Joey LeDrew. Copied and Pasted Blog posts, and the dates they were posted.

UWRT 1103 Blog’s First Post: January 14, 2015

For my first post, I’d like to kinda explain a little of what I’ll post, be it for class or for personal reasons.

Also, I’ll explain the name! Since that is certainly a confusing, and slightly random thing.

So to start, the name. I asked my roommate James, “what should I name my blog?” and his response, was

simply “Scooby Scoop”. So, to quote editor of the Durarara! novels “I kinda like ambiguous names”. So I

just kinda went with it. My roommate also likes to call me by my last name, LeDrew, and said LeDrew-

bi-doo-bi-doo to me one day, so that is where the tagline thing comes from… Simple and silly, but I

actually kinda like it! Plus, I grew up with Scooby Doo, so that is another reason.

Second, regarding my posts, most posts will be from assignments, but I would also like to include

excerpts from my other blog. Most of the excerpts will be from my “How to Survive College” sections.

However, rather than simply copying and pasting them, I will only put a small portion of the post, and

add my own original content to it as well, so to avoid plagiarism and also to avoid just regurgitating the

same information from one blog to another.

-Joseph LeDrew

Letter to Malcolm Wordle: January 14, 2015

Reaction to “Shitty First Drafts” : January 15, 2015

The article itself talked about how most good writers, before actually writing their good piece of work be

it a book or food review, first start with a terrible first draft. The draft as the author’s friend puts it is the

“down draft” where you are just supposed to jot anything and everything down.

So I guess, I’d like to input my thoughts about that. To me, it seems like it is more of an “only applies to

certain people” type thing. Not that I am a professional writer or anything, but I focus a lot on making my

first draft good. However, what they call the “down draft” is something that I do in my head, and on

scratch sheets of paper or whatever I can write on before even writing a first draft. So instead of it being

organized as a first draft, it is more like a brainstorm of ideas and whatnot. But that is just me. Quite

frankly I believe that the first draft should still be semi-decent. Or at least readable.

BUT! In regards to other authors, I think that a “shitty first draft” certainly holds true, and pertains to

them very well. Just as the author of this short reading Anne Lamott said it allows her to have better drafts

after the first, the same is applicable of other authors. Since this wasn’t the first time I had heard that, I

kinda already knew the points she was going to make. So I guess what I am trying to say is, do whatever

works for you. Not everyone needs a shitty first draft, and not everyone needs to make their first draft

perfect either. It is all really up to personal preference.

Reaction to “Why I Hate School But Love Education” : January 27, 2015

Firstly, from a pure artistic standpoint, I thought it was a well poem. I also liked his passion about the

subject. A lot of the things he said were fairly credible, in that most of the billionaires did not finish

college. Though finish is the key word, in that many got their start while they were still in college. So

while yes what he said was true, it also has a side of it that makes the truth less of a heavy statement than

how he made it seem. Secondly, a lot of it was just the right place at the right time kinda thing. But

honestly that applies to everything.

In his defense, however, I feel that you CAN be an educated individual without receiving a formal

education. As he said, Malcolm X is a great example of this. As I said in class, Matt Damon in Good Will

Hunting is one awesome fictional example. A more personal one, is my mom, who actually scored 1 point

higher on an IQ test than my dad. The thing is, my mom didn’t finish college, and the few classes she

took were ones she hated at a small community college in Ohio. My dad however, has two degrees

economics and financing I think. While an IQ test is certainly not the best judge of knowledge, it is

something that is a recorded score. My opinion, is honestly both sides are right. College IS necessary for

some, since while you may know the knowledge you claim to have, it is often required for you to have a

piece of paper that says so. But I think for majors like Art, you can simply just be good at it, and not need

any formal education. But that is just my two cents and dollars on that. I’m not right, but I’d like to think I

am not wrong.

“From Degrading to De-grading” Thoughts: January 29, 2015

I have very mixed views about this article, just to start with. I think that this article is really only

applicable for a number of classes and subjects, or even assignments. For example, I think it is a great

thing that should apply to Art classes, Gym classes, some English class assignments, and others that could

fall under similar categories. However, Mathematics is not one that should be thought of the same way.

