After Tiller Continued

Writing this rough draft has been a challenge. I really liked the documentary I picked, I'm just having a hard time summarizing it. After Tiller is mostly footage of interactions between doctors and patients. Do I summarize each interview? All of them are important, so I don't want to leave any of them out. Do I focus on the historical views of abortion in America? The only problem is that readers would need to see the footage in the documentary. I attached a picture, however the picture doesn't do the film justice.

What is Your Why?

School has been REALLY hard recently for no reason. Maybe last semester I just had it too easy, but this semester has been so much more work and time. Sometimes it can be really difficult to stay motivated, but I feel like Angela coming to talk to our class was a mental reset that was very needed. She asked us "What is your why?" I feel like I got some sense knocked into me in that moment. I am being a lazy student for no reason at all, and there really is an easy fix to all my problems right now. I am doing this because I want to, no one is forcing me.

After Tiller

 I chose to watch After Tiller for my documentary project and OMG. Dr. Tiller was one of the few doctors who performed abortions in the third trimester. After Dr. Tiller was shot in church, fellow doctors had a big decision to make regarding whether or not they'd continue with the practice Dr. Tiller taught them. This documentary followed different women and the hardships that choosing to have an abortion causes.

One of the scenes I was able to relate to most involved a mother whose baby had a bone condition. Her baby was unable to live a quality life, hence her choice in having an abortion. Quality of life is a topic that surrounds me daily. I work at a special recreation center, so I work with individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities. As a future teacher, my job is to uplift my students and believe that they can do anything. The sad reality is that for some of my students it will not be possible for them to live the highest quality of life. The doctors in this documentary are very supportive of their patients' decisions, and I think in moments with lots of emotions, support is something that everyone needs.

Short and Simple

Whenever I've written papers in the past I've always been so focused on reaching a word count or page limit. A lot of the times I found myself rambling on about things that truly didn't matter, but I had to find a way to make it relevant. My whole life my writing has always been focused on adding more. However, I think with too much information, the meaning of the writing gets lost. This assignment has been a different challenge than searching for words. Now, I find myself trying to cut back on words, something I've never had to do before. I really like this way of writing because it is short and to the point. As writers, we still get to choose topics we are passionate about, but with that comes the challenge of writing in an unbiased, concise, but still meaningful way.

Shared Problems Unite Us

Chapter 1 says, "College professors want students to become gripped by problems because they themselves are gripped by problems," and I feel like a lot of college students can relate to that statement on a variety of topics. More specifically, mental health. More than 60% of college students struggle with mental health.

College has been a big adjustment for me. I really struggled with the thought of life moving on even when I wasn't ready. Fortunately for me, my classes last semester were super easy and I had a lot of free time. As an introverted person, I really struggled with making friends. So while my classes were a breeze, I didn't have anything to do with my extra time and I had too much time to overthink. Even though I felt really lonely at school, I knew I wasn't actually doing this by myself. My friends and family have been there for me every step of the way. I am very lucky to have a supportive network of people, even if they aren't at school with me. Knowing that other people can relate helps us feel less alone.