although in my first draft it may have seemed like I was attacking the parents, I changed that in the second draft to take a softer approach and pull in the target audience before I started telling them what they were doing wrong. I also tried to calm down my opinion because I realized it may drive some readers away from my editorial because it is too strong and it would make them uncomfortable.
My humor piece took me a while to think of because I am particularly uncomfortable with writing in this way. I decided on the Dr. Seuss parody because it was a light-hearted way to approach a serious subject. I didn't change anything from the original draft to the final draft because I really liked my original and I didn't receive any comments on how to change it that I thought would make it better. Again, in this piece I focus on the parents and how they should be held responsible for their children.

Overall, I am pleased with my portfolio. I feel like I put in a lot of work and spent more time editing the OP ED and LTTE than I have on previous portfolios so I hope that works in my favor and that I caught everything.

Humor Argument: Author's Note

My humorous argument is in the form of a parody of a Dr. Seuss poem "One Fish, Two Fish." I really like it, especially since I am not a very creative or funny person and I think that it is a good expression of me as an author that I could actually pull this off! My topic of truancy and the daytime teen curfew was also a very flexible to work with and made it easy to replace the words of the original story.
I like the format of my argument because I think that although it is direct and does point the finger of responsibility at the parents of truants, it is still humorous because it approaches the subject through a very childish medium. Dr. Seuss is also very popular so I feel that it works in terms of presenting my argument in a format that many people would understand.
My concerns with my humorous argument is that it does not touch on an argument and that it is a little bit too silly. I am wondering also if I should have picked a more mature medium for my argument because I feel like my position on this issue will not be taken seriously. Also, is it funny enough? Are there any alterations I could do to this piece to make it better or more complete? I am also concerned with whether or not it is long enough because I put a lot of effort in to it but I do not know if it reflects that.

Explanation of Humor in my Argument

The humor in my argument takes sort of a childish form. I think that because of the format it is very effective in terms of being relateable to all kinds of audiences. I don't think I really have that specific of an audience because I think it is applicable to anyone, even those who don't know anything about the issue at hand. I like that I didn't do a comic because I didn't feel like that medium would be very effective with this issue. Overall I am pleased with my humor argument because I think that it is original and not offensive or over-the-top. I think that humor is my least favorite type of argument to make, however I did somewhat enjoy changing this classic story around to fit my purpose.

Humor Examples for Teen Curfew

I found three cartoons that were about curfews in general because none were that specific to the daytime curfews being imposed on Dallas teenagers. The first use of humor is in a cartoon that has bats hanging upside down and the text reads "And where have you been all day young lady? Your mother and I have been worried sick!" This is a play on words especially considering the fact that bats are nocturnal animals. I can't really tell however what position this cartoon artist was taking when they designed this picture.
The second humorous cartoon I found was a sketch that showed a police officer asking a teenager in baggy clothes and a baseball cap on "Shouldn't you be in Youth Detention Center?" It is hard to tell exactly what this author was trying to argue, but he was probably trying to say that the curfew criminalizes teenagers who are outside of class, even if they are not doing anything legally wrong.
The third and final example I found was not that funny, nor did I really understand the point of it. It was just a visual representation of the curfew. It kind of mocks the time frames that have been set forth for evening curfews, but it does not focus on daytime curfews.
Overall, it was hard to find examples of humor relating to my topic in any form. I think after looking for some more things besides cartoons I may gain a better understanding as to how this issue is comedic to some, or how to portray it as a humorous argument. I think that maybe because this topic is fairly serious and addresses the issue of truancy, it will be important to keep the target audience in mind when creating this piece of work.

Author's Note Draft One OP ED

I like my draft for my OP ED piece. I wrote the second half outside of class and then it somehow got deleted so I had to rewrite it and now I don't think I like the second draft as much but I guess that's okay because no one would ever have known that I wrote it differently unless I said something. I want to make sure that my draft is clear in terms of giving enough background information to understand my stance on the issue. I also want to make sure that the formatting is correct as well as general editing such as grammatical and word choice.
I enjoyed the fact that I could share my strong opinion on this OP ED because that is the type of writing I like the most. I really like some of the sarcastic humor I use and I know that it is risky but I think I have done a fairly good job and I am very proud of my draft because I feel it reflects myself and my personality.

