Sunday, March 1, 2015

redefining Envy and rethinking speeches (BAL Blog Post #6)

I'm in my feelings today, as it snows again and I'm wishing that I could magically transport myself to a cemetery in the north Bronx, where he is buried.   I've been looking back through photos and writing from 2012, which was an epic year for me - I got married, had a child, moved back to Detroit with my new family and lost both a student and my uncle within a few months.   On Friday, I brought copies of the zine you'll read in class on Monday to his aunt and reconnected with many of my former students over the weekend - our school family is alive, even if the Banana Kelly that we know and love no longer exists.

I still fully believe, as I say in the introduction, that you can keep people's memories alive by telling them.  Storytelling is extremely important to our lives, and to our histories: we each have our story and we need to tell it.  So when people's lives get cut short, I feel a responsibility to tell their story in addition to my own.  Their story becomes a part of mine.  Envy, your story will keep being told.
Have you ever lost or been separated from someone?  How did you cope with the task of missing them?

Also, we're beginning our campaign and election process this week and I'm incredibly excited about the writing and action that will come out of this.  I want you to survey one another and figure out some suggestions for improving our class - there is much room for improvement.  How can we do the notebook grading procedure better?  How should progress reports function?  How can we be updating Engrade weekly so that you have much more consistent access to your grades?   Figure out some key issues that you want to tackle as you run (or help your candidate run), and we'll brainstorm about how to solve some of the issues in this class, so that we can improve its function for you.

So, a speech is one way to show your fellow classmates who you are and why you're running for this position, but the best speeches are NOT just informational, but also lyrical.  You remember the poetry of speeches more than the information, so as you're writing, make sure the facts are there (who you are, what position you're running for, why you'd be good at this role, issues that are important to you), but your constituents will remember HOW you read the speech and how you can CONNECT with them.  I invite you to re-think your speech and really work on your informational AND persuasive techniques simultaneously.  We'll look at a few models of speeches that have been informational in nature, but creative in approach.  What do you think makes a good speech? 

Let's have a great week, and may the best folks win (but may we all write like the wind)!

xo,
Ms Lauren

(here's the link to the powerful speeches for Wednesday's homework: http://www.englishtrackers.com/english-blog/10-famous-speeches-in-english-and-what-you-can-learn-from-them/)

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

What I think makes a good speech is that you have to use context clues because when you use context clues they will think that you are smart. What also makes a good speech is t have self confident because when you have self confident they will think that you are strong and you can do anything and everything to make a change. The last thing is to have a powerful speech because it can make progress and you are guaranteed ti make that promise in your speech.

Anonymous said...

farielly said ...

When my grandfather died I couldn't go to D.r so I had to stay here in New York and just pray. Praying made it better but I spent days crying and not wanting to talk about it.

I'm not running but i'm currently writing a speech for Jesus J and hes running for vice president.

Anonymous said...

Devin natera says.... What i think it takes to be a good leader is you cant just have a good campaign speech you also have to a very self determined and out going president. You cant just look confident.

Anonymous said...

Terrell.....

I have lost someone before witch is my little cusion. How I coped with missing her is by jus remembering all the good times that we had. I also cried alot but I knew that wouldnt help bring her back.

William B said...

What I think makes a good speech is problems that the speaker is willing to take care of and the enthusiasm for change.

Anonymous said...

Xavian said...

I've lost two of my uncles. One died of HIV/AIDS and the other was shot. At first it hurt so much but eventually I knew that I weren't going to see them again so I had to deal with it and accept the fact that they were gone. We could bring some factors from UP and PGC and see how that works with the culture of this class. Making a good speech includes in a variety of things. One may include in making it long enough but not to long because people will get bored.

Anonymous said...

Oh Debbie's Here....

What makes a good speech ? A good speech to me is very persuasive, provides examples, liberal, personal connection with the audience, and a phenomenal conclusion/introduction.

Anonymous said...

The Martin Luther King was powerful to me because he did not want any violence. He wanted all people of all races including whites and blacks to join hands and to be friends. He wanted everyone to have the same respect and to be good to one another.

alice said...

We all at some point lost something in our lives, whether a relationship, a person, thing or anything is all a lost. I lost a friend Briana shot by her ex boyfriend, I lost Isaiah my ex best friends brother my grandparents. I think I lost lots of people but to cope you have to accept the reality and move on. That's what I did and still doing. R.I.P Mike, Isaiah, Briana,Grandparents etc

Anonymous said...

