Who would have thought? (SSR)

While coming up with an article for this argumentative post, I had to do a lot of thinking and searching to come up with the right article and the right reasons to support the article. Today, I came across an article on NPR title "For A Resume, Type Font Matters." Before coming across this and reading into it, I never really would have put much thought into why font matters, not just on resumes. I do to think about the fonts I use, when I use them, and how I use them before coming up with reasons to argue for why font matters. This article from NPR mainly discusses fonts on a resume and says that the typeface, or font, one uses can say a lot about them. The author, Emma Bowman, even has a very shocking quote by a person with the name Bloomberg that say, "Using Times New Roman is the typeface equivalent of wearing sweatpants to an interview." This appalled me because, as students, we are taught that using Times New Roman is the only way to go. If we dare use something else on our papers and go against the MLA guidelines we get points taken off of our paper. Times New Roman is supposed to be professional and sophisticated, but according to Bloomberg that font is quite the opposite. Another man, Brian Hoff, who was quoted in the article says when doing a resume Helvitca is a good option because it is "professional, lighthearted, and honest." The article continues on discussing certain fonts, whether they are appropriate or not, and what the fonts are associated with.



                          

       Disney

                             
After a lot of thinking, I came up with a few reasons as to why the font one chooses to use is so important. One reason font is so important is that each font carries its own personality in a sense. Font, along with colors, images, and products, appeals to the visual image of something. As humans, we are drawn to pictures and bold colors. We like when something pops and pulls us in, and that is what a font does. The font is just as important as the colors and images that go into an advertisement or product. A font helps to identify what it is associated with. Think of the font used for the Disney logos. When one sees that font, they will most likely smile, become filled with warmth and enjoyment, and think Disney because nothing else has that font. The font is Disney and is Disney's logo. If Disney used a font such as Times New Roman, it would not be nearly as appealing. Times New Roman is seen very often because it is considered to be professional. The font is in books, newspapers, magazines, and so many other places that it is just there. People think nothing of the font when they pick something up because they are so used to seeing the same style over and over again. The Disney logo would be boring, bland, and overlooked if Times New Roman was used because each font invokes a different feeling. The font one chooses to use carries its own personalities and feelings, which can be proven with the font Disney uses and the typical, boring, overused font, Times New Roman.

Another reason font is so important and changes, just like the resume font is changing, is because the times are changing. Whether you think so or not, the times and the way our society lives effects everything, even the font we use. Think of the font as fashion because the article even compares the font Times New Roman to sweatpants. The clothes we wear are changing from year to year. New styles are coming in, existing fashions are leaving, and some are staying around. Go back to the early 2000s when flared jeans, chokers, and camouflage were the must haves that every female needed in her closet. Today, however, one would not be seen wearing those clothes. Instead the females are walking around today wearing kimonos, overalls, bold colors, and abstract prints. Over the last 15 years, the fashion styles have changed dramatically, just like the fonts have. The article says Times New Roman has a "tired reputation" just like the chokers did; therefore, a change is needed. Times New Roman was the font to use in years past, but businesses are changing and the people who run the businesses in our world are changing. Nobody is the typical CEO or businessman anymore, and so many new businesses and products are coming out that tradition is not the way to go anymore. Since fonts are changing, and newer fonts are being considered more acceptable on resumes and other writings, people are able to explore the realm of fonts and find something that fits them. They can find a font that matches their personality and use it, if it still offers a somewhat professional and sophisticated approach. The font one uses is important, but it opens one up and introduces themselves to the person reading their paper or, in this case, resume. The font carries a certain feeling, and can express what type of person the person who uses that font is. Fonts, just like fashion trends, prove that change is okay.

A final reason that font matters is that it can attract people in a certain way. As briefly discussed already, we as humans like something that is visually appealing; therefore, certain fonts can attract a bigger audience because they catch people's eyes. When kids go to a book store they are not going to pick up a book that has something written in Times New Roman font on it. They are going to go to the book that has the most ridiculous font style on it because that is what they like. By being daring and bold, people can attract a broader audience with their works. This could relate to an author who writes children's book, or a person who chooses a different font when typing their resume. The author can appeal to more kids and have a number one selling book, or the person can appeal to more companies and have a chance at getting a job at multiple places. I do not think anybody has ever put this much thought into the font they use, but it definitely makes sense after you think about it for a while. The font one chooses to use matters more than they could possibly imagine.

"Best in Class" Reaction (CRR)

Well, as a class we were supposed to read and discuss "Best in Class" by Margaret Talbot, but things changed and we ended up not discussing. I, however, having OCD and the need to get things done, read the essay over the weekend prior to the week we were supposed to do discuss it, so I would have it complete. Even though we did not read it in class, I am glad that I had read it on my own.

For those of you that did not read "Best in Class" by Talbot, you should take the time to do so because the essay focuses on a controversial issue that many of us and our friends may have to face. This issue is valedictorian. In her essay, Talbot reflects on the topic and emphasizes the amount of stress placed on students who are competing to be at the top of their class. The contest for valedictorian is more intense and more aggressive than it has ever been before. "At one time, it was obvious who the best students in a school were," but now with the changing curriculum and economy "the contenders for the valedictorian title, especially at large, top performing suburban high schools, are numerous and determined." Talbot's essay explains the lengths students will go to in order to earn the honor and title of valedictorian, and it also discusses whether or not schools should continue to have valedictorians and if they how many they should have.

Throughout her essay, Talbot uses many rhetorical devices, such as imagery and diction, to help convey the lengths students will go though to be valedictorian; however, the device that is most prominent throughout is exemplification. As a class, we never really point this out, but I do not think we have read an essay like Talbot's before where the entire thing consists of example after example. Talbot relies on her interviews and examples a lot because they illustrate how tough the competition is to be a valedictorian. The examples also show how far the students will go to earn that, as well. When Talbot uses the examples, she is also appealing to logos and drawing her audience in because of the real-life examples she uses.

Here is paragraph 19:

"I recently spoke to some students who had been involved in legal actions over the naming of a valedictorian, and they seemed to share a common attitude toward the experience. On the one hand, they shrugged off the importance of the honor—they had gone on to colleges where valedictorians were so plentiful that to have claimed bragging rights would have been seriously uncool. On the other hand, they could easily recall their high-school state of mind, and feel indignant all over again, utterly convinced that they had done the right thing. In 2003, Sarah Bird, a senior at Plano West Senior High School, in Plano, Texas, requested a hearing before the local school board. Another student, Jennifer Wu, had been named sole valedictorian, although her G.P.A. was virtually identical to Bird’s. Bird had played on the school’s basketball team. The sport was treated like a physical-education course by the school, and for several semesters she had been given unweighted A’s. This had put her at a disadvantage, Bird felt. The hearing, at which Bird’s lawyer asked that the two students be named co-valedictorians, involved some very close parsing. Brent William Bailey, Bird’s lawyer, told me, “Going in, the other girl had a G.P.A. of 4.46885 and Sarah had 4.46731—so that was a difference of .00154. Then the calculations were redone and Sarah came out with a G.P.A. of 4.47647.” The school board granted Bird’s request. “I was prepared to go ahead with a lawsuit if it hadn’t gone our way,” Bailey recalled. Wu, who expressed unhappiness over the decision to the Dallas Morning News, then requested a hearing of her own, to question the way the process was handled. Wu is now a sophomore at Harvard, where she is a pre-med student. We spoke just before finals, and she clearly had other things on her mind. “Nobody in college cares about your having been valedictorian,” she said. “My roommate had no idea I was valedictorian. It doesn’t come up, and I don’t think about it.” Still, when I asked Wu why she had complained to the school board, she said, “I wanted to make sure the school knew how traumatic something like this can be—thinking you’re competing under one set of rules, and having an expectation because of that, and then finding out you’re competing under another.”"

 

This paragraph is just one example used towards achieving the exemplification Talbot used. Throughout this paragraph there is also ethos and logos. The example serves as logos, but adds to the multiple examples used towards the exemplification. When Talbot says, "I recently spoke to some students who had been involved in legal actions over the naming of a valedictorian," not only is she establishing her ethos, but she also helping to show the lengths students have gone through to be valedictorian. By saying she spoke to students first-hand, she is establishing a trust with her audience. She has the knowledge and the proof that she got on her own to support her argument of how far students have gone to receive valedictorian. In this example, Talbot shares the story of Sarah Bird who pressed charges against the school board and was willing to go even further is she had not been given the title. This example, along with many others like throughout the essay prove Talbot's point.

