Okay, so I am going to write this last meta-post myself. : )
Here is an undercurrent-Theme that I am noticing in a lot of the posts:
family.
And it is a powerful one.
It seems like many of us have someone at home whom we are really thinking about. Even as we delve into a new year of study, it’s like this person is right there with us.
Maybe that person isn’t direct “family” per se — maybe they are someone we love or a close friend;
maybe this person isn’t even alive any more. It is almost like they are with us through the school year all the more.
So If you noticed this undercurrent/phenomenon, and or want to agree or disagree, please comment.
Hi Professor Schmerler, I agree with you as I have also noticed this undercurrent theme throughout many of the posts. Family is something that extends beyond just biological relations but can also be a term applied to encompass other loved ones in our lives such as friends or even pets. To me, family means all of these things and is especially important to me because it serves as a daily source of motivation and support that keeps me going. My family is always there to keep me grounded and remind me that I will be loved unconditionally when times are hard. That’s something I’m super fortunate to have and extremely grateful for.
Hey Professor Schmerler,
I agree with this concurrent theme of family. It was definitely spoken about many times within all of our posts. Family is how we were made and what raised us to become us. They helped us find ourselves and our self-worth. My main appreciation of my family is my mom and my little brother since they are what sustains my happiness. Im very blessed to have them and keep me dedicated and motivated throughout my life.
Hey Professor Schmerle,
I totally agree with you. The way family is been included in all our posts showed how important and appreciated they are. family is the safe place you call home. We would find family everywhere during our happy and difficult times. The real family and my first love is his mommy. A big thank you to her. And to the way she raised me. Also, grandpa, may he RIP. Even though it’s been years since he left. He would show up in my dream holding my hand and smiling . Grandpa was such a sweet and loving person. Mom would always smile when she talks about him. Thank you, grandpa and mommy.
Hello Proffessor Schmerler,
I agree with the concurrent theme of family, family is really important to us and I agree with the fact that family can also be friends and extended relationships. For me my motivation comes from my dad even if he isn’t alive anymore, I feel like he is always with me and I have to make him proud regardless.
Haifa, Debbie, Salman, Tina…,
Thank you. It is funny that I, myself, am experiencing this “undercurrent theme” of “family” myself — particularly this week. Why? Two reasons. 1) because it was my birthday this weekend, and I went to see my son at his college for lunch, because that is what I truly “wanted” for my birthday, and 2) because it is the opening week of Freshman Year, and I have strong memories of that. My father passed away a week before I left for college my freshman year. I was 17, and I knew NO ONE where I went to school. And I had never left home like that before.
I had a pretty amazing experience that first month with my freshman English Professor. Perhaps I will tell you that story sometime soon. : – )
So, I almost want to ask a Meta-Meta Question here: Do you think that I found that “undercurrent theme” because I, myself, was sensitive to it? My immediate answer is: yes. I think that we “find” things when we read that are actually inside *us*. The other person’s words just brings them out.
As readers, we always *bring ourselves* to the words we read.
Happy belated birthday Professor Schmerler! I definitely think that this aspect of personal significance helped to highlight the prevalence of the theme “family” within our posts. Since many students who have commented have also expressed agreement on this common theme, I think that all of us have our sentiments of family that we saw reflected and further enhanced throughout each other’s posts. Just as you mentioned, when we read, we discover things that are actually inside of us. I think that’s a really wonderful way to put it.
On a side note, it is always nice to learn about the experiences of others! I would love to hear more about your freshman year story if you choose to share it with us :))
Hey Professor Schmerler,
i agree that family does seem to be a concurrent theme, especially when it comes to schooling. Family can be the backbone that keeps you motivated when you have a stressful class. Looking back over some of the post reminded by some of my fellow classmates Corbin, Skyla and Camila that family can apply not only to people but pets as well. Our tight nit groups shape our daily motivations and put into perspective what we want to accomplish.
Hi Professor Schmerler, I definitely agree with you that family is an undercurrent theme. I know for me in my post I chose a picture of my grandfather and wrote about his impact on my college experience. I am a family oriented person and because of that most of the people i most admire in my life are in my family. To me, family is not just people we are blood related to, I consider all of the people in my life family and they are very important to me. I know I saw many other students who cited their loved ones as their motivation as well. I think it is great that we all have a strong enough support system in our lives that we are so motivated to do well.
I definitely agree with family being the undercurrent theme of all the posts. I believe this is because a lot of what we do is for our family or the people we love and a lot of the time those loved ones are there when we need them so it is really easy for us to appreciate them for their love and care they provide. I also noticed a comment that says the family extends the biological bonds and I fully agree with that especially with some of the friends that I met in high school and even some in middle school I still talk to them and check up on them as if we were family.
I agree with the undercurrent theme of family in this post. I believe that this occurs because we all have that sixth sense when it comes to family and we know when something is happening or we just care about them too much and even if they’re close friends, they can too be considered family. I saw in a previous comment that family isn’t just blood bonds, but it’s the people with that you have had a shared past or just close friends that have been with you, through thick and thin. For me, it’s some friends from middle school and some of high school.