Graduation Speech : I Am A Writer

The rooms were inviting, and the students were engaged in learning. I quickly noticed that having a positive, and inviting classroom environment is of upmost importance for successful student learning. As the students walked through the second grade classroom they were greeted with a hug. When the students’ finished their morning work, the chimes signaled the students to line up, and transition to their first class of the day which is Science. This is where I was able to observe both Mrs. Stanford, and Mrs. Taylor

Nine years ago, I never could have imagined I’d be writing this essay. I was a senior in high school, and, like the rest of my classmates, I was apprehensive about the future. Unlike my classmates, I felt like I had missed the proverbial “you need to get your life together” message. I watched my classmates apply to colleges, their majors already decided and their future careers mapped out. While I was an above average student, I felt I lacked the decisiveness my classmates seemed to have. I did not feel passionate about a career or even a field of study. I felt defective. This was compounded by the financial strain I knew attending college would have on my family. It seemed wasteful to try to “find my passion” at school while squandering

Miss Amber1 opened the classroom doors 15 minutes before the morning siren sounded. When the students entered the teacher addressed each child with a cheerful and welcoming greeting which started the day on a positive note. Also, if necessary the teacher would have discussions with the parents individually so that they were aware of what has been going on in the classroom and to let parents be aware of if students have been misbehaving or making progress in regard to their individual language development. Some students had a casual conversation with Miss Amber which created a positive environment when coming to school.

Throughout the course of DE, I have truly learned a lot and my writing skills have truly improved tremendously. Taking this class has helped me become a better writer and has helped my grammar grow extremely. Another thing that I have gained in this class is stronger sense of vocabulary words. While writing these papers I have learned the variety of different papers there are. I have learned how to write these papers for future purposes so I will be successful in the long run.

Hi, I’m Alexandria and I’m in the 11th grade, or a Junior in highschool. I usually love learning but this year I don’t have very good teachers so I haven’t been trying very hard in my classes; obviously I want good grades but nothing is interesting so I get distracted very easily and miss what the teacher says.

The next day I nearly skipped to school. I was in such a good mood that I couldn’t help but to smile. I don’t know what it is about Shay, but I couldn’t get him out of my head. He was a bad boy that was probably a terrible influence but I couldn’t help but hope that he would show up to class.

One summer morning I woke up ready for the news. As I walked downstairs, I looked at the computer to find out my fifth grade teacher. I stared at the screen in disbelief. I was so angry because I had gotten the worst of the worst. The teacher rumored to be the meanest ever... Mrs. Palpant! I quickly asked all my friends who they got. Not a single person was in my class! I didn 't know what to expect except for a bad teacher, but in the end I was proven wrong.

I dreaded to go home. I couldn’t stand the sound of my parents voices arguing. It just didn’t seem right. The two people that I have known my whole life fighting. It just didn’t seem normal. All of these thoughts were rushing through my head just as the noisy school bus pulled up to my stop.

Setting my suitcase and bags next to my bed, I glanced around seeing that most of the things I kept here were where I left where I ha don 't them two months ago. summer break recently ended and class was scheduled to resume on Monday. It was my last year here at Maxwell College of Arts and I could already tell that this year was going to be stressful.

It was a bright and beautiful summer day in May. I will never forget anything about this day and the remarkable things that happened on this day. The birds were chirping and you can smell sunscreen in the air. School had just gotten out about a week ago. I was finally considered a sophomore. My best friend Angel at the time had stayed the night at my house the night before. She was constantly at my house, it was almost as if she lived there. My phone vibrated and woke me up, it was about 12 o 'clock in the afternoon. There was a text from my mom saying that her and my dad were going to Charleston, South Carolina to look at new furniture to get for our house. Then I got a separate text from my Dad saying to clean the house to keep us busy and if we were going to go anywhere to text him or my mom and let one of them know. Of course I responded saying “okay I will.” But if you know me, you know that I’m pretty lazy especially during the summer when it’s hot outside. So I really wasn’t in the mood to be cleaning. It was something I knew I had to do though so of course I forced myself to get the motivation and get out of bed.

When I first joined this English class, it wasn’t completely by choice. Since this was my very first semester of college (having just graduated high school in June), my dad helped me pick all my classes. I needed an English class to meet state requirements. While searching through the class catalog online, I discovered that my old English teacher was teaching an English class in the morning. I greatly anticipated joining the class, but, unfortunately, I wasn’t qualified to enter (I had to be in the ‘Camino program’, whatever that is). