Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Tutoring free essay sample

The dreadful smell of the tiny apartment almost made me gag. I held my breath until I met the refugee family from Afghanistan. I thought tutoring two girls from Afghanistan would be a great experience. There names are Wajiha and Nazifa. My mom found out about the tutoring opportunity through our church. When we went to help them, I went with my mom and my brother. We would see them each week and spend an hour teaching them. Usually I would help one of the girls, my brother would help the other, and my mom would help their mother. Every now and then we would rotate to spend time with everyone. When we all visited them, not only did we tutor them, but we got to know many things about them as well. They told us that they pray five times a day, their parents choose the husband, and they introduced some spicy foods they eat. We will write a custom essay sample on Tutoring or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I learned that public display of affection is more acceptable in our country than theirs. They are also more modest in the way they dress, wearing longer clothes and covering up their body. Moving from Afghanistan to the U.S must have been difficult for them because they lost most of their family, friends, and their possessions. When they came to the U.S not knowing any English, I was there to help them. It was tough communicating with them at first, but I didn’t give up. I started by teaching them simple and practical words, like objects around the house. We worked on reading children’s books, spelling words and eventually I helped them with their homework. I loved seeing how they progressed. It hasn’t been easy for Wajiha and Nazifa as they didn’t have any friends and didn’t really know who to turn to. I tried relating to what they have gone through, and it’s impossible. Change isn’t that easy for me, so I admire their strength and courage. It took a lot of bravery to leave behind loved ones for a better life in America. I’m glad I didn’t back out of this whole experience because of the way their apartment smelled or how small it was. I am happy I helped the family out and could make a difference in their lives. The girls are currently working at Taco Bell and have worked there two years. They are also making plans to go to WCTC. Tutoring has been very rewarding. I often ask myself, â€Å"Who got more out of the experience, us or them?†

Saturday, March 7, 2020

The 10 Commandments Of Writing Great Copy

The 10 Commandments Of Writing Great Copy What does it take to write great copy? Great copy looks different depending upon where you find it; each audience has a different set of copywriting rules that they respond to. Great blog copy might make terrible ad copy, and vice versa. So lets talk about the copy youre creating for your website and blog. What rules apply? 1. Write as a conversation. People prefer conversations rather than lectures. Lectures talk down to them, while conversations speak with them on the same level. How do you write conversationally? Theres a real human here. When I write, I have a specific person in mind as I write. I need a face to write to, or I write generic, faceless posts. This approach keeps me from acting as if I am lording over a reader, but sitting next to her and having a conversation about something. Perhaps it is a fan on Twitter or a reader who left a comment who I am thinking of when writing. This is made easier when you listen to your audiences feedback and write posts that they request or suggest. Second person over there. When you illustrate with a real-life example, its OK to use the first-person (I, me, we). For the rest of your post, use second person (you, yours). Grammar says no, dont mix the two, but think of how you carry on a conversation. You should stay away from skunks. Why? I had a bad experience once. Thought it was a cat. You really want to avoid that. You can mix the two in your blog copy if you reserve I for your examples and stories, and you for the rest. The point is to be conscious of it, and not sloppily mix we and you from one paragraph to the next when no illustration or personal story is involved. 2. Dont fall in love with your pets. Kill them. You have pet phrases that you love. These are the ways of handling words and ideas that you return to again and again. Maybe you are like Ronald Reagan, and prefer to start everything with a well, Your pets have been loyal and served you well and you dont even notice them anymore, but not everyone who visits your blog appreciates your dog jumping up on them and slobbering all over their face every paragraph or so. During the edit process, look for the so, but, well, therefore that dont need to be there. Youll often see them at the start of a sentence. Look for the larger phrases, too. At the end of the day, to make matters worse, if you can believe it, they arent necessary. They are pets, not work horses. You want words that do work, not look cute. 3. Make friends with simplicity. Simple is good. If churning out copy is what you do all day, youll find it easy to bloat your writing. Words are what you think of and write all day long, and when weariness seeps in, your copy starts to bloat because it is  more difficult to write simple sentences that it is to write long sentences. When you are tired of writing, your copy gets bloated. Simple writing takes more work.You are free to start complicated, as long as you end up simple. Thats part of the blog writing system we use here. What is simple copy? Speaks plainly and directly.  Says what it means to say. Not laden with gimmicks, either in words or ideas. Has breathing room, both in white space on the page and the sound of the sentences (mix short with long sentences). Clear ideas. No meandering around. Skips jargon and impossible words that make readers feel stupid when they dont understand. Stand up straight and speak directly. If youre afraid to say something in your copy, wrapping it in pet phrases and caveats doesnt soften the blow. It merely makes it mushy. 4. Write to sell. All writing is selling. It pains me to say that out of fear of being crass, but even fiction writing is selling. It sells an ideology, a philosophy, a fantasy, a hope, a chance. You have to know what you are selling with your copy before you can write the copy.