English 101 Reflective Essay

Throughout English 1010 thus far, I can certainly say that my writing skills have been tested and tried. Writing for fun and composing rhetorical essays for a college-level English class are vastly different styles and require contrasting attitudes, voices, and points of view for each. Before writing essays of the former diction, I must admit that I did not understand the rhetorical strategies and had no idea there even was a rhetorical triangle. The assignments included in this portfolio show the advancements I have made in my writing with an academic tone.

At first I was not sure what I should put, but then when I starting thinking about it, it came pretty easily. However I did have a difficult time thinking about what I can’t change because I try not to focus on that.

My overall experience in English 101 has definitely changed the style in which I read and write. This online English 101 course has introduced me to many different types of writing that I did not know even existed. From weekly discussion boards, to the interview college, to the rhetorical analysis and research essay, I have learned how to properly and effectively write with many different tones and attitudes. Not only have I learned how to write with many tones and attitudes but I have also strongly caught onto the concept of how to address multiple audience groups in the most appropriate way possible. After reflecting on all of the concepts I have discovered in English 101 this semester, I have realized that I have not only grown tremendously

Proficient writing is an essential skill in all aspects of academic and professional achievement. English 101, Introduction to Composition and Rhetoric, provided the framework to good writing, teaching me composition and rhetoric fundamentals, polishing up my grammar and style, and expressing a clear message. English 102, Composition, Rhetoric, and Research, continued to build on the skills I learned in English 101, focusing on the subject matter research process and employing various rhetorical and literary devices to better express a clear message to the reader. The course also improved my critical thinking capacity, allowing me to culturally evaluate my target audience, present logically flowing arguments using appropriate language and structure, and critically reviewing my writing projects for content and expression. Every writer inherently knows there’s always room to improve and I hold fast to this mindset in all academic, professional, and personal writing projects. English 102 has both challenged and inspired me to grow into a much better writer than before I began the class, providing the necessary skills to be not just a good writer, but a great writer.

I am also a nursing major. It is stressful thinking about getting into the program isn’t it? It is extremely competitive! My interest in nursing is geared towards the pediatric side. Good luck to you!

Being a high school student while taking two college English composition classes has been anything but effortless. Essay after essay and something is almost always due the day of class. The assignments are never worksheets that take little to no thought or quick reads in a text book. No, what happens in English 111 and English 112 is the gaining of rhetorical knowledge, mastering the process in developing an academic essay, and plenty of critical thinking.

When I was signing up for my classes for my senior year, I decided to take English Composition 1 for my final English credit for the sole reason that it takes only half a year to complete. I had been warned by veterans of the course that the class would be difficult. This did not bother me too much, as taking AP Physics my junior year taught me that I work harder in an environment with rigorous work. During the course, I was delighted when I discovered that the class has heavily improved my essay writing skills throughout the year. Each consecutive essay had improved my writing for the better.

I would love to take the English Intensive and Intensive World Cultures and Geography for many reasons. First of all, one reason for me to take these courses is that I genuinely like to read and write. In the World Cultures class I think that learning about different cultures would really interest me. I have always had a passion for reading and learning in general and a more in depth class would help sate my voraciousness for new material. Although I have never really enjoyed writing as I learn more about it I am beginning to like it more and more as I mature. I think that a hard English class would accelerate my learning and allow me to enjoy English at the same time. Furthermore, a class that really enjoys the material would be wonderful

I have been a student at California State University Channel Islands (CI) for 5 semesters, and over the course of my stay I have grown and learned more that I thought possible. I came to this school from Moorpark Community College already knowing that I wanted to be an English teacher; I had taken numerous English courses and though I knew exactly what I was headed for-was I ever wrong. Going through the English program has taught me so much more than stuff about literature and language, it has taught me how to be me. I have learned here how to write and express myself, how to think for myself, and how to find the answers to the things that I don't know. Most importantly I have learned how important literature and language are.

