Blanton 1 Appendix Pg. 2-9 Essay Pg. 10-11 Proposal Pg. 12-13 Reflective Essay Pg.

14-15 Interviews Pg. 16 Works Cited

Blanton 2 Erik Blanton Professor Vetter English 3840 10 April 2013 Essay The Importance of Social Roles and Identities in Education Discourse Communities in the Educational Setting Introduction Through the research of genre a recurring theme of discourse community continually becomes not only an idea of discussion but also has been revealed to have major impacts in the professional world. Discourse communities within the education system are not only prevalent but also influential in the writing, social roles, and identities of all participating members. Anne Beaufort describes the difficulty in defining a discourse community, it is no easy task to develop a working definition of discourse community, that is, to isolate those particular aspects of a social group that bear upon writing (Beaufort 186) but in the same instance pointing out that discourse community is a living idea that is in constant flux, changing to adapt to the different groups/situations over time. Beaufort does define discourse community by stating three features, communications channels - affects the purposes and meaning of written texts, norms for genres - that may be unique to a community or shared with overlapping communities, writers roles - (including how these roles are distributed) and tasks as defined by the communicative situation (186).

Blanton 3 Through Beauforts features readers can understand that principles/rules that govern over discourse community accurately describing the foundation in which it operates. The ways in which individuals communicate, overlapping communities, and writers roles are all very important in identifying the social roles in the education profession as well as giving an outline on how the discourse community governs the participating members. Beaufort continues with her description of discourse community by also stating three factors to define the discourse community, a set of underlying goals and values, physical conditions, and individuals input (187). When understanding the roles members retain in the education setting we must acknowledge that there are a set of goals/values that people who are not members might not understand or be included in as they do not obtain the rights if they are not truly part of that particular discourse community. The physical conditions of a community are mainly visual and can be seen in the education profession by the school building and resources such as books (how many, quality, importance, etc.), availability of technology (smart boards, computers, t.v.s etc.), desks (enough for students, condition of desks, etc.). During my research, I learned that there are many aspects of the education community and every discourse community that I encounter that will not reveal much of the information. A lot of discourse community cannot be taught or wont be, a person must be a member that is in the group for a period of time until those things are either learned or taught. Seth Kahns ideas of discourse community mirror Beaufort when he states, ethnography is a participant-observation research. Ethnographers study cultures, i.e., the relationships values and habits that make people (Kahn 202). Kahn builds off of this idea of what a discourse community is by elegantly describing what an ethnographer must do to understand a discourse community, spending lots

Blanton 4 of time in the cultures we study, interacting with members, watching and learning from how they act and talk, participating in their activities, and talking with them about how they understand their groups and their lives. That is, we adopt a stance thats both distanced (observing) and interactive (participatory), and good ethnographic writing emerges from the juxtaposition of those stances (202). Kahn points out that as ethnographers, people must participate in the activities for instance being involved in school meetings, communicating with students/faculty/teachers/community as a teacher would to understand their role better. Also simple things such as talking to them about their roles would be a great way to gain understanding of their identities in relation to the education profession. I am pursuing a degree in education and wanted to pursue more information in that area. Many teachers must face various genres and discourse communities in their everyday lives therefore understanding the roles teachers play is a valuable concept to master as I enter into the profession. I am studying this community from a couple of different angles based upon Beaufort and Kahns research that will be the most effective in aiding my understanding. My research will encompass 7th grade through 12th grade from past experience, observations, teaching, and teacher interviews from professionals that teach or have taught at all of the grade levels. I have been examining the different ages to gain a better idea of the discourse communities as well as revealing more of the differences. Though my research deals with students, I am mainly examining the teachers and how their roles change and adapt for the different classes as well as ages that they teach. My research is focused on the high school that I grew up in from back home, Little Miami high school, that is located close to Cincinnati. It was once a small town

