At the beginning of the semester my outlook on my writing struggles is summarized as the following, “Just get started (writing) and you may find that it’ll come to you as you proceed. The main thing is to make a beginning, to take the risk of beginning before you feel ready.” Making a beginning was something I was never great at and looking back at my “Writing goals” for UNIV 112 really made me explore what skills I need to work on to really help with my academic performance. I will say that this semester, when it came to writing every day, was a learning experience as to how to prepare for Unit Essays and the most important thing that helped me with that were discussion board. The hardest part about writing is the only way to get better is to write more. The discussion board process was tough because I always had a rough time reminding myself to keep up to date with my blog posts. At first, these discussions were something that I felt were pointless and time consuming but I realized that this is what would take to help me to become a better writer. This process was not easy but definitely a learning experience as to how to how to keep ideas nice an organized so that my final product can make sense.
When I look back now, “The Pursuit of Ignorance” discussion board was an eye opener when it came to how I should look at writing. I learned from the video that I had to watch that asking questions is not bad when it comes to writing because nobody should know all the answers. When someone knows the answer to the question, it limits them as to what they can write, so asking questions is okay. That is one area that I really think I have grown in and have adjusted too and by asking questions, my overall writing process has grown by expanding viewpoints and thinking outside the boundaries. From there, I practiced just that and later in the semester especially when it came to finding sources for my Annotated Bibliography but what I found out is that research is not always easy when it comes to looking for sources but the sources that I found would carry over for my rough draft in Unit III and the final. The discussion board “The Woes of Research” explains how again that writing is a process and the only way to get better at it is by being active and asking the right questions for research which benefited me because I then became engaged and interested in my topic for my final paper. The research that I had to do for the Bibliography then piecing the information together for the Unit III Rough Draft would prepare me for the final paper would help in every way for the last paper in UNIV 112. All the information and research that I found would reflect on my final product. All the skills that I learned would help me on how to approach my Unit III essay on childhood obesity. My strategy and critical thinking skills by this point have definitely improved because asking the right questions was no longer a problem for me in my writing process, it was no longer a stressful stretched out process.
My final draft would be where I collaborate my skills prior to Unit III and expand on them on my topic, Childhood Obesity Prevention. My main concern is that children deserve to have a healthy prosperous life but due to the fight against the disease of childhood obesity it is a rather complicated issue. However, by no means does this mean this problem cannot be fixed. My view on the issue that the only way for kids to learn about how having this unhealthy lifestyle can affect their overall future, is from their parents. The role mode position of the parents is so important because they are the main decision makers for their child. I ended my paper with a quote from Goethe that I thought to be very inspirational which said, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough we must do.” This quote not only portrays what needs to be done about the epidemic of childhood obesity, but also goes in hand with my writing. I know that I still be to work on my writing before UNIV 200 so just knowing that I have to improve is not going to solve the problem it is going to take practice and more practice. One thing that makes me stand out from the crowd is my work ethic. Even though I may not be the best at writing, I will continue to work on it until it becomes regular daily habit.
Piece #5/ Unit III Childhood Obesity Rough Draft
The Issue of Childhood Obesity
What if the person that struggles with their weight struggled because they had no support system at home. Their parents support junk food, allow them to eat whatever they want, and do not care whatsoever about physical exercise and nutrition. In this paper I will be discussing issues on why childhood obesity is an epidemic that should be taken seriously and how important a child’s health can affect their future. Childhood obesity affects a child no matter how you look at it health wise and socially and with that said there should be an emphasis on preventing this problem. One way to do so is by looking at what needs to be done and finding solutions to the problem.