When it comes to work, most of my “work” is comprised of personal projects or school work--I don’t have a job in the sense of something that will make me money. I work best when i am told exactly what my tasks will be and when I have to do them. I can do self directed work, but it is harder for me. I think it’s because when there is someone who is telling me that a certain task is essential, I am afraid of what will happen if I don’t meet the deadline, whereas I don’t scare myself as much. As for the the specific kinds of work I like to do, I enjoy working with both my hands and my mind equally. I don’t enjoy super labor-intensive jobs, but I like jobs where I still get to create something. That said, I also need proof that what I am doing is actually productive, and worth something. What I make does not have to be a physical object, but I wouldn’t be able to stand a job where I know what I do might not even be used.

Josh sets a professional academic tone for the rest of the class to follow. Despite starting the quarter off sick, Josh stayed on top of work and produced his strongest essay. He constructed this essay with very little guidance and help. He demonstrated a strong understanding of the standard five paragraph: topic sentence, lead into evidence, evidence, analysis, and conclusion. Josh is the most improved and one of the strongest writers in the entire school. Next year, I hope to see Josh gain confidence in his writing ability and continue to apply what he learned.

Throughout the year my knowledge has increased tremendously. For example, at the start of the year I didn’t know how to write a hook or thesis, but know after having increased my knowledge for half a year under your teaching I know know how to write a strong hook and create a good thesis. In your class my brain synapses fired when I learned that using the word “you” was not correct in a proper English essay. In constructing a strong understanding of plot you helped me to more fully understand the stories that I read for fun and in your class. Also I learned about the different types of figurative language when I had previously only known about simile and metaphor. This helped me to understand what authors are talking about when they say you, “Jumped the gun,” and other confusing phrases I otherwise would never understand. I say this with a benign expression that without you I would never know most of those WOD words that you give us and what they mean when I come across them in a book. Also I learned a great deal about Shakespeare’s life and that he actually was born and died on the same day and that while he not only was a writer, he also took on some roles in his plays. I learned about how multiple things that a character does, says, and even what he looks like can tell you a lot about who the character is. Throughout this year I have been privileged to have you as my teacher and I have gave you my listening ears as a quid pro quo in exchange for a slice of your

The language that I first learned to speak at home was English. My family, considering my father’s side of the family is Mexican, has always loved the Mexican culture. They love the food, the music, the history, and the language. When my parents learned about an elementary school that was able to teach me both English and Spanish, they jumped at the opportunity to enroll me, and later my sister, into the school. My parents made it a priority that my sister and I enroll because they were never able to learn how to speak, read, write, or understand Spanish very well, so they wanted us to have this fantastic opportunity. They also decided to enroll us so that we are able to talk with our family members who live in Mexico that speak no English at all. Although I was too young at the time to ask to be enrolled into that school, with my knowledge now I know that I definitely would have advocated for that to happen.

Overall, I think my experience in my first college level English class was an admirable one to say the least. In high school I was never one to take advanced an English class for the simple fact that English is my worst subject and I am not a big fan of reading. I think this is mostly do to my lack of imagination, and since I am a visual learner, I have difficulty visualizing and understanding what I am reading. This intro to college writing classes has moved me one step closer to becoming the writer that I desire to be and has taught me many things, among them, avoiding plagiarism, application of constructive criticism, and making my writing more interesting.

The reason I decided to get a degree in English is so I can go to law school, and in order to do that I know that my writing skills need to be far beyond good. In my English 202 class I did well on both inward and outward looking theories, but didn’t necessarily perfect either. Going forward in the major I would like to focus on perfecting both types of theories by taking advantage of the resources provided to me. Although I had a clear understanding of all theories when it came down to writing my essays I didn’t execute my papers to their full potential. I would like to be able to use the feedback given to me more efficiently in future English courses. But although I was able to understand all theories, there was one theory which I did not enjoy at all, linguistic discourse analysis. However, there was a theory which I fell in love with, Marxism. Overall, I think I did well in the class, but I plan on striving to be able to write much better as I move on in the major.