Blanton 5 community where generations of my family taught as well as went to school. With the change in our area, the schools student population has increased dramatically at an incredible rate. While experiencing such great expansion that school was not able to pass a levy, leaving the students without a lot of the same opportunities surrounding schools were given. The other community I will be examining is Jackson high school, located about an hour southwest of Athens campus. Jackson is a very small school in comparison to Little Miami creating for a different environment but more interestingly, Jackson is financially flourishing. Jackson has new buildings, new sports complexes, they are technologically advanced (being one of the first schools that introduced computers to classrooms at the inception of the new technology, and even investing in technological programs such as Read 180 that enhance student reading/writing ability). Through interviews with an administrator from Little Miami and an interview with a teacher at Jackson, I hope to understand the roles of teachers in these schools; how they are similar, how they vary, what I should expect, and if there is anyway I can be more prepared for the profession I will be submersed in, in just over a year. Methods I am following the advice of Kahn and Beaufort from their extensive research and past in the field of discourse communities in ethnographies. With their aid I have devised a plan to interact directly with an administrator of both Little Miami High School and also a guidance counselor/teacher at Jackson high school. I believe through my interviews and direct observation from past and present I will be able to determine the answer to my questions and adequately understand the social roles of my particular discourse community. This will better prepare me for the education profession and hopefully improve the quality of teacher that I become.

Blanton 6 I can already tell from past experience from Little Miami and my current observation at Jackson that the social identities play a big part in the writing within that community. There are many similarities but also there are many contrasting differences. Both school officials, though different, are participants in schools that are possible candidates for schools I will be a teacher at, after graduation. Through my research I believe there are many roles within each school and these identities govern in many ways the type/style of writing that is displayed. Having a firm grasp and understanding of how to write within the discourse community would be extremely valuable for me as a future teacher. Results My research concluded with a lot of helpful information that will aid me when I am becoming and have become a teacher. I have learned that there is a much more clear and defined structure to the school system that governs all participating members. I have learned that school officials act just as much within the school as well as with the surrounding community. School members must act as public relations officials for the community as much of the interaction deals with disgruntled parents, unhappy administrators, Ohio governing body school system, and upset students. Teaching goes well beyond the classroom and our job is around the clock. We are role models for the students but also the community while conducting ourselves in such a manner that is respectful and portrays the school in the best way possible. Discussion/Analysis/Implications My first area of research was at Jackson Middle School with my cooperating teacher. I was able to obtain a document provided to all teacher discussing the etiquette for teachers in the classroom which proved to be very interesting. The first point made in the paper is that there is no privacy on computers in the classroom especially when it comes to correspondence over

Blanton 7 email. I was told that all emails to everyone were always written in a professional manner. Though professional writing should be practiced at all times, certain teachers do not practice the professional writing; not writing professional was, Looked down upon and not meeting the expectations of the rules stated by my cooperating teacher. My observing teach also explain to me the rules of all the social media sources such as facebook pointing out a paper posted in each student lounge stating that teachers were greatly influence to delete their facebooks because of the high risk liability placed on their profession from it. I did not understand the rigid guidelines placed on teachers and how structured the expectation for them were. I found my interview with the Little Miami administrator who I will name John for privacy purposes very insightful. When posing the questions John described how his profession had changed so much over the years as an administrator. At the beginning of his job in the early 80s teachers did not have strict guidelines and a lot of his job was focused on creating more student centered activities as well as events for the community that would bring everyone together. While he enjoyed these activities, the community saw the importance, and students were all active members in after school events that placed a high value on community unity. After the school became much larger and the dynamics of people shifted over time, his profession did as well. John now spends the entirety of his day working with disgruntled parents trying to answer their questions and work with them to help create solutions. Johns job is now almost completely public relations as he no longer has the time or resources to create community events and the small town feel is completely gone. John has become a public relations official who is tasked with job responsibilities that did not even exist when he began teacher but have been developed over time. John emphasized the importance of handling situations where both parties seek solutions to the problem. John noted that it is