Grades ARE important and vital in a math class because in math there is a right and wrong answer. So

basically, if you get it right, you get an “A” and if not you receive a lower grade. So I disagree with the

author saying that grades aren’t really necessary for things like that. But for the more creative aspects and

assignments as I mentioned above, I firmly believe in a completion grade, that you get if you did the work

and it looks like you put a sufficient amount of effort into it. Much as these blog posts are, haha. I’m not

graded on the awesomeness of my posts, though if I was it would be an A for sure. But rather, I am

graded on the fact that I read these articles, and give my honest opinion on them.

I also think that there are few replacements for grades. I mean, if I were to really spend hours

contemplating this, I could give you some decent ideas, but at 11:47 at night doing this since I am an

irresponsible college student I won’t waste our time. I think that grades are an easily measured

“comprehension” of a subject matter. So in that sense they are vital. Also, without grades, colleges would

never look at me. I did no extracurricular activities in high school since I was an absolutely boring person.

So it was based on standardized tests that I dislike so much, and my excellent performance on them that I

even got into this school. So, grades are an essential but not perfect way to test and sadly label students.

There will always exception students. Ones who are hidden geniuses, but do poorly on tests, and people

like me, who are average at best, but know how to guess better than a contestant on The Price is Right.

I also think the idea of getting rid of grades is kinda silly, at least all together. It is one of those things that

is hard to be done, and no immediate solution is available. The author proposes a slow solution, not unlike

that as the proposition to gradually eliminate pollution. But in the end, I think it would be a silly thing to

implement in a right/wrong class like math. People may try to argue that a child who proposes 2+2=5 is a

genius for thinking outside the box, but I have to be cynical and say they are having difficulty with basic

counting. So not to get too redundant, but in conclusion I generally agree with this article, but also

disagree. It is too biased, and gives examples, but I think it doesn’t give as much proof as it should. Its

neat quotes are nice, but I feel that they lack the proof I am looking for…

“Why I’m Asking You Not to Use Laptops” Thoughts: February 10, 2015

I really liked this article, in that it was from a teacher who has an understanding view of laptops, in that

they will let a student who actually MUST use a laptop use one. I personally think laptops in the

classroom will be nothing but a distraction, simply because I know it’d distract me, and I have seen how

other people misuse their own computers. Countless times I have seen people in large lecture halls

reading manga on their laptop, or watching Family Guy. And often times I would find myself doing the

same thing, but on their computer! So they would unintentionally be distracting me.

Now with that being said, I don’t think laptops should be banned from classrooms all together. I think in a

lecture style class, where its pretty much only note-taking, that is fine. Also, if it is a class that deals with

technology, i.e. a computer class or a 3D Design class, than I think that is more than fine. But for a

writing class like ours is, or a math class, where pencil to paper notes are clearly far more superior, then

laptops have no place there. There are also classes that they simply just don’t belong, since I know they

will be misused, and I have examples of that. My Japanese class has a person who uses a laptop, which I

think is funny. This person most likely does not know who to get the keyboard to type in Japanese, and 1

of the 4 main skills in learning a language is writing. So by default they lose that skill. (The other 3 are

speaking, reading, and listening). So the laptop seems to be a heavy burden and hindrance their education

as a whole. Most likely why they continue to do poorly, in my opinion. I am also slightly biased, since I

don’t personally have a laptop, meaning that I don’t have one to bring to class. So automatically I prefer

not using one.

“Schools Kill Creativity” TED Talk Review: February 24, 2015

I thoroughly enjoyed this TED talk, since it was funny, and regardless of the fact it was taken in what…

2006? It still holds true to now. I think that in most ways, schools do “kill creativity” by forcing an

unofficial hierarchy of class importance. As the man said, Math is at the top, and the arts are at the

bottom. I can’t remember the last time, except for college, I was forced to take an art class. Maybe 5th

grade? But that is over 8 years ago, so it is a little irrelevant to my life now. I had a dance class, maybe for

a month or two in the 3rd grade, that while I hated, it at least let me know I hated it.

One argument I hear from, even fellow students, as to why they shouldn’t have to take art classes and

such is because they dislike them. But if it w eren’t for the fact you had to take them in the past, you

wouldn’t have known you disliked them. People also argue that the arts are less important, but in regards

to school, my art class had the same weight on my GPA as my math class, meaning that I should take

each of them seriously.