 

What struck me the most about this essay though was that multiple students said that when they went to college, their valedictorian title did not matter. Nobody cared and nobody knew or even wanted to know whether they were valedictorian or not. I think the people, like Bird, who went to such extremes probably look back and feel embarrassed for going though all of the trouble that they went through; I know I felt a second-hand embarrassment for them. I also understand that valedictorian is a huge honor and a great title to receive, but I think that by pressing charges like that makes someone who is supposed to be so knowledgeable look bad. Plus, Bird went to Harvard and many of the students in the other examples also attended Ivy League schools, so whether they had the title or not they were still going to very prestigious, high-ranked colleges. All of the students in the examples went to on to medical school or law school where valedictorian did not matter and with that being said, I believe schools should get rid of the title all together. Once somebody is name valedictorian it is the end of the school year, and the students are already accepted to their desired school and have plans on attending it. The title is just the icing on the cake. Nobody cares once you graduate, so why does it matter if there is one anyways? I do not believe in the title, but I do believe in a college looking at a student based on rank in their class. That is something more personal and less controversial because it is not something being pointed to many.

 

Talbot's essay shows that being a valedictorian causes more harm than intended to students, parents, and school faculty because of the competitiveness amongst students. By eliminating valedictorian there would be less law suits and schools that operate more smoothly. Talbot even used examples to show some schools that have eliminated valedictorian. I think the examples used were excellent in helping to prove her point and can really get her audience thinking about the issue at hand. The examples showed that the problem occurred in the past, is still occurring today, and will continue to occur because people will never be satisfied. The students themselves said the title did not matter after graduation, so why does it have to matter at graduation?

 

Too much patience or not enough? (PB)

 

I find myself thinking a lot about the amount of patience I have for things that I encounter on a daily basis. People at school and homework? I have all the patience in the world for most of the time. My sister when I come home from school and have loads of homework to do? None. She manages to make me crazy and lose all possible patience that I have causing tension between us for the rest of the night.

With that being said, everything in life always seems to come back to having patience. Do you want a new shirt from your favorite store that you saw online, but the local store does not have it in yet? Well, be patient. The store will eventually get this shirt you are just dying to have. Are you waiting for someone to ask you to prom? Well, be patient because there is some guy out there who wants to ask you, but just has not been able to come up with the perfect way to yet (although he should hurry up because he is running out of time). Or have you just encountered one unfortunate event after another and are waiting for your life to turn around? Well, be patient because God works in funny ways and is just testing your patience with Him! As you can see, everything comes back to having patience.

As a person, and for those of you that know me, I like to know things. I am organized, I like to have a plan and follow it, I like to be on time to places, I like to know all of the possibilities before making a decision, but even then cannot make a decision on my own to save my life, but most importantly, I have patience and tolerance for a lot of things. When I have patience and comfort with my surroundings change is always difficult because I have to acquire patience for new things around me. Life is not able to be lived by always being patient and adaptable to your new surroundings because life does not work that way. It is physically impossible for us to control every aspect of our life with a plan and to live a perfect life, contrary to some people’s beliefs.

I am more than aware that I am a very compliant person. I like being a people pleaser and just going with the flow because I have the patience to do just about anything.  But instead of being patient and telling myself to do whatever others want, I need to learn to say the word “no”. When it comes to saying “no,” I over-analyze the situation I am put into and think about what would happen if I actually said “no” to a certain situation. But by never saying “no,” I let these thoughts hold me back from something I want to do. I need to learn to take consequences, deal with regrets, and accept failure in order to grow as an individual. I am not going to be able to go through life and do whatever everybody else wants to do all of the time because it does not work that way. Life throws change at you every chance it can get, that is just the way it works, and to continue living one needs to be more comfortable with change, while clinging to who they are as a person.

We are still in high school though, and this is where we can learn to let go and grow as individual. We need to become who we are and learn what qualities we have, such as a patience, and how we are going to use them later in life. The amount of patience I have gets pointed out by many, and it does not bother me because it makes me who I am, but I cannot always be as patient as I am and continue using that quality to be a people pleaser. That is what gets said to me by those who point out my patience, and they are right. In our lives right now, we need to find the balance between being patient and being able to say “no” because everything comes back to having patience.

It is not about whether you have patience or not, but rather how much patience you have.

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