Achieving Success Through Collaborative Risks

In Octavia Butler’s story “Bloodchild”, there is a recurring theme of partnership, along with the risks that go along with it. A line that really conveyed this idea was “If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is a risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner”(Butler 26). The idea of partnership is key throughout this story, as the Terrans and Tlics must work together to coexist peacefully, where the Terrans help the Tlics to reproduce and in return, the Tlics protect the Terrans. However, through this partnership, there were many risks that were in the way, as Gan would have to take on a position that would take a serious toll on him both mentally and physically. However, he knew that in order to protect his sister from being implanted with eggs and also provide protection to his family, he had to be the one to carry T’Gatoi’s babies. This was the final reward that Gan worked towards. He had to take that final step of risk in order to get closer to his reward, which is an idea that can be carried out outside of just a story. For example, in college, I believe that this epigraph has formed a throughline for the conversations I have engaged in over the course of the semester. The idea of risks and rewards has been a consistent theme throughout each class discussion. The course title is “Risks and Rewards of Academic Partnership” and that is exactly what we focused on throughout the semester. When working collaboratively with others to work towards a common goal, there can be different risks that may pose difficulties to work through. However, it is important to take these initial risks to get to the final success. This common theme can be seen through both the fictional story, as well as in our everyday lives.

There have been many examples throughout this course that support the idea of risks and rewards of partnership. One example of this is the “Care for Peers’ Growth”, where we focus on not just our own progress in the course, but our peers’ as well. Through the different discussion boards and forums, we can work to help each other and give tips on how to better articulate our ideas. This allows us to see the same idea from different perspectives and gain new ideas. However, a risk that can come from this is disagreement on a topic. Sometimes, we may feel differently from others about a certain subject. However, despite opposing views, it’s important to show respect to other thoughts and opinions. 

Another example that portrays the risks and rewards of academic partnership is portrayed through “To the Forums! 9: Looping Back to ‘Bloodchild’ and Yourself”. In this forum, we discussed how the idea of risks and rewards ties into the college policies for both the faculty and students. For example, one college policy surrounding COVID-19 stated that everyone must wear masks “When a person leaves their work station and walks about their office space, enters a hallway, transverses a building or goes outside and has the potential to come within six feet of another person.” Although this is a simple and quite self-explanatory act, it is the most important to follow. This rule goes to show the importance of working together. Everyone, no matter what their position is at Geneseo, must oblige to this rule for the safety of everyone else. What we are all going through currently can serve as a prime example of the risks and rewards of partnership, as we are all taking a big risk, in hopes of achieving our goals, which in our case, is safety and good health. We as a campus have to work together and follow the rules equally to all be safe. There are many risks to being on campus together, especially during these current times, yet we have to take that initial risk to be here in order to collectively come to our common goal of having a safe and stable campus. One person’s actions can affect everyone else involved, so it is especially important now to understand this key idea of partnership and acknowledge and risks that may be in the way of the final reward.

With this knowledge, the idea of the risks and rewards comes into play when discussing the topic of academic partnership. When working with others, one may encounter many roadblocks in the way, whether it’s disagreement on a subject, uneven distribution of work, and much more. Through these difficulties, it is important to realize what you are essentially working towards and to stay determined to get to your desired reward. I believe that this throughline can be presented in a variety of different ways, even outside the classroom. The idea of working with someone and the risks that go along with it carries out into the outside world, where we are constantly finding ourselves depending on and collaborating with others to get to common success. That is why these lessons that we are learning in this class are so important; they can be used throughout life, not just in stories that we read. It teaches us the importance of knowing how to work past hardships when working with others, as well as take credibility in our own abilities. Along with depending on someone else, it’s equally important to acknowledge our own contributions. It is crucial to be responsible and take action for your own tasks. Lack of responsibility can become a difficulty in achieving success, resulting in you acting as your own risk in partnership. That is why it is especially crucial for everyone involved to be able to contribute efficiently, or else the partnership will not work.