In regards to creativity, I think it most definitely died with me from late elementary school to middle

school. I was a super creative child who made their own dope ass stories, and stuff like that, but then was

forced to take myself seriously, and couldn’t do fun and more artistically challenging things. But then

there was a revival of creativity in me, when I started studying on my own, outside of school, and when I

took sculpture in my senior year of high school. While those two times might have gone hand in hand,

they were important, since I learned how to have fun with art and stuff like that.

I think that since in our times factory or math based jobs are becoming less important, and arts are being

more heavily mainstreamed, that we should start reinstating the types of classes we had in elementary

school. I had a Spanish class, that I kind of enjoyed in 3rd grade, and now more than ever is that relevant.

Not only the arts, but foreign languages are so important to the development of children, do to the heavy

correlation between the intelligence of children, and their success, and the fact that they are bi-lingual.

Since I started learning new languages, I felt that I was able to understand many other things better. And

since I feel that kids are better at learning when they are younger, you should teach them more, younger. I

know I was shit at learning when I was younger, but now I’m fine. Maybe.

And sorry if this seemed like a rant, but the fact that they view maths such as calculus and such, which

most of us will never use, as more important than learning a language, or how to play an instrument, is

ridiculous.

Japanese Speech Contest Results: February 24, 2015

So as I wrote about in one of my papers, I was entering the Japanese Speech Contest on campus. I wrote

about my fat cat Binks in my speech, and it was pretty dope and funny. I was pretty nervous, since I don’t

like public speaking, but I did it regardless. I had the whole room laughing with just the name of my

speech, since most peoples’ were boring, or rather lacked creativity. So when the title of mine was

projected up onto the board of the lecture hall, people immediately started giggling. Plus my friends who

knew me well enough thought it was funny that I was even going to do it, and was up there having fun

with it.

After all 45 or so contestants presented their speeches, they concluded, and moved on to the rewards

ceremony. They started with the introductory level first, which was my level. They said there would be 3

winners, and commenced with calling the names of the winners. My best friend Robert and the infamous

Nick were sitting next to me, showing me pictures they had taken of me while I was speaking, and also

telling me I would definitely place, since I had done well. I laughed since I knew I messed up numerous

times. Then they started calling names, and I was shocked to hear the Japanese woman call what sounded

like “Joey LeDrew” first. My friends shouted “YEAH JOEY!” and I was like “…what?” So I got up on

stage, along with 2 other people. I ended up receiving 3rd place, which was super dope. I was excited just

to participate, but to actually win something made it all the better!

The certificate I got

Me accepting my prizes like a boss and stuff.

“Ghostwriter” thoughts: March 19, 2015

Before reading this article, Nick told me a little about it. I actually respect this guy. He does hard, and

honest work. So I don’t actually dislike the company he works for, or the work he does. I think quite

frankly, if the student is smart enough to cheat and not get caught, then good on them for being able to do

it. I’ve cheated before, and most likely will do it again. Now am I saying I’m a habitual cheater? No, but I

will say that sometimes an “A” is better than a “C”. That was true in my high school chemistry class.

Now in regards to having someone else write a paper for me, I don’t think I’d ever do that. Now I’m not

just saying that because this a blog post for my writing class, but because I actually consider myself a

decent enough writer to pass on my own merits. Also, a lot of writing is graded on content, and not actual

writing skill. So even if a sentence was “mittons Romneey wuz a politics Present candate in the ’08

elecshun against O’bama” I wouldn’t be wrong… technically. I don’t know. I guess what I’m trying to

say is that I actually almost entirely agree with what the man who wrote that article said. It’s not the

students who are really at fault, it’s the school system, for one, not being able to recognize that the paper

isn’t theirs, but also for not helping them become a decent writer, and allowing them to literally hold

positions of authority and respect, like a teacher or nurse, and write horrid papers. Also, I think if given

the opportunity I’d totally do his job. Maybe not for as long as he has, or do nearly as many papers, but

kinda as a side thing. Like, professional video game player by day, and paper writer by night. Sounds

good, right?

