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.