Self Growth and Responsibility (Rewrite)

Throughout high school, English was nothing but a grade to me. I believed that it was just another course I had to take in order to graduate, with no intention of pursuing it in the future. This mindset continued into college; this writing seminar class was just a mandatory course for my biology degree. I think that this attitude stemmed from my own personal expectations of myself, where I am constantly acting as my biggest critic. However, when I arrived at Geneseo, I quickly realized this was not the case. In actuality, this class is giving me the opportunity to broaden my limits and work freely to improve my writing capabilities, as well as expand on my everyday thinking. It is allowing me to make my own choices and teaching me how to fully articulate them to an audience. Within my first class of Risks and Rewards of Academic Partnership, I understood the true purpose of the class. Professor McCoy quickly showed me that the purpose of the class was self reflection, where I was going to work to not only better myself as a writer, but as an individual. I think that this course will give me the ability to be proud of my writing and stop being overly judgmental towards myself. Professor McCoy immediately showed her attention and appreciation to all of the minor details within writing, all of the things that students may completely overlook. 

Through the course, she is trying to teach the importance of thinking and revising, showing students the significance of taking their time and truly thinking about the impact that each word has on the overall final piece. However, there are some topics that can not be taught, such as accountability and care, which are the key ideas discussed throughout the course. The immense amount of responsibility within this course poses as both a positive and negative factor, as each student holds the ability to decide their own fate in the class. This is also where the objective of risks and rewards take place.

I think that the most unique part of this class is the immense amount of self evaluation. Through the process of grading yourself, it is easy just to give yourself a quick 100 and move on. However, this is not the point of the class. By grading yourself, you have to detach yourself and read from an outside perspective. In addition, every individual has an idea of their own capabilities, so you can be your best judge, as you know exactly what you excel at and what you can improve on. Personally, I would like to work on being less critical of my own work. I fully understand I am nowhere near a perfect writer, so as I work to critique my writing, I would like to also learn to compliment my own work. I believe by doing this, it will guide me to become a better writer and a better version of myself. Overall, I think this is a very efficient process of improvement because it allows you to focus on yourself and truly think about new ways to perfect your own writing. During my time in this class, I would like to build confidence in my writing and learn new techniques to go about communicating my ideas. 

I think that a tremendous portion of the class is about taking responsibility. This sounds like a very simple idea, but in reality, they are so many layers to it. Having so much responsibility in a class has its risks and rewards, which is what the class primarily focuses on. While we continue through the semester reading about other people’s risks and rewards in writing, we are going through it ourselves without even realizing it. However, this topic reaches far beyond a writing seminar class.

I believe that the idea of responsibility and setting limits can be displayed throughout the short story “Bloodchild”, by Octavia Butler. In the story, the humans and Tlics have a mutual agreement where each party benefits the other, with the outcome of peace and stability in the world. The humans live in peace with these extraterrestrial beings, with the ability to make their own choices in life. However, they have limits that they must stay within. The humans have a certain expectation to withhold, where they have to help the Tlic to reproduce. Through following this, they can stay within the preserve and also make their own decisions in life. Each individual has the potential to create their own path in life, while staying true to their limits, as do we as students during our college career.

 Every day, we must make decisions, it’s a fundamental part of life. Whether these challenges are about what to eat for breakfast or what to wear one day, these decisions can hold their own risks and rewards, no matter how big or small they may appear. Yet, with every confrontation you are faced with, it’s key to take responsibility for every decision you have to make. Especially today in college, students are faced with many new challenges and they have to make difficult decisions. With the majority of students’ schedules filled with online classes, it poses a difficulty to focus and excel with their time management. Mainly with factors such as online tests, students may have the temptation to search for an answer or ask a friend for help. Nonetheless, this is where responsibility takes on an essential role, as they must make a choice. If one decides to cheat or ignore an online lecture, how will the professor know? This may seem like a reward, yet in the long run, it will most definitely pose as a risk. The student will fall behind in the material for future class discussions and exams. When making these decisions it is incredibly critical to understand the risks and rewards of every scenario, as one short lived reward may easily turn into a dangerous risk.

Because of this, the ideas of accountability and care for yourself, as well as others, becomes crucial. According to the syllabus, the three main key concepts to follow are “Care for My Course Accountability”, “Care for My Growth”, and “Care for Peers’ Growth”. By following these guidelines, one can greatly accentuate their growth mindset which can aid them in enhancing their writing skills, while also having the ability to grow as an individual. Through making these daily decisions and taking on any risks in hopes of a final reward, care plays a significant role. Caring for yourself as well as your peers can greatly help one succeed as a writer and overall character. Through caring for your peers, you can expand your ideas and get inspired from other people’s feedback. I believe that by following all of these set principles, the opportunities for growth are limitless.