Blanton 8 important that I also use wording that alleviates liability or legal implication, because that is becoming much more common than in the past. I find this part of my job as something I do not look forward to whatsoever. When talking with the teachers I realized that I was practicing what Beaufort and Kahn were preaching in their articles but it did not enhance at all my ability in doing the research. Beaufort and Kahn simply helped me understand what I was already practicing and put a word with a definition on it. I did have to get immersed in the community before any type of significant information was given to me by the participating members. Through my research I realized that there was more a structure to the education system with a set of core values and principles governing their actions at all times whether that be during their time at the, physical location, or even at other places. I feel that much of what I learned was important to know but were things that I have picked up on or acquired throughout teaching but did not realize. I am naturally curious and enjoy asking questions to people especially those who I see are great at their job and would be a great mentor for me. Before this project had began, I spoke with my uncle for hours one weekend about his thoughts on the teaching profession and how I could become much more prepared. Though I did not explicitly ask him about his roles, my questions still focused on the same concepts. The same with the teacher at Jackson that I spent extended periods of time talking with so that I may become a much more effective and prepared teacher. I believe that my research of both the readings of Beaufort and Kahn were great at pointing out the processes we go through when doing research. It helped me understand the why, what and how of doing ethnographic research on a discourse community. I valued my time highly with the teachers that I interviewed and I know they will be great mentors in the time to

Blanton 9 come. It was enjoyable to take a lot out of this project and I feel that I did benefit from doing the research.

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Erik Blanton Professor Vetter English 3840 10 April 2013 Project Proposal I have known from the beginning that I would like to do my project over the discourse community of the profession I am going into: Education. This will encompass 7th grade through 12th grade and I will be examining the different ages to gain a better idea of the discourse communities as well as revealing more of the differences. My research will be focused on my high school that I grew up in from back home, Little Miami HS, that is located close to Cincinnati. The other community I will be examining is Jackson HS, located about an hour southwest of Athens campus. I would like to focus my research around one questions in particular, How do social roles or identities within a community, organization, or profession determine and/or influence writing? This question really taps into things I am interested about within these particular communities. I would like to examine how the social roles/identities within a profession determine/influence the writing. I can already tell from past experience and my current observation at Jackson that the social identities play a big part in the writing within that community. I know that there will be similarities but also there will be many harshly contrasting differences. Both schools, though different, are very possible candidates for schools I will be a teacher at, after graduation. I believe there are so many roles within each school and these identities govern in many ways the type/style of writing that is displayed. Having a firm grasp

Blanton 11 and understanding of how to write within the discourse community would be extremely valuable for me as a future teacher. I want to attack this research through many person to person interviews accompanied by information drawn from my own past experiences. I would like to interview a couple people in particular, firstly my uncle who was a gym teacher, administrator, and athletic director for his whole professional career. He was used primarily for his great public relations and ability to work with people. He also was a huge donator and contributor to the community, always looking for ways to bring everyone together. I know his thirty some years of experience coupled with the amount of variation in interactions have gave him a mastery in this community but also made him well aware of how his roles have influenced the different types of stylistic writing he encountered. I am also planning on interviewing my cooperating teacher at Jackson HS, this school is similar to mine but it has already proven to be very different in my time there. Mrs. Anderson is about to retire and worked as a teacher, guidance counselor, and special education teacher. She is as well versed in the schools as a person can hope and she has taken a completely different route than my uncle did. These differences will allow for completely different perspectives and cover a wide range of possible topics. Finally I will be using my own personal experience to draw information from, everyone has experience with school and should have some sort of intelligence about the community. I have been involved in many different organizations, sports, arts programs, etc. that make me feel well versed in examining how the roles influence the writing I do. I believe the most helpful article would have to be the most recent one by Kahn. This was great in identifying all of the aspects of research and writing the questions was different but

