Nothing makes life more interesting than challenging yourself. That’s what I thought when it came to choosing what type of class I should take for English. I decided, after thinking for awhile, that I should test myself and take a College English for my senior year at Kenmare High School. I was always thought myself as creative and imaginative when it came to writing. Throughout the first few weeks of taking College English, it was a bit overwhelming as I was introduced with many techniques and skills to enhance your writing. This was good to me because I believe there is always a line you can cross to gradually increase your strength mentally and/or physically. It was a bit rough start, but I gradually came to a better understanding and place in my writing skills after getting through a semester of College English, even if it didn’t show grade-wise.
We started off the semester with an introduction to the rules and information we needed to know. After that point, we were eventually assigned our first essay to write. The Literacy Memoir was an assignment appointed to us. It was our first essay of the semester, and I was tasked with writing a memory in which I learned something valuable, in essay form. I have written essays before, so this was not new to me at all. The valuable concept I got from this assignment was that I was introduced to new ways/processes of writing. This was eccentric to me because becoming a better writer didn’t just mean the content of your essay, but how you wrote it and the way you chose to withdraw information from yourself. As a wise teacher once told me, “It’s a good memoir, and it could be better with more mindful, purposeful structure and organization. ”(McClure). This does not only confirm my ideals of my particular process, but it also motivates me to work more on that aspect.
We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and there’s nothing shameful about it. This is what defines our character, and how it makes us unique. The next essay I worked on pertained to the topic of writing a personal narrative. As for starters, one of my weaknesses I can bring to light is the struggle for me to choose a topic. Writing this personal narrative in particular took awhile because I struggled with deciding on what I write. Another thing I would like to mention is how after my finished product, McClure commented on my usual generalizations. I tend to put out more broader information than I should in essays. Mcclure picked out on it in which it reads, “Everything is okay, but very general–you need details to suggest WHO or WHAT EXPERIENCE helped you choose your career path, and then describe that process in detail.”(McClure) I’m not ashamed of this at all. More goals give me more of a reason to fix I do wrong most, and improve my strengths as well.
Something that really sparked my mind is how much an effect writing can have on someone, whether it is directly or indirectly. In the last part of the semester, for class ENGL 110, we had essays to write in which we interact with the community. These essays include writing a community review, and a community proposal. In my honest opinion, this was an extremely important part of the semester. Having to know that my writing had an impact, in some form or way, is a very large motivator. I can say this with confidence because the school board discussed my community proposal. Nothing makes me happier than knowing I can make a change, big or small. I say this because you not only write for yourself, but also for the reader. As for learning about the writer-reader relationship, I also did learn that depending on the situation, changing perspectives or thinking the opposite way can help make your essay more interesting or appealing. This is not just something I would say I learned, I consider it to be a goal.
I have really came a long way when it comes to my character development. I’ve learned more than I asked for, and my goals become more apparent to me as time goes on. Throughout each essay, I’ve learned techniques to enhance my writing, learned the value of having more insight on your essays by other fellow peers, and what it really means to be a good writer. If you are passionate about your writing, you can accomplish many things. My goals would be to go even further beyond what I know, and exceed my limits. I may have not been on par on writing when it comes to handing it in on time, but my passion for writing will never change. Even though I may have not met with the equilibrium of getting my work in on time and writing to my absolute ability, I would like to say I work hard. The grade I would put myself at is a solid B. Thank you for a valuable semester.