What exactly is the big deal with childhood obesity? This is the question that should be looked at for those who want to succeed in finding the solution to the problem. Multiple factors are involved with this issue such as environmental, behavioral, and genetics.(Cite)
There are more problems to be looked at beside the fact of childhood obesity that needs to be looked at as well that can help with finding the solution to the problem. Children are not always treated the way they should because of their weight and are teased, bullied and made fun of. When a kid has to grow up in these conditions, it doesn’t always have a positive affect for their future. Another problem to be looked at is the fact that there are some cases where there that obesity can be looked at as a disease. So, even trying to lose weight or trying to create a healthy lifestyle still might not work out. However there are some cases where children have the wrong idea of what they should look like due to media and society and want to start a diet for the wrong reasons which can be looked at as an unsafe way to lose weight.
This issue that has been discussed is by no means an easy fix, it is rather very complicated. Prevention on a younger generation would be the best way to tackle this problem then to provide a brighter future for their later life. Furthermore, it is said that is easier to persist this problem in adolescents rather when the child gets older. (Cite)
Some considerations have to be made through when dealing with this issue. Where the concern should be placed on the most to have the most effective outcome? Some children are neglected are raised in a poor lifestyle which raises the question on living conditions and income. What population is suffering the most with obesity? Due to low income and financial situations, families are will do whatever it takes to provide food for their children. This is where fast food can be the best option for them financially but not for health their health.
The goal of raising awareness to this problem is to provide healthier benefits for the future generation. Obesity is a serious problem and should be taken seriously.
Piece #4/ Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography
Anderson, Patricia, and Kristin Butcher. “Childhood Obesity: Trends and Potential Causes.” The Future of Children 16.1 (2006): 19-45. Project Muse. Web. March 23, 2015.
This article talks about the raising concern of childhood obesity and examines the trends and causes. Environmental change is one of the main reasons that the author concluded that might be contributing to the obesity epidemic. As discussed in the article, children who eat more “empty calories” and do not exercise through physical activity are more likely to be obese. Furthermore, the research provided talks about the changes the child might encounter with their family. If a child is living unsupervised and lives with a single parent this causes a different environment at home, which allows the child to spend more time doing activities such as “watching television, playing videos games, and using computers”(38).
This article had very interesting and emotional appeals to the topic of childhood obesity. The clarity of ideas made the purpose of the paper easy to understand. In addition to that, the article was rather interesting on the fact that it made me as a reader think more in depth at the issue at hand.
This information has helped me understand the causes that correspond to the childhood obesity epidemic. What was interesting to find out is that these environmental changes make it more likely to increase children’s obesity rate.
Koplan, Jeffrey, Catharyn T. Liverman, and Vivica I. Kraak, eds.”Introduction” Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in the Balance. Washington, D.C.: National Academies, 2005. 21-53. Print.
What is being said in this chapter is that childhood obesity needs to be drastically changed and that obesity needs to be drastically changed. Food is becoming more available and in large portions. The authors raise concern on “the trend toward eating more meals in restaurants and fast food establishment may be influenced not only by simple convenience but also in response to needs such as stress management, relief of fatigue, lack of time, and entertainment.” In addition, this is why childhood obesity is an epidemic and a serious health problem. Furthermore, this chapter examines that children in particular are gaining weight at an increasing, dangerous rate in particular.
This chapter was very informative of the problem and gave a look at what direction we are heading. It provides reliable sources to explain how this issue is getting out of hand. Furthermore, The Institute of Medicine committee played a big part in that role by brining different approaches to the topic that gave different knowledge to the topic of childhood obesity. With the wide range of committee members working on this study, hard work was put in which allowed a well put together, profound work piece.
This chapter will help me with my explanation on how children are putting their health at risk. It really emphasized that we are going in the wrong direction and child’s lives are in danger. In addition, this has helped give a different look on how this problem of obesity has changed over the years and where we have gone wrong. This problem has become a public health issue for children especially and rates continue to skyrocket upward.
Lindsay, Ana, Sussner, Katarina, Kim, Juhee, Gortmaker, Steven. “The Role of Parents in Preventing Childhood Obesity.” The Future of Children 16.1 (2006): 169-186. Project Muse. Web. March 23, 2015.