Blanton 12 effective in my opinion. It gave me a much firmer grasp on ethnography but also gave me a kind of rubric to help me have more well defined and thorough evidence. Erik Blanton Professor Vetter English 3840 10 April 2013 Reflective Essay I really enjoyed a lot of the writings at the end but I also felt that it was repetitive at times and you tried to accommodate for our requests as much as possible which is greatly appreciated by students. It means a lot when a teacher is willing to try to make the class more interesting for the students. I found the readings of Anson and Forsberg to be a bit dull and tough to read at times but I felt the information about transitioning is an important concept to understand. I thought that the Ornatowski article was awesome as we were able to discuss ethics in the profession. Ethics is such a tough topic to cover and varies from person to person but is something that must be discussed. It is extremely important for professionals to understand the ethics of their particular professional community. I used excerpts from Beaufort and Kahn as I feel that they directly discussed the concepts that I dealt with when doing my interviews. They were great articles in defining aspects of ethnography and discourse communities making great references for my work. I believe I took the most out of the Ornatowski reading because it was by far the most interesting reading for me, as I previously discussed the emphasis of value I place on ethics in the working community. I feel that might writing is strong and will become stronger once I am in the field and have a structure to work from that will encourage professional writing.

Blanton 13 I felt that the interviews were the single most important facilitator in making me a much more prepared for my profession. It makes me feel a lot comfortable when I am able to discuss the profession with trusted mentors that I know are giving me great advice on what is expected and things that I should be prepared for as I begin my journey teaching and as they end theirs. It is tough for the teachers to give examples as it would be a violation of others privacy therefore I was not able to see many real world examples making my understanding lack a little more than if I was able to see the examples in front of me or be a part of them. Some of those examples, like interactions with unhappy parents will only happen when I am actually a teacher myself. I learned a lot about the strong structure in education as well as the importance of using professional language and that much of my job might be dealing with public relations activities. I enjoyed the project and felt like it had a lot of practical value to it. I feel like the writing became redundant at many points and many of the questions asked the same thing in a different way making me feel like I was repeating myself a lot. I feel like the project could be condensed down a lot and not have as much of a busy work type of feel to it. I would have also enjoyed some more time off of class to do interviews but with limited time it became more of a nuisance to find an opening to drive to Jackson just for an interview because I couldnt do it during class time.

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Erik Blanton Professor Vetter English 3840 10 April 2013 Interviews Question Posed: How do social roles or identities within a community, organization, or profession determine and/or influence writing? Little Miami High School I will paraphrase the interview as it was conducted on the phone. John explained that the teaching profession had changed over time from a job that was full of planning community events and bringing a sense of cohesion to the area. It was a town where everyone knew everyone and you couldnt go to the local grocery store without everyone saying hi and knowing you by name. Over time the area has changed with an influx of students changing the dynamics of the community, school, and job that he was doing. Now his job consists mainly of public relations dealing with parents, a job description that includes many guidelines that did not exist when he began, and making sure to use legal wording to avoid liability. John expressed the overall enjoyment of his job had declined greatly. Jackson High School I will also paraphrase this interview as it was conducted in person quickly, between class changes as it was the only time I had a chance to talk with the teacher. She provided me documents stating their privacy when it came to technology, their expectations as a teacher and the overall guideline of their profession. She also showed me documents in the teaching lounge stating that the school greatly wished school faculty would delete their facebooks because it was

Blanton 15 such a huge risk on their part. The teacher also explained the professional writing she must do citing her emails and that it was evident that some teachers did not know how to write effectively and did not understand emails. Also she told me that the school system does not want teacher correspondence with parents to be over email as it leaves a hard copy that could be used for legal purposes and that it was much safer to conduct conversations over phone or in person with a faculty member there as a witness.

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Works Cited Beaufort, Anne. The Institutional Site of Composing: Converging and Overlapping Discourse Communities. Writing in the Real World: Making the Transition From School to Work. Pg. 185-201. Print. Kahn, Seth. Putting Ethnographic Writing in Context. Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing Volume 2. Pg. 201-210. Print.