phyllis young

SAMPLE BROWN BAG OUTLINE

Brooke H Clubbs

SC 105: 100: T-Th 8 AM

[email protected]

General Purpose: To inform

Specific Purpose: I would like for my students to get to know me better.

Thesis: I would like to introduce myself to you so you can know who I am beyond just being your teacher.

Introduction

I. Walt Whitman wrote, "Do I contradict myself? Very well then. I contradict myself. I am large. I contain multitudes."

II. This is a good quote to describe my life.

III. My interests and beliefs don't always coincide with popular stereotypes.

IV. I am not quite a stay at home mom because I work; I am not quite a career woman because I spend so much time at home with my kids.

V. My religious beliefs do guide the way I vote; people are surprised that I am Catholic and a Democrat.

VI. I have my Master of Fine Arts in Acting and traveled all over the East Coast acting in a touring production, which some folks might think is kind of exotic; I scrapbooked it all which some people might think is the epitome of your typical "soccer mom."

VII. I would like to introduce myself to you so you can know who I am beyond just being your teacher.

VII. So to go along with these contradictions, instead of multitudes, I have brought in just three objects to represent my past, present and future.

Body

I. First, I have a seed packet.

A, This represents something my mom always told me: "Bloom where you are planted."

B. When I was younger, I thought I was missing out because I didn't live closer to the city.

C. We lived in Kankakee, an hour south of Chicago.

D. Our house was in "rural" Kankakee so I fell into the Herscher School District---surrounded by farm land.

E. I wanted us to move to a suburb of Chicago or at least into Kankakee proper.

F. I wanted to go to a big high school with a large fine arts program.

G. My mom entertained the idea, but she ultimately decided that the schools were just fine where we were.

H. She told me I would just have to bloom where I was planted---make the best of what I had.

I. I discovered she was right.: I had an awesome time in high school and plenty of opportunities.

J. I was offered a full ride to Southeast, a school I had never heard of.

K. I had figured I would go to the University of Illinois like a lot of my other friends.

L. But, I decided to see if I could bloom here...and I did.

M. I met my husband, decided to go to grad school...and then moved back here to start our jobs and family!

N. Sometimes I am tempted to look into moving to St. Louis, but I just remember my mom's advice and the fact that success is achieved through making the most of what you have where you are.

II. Moving onto my second object, I have my day planner.

A. This little book represents my love of organization and list making as well as my present.

B. In some ways, I am very laid-back.

C. For example, when it comes to house-keeping, I would rather play with the kids than have a clean kitchen floor.

D. But I am bit of a perfectionist in other ways.

E. For example, I reread my e-mail for typos before I send it.

F. My day planner shows some of the ways I am a perfectionist because it is full of my lists and schedules.

G. I don't like to waste time; I want to be productive so I can have more time to relax!

H. I have a lot to keep track of too---my classes, appointments, meetings, church obligations. social events...and then my husband's schedule, my oldest daughter and son's school calendar and all that goes with it (like when I am supposed to bring treats for a teacher appreciation day or turn in her fundraising forms) and my youngest daughter’s day care schedule.

I. It's a lot to keep up with three kids and a dog, but I love this season of my life.

J. I have learned that you can have everything---just not all at the same time!

III. Finishing up with my third object, I have an archival pen.

A. I mentioned in my introduction that I like to scrapbook.

B. I take photos, put them down on paper, add some embellishments and then most important, use a pen like this to write down the details.

C. This pen represents all I have yet to write.

D. I think my life story has been pretty fascinating so far and I am excited to see what will come next.

E. After I graduated, got married, got a job, had a baby and bought a house, I found myself at a loss.

F. I had reached most of the milestones or goals I had envisioned for myself as a kid.

G. But now I realize there is still a lot more living and dreaming to do.

H. And I will be recording it all.

Conclusion

I. So, I hope you have learned a little bit more about me, your teacher, Mrs. Clubbs tonight.

II. By describing these objects---a seed packet, planner and pen--- that represent my past, present and future, I hope I have given you a little insight into the multitudes that, like Walt Whitman, I believe I contain.

III. Thank you.