Assignment 1

1) Please tell us about yourself. What makes you interesting or unique or tell us a funny story about you.

My name is Cynthia Galasso. I am a Family and Child Studies major with a concentration in school settings. My goal as a teacher is to travel and teach english in other countries. Some of my hobbies include: music, reading, writing, painting, drawing, working out, and working with children. I currently am working at a facility called, "The Little Gym." Here, I teach gymnastic classes to children.  



2) Please tell us are you an FCST major or not. If you are not a major, tell us about your own major and why you chose it.
I am a FCST major. Originally I had been declared an English major, however I feared that I would be stuck as an editor at a desk my whole life and thus decided to keep writing as a hobby and go into teaching. 

3) What are your current career plans? Or tell us if you plan to marry rich or travel the world!

I, personally, do not believe in marriage. I feel that humans are not capable of being happily and truly committed to each other. However, this is just my opinion based on experiences I have lived throughout my life. Although I love children, I do not wish to have them. I would be a mother that would commit 110% and I would rather travel and see the world. 

4) Next tell us about your family - for example - are your parents married or not, do you live with them, do you have siblings, pets etc? Or maybe you grew up in foster care, or you are married and live with your spouse and/or children.

My parents got divorced when I was two. Since then I have experienced 8 marriages, and 6 divorces between both my parents. I started off with joint custody, and as of 13 have lived fully with my father. I have not spoken to my mother in over 2 years. And although I love my family, I can admit we were never close. My father has always had a hard time connecting with me. He didn't know how to handle a girl and his various girlfriends/wives typically didn't interfere with his parenting style. I rely a lot on my friends and on my boyfriend for a feeling of "home" and security.

Here is a poem I recently wrote for my mother (hopefully one day can be published!)

Don’t worry, Mother,

I cannot replace you- -

I am not you.

We were the same, once

When I lived life through reflective mirrors.

We were the same,

When I was a child and you

A woman constrained by insecurity.

Shhh—Don’t worry, Mother,

I cannot replace you- -

I have out grown you.

I watched how you let each one eat you, from top to bottom

Gobble you up.

Their tongues lick your lips sealed,

Yet, you love being their desire

Step back,

Would you like a clue Momma Dearest?

..beauty does not last forever. 

They regurgitate you,

leaving you in pieces—drenched in their spit,

reeking of a stench so disgusting I had no choice but to run in the opposite direction.

Don’t worry, Mother

I cannot replace you--

I have given up on wanting to be you.

I no longer crave to be their desire,

Their needs will not define me:

I will not be stuck, I will not stay the same,

my mind, voice, and body have a right to change.

Mother-May-I recollect?

 “He left me” Stuck.

“I’m sick” Stuck.

“He hurt me” Stuck-Stuck.

“My son hates me.” Stuck.

“You have my face”

. . . Buried.

Are those not hands and feet I see?

Dig—I beg you—Kick

and let each fake finger nail be ripped off amongst the fight

one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten:

Ready or not here I come. . .

I will unveil you to the world

5) Please describe an activity you like to share with your 
family? etc.

Eating. Typically my family never gets together unless it is for 
a BBQ or family dinner.

Two topics of interest:
I am very excited to learn about gender roles and love and sexuality. I have been learning about gender roles in various other courses throughout my years at MSU and it has become a topic that I am extremely interested in.I am amazed at how polluting girls with barbie dolls, make up kits, and nail polish (and boys with legos and video games) will affect their development. (Also, I consider myself a bit of a feminist) ... If anyone is interested ... Susan Bordo's  Unbearable Weight is a great book that looks at the western culture and how it affects women. 
I am interested in learning about love and sexuality because as stated before I feel that humans are sexual beings and I feel that monogamy is something enforced by religion and not by intrinsic force.

Impression of Wiki
I was a little overwhelmed with Wiki at first. I have never used Wiki before and was a bit intimidated. The video I think is crucial to helping those whom have never used Wiki before. Now, I am becoming a bit more comfortable with it. 

A) What day and time does class meet?
Online course-- there will never be a meeting in person or at MSU.

B) How many blogs must you complete for full credit?
There are 6 assignments

C) When are blogs due?
Assignment 1 is due Wed 6/19, Assignment 2 is due Fri 6/21, Assignment 3 and 4 are due Tues 6/25, Assignment 5 is due 7/3, and Assignment 6 is due 7/10.

D) What should you do before EVERY Face-to-Face class?
There are no face-to-face classes.

E) What is the topic of the ON-LINE class during week 3?
The topics revolve around marriage, divorce, and the policies regarding both.

F) Which week do we focus on Marriage?
Week Three


G) What class days will we meet from 2:30- 5:00?
We will never meet in person.