“30 is Not the New 20″ Thoughts: March 25, 2015

I liked this TED talk a little bit, since it was from a psychologist, and I have a big interest in psychology. I

liked how she said, and used many examples, on how your 20′s aren’t an extended adolescence, and

that they are in fact a very important developmental stage in your adulthood. I think many people forget

that, and start their lives at a later age, not allowing them to enjoy their life for as long. For example, my

parents got married and started careers young, so they are only in their early 40′s now, and so are still

young enough to do whatever, regardless of the fact that they have an 18 year old son. Whereas most

people’s parents I know are in their 50′s or even 60′s, and got started much later. This also can cause

a disconnect with their kids, and not make them able to understand them as well. Be it they are not as tech

savvy or just not “down with the times.” Either way, I think that you should get started on your adult life

as soon as you can. But that doesn’t mean that just because you are an adult you don’t have fun, it just

means that you have to be slightly more independent. And I feel that it is something I am ready to do.

I also really liked her “identity capital” and using weak ties ideas. Cause weak ties always seem to be the

way I get shit done, and building an identity that benefits you is also something so incredibly important.

Too many people do things they don’t enjoy, or that don’t fit their identity, simply because they thing

society wants them to.

PowerPoint Dependency: April 9, 2015

Just a quick gripe about how some teachers “teach” now, as well as how some people give presentations

or lectures. I am a firm believer that technology is a wondrous thing, and should be utilized whenever

possible. However, some people have become too dependent and have lost that kind of personal touch

you can add to a lecture, or presentation. For example, I have a professor now who simply throws up a

powerpoint, reads off of it, almost exactly word for word, may go into the occasional detail about a point

that isn’t self-explanatory, then class gets let out. I think this is literally one of the most boring things one

can do, except for doing what the author of an article (http://www.vice.com/read/i-tried-to-spend-24-

hours-in-24-hour-walmart-242) did, and even that seemed like it would be more fun. Now, I’m not anti

powerpoint, but I’d rather her do what a teacher I had for AP US History did, when I was in the 11th

grade. He would have a powerpoint up on occasion, use it for pictures or words for reference, then

explain them in great detail, and almost always have an interesting story about the topic. Not to say there

weren’t times where I didn’t sleep in his class, but it was much better then the dreaded LBST I have. Or

rather, it isn’t so much that the class is bad, but the way it is delivered is poor.

Also, students giving speeches or presentations for classes relay WAY to heavily on powerpoints. It has

gotten to the point where they just read straight off of them, literally offering no additional insight to what

the powerpoint already says. Maybe it has a picture or two, but really the only people they are helping by

being there and regurgitating the information is blind people, who can’t read the damn powerpoint. I ask

that people use it only for reference, almost like a note-card, so that way people can write down the main

concepts as notes, but then listen to what you have to say, to define those concepts. And stop sounding

mono toned during your speeches people… Get some intonation in that voice of yours.

“Every Kid Needs a Champion” Response: April 18, 2015

First, I must say that since I do plan on becoming a teacher at some point in time, this was fun to watch. I

think my favorite things she said were that learning and teaching should bring joy. I think that is the best

way to look at it. You shouldn’t try to teach a stuffy and boring class. Though sometimes that is

unavoidable. But I have seen teachers make history fun, and I have seen teachers make math enjoyable. It

is possible. You just have to try.

This kind of inspired me to strive for excellence when teaching English in Japan. If I get selected to, and

you know I’m gonna try super hard to make sure that happens, then I’ll make the dopest lesson plan these

kids have ever seen. I’ll find ways to make English seem fun, teach them useful phrases they can use to

impress their foreign friends. I’ll use pop-culture things they should be aware of to make sure they can

relate, as well as learn. Because some things nowadays just aren’t relate-able. So I think by using things

like Chandler from Friends to teach English sarcasm, or Family Guy to teach metaphors, then I’d be able

to make it a little more fun. Now obviously I may not be able to use all of those, since I’d probably have

to follow some lesson plan, I still think I’d be able to find some way to be clever and creative, and

incorporate neat lessons amongst the things they are supposed to learn.

I also like this woman, in that she tries to teach subjects she doesn’t fully know, allowing for both the

student and the teacher to learn at the same time. From hearing things from friends in the past, they have

said they learned math the best when they learned something together. And I think that is a cool

experience to have. Now I’m not saying you should just blindly wander into a subject, so do try to have

some knowledge. But it’s okay to not be omniscient.

“Joyous Valadorous” Opinions: April 20, 2015

While I read this a long while ago, I did forget to put a blog response to it, so… here it is.