The article evaluates the role of parenting in the development of childhood overweight and in obesity prevention. Author emphasizes on how the key to preventing and controlling obesity will be from the parents. The author’s viewpoint showed that “parents are key to developing a home environment that fosters healthful eating and physical activity among children and adolescents” (170). Moreover, the parent’s job can be challenging, but one of the best things that their child can receive is words of encouragement. Not only can this help the child’s feel better that their parents support, but also their interaction with them helps with weight loss. With these changes, the goal for childhood obesity prevention can grow and expand.
Ana Lindsay, Katarina Sussner, Juhee Kim, and Steven Gortmaker research was very well organized and analyzed the role of parenting both in the development of children becoming overweight and in preventing obesity. The studies that they provided helped bring insightful information as to how parents can address childhood obesity in the right way. Furthermore, the clarity of the ideas on their interventions and programs gave a well-organized appeal on their claim.
The information from this article gives a different approach on how childhood obesity can be resolved with the support and involvement of parents. With all the different studies and reviews from this article it gave me a different viewpoint on this topic on how there is hope to improve the overall state of childhood obesity. Furthermore, with the emphasis on how parents play a key role, this information will allow me to look further on how exactly parents can be more involved.
Tavernise, Sabrina. “Obesity Rate for Young Children Plummets 43% in a Decade.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
The author summarizes the issue of the lifelong struggle of weight as an epidemic, but one that is declining. What still is an issue and has shocked researchers to this day is childhood obesity. Even though this has been an issue over the years, the author talks about the positive side of the situation on where we are going with this epidemic. Sabrina Tavernise research shows that “about 8 percent of 2 to 5 year olds were obese in 2012, down from 14 percent in 2004.”As to reasons why this happened, there have been nutritional changes in young children’s eating and exercise.
Since this source is a newspaper article, I did find her leaning more to one side of the issue at hand. The author seemed to be taking a stand on the issue by persuading the reader on her viewpoint. As to how she was persuasive, she provided a very concise piece with the right amount of context for her informed audience.
This article brought a positive side to the issue at hand. I can now look for what changes have happened over the years that have caused the decline in childhood obesity. In addition, since the decline has showed that there have been changes made, progress is happening because we are taking action on this epidemic.
Viner, Russel, Edna Roche, Sabine, Maguire, and Dasha Nicholls. “When Does Obesity Become a Child Protection Issue?” British Medical Journal 341. 7769 (2010), 375-377. JSTOR. Web. March 30, 2010.
This article discussed interesting topics on the subject on childhood obesity but argued the question, “When does it constitute grounds for a charge of neglect?” The authors approached the question by asking what the problem is and concerns on the issue at hand. They elaborated the discussion by giving ideas as to when children may be showing signs of neglect from their parents. When dealing with younger children, consistently failing to change and seek support indicates neglect. Furthermore, the idea of obesity is so complex that it is wrong to institute child protection actions relating parental neglect to the cause of their child’s obesity. On the other hand, if the parents fail to put an effort to change their lifestyle, professionals or some sort of weight management program then this shows neglect.
As for research provided for this article, Dr. Russel Viner at the UCL Institute of Child Health in London as well as a group of child health experts proposed a framework of practice to the problem on this protection issue. With their linkage of child protection actions and childhood obesity, this showed the audience was intended for parents while providing childhood protection strategies. This was a great analysis on the situation of a child being neglected because the clarity of ideas helped show the possibilities of child neglect.
This article was very helpful as to finding research on the outcomes of child protection actions in obesity. The reason being is that this can help link the stages of obesity, whether it’s the earlier or later stage of obesity. Furthermore, I can continue to research the issue of child neglect and see as to what other ways this can affect the child’s weight.
