Something has begun to happen
Something is just not right.
I feel a little strange
Mommy’s been out late every night.

I am growing right along
Not exactly following natures plan.
Won’t my mommy be surprised
To discover her little man.

I know she didn’t mean to do it
How was she to know
That my smile was being created
And my palate was beginning to grow.

Its not like it’s supposed to be-
Perfect in every way.
Now my mouth is deformed
What will my mommy say?

Now I know what’s happened
Something was just not right.
I felt a little strange for weeks,
The test confirmed it tonight.

My life’s rolling right along
I am sticking to my plan
I finally beat the cigarettes and alcohol
By which my life was ran

I didn’t mean to do it
How was I supposed to know
That all of my bad habits
Would harm my baby below.

He’s not like he was supposed to be
Perfect in every way.
I will try to make it up to him
And for God’s forgiveness I will pray.

With the right methods, could we all become proficient learners?

When beginning a new semester I have always worried that my professor would teach above my head, so to speak. I have had trouble with this in the past and it tends to make me feel like I lack the brain power to understand a concept. I have found that this isn’t true at all. With the right professor, I can learn about and be able to understand any subject. I could be a rocket scientist if I set my mind to it! The key, as the article stated, is in “meeting students where they are at”. When trying to learn about a new thing, you must use what you already know to grasp the concept. It’s like the old saying goes, “you have to learn to crawl, before you can walk”, or something to that effect. In all my years of going to school it amazes me that some professors cannot figure this out. I’m not sure if it is because they are so intellectual that they do not realize that most students are only of average intelligence or if it is because they are too stupid to see people struggling within the classroom.
The article also said that an approach that builds a students confidence within their enterprise and then work towards greater proficiency as a scholar of that enterprise the results will be more beneficial to all involved. I couldn’t agree more. If I feel that I am making progress…I don’t have to catch everything…but if I am really starting to feel apart of something then I will work harder to become a part of that something. There is nothing worse than feeling like you are being left behind and that no one is missing you. I believe with the right methods, we would all feel more intelligent and could all be more proficient learners.
That’s just my $.02.

Cindy

Essential Question: Essential Question: What do parents need to know when they have a child born with cleft lip/palate?

Foundation Questions:
1.What are the things that can cause a child to be born with a cleft palate?
2.Where can they go to find out more information?
3.Where can they go to find support?
4.What sort of emotions can they expect to go through?

I hope to provide information for the general public/anyone landing on my site about what parents of cleft palate children face before and after the child's birth and where they can find helpful information and support.

Genres: I plan to include the following genres:
Webliography: My personal voice
Powerpoint Presentation: Parents Voice
Poem: Cleft Palate Group Supporter
Pamphlet: Cleft Palate Foundation Voice
Journal Entries: Parents Voice
Email Exchange: Parent and Support Group Members (Mailing List members)
Family Newsletter: Parents Voice

The potential audience could be the public and future parents of cleft palate children.

I hope to tie all seven genres together with the a Family Newsletter written by parents of a newly born child that is cleft affected. I hope to carry out the MRP using this same family in the other genres. I chose these genres because I feel they will provide the viewer with a sense of "realism" and can be used to create a personal connection with the family for the reader.

Tentative Resources:

1. Nagourney, Eric. (4/11/2000) Linking Cleft Palates and Smoking Moms. New York Times, Vol.149,Issue 51355,pF8,1c. Retrieved from EBSCOHost Academic Search Elite on September 29,2002.

2. Bebout, L., Arthur, B. (February 1992) Cross-cultural attitudes toward speech disorders. Journal of Speech & Hearing Research, Vol.158, Issue 10,pB865. Retrieved from EBSCOHost Academic Search Elite on October 5, 2002.

3. no author noted. (1999), European Journal of Pediatrics, Vol.158, Issue 10, p,B865. Retrieved by EBSCOHost Academic Search Elite on October 5, 2002.

4. Chow, Lai Wan Filomena. (May 2002) Psychosocial dimensions in caring: The lived experience of parents after the birth of children with cleft lip/ and or palate. Dissertation Abstract International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, Vol.62(10B), p 4462. Retrieved from EBSCOHost MEDLINE on October 5, 2002.

5.Kanal, Barbara H. (May 1999) Attitudes of mothers and fathers toward their child with a cleft lip and palate. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, Vol.59(11-A), p. 4282. Retrieved from EBSCOHost MEDLINE on October 5, 2002.

6.Edmonson, Rebecca; Reinhartsen, Debra. (October 1998) The Young Child with Cleft Lip and Palate: Intervention Needs in the First Three Years. Infants and Young Children. Vol.11, p 12-20. Retrieved from EBSCOHost (ERIC) on October 13, 2002 on the World Wide Web.

7.Savage, Hallie E. (December 1997) An Early Intervention Guide to Infants Born with Clefts. Infant-Toddler Intervention: The Transdisciplinary Journal. Vol.7, p 271-84. Retrieved from EBSCOHost (ERIC) on October 13, 2002 on the World Wide Web.

8.Vanpoelvoorde, Leah; Shaughnessy, Michael F. (1991) Parental Reactions to Cleft Palate Children, B.C. Journal of Special Education, Vol. 15, p 276-83. Retrieved from EBSCOHost (ERIC) on October 13, 2002 on the World Wide Web.

9.(1999) School Shooting. Scholastic Action-Teachers. Vol. 23, Issue 1, p 4. Retrieved from EBSCOHost (Primary Search) on October 5, 2002 on the World Wide Web.

10.Cleft Palate Foundation (December 1994) Cleft Lip and Palate are the Fourth Most Frequent Birth Defects in the United States. Pediatrics. Vol. 94, Issue 6, p 901. Retrieved from EBSCOHost (Academic Search Elite) on October 5, 2002 on the World Wide Web.