I personally liked this, in that it basically described hummingbirds to the point where you think that is all

this is going to be about, then it drops some deep shit on you, with the quotes at the end: ” You can brick

up your heart as stout and tight and hard and cold and impregnable as you possibly can and down it

comes in an instant, felled by a woman’s second glance, a child’s apple breath, the shatter of glass in the

road, the words “I have something to tell you,” a cat with a broken spine dragging itself into the forest to

die…”

I really liked how it compared the heart of a hummingbird to your own. I had also previously heard of

Brian Doyle, though I can’t remember exactly what in particular it was I remember him for. I enjoyed

reading this, though I don’t have too much to say about it in particular. It was a good read, though.

“How to buy happiness” Response: April 20, 2015

As I have said before, I love TED talks, and this is no exception. This guy started off by saying, “If you

don’t think money can buy you happiness, you are spending it wrong.” And I totally agree. This was

almost exactly what I wanted him to say, too. Because honestly, it can. Though he went the research route

with it, and did a cool experiment. They went to various places; colleges, businesses, and the widely

popular choice for research studies, dodgeball teams. What they did after, was gave them money, and told

them what to spend it on, be it themselves, or a gift for someone they know. And what they found was

extraordinary. They found that you were not only happier, but you performed better as well, if you choice

the prosocial (give to others) option. Be it that you sold more, or won more matches in dodgeball, you

ended up being, well, better. And that is a win in itself. But as I said, they were also happier, showing that

money can indeed buy you happiness.

Now I can also relate this to myself, because this past Christmas, I decided to spend about $75 on presents

for my friends, instead of on myself. Now granted I knew they were going to buy me things in return, but

I didn’t get to choose, so essentially it was just me giving them a gift, without expecting much in return.

And I found myself to be really happy after buying it online, and shipping it to them. I was also happy

when they got the gifts, or when I gave the gifts to them. So I think that says a lot, that it is about how you

spend your money, and who you spend it on, that determines whether or not you can buy happiness.

How I want to feel by the end of the Semester: April 20, 2015

This picture is the definition of happiness and content with ones self. It is of Wayne Brady and Colin

Mochrie from Whose Line is it Anyway? and they are by far the two funniest people in existence. They

can embarrass themselves just like this, and still put on a smile, because they are happy the way they are.

And that is how I’d like to be. Plus, those costumes are pretty dope. So I too would like one. I think I’d

also want to be as funny as those hooligans. Though improv isn’t really my thing.

“Why Writers Are the Worst Procrastinators” Response: April 28, 2015

Without even reading the title, I can totally 100% agree with this. And you want to know the amazing

reason why I can agree with that? It’s because…. wait for it…. I procrastinated on doing this blog post!

Oh the irony! I think that is comedy gold right there.

But in all seriousness, I think I can agree with the reasons stated, as to why writers are the best

procrastinators. Though I’d also like to add my own. First, I’ll use Nick Ramos as an example. He sets

aside a perfect amount of time for him to get his work for Writing class. So say the assignment would

take an hour, he’d set aside an hour and fifteen minutes, just to be safe. The issue is, he ends up stopping

mid sentence, dancing, and 10 minutes later continuing the sentence, but not reading where he left of. It is

terrible really.

Next example is me. I procrastinate so much, I literally find worse assignments that aren’t even required,

and do those instead of the required assignment. It is amazing really. I once made a powerpoint that had

nothing to do with a speech I was telling, instead of writing the speech. Really, it is amazing. I also

learned 5 Taylor Swift songs on guitar, instead of writing a paper for an LBST last semester. Why?

Because at the time, Taylor Swift was more important than Linguistics. Obviously. I’d say that statement

holds true just about all the time as well.

Sayonara! Goodbye Malcolm: April 28, 2015

It has been a blast, and for my last post I’d just like to say thanks, and さよなら (sayonara, goodbye). I

really enjoyed having you as a teacher, and I hope you didn’t hate having me as a student.

Also, I really liked the picture of Wayne Brady and Colin Mochrie that I posted, so I think I’ll add it

again. I think I do feel like them, now that it is the end of the semester. So, mission accomplished.

Also, as a side note, thanks again for letting me compile these into a word/PDF file. Technology can be so

tiresome, especially when it doesn’t work for me.