Piece # 3/ “The Pursuit of Ignorance”
“The Pursuit of Ignorance”
Talking about what you don’t know will lead to further questions and explanations in a certain topic. Exploring the unknown is the key to success for some scientists like Marie Curie. Further experiments in the lab and exploring led her to find her “baby” radium. What is missing from gathering further knowledge on a certain topic then? The answer is simply ignorance. This is what makes research interesting, exploring the unknown rather than “playing it safe.” For me, sometimes I would rather play it safe when it comes to writing on certain topics mainly because that topic interests me in a certain way and I would rather explore it into more depth. The only thing that could give trouble in the research process is not the unknowing part but the facts. So the gathering facts and information build the knowledge we need to be ignorant. Being ignorant is not by all means a bad thing. Stuart states that having a high quality of ignorance is a good thing because it leads to quality questions. What is the point of knowing tons and tons of information if it is just being memorized? This leads to a dead end with your work and research on a topic, but asking high quality questions will allow ideas to flow smoothly and expand viewpoints outside the boundaries. Coming up with questions is a different approach that will need to take on certain methods and tests. These tests will check to make sure the material is practiced instead of just memorized.
Piece #2/ “Woes of Writing”
“Woes of Writing”
As of now, I have looked over all three of my sources and have a better understanding on where I need to go with my topic. I have not spent the time to read all of them and take notes but the best source that I have so far is the chapter from my book on Childhood Obesity Prevention and Health. This book really focuses on my main issue on my topic and talks about what the issue is about which has helped me with research questions. The questions that were given back to me from class confirmed that I am on the right track and asking the correct questions. Furthremore, I am still trying to find my other sources that can help me answer my questions, that way I can cover all the grounds best way possible. As of now if I stick to just working on looking for more sources and styaing on top of my game with my bibliography then I should be more than okay. It has also helped going in to office hours to discuss where I need to go, so I will probably continue to go just to make sure I stay on the right track. So, the source that I need help finding is newspaper article, I never know if the infromation is reliable or usuable. If anybody knows any more newspaper that they have been using, I would really appreciate the feedback.Even though my topic is one that is talked about and people know about it, sometimes the things you find when reserach is so mind blowing.
Piece #1/ Writing quotes and goals
The quote that applies to me best was the fourth quote by Robert Boice. As a writer, I never was to begin any writing assignment mainly because writing is difficult for me and the writing process just takes too long. Robert Boyce explains in his quote by stating, “Just get started (writing) and you may find that it’ll come to you as you proceed. The main thing is to make a beginning, to take the risk of beginning before you feel ready.” (Robert Boice, Professors as Writers, 1990, pg. 60.) This is very relatable in my experience and I find this to be very true. Getting started is the one thing that always gave me the hardest time. I always say to myself that I can be doing something better with my time other than writing. I never really was convinced or motivated that writing would help me in any way. I didn’t feel like it was important. As a writer, I never felt ready or prepared nor did I know how to. So when it came to my writing assignments, I never received the best score possible, but whose fault is that, mine. The only way to get better is by writing more and in college, there is plenty of writing. Recently, I have enjoyed writing than ever before and I am ready to improve in something that I have always struggled in. Now starting an assignment isn’t bad as it was before. I couldn’t agree more with Boice, on once you start, the rest will come to you.
The three goals that I would like to focus in my writing is content, fluency, description and word choice. These areas are the main reasons the whole writing is so stressful and stresses me out because it takes me forever to complete any writing assignment. One resource that I have used at VCU and was really helpful was the Writing Center. I have shown major improvement but still stress continue to stress when any essay is assigned. This semester, hopefully, will help me in the areas I listed above. Since this semester focuses more on writing, this will help me to get over my fear of essays. To improve my content, description, and fluency I can start to read more by simply reading more to where I can have a better understanding on how to write properly. For word choice, I would just have to put the work in and write more and look for better words and this would be better for when people read my writings to make it more interesting. I would like to start writing more by keeping a journal and by doing so this would help spark new ideas and lead to more. By doing so, this will allow me to write whatever is on my mind instead of focusing on just a certain topic and this way the words should flow more freely. This would be a good way to improve my writing and by writing once every day this will take my writing to the next level.
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