"They Say, I Say" Blog Post; 7 "And Yet"

 In reading the seventh chapter of They Say, I Say, "Saying Why It Matters", readers learned the benefits of making writing seem detrimental to the audience and how it relates to the level in which your literature can push a premise. Throughout the chapter, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein give numerous examples of how when the author is able to effectively exaggerate their topic, readers will not only be more engaged but will likely set aside prior biases against the authors' perspective. That said, several templates were given to better guide our academic writing towards an effective elaboration on topics that need to be shown have importance to the reader. Among the ones listed, the vast majority seemed quite formal, unlike previous templates which offered informal application. Nonetheless, in the academic environment which I'm accustomed to writing under, there's rarely a need to implement informal writing techniques, which works to my advantage here. Concluding the chapter were the two exercises which were to be completed to better our newly learned skills. That said, within Mr. Fendryks Veracross post, he gave further instructions as to how he wanted us to complete the exercises. As for the first exercise, we were to find three articles in professional writing which we would then have to decide if the author properly implemented strategies of presenting the importance of subjects. I discuss this in-depth within my answer and then cite my sources within my works cited section. Moving on to the second exercise, Mr. Fendryk instructed us to think with respect to our current multiple-perspectives work and how we may be able to better that writing through means of showing how important our premise is and who withholds a similar view. Each exercise is listed below with ample detail: 

Exercise One: 

As for the first article which I looked into, from the New York Post, I found that Karol Markowicz did an effective job of implementing features of importance regarding her text while also offering her own opinion on whether schools should reopen during the pandemic. In her argument, which supported opening schools, she made clear that the current impact is negative by concluding her introduction with: "Ouch. The prospect that our kids may still be doing remote learning in a year - or even six months from now - should alarm every parent"(Markowicz).  This opener to her discussion on emotional impacts serves its purpose in that parents are now wary and aware of the importance of her stance. 

Regarding my second choice, which came from theBlaze, Leon Wolf properly utilized writing techniques which signify the importance of the subject on hand; in Leons' case, which administration is fit to ensure the safety of citizens throughout the pandemic. For starters, Leon immediately begins his op-ed with the accomplishments of the current administration and how it may have assisted the reader or their friends, family, etc.. After showing the importance of what's been done, Leon then slowly progresses into what another party would've done in a similar scenario. Nonetheless, readers, including myself, were intrigued at the remainder of his article as it had been explained earlier the importance of what was done under this administration. 

Lastly, my third source reviewed what is set to be a busy week for the U.S. economy, which was written by Emily McCormick of Yahoo Finance. In beginning her article, which was generally objective, she stated that within the upcoming Q3 numbers, we will be able to grasp a holistic view of the American economy following the softening of COVID lockdowns. In utilizing the adjective "holistic", Emily was able to set a premise that the following article covers whats' set to be a first as a general view of our Economy since a massive shift in how many US companies conduct business. 

Exercise Two: 

As per Mr. Fednyrks' instructions, we were to ponder the correlation between our current writing regarding Harford County schools reopening and the way in which we can enact a level of importance within our writing. In doing so, we must ask ourselves "so what?" and "who cares?". In compliance with these instructions, I've reviewed the current progress on my Multiple Perspectives paper which has been done within my group. In doing so, I found that much of my writing was very assertive and did not debunk any counterarguments which others may withhold. A copy of both my original writing as well as my edited draft is below. 

         As developing, minds are often drawn to matters which include social interactions, the recent withdrawal from in-person schooling has greatly impacted the degree to which students are able to mature. That said, authorities have assessed the implications which returning to school full time brings during a pandemic and have contemporarily limited in-person instruction indefinitely. Although parents have been surveyed to overwhelmingly support distance learning, with eighty percent of parents in support, many find themselves dissatisfied with the quality of education via online methods (Wavy.com). Students, unlike their parental figures, must undergo a larger change as online learning not only alters their habits of attending school but forbids them from socializing in an effective manner like parents are able to through essential work. It’s not only children who view their development to be skewed as a result of COVID-19 procedures, pediatricians alike agree that by enforcing strict lockdown measures younger generations are also further challenged with respect to thriving in an academic and professional setting. As Jenna Holmen, MD alludes to: “schools should be considered an essential service” (Bai and Holmen), showing that even throughout the medical community, physicians agree that during a prolonged pandemic, physical schools should be operating. While one may understandably argue that medical doctors should not be responsible for indicating what constitutes an essential operation, doctors are able to better grasp the detrimental effects that come with an altered development than perhaps a public official, such as a school superintendent, is able to. Nonetheless, in weighing the benefits of distance learning in an attempt to sway the ongoing pandemic, many students must recognize the burdensome nature which comes complimentary to distant learning.

Throughout my writing, as previously stated, I found that while I made numerous valid points, none we eliminated skepticism like the seventh chapter of They Say, I Say alluded to doing throughout effective writing techniques. In altering my work, I added the suggested template found in the description of the template. That revision can be found next. 

        As developing, minds are often drawn to matters which include social interactions, the recent withdrawal from in-person schooling has greatly impacted the degree to which students are able to mature. That said, authorities have assessed the implications which returning to school full time brings during a pandemic and have contemporarily limited in-person instruction indefinitely. Although parents have been surveyed to overwhelmingly support distance learning, with eighty percent of parents in support, many find themselves dissatisfied with the quality of education via online methods (Wavy.com). Students, unlike their parental figures, must undergo a larger change as online learning not only alters their habits of attending school but forbids them from socializing in an effective manner like parents are able to through essential work. It’s not only children who view their development to be skewed as a result of COVID-19 procedures, pediatricians alike agree that by enforcing strict lockdown measures younger generations are also further challenged with respect to thriving in an academic and professional setting. Opening schools with respect to students' psychological health should interest those who seek improvement in US education. Beyond this limited audience, however, the premise should speak to anyone who cares about the larger issue of economic progression, including employers. As Jenna Holmen, MD alludes to: “schools should be considered an essential service” (Bai and Holmen), showing that even throughout the medical community, physicians agree that during a prolonged pandemic, physical schools should be operating. While one may understandably argue that medical doctors should not be responsible for indicating what constitutes an essential operation, doctors are able to better grasp the detrimental effects that come with an altered development than perhaps a public official, such as a school superintendent, is able to. Nonetheless, in weighing the benefits of distance learning in an attempt to sway the ongoing pandemic, many students must recognize the burdensome nature which comes complimentary to distant learning. 

Works Cited

Markowicz, Karol. “If They Won’t Fully Reopen Schools, despite What Science Says, When Will                 They?” New York Post, 26 Oct. 2020, nypost.com/2020/10/25/if-they-wont-fully-reopen-                        schools- now-when-will-they/. Accessed 23 Oct. 2020.

McCormick, Emily. “Big Tech Earnings, Q3 GDP: What to Know in the Week Ahead.”                                 Finance.Yahoo.Com, 25 Oct. 2020, finance.yahoo.com/news/big-tech-earnings-third-quarter-                 gdp-what-to-know-in-the-week-ahead-130443528.html. Accessed 25 Oct. 2020.

Wolf, Leon. “Democrats Seem to Think That President Trump Has Done Too Little AND Too Much to         Fight the Coronavirus Pandemic.” TheBlaze, 21 Oct. 2020, www.theblaze.com/op-ed/democrats-          trump-too-little-too-much. Accessed 23 Oct. 2020.

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