Blake-

In Blake Beverages story he talks about ‘rushing’ through his assignments and not completing them with full potential.  He connects this story to a time in second grade when his teacher taught him that quality in your work takes time and is something to be proud of (i.e. rushing through will only get you a bad grade).  This idea ties into Brandt’s idea of ‘sponsorship’.  In Blakes essay he says, “the smile she had on her face when she first read my essay was her teaching me a lesson.” If Blakes teacher didn’t teach him to slow down and produce quality work then Blake would not be receiving good grades in his classes.  However, Blakes teacher exemplified great sponsorship in that she taught him a valuable lesson in life, of which is something that he has always carried with him in his academic work (and hopefully will keep on carrying).

Hannah-

Hannah’s narrative is interesting in that she is using Alexanders idea of ‘victim’ writing.  In Hannah’s story she writes about receiving a B- on her college essay in her English class.  Hannah proceeds to explain that the grade she got was unfair because she put so much effort into the paper.  However, this experience makes her realize that as long as the subject that you are writing about makes you happy or proud, the grade shouldn’t matter.  She even says in her paper, “I was so proud of my paper, no acceptance letter or B- was going to change that.”  Hannah’s paper shows a little victimizing and growth from it – this paper may also be seen as Alexanders idea of ‘succeeding’, through Hannah’s growth in understanding she is succeeding in her work to develop a deeper appreciating for writing no matter what others think.

Sam-

In Sam’s paper she talks about gaining a passion for writing.  This story kind of ties into Brandt’s idea of sponsorship because Sam’s teacher helped her develop her love and passion for it.  This is specifically shown in the section when ‘Ms. Foster’ approached her in class when she was having difficulty thinking about a story to write.  Sam’s story also includes Alexanders idea of ‘success’ and ‘prodigy’, once Sam knew what she was doing writing became second nature to her.

Kayla-

In Kayla’s story she writes about an English teacher she had in high school who made the class miserable and ultimately made writing unenjoyable for Kayla.  She even states in her text, “Freshman year of high school my English teacher, Mr. Stritch, was the person who ruined writing for me.”  After reading that line, I was able to connect Kayla’s story to Brandt’s shared story about a student in his class who lost interest in writing due to the criticism of a teacher.  Kayla’s story also relates to a strong case of Alexanders idea of ‘victim’ writing as shown before in Hannah’s story (talked about above).  Mr. Stritch caused Kayla to dislike writing and English all together.