Pre-Writing OP ED

Overall Subject Tone:
The general tone that is being expressed is that enforcing a teen daytime curfew will not be effective and that it violates certain human rights as well as a parent’s right to choose where and what their children are doing. What is interesting about these pieces is that they are very one-sided meaning that there are barely any from those who DO support the curfew. I also think that those who are responding to this new ordinance that is trying to be put in place are reactions of student’s parents who are already very involved in their lives. The parents and individuals responding that there should be no curfew need to realize that this curfew is not targeted at them or their children, but rather at those parents and students who are uninterested in their child’s attendance to school and who are lacking in the motivational or incentive department to be at school regularly.
Narrowing In:
My overall focus will be on the parents. For those that are opposing this new ordinance: I am interested in why they are so particularly concerned. Are they admitting that their child is out of school frequently, on the streets, up to no good and creating problems in society? If not, then why do they care so much? For those parents who have not said anything – why not? Is it maybe a harsh reality for them that they do not know what is going on in their children’s lives or are just too busy to care about it? What about citizens who do not have any children at all? Why would they oppose a curfew that will keep truants from breaking into their homes and businesses during the day?
Course of Action:
My specific course of action would be to support it and focus more on the issue at hand: proper parenting. For those parents who are protesting this ordinance, what type of example does that set for your child? That you are opposed to them being in class when they should be? It makes absolutely no sense. I also will directly point the finger directly to truant’s parents that I feel are the root of the cause. I will encourage those individuals who oppose the curfew to look deeper into their School District Boards and see what they are doing to fix the problem besides just relying on the police force.
Rhetorical Appeals:
I think that by using all rhetorical appeals I will be able to reach my target audience.
Ethos: I myself was a student who cut class on a regular basis and will ensure them that although I attend a prestigious private university now, I am an exception to the rule. I will also speak to the fact that my Aunt teaches in a neighborhood that has a lot of low income housing and that the majority of the time only half of her class is there and how when she tries to contact the parents of these student, they do not care. She has even received responses from adults that say “It is my child; I know where they are and what they are doing and this is none of your business.”
Pathos: I will emotionally connect with the audience by using some of the topics I have talked about in ethos as well as point the finger at parents and students alike and reassure them that if you don’t force your child to get an education or take it seriously, no one else will and then their child will end up as a drain on the American Society as a whole – either in jail or committing crimes.
Logos: I will present statistics of how many truants there are in the FW/Dallas area as well as what their activities consist of when they are not in school, such as breaking in to cars or homes of those who do work hard and have tried to better themselves.
What will you use?
I will refer to statistics that I have found in articles as well as reports from sheriff officers and the police departments. I think that my personal experience will touch home with a lot of individuals and make them see my point of view more clearly. I think that also implementing a parental course of some nature could really help the truancy problem by making it easier for them to get involved. Again, the personal experience I have in this area though I hope will carry my paper. I also will refer to news articles that have reported on the issues and present the hard facts of what the daytime curfew means and who will be directly affected by it.
Research:
I need to recover where I found the original statistics about truancy and percentages of students who are caught cutting class.

First Draft: Author's Note

This is really my first draft of my Letter to the Editor. I think that it may be a little too long (768 words) so maybe if you could suggest places where I could cut stuff out or if you think I don't need to, tell me that. I think it flows pretty well, but I would like to get feedback as to the content and whether or not it is interesting to read. Especially in terms of if you think I followed the assignment correctly.
As always, punctuation and other structural comments are welcomed. Any suggestions I am happy to take. I am so far proud of my work, but I definitely think it may need some revision especially since it is the first draft.