Self Growth and Responsibility

Throughout high school, English was nothing but a grade to me. I believed that it was just another course I had to take in order to graduate, with no intention of pursuing it in the future. This mindset continued into college, as in my head, this writing seminar class was just a mandatory course for my biology degree. However, when I arrived at Geneseo, I quickly realized this would not be the case. In actuality, this class is giving me the opportunity to set limits and work freely to improve my writing capabilities, as well as expand on my everyday thinking. It is allowing me to make my own choices and teaching me how to fully articulate them to an audience. Within my first class of Risks and Rewards of Academic Partnership, I understood the true purpose of the class. Professor McCoy quickly showed me that the true intent of the class was all about self reflection, where I was going to work to not only better myself as a writer, but as an individual. Professor McCoy immediately showed her attention and appreciation to all of the minor details within writing, all of the things that students may completely overlook. 

Through the course, she is trying to teach the importance of thinking and revising, showing students the significance of taking their time and truly thinking about the impact that each word has on the overall final piece. However, there are some topics that can not be taught, such as accountability and care, which are the key ideas discussed throughout the course. The immense amount of responsibility within this course poses as both a positive and negative factor, as each student holds the ability to decide their own fate in the class. This is also where the objective of risks and rewards take place.

I think that the most unique part of this class is the immense amount of self evaluation. Through the process of grading yourself, it is easy just to give yourself a quick 100 and move on with your day. However, this is not the point of the class. By grading yourself, you have to detach yourself and read from an outside perspective. In addition, every individual has an idea of their own capabilities, so you can be your best judge, as you know exactly what you excel at and what you can improve on. Personally, I would like to work on being less critical of my own work. I fully understand I am nowhere near a perfect writer, so as I work to critique my writing, I would like to also learn to compliment my own work. I believe by doing this, it will guide me to become a better writer and a better version of myself. Overall, I think this is a very efficient process of improvement because it allows you to focus on yourself and truly think about new ways to perfect your own writing. During my time in this class, I would like to build confidence in my writing and learn new techniques to go about communicating my ideas. 

I think that a tremendous portion of the class is about taking responsibility. This sounds like a very simple idea, but in reality, they are so many layers to it. Having so much responsibility in a class has its risks and rewards, which is what the class primarily focuses on. While we continue through the semester reading about other people’s risks and rewards in writing, we are going through it ourselves without even realizing it. However, this topic reaches far beyond a writing seminar class.

 Every day, we must make decisions, it’s just how life works. Whether these challenges are about what to eat for breakfast, or what to wear one day, they can hold their own risks and rewards, no matter how big or small they may appear. Yet, with every confrontation you are faced with, it’s key to take responsibility for every decision you have to make. Especially today in college, students are faced with many new challenges and they have to make difficult decisions. With the majority of students’ schedules filled with online classes, it poses a difficulty to focus and excel with their time management. Mainly with factors such as online tests, students may have the temptation to search for an answer or ask a friend for help. Nonetheless, this is where responsibility takes on an essential role, as they must make a choice. If one decides to cheat or ignore an online lecture, how will the professor know? This may seem like a reward, yet in the long run, it will most definitely pose a risk, as the student will not know the material for future class discussions and exams. When making these decisions it is incredibly critical to understand the risks and rewards of every scenario, as one short lived award may easily turn into a dangerous risk.

Because of this, the ideas of accountability and care for yourself, as well as others, becomes crucial. According to the syllabus, the three main key concepts to follow are “Care for My Course Accountability”, “Care for My Growth”, and “Care for Peers’ Growth”. By following these guidelines, one can greatly accentuate their growth mindset, aiding them to enhance their writing skills, while also having the ability to grow as an individual. Through making these daily decisions and taking on any risks in hopes of a final reward, care plays a significant role. Caring for yourself as well as your peers can greatly help one succeed as a writer and overall character. Through caring for your peers, you can expand your ideas and get inspired from other people’s feedback. I believe that by following all of these set principles, the opportunities for growth are limitless.