Critical Hip Hop Scholars in Action

Walking into my English 1A class, I didn’t know what to except. I had mixed feelings and really didn’t want to take this English class, but it was a GE requirement. As I sat down I looked around and too my surprise I noticed how diverse the students were. I also was amazed and shocked to see that my English teacher was a young black woman with so much passion and will to teach her students. It was a nice warming experience and after my first day of class I was happy I choose to take this class. The community service project was something that surprised me. This was because I failed to read the syllabus thoroughly. After taking a closer look at the project requirements I had mixed feelings on which group I wanted to be a part of. I started off in one group, but eventually decided on the Intel Group. Soon other classmates ventured over to join the team. It seemed like the project would be fun and I was a part of a good team. We exchange numbers and emails so we could work on th...

Away from home, I came to united states for my higher education. After being enrolled in English 1A, I was expecting a lot of things but this class was different from an English class. As being an international student I found a lot of difficulties and obstacles in the beginning but gradually I became used to it and started to adapt in American culture. English 1A, i took this class as my requirement for my major. But it was really fun and good in terms of learning for me. Basically this class was focused in hip hop which ?I did not know in depth. I just thought hip is just rap and music for entertainment but after being in this class I came to know that hip hop have a deep meaning and is not only music. Its way of living, culture and voice against the violence towards the African-American peoples in America. Service learning project was another exceptional thing that I learned this semester. It helped me to develop my communicating power and also confidence level to interact with peo...

              After the showcase ended, I think this was a really good chance for people who didn’t try this kind of thing – holding an event. It’s because I think the reason we come to CC is that we want to learn more than what we already know and try different things.             I think it is a really good class since it not only teaches us English, but also different things like hip hop, and also offers the opportunity to be a part of the service learning. In addition, I think one of the most important things I learned from this class is time management.  It’s because this is a hybrid class, which part of the work should be done during your own time. Therefore, having good self-discipline is very important because if you don’t have that, your learning time for other classes might be affected. This skill is important to our lives too.

From the very first day, I knew I was going to have a great learning experience. Being in this class, I've learned so much. The thing that stood out the most was being able to relate my my workload to real world issues. The critique essay was the best one to me! I loved it! I got to express so much about how I felt about things like police brutality. I'm grateful to be in one of the classes that got a chance to take service learning on a trail run. I definitely recommend it for the future! My team that I was connected with were all very supportive. We had each other's back through it all! I appreciate them and our chat groups so much.

My prime motto of coming to United States is to achieve high quality education which I always dreamed of. In order to meet the requirement for my transfer to university, i enrolled into English 1A Hybrid online class. Throughout this semester, I went through lots of ups and downs academically. The community activities were very fruitful in terms of outcomes I got through it. It was a good overall experience to get involved in such activity which also helped to upgrade my personal growth.  Apart from hip-hop showcase service learning,   this course came out to be very rewarding for me. Learning about hip-hop pop culture, improving my writing and reading skills, evaluating and upgrading my social skills are the most valuable things I got from this course. This course has provided me with the confidence that I being an international student can be competitive and can acquire the required knowledge and skills for a bright future.

    As I finish up my second semester of College at Merritt and Laney college, I’ve learned a lot as I gone on throughout the time being in the English 1A class taught by Ms. Oliver.  I’ve also met some great friends and students as well. I look backward at my life before I was entered this class, inward when I was on my road to pass this class, outward while doing our service learning activity, as well as forward looking into the future. I have gain more experience and  knowledge on how to conduct these kinds of activities which can benefit me and many others in the future. As well i see the ties of how English 1A is tied with service learning, on how it can affect communities and bring many together.     Before I entered Ms.Oliver's class, “english 1A”, I really didn’t think that we be doing a service learning activity or have much to do with hip hop. On the first day of the second semester of english 1A class, I first entered the sma...

This semester was a struggle for me I had some family issues that forced me to miss a lot of the semester but I pushed threw to the end I really want to thank all my classmates for helping me out anytime I needed help Big Shout out to Ms.Oliver she's the best this wasn't my first time in her class and if I need to take another English class it will be her the services learning project truly helped me brake out if my bubble and to exit my comfort zone and it was for the best I believe and I'm so grateful I was apart of something so awesome.

    Service learning was a new concept I hadn’t heard about before. Early on in this class, Ms. Adrienne said we’d be doing a hip hop showcase project, which definitely terrified me. Little white girls don’t talk about hip hop, even though I’m from Richmond and love Tupac, that kind of thing isn’t to be discussed, let alone in an English class in Oakland. But in my heart, I said I can do whatever she throws at us, I am completing this English class once and for all. And then we went to the museum and I cried like a baby while we experienced the Black Panther Party through different exhibits. I learned that the Black Panthers started in Oakland, and that they weren’t as militant as depicted, but focused on bettering the community. This changed my thoughts about what community truly is. Overtime, I noticed how much Ms. Adrienne loved us discussing each other’s work and thoughts. The classroom quickly became a community. I’ve never experienced something like this before. When...

This is an awesome semester. I feel so lucky of joining Mrs. Oliver's English 1A class. We spend a great time in this semester all together. We work hard as a team, and we also make friends with each other. Everyone in this class is really nice and friendly. I don't believe the class is end. Time goes so fast. I hope we can keep in touch  next semester. This spring, Mrs. Oliver taught me a lot of helpful things about writing and let me know what is the real  hip-hop. I would't never get these in another writing class. Thank you so much! This is my best memory in America. At last, I hope everyone can enjoy your summer. See you again in next semester!

Being in Ms. Oliver's class has sparked my interest Hip Hop and creative writing again. It took me a long time to go back to school but Ms. Oliver's positivity and love of teaching has made me want to continue my career in higher learning. I hope I can take another with Ms. Oliver again one day I am grateful for all my classmates and the energy they brought to this awesome class. I wrote this haiku in appreciation of my English 1A class. Ms. Olivers class Has made learning fun again She made Hip Hop cool

I watched the class grow into a center of continued learning that focused on non-traditional forms of learning that included the study of the diverse cultures in America, the origin of the hip-hop culture, public speaking, rhetorical writing, and more. Weeks later I noticed that I have not only developed my skills as a better writer, but I have also gotten exposed to lots of information about my environment that I never knew that I was not very informed about until now.

Through the ups and downs, from the beginning of the semester to now, I am happy to say I have conquered a lot of great work in a short amount of time. Whether it be the essay writing skills, communicative skills amongst my peers or even setting up an event. The main focus of this semester was to get through all my classes with passing grades. It may have been an average goal in a stranger’s eyes, however it really means everything to me for getting good enough grades to keep this process moving. The overall stress level I gained and as many tasks I was able to complete as well outside the classroom, it is a relief to say the semester is now over. .

                                                            Narrative Reflection

In these times when ignorance seems to be the norm focusing in a specific problem like hip-hop was a great idea to keep us engaged in the academic writing learning process.  The attention Miss Adrienne gave to being part of the campus created a whole new level of participation and action to absorb information about consciousness and the role music and art play in this matter. I remember one day I was really depressed and she took us to a show after an environmental consciousness fair. When I saw random people dancing I felt the rhythm and the collectiveness of the group that was having a great time. I felt relieved because I was not depressed anymore.