First Draft: Letter to the Editor

March 31, 2009
Letter to the Editor: Teen Curfew Really THAT Bad?
Is asking impressionable teenage students to be in school from 9 am until 2 pm really that absurd? Is it really that big of a burden for parents to know where their children are during the day? Is it understandable that Dallas city residents do not want truant teenagers running through the streets? These basic questions are ones that I think local Dallas writer Michael Tate needs to consider before writing another piece about the newly enforced daytime curfew that will go into effect at the end of Spring 2009 here in Dallas, Texas.
According to Sharon Grigsby, an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, the new proposal would call for children (16 and under) to remain off city streets between the school day hours of 9am and 2:30 pm. The punishment for violating this ordinance could be as mild as a warning or as severe as a $500.00 fine and potential police detention.
The opinion piece by Michael Tate that was published through KERA has both some well thought out ideas and some poorly constructed thought processes that lack logistical and analytical thought. What is wrong with a daytime curfew for teens who are already supposed to be in class during those times? I agree with the stance that this is not way to fix the problem of truancy within the city, but does anyone propose a better idea for the current situation? If this curfew is so “absurd,” then why has no one come up with a superior solution? Sure, it is easy for all of us to complain about these teens, but no one is doing anything about it. At least the City Council took some initiative and proposed a new ordinance.
I also could not agree more with the comment that it is the parent’s responsibility of knowing where their children are all day long, not the local police force. There are graver issues for the limited and underfunded police forces to be dealing with other than rounding up children for a pow wow at the police station and talking to them about staying in school. This is an absolute loss of valuable time and limited resources. It is without question the parent’s responsibility to know where their children are and whether or not they are staying at school for the whole day. I would have offered parenting classes as a solution to the truancy problem seeing as the parents of those teenagers that are truants rarely care about what their children do with the rest of their lives, not to mention whether or not they graduate high school.
One item that particularly concerned me was the commenting of his “stint” occupation as a teacher that Tate attempted to use as a justification of his credibility when presenting his argument against the daytime curfew. When he remarks that some students in his classes didn’t need to be there because they were dropouts waiting to happen, I was absolutely appalled. “Great” I thought, that is exactly the attitude of an educator that I want teaching my son or daughter. I thought educators were supposed to support increased attendance by students?
I attended a public school in a very affluent community where almost every parent and educator cared immensely about the successes of each individual student; my parents were very involved as well. When I was in high school, I did my fair share of “cutting” or “skipping” class. I would cut class at least once a week, if not more, I never got caught and I was in the perfect learning environment. Now, although those teenagers growing up in the Dallas community compared to where I grew up in Northern California are experiencing a much different environment of teachers and parental guidance, the reason for truancy is still the same: the children are BORED. I was bored in class as a student because I wasn’t challenged and those who skip class in Dallas are also bored, but because they cannot find a reason why education will be valuable to them in the future when their own parents and role models may have not even graduated from high school. The underlying problem here is the truant’s parents and the School District Boards.
It is said in the editorial by Michael that the curfew does not make any sense and that it does not address any of the underlying problems of the issue and while I agree with that, it is a first step. I support the daytime curfew for teens because getting them to stay in the physical location of the school is the beginning stage of mentally involving them in education.
Rachel “Stop Complaining and Do Something” Kakures

Editorial

It was really difficult for me to find an article that I disagreed with when I was researching the topic of the Dallas teen curfew law that is being imposed. The closest I got was choosing an editorial that I both agreed and disagreed with. The article is from KERA News which is a public television and radio network for the north Texas area. Michael Tate is the commentator and the editorial was posted on March 18th, 2009.
It is clear that in this editorial Tate is very much against the new daytime curfew plan for teenagers. He even suggests that he hopes it will "die a quiet death." He says that the proposal of this law will not fix the truancy issue. There is general information given about the curfew such as: "It will be in effect from 9 am to 2 pm on the class days of each public school district in the city." The author immediately questions why the Dallas community is in this position to make a law like this. He points the finger of blame to the ineffective school system.
He again, later in the article, addresses the fact that the law will not take care of the problems that cause teens to cut class or drop out.
In some parts I agree that the curfew may not be the best solution, but at least someone with authority is doing something about it. If this man cared enough he would have suggested another alternative to fix the truancy problem. He also fails to address the issue of the teenagers parents and what their responsibility to the community is.
I am not convinced by his rebuttal to the law, nor does it persuade me to change my view on the subject. Although he raises some few significant points he lacks a sophisticated verbiage choice which would make many not take him very seriously.

Topic Choice

I think I will be writing about the new curfew that has been imposed on Dallas students. There will be a curfew imposed that ranges the time frame from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm in order to hopefully cut down on the number of students who "skip" or "cut" classes. Those included in this curfew are juveniles, anyone under 17 years of age. If juveniles are seen by a police officer during these hours, on the street, Monday-Friday, they could get a warning, a fine up to $500.00 or even a ride in a police cruiser down to a station where there parents would have to come pick them up.
This is very controversial in Dallas seeing as there is a scheduled protest for later this week that both parents and students will attend to try and over turn the decision of Dallas City Hall. It is believed that the opinion of the public is split 50/50 when trying to determine whether or not this is a good law to impose.