Kimberley Ruiz : I have lost someone before both my grandfathers within the same period of time, it was hard for me and my family especially my parents. The best way we were able to deal with it was by not speaking about them & till this day it would bring tears to our eyes because it’s not something easy to get over. I’m involved in the campaigned team and I think to have a good speech you’d have to include reasons to why you running for certain things, how would you as a person make things better and positive. I also think that the speech should include the people and how the changes would affect them whether it’s a good or bad thing.

Luz Al. said...

What makes a good speech?
A good speech is a speech is the one that is writing in a form that the reader feel comfortable with, has a clear theme, connect to personal experience and the listeners. Is writing in a way that listeners could understood and end with a memorable statement that catches the listeners.

Anonymous said...

I lost my mom when I was 4. I was too young to remember her... now I am 17 and if you ask me about her, all I can remember is that she use to roll up pieces of salami and give it to me just like that because that was my favorite snack. Its strange how I remember that random thing about me and her... When people think of my mom passing away the first thing they think was it was probably rough for me growing up... I was actually blessed with an amazing women in my life. Took me in since I was 4 and treated me as her own from then on. She adopted me when I was in the 3rd grade. The way i cope with my biological mom passing is I have a close relationship with my family from her side. They show me so many pictures, talk about her, and we even do some of her favorite things.


Krysellie Galvez

Anonymous said...

Ashley R says ...


I've lost my uncle when I was a fifth grader so I was around 10 years of age. My uncle died of cancer. How I coped with the task of me missing him was by distracting myself and also by isolating myself and not thinking too much about it because the more I thought about it the more I damaged myself as a person. And I knew that there's more to life & also that hes in a better place now. Even though I miss him so very much I know that he's watching me from above & that I am living for a reason and that is to make him happy. R.I.P JOSE I LOVE YOU

Kaylah S said...

A good speech can include many things such as things that is important to you , it can also include type of issues that you want to get rid of or things that your passionate about as well. I have lost people in my life before. I coped by crying and looked at pictures of them listening to songs that reminded me of them.

Anonymous said...

i have lost one person an that's my aunt she committed suicide , i never really get why but it broke me into million pieces knowing shes not alive no more even thought i never got to meet her in person because to me its just heart breaking losing someone that was family an all of a sudden they die without even meeting them.

Anonymous said...

#1: Yes i have been separated from my boyfriend i have been with him for 5 years and last year something happened and since then i haven't seen him.! I MISS HIM A LOT.! I still haven't cope with missing him but i always write in a book about how i feel and everything i do so if i ever see him he will know how much i missed and love him.

Unknown said...

yes i had a person i was separated from and it was my aunt.I lived with her since i was little and then i had to leave because my mom came to get me and i never returned back to her :( and i really loved her.When they took me i was crying and crying and crying until the days past and i forgot bout her :/. then one day i heard my mom talking on the phone and i heard her laugh through the phone and i took the phone and it was her. :) I missed her so much and we was on the phone for hours. i obtained the memories of her making me things like hot chocolate and her delicious food.

Chante B said...



I have been separated from someone that i loved so much. He is not dead or anything hes just never shows any type of interest in being in my life, or that is what i think. This person I knew him since I came out of my mother’s belly and he was always around, supporting me and my sisters in any way that was possible. Putting a smile on my face, When i was 6 he taught me how to ride a bike i can remember like it was yesterday him saying “ Don’t let the bike have control over you, you take control of the bike”. Those words go through my mind every time i think about him. This person is my father, it was not my mother's fault that he's not in my life it was his fault he walked out on a wonderful family to go marry another woman that can not have her own kids and treat his owns like we are invisible.

Anonymous said...

Have i ever lost some one? the question we all get asked in a life time. well then yes i have lost some one close to me someone very close to me actually. someone that is almost apart me. A soul that's gone and not even another one that can replace it, a creature with just about 5 toes and just bout 10 fingers. But just as human as me and you. My tears fall silent and slow, my heart stops by itself when i think about her or him. My little prince or princess.. i don't cope i just deal with it

Adama said...

To me a good speech is making sure people understand you and where your coming from. For example, stating things about yourself would be good because people would like to know a little bit of background about the person their voting for. Also i think telling people what their intentions are.

mohamed said...

what i think makes a good speech is that you have to be able to inculde some big words that people don't know which shows that you know what your taking about.

Justin C. said...

Well I've been separated from my grandmother and grandfather in PR for maybe like 2-4 years. Well I've coped because sometimes they send me mail, gifts or I can see them through the computer.

christopher E said...

I have been separated from my grandmother like five or seven years ago because my mother wanted to be with her and grow up around.Another person i been separate is from my uncle by a bullet.

Jesus Beato said...

I lost my favorite aunt which was my god mother she was like second mother. She did what ever i would ask of her for anything and she would make her best attempt to deliver what ever i asked for. I appreciated her so much that when i lost her to gun violence i was so sad i would limit the amount of times i ate and talked.

Anonymous said...

i think what makes a good speech with your ally is to help each other out with what ya going to do in a role.


the time when my stepfather died was a sad unexpected moment right before when i was getting ready to graduate out of elementary. -Brandon Heyward

Anonymous said...

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

Sarank Diakite said...

I lost my great grandmother when i was a little girl but it took me a very long time to let her go and the tears to get dry on my face. This semester i want everyone in the class to learn how to use one mic and also the new gov't will help force the rules.........

Anonymous said...

Government has sent
People to their deaths,
Never can they ever sever
the bonds that have been made,
They need to give us a say
in what decisions must be made,
Straight bars uuuhhhhhhhhh


Gloria García said...

I have been separated from someone that's had a great impact on my life, I do miss that person a lot and I cope those feelings by remembering the good times we shared. A good speech has to focus on a specific topic/theme, have a tone (the way you say it), it should avoid words that the audience doesn't understand, short, contain a original message, have a hook (really important) and last but not least the speaker MUST make the topic/theme clear.

Weldy Guzman said...

Yes, I've lost someone, it was my cousin and I was around five or six years old when she passed away. I didn't know her that much because I was a kid when she passed away, but I remember the aftermath of her death, it was devastating. My aunt was a mess, she couldn't stop crying. My mom was in the same position, she was just broken. Awful!
Some issues that I’d like to discuss as I run for vice-president is what should I talk on the speech, I mean, I've got two speeches; One that talks how the whole class has to work together in order for things to be “just right” for us. And the other that tackles the issue that concerns us the most; eating in class. What to do, what to say? I need help in those concerns,
Thanks

Anonymous said...

Janée said .

I have just lost someone recently close to my heart. I lost my great grandmother who although we did not have a bond that made me break down and cry immediately it still took a part of me away when I was told the news. The same thing happened to be the day of my 10th birthday when my grandmother day which was one of those break down and cry moments, and honestly speaking I don't think there is any way to cope with the separation of people you have learned to care and love dearly. People will tell you that "They are in a better place now" because in most human minds that is the only real source of closure you can get from someone when a death occurs. I feel that the only way to cope with death or separation is to accept the fact that they are gone for whatever the reason may be and accept that there is a reason. After you have accepted it, move on as fast as you can to save yourself from enduring anymore pain because with or without that person, life moves on.
- What I think makes a good speech is the tone of the speaker. The emotional attachment to the words on a paper heard through the voice of the person talking. Along with the seriousness of the information being said, the sincerity of the words being said in which you can tell the person wants whatever that speech is saying to happen and is determined to make it happen no matter the cost. i feel what makes a good speech is someone who is persuasive in whatever they are saying, and very informative.

kevin p said...

I have lost someone that was close to me. I lost my father which was something really hard i had to got to. Having to live without him was very different because he was a big impact in my life. I believe that i never got over it because i still think about it a lot. A way i tried to make myself feel better was by hanging around my friends more that helped me because their support encouraged me to act more myself around other people and to never think about the past to much because better things are coming.

William B said...

What I think makes a good speech is problems that the speaker is willing to take care of and the enthusiasm for change and will be willing to do anything in their power to to obtain change for the better and point out the wrong in things as soon as possible.

Anonymous said...

Jesus Jimenez ...........

When my sister moved out my house because she found a house and she was married and had kids. I missed my nephew a lot and I couldn't do anything about it because i was still young so i just couldn't go to her house and see him. But i dealt with it by not talking about and just trying to forget because it would make me sad and cry but soon he came and i just felt weird not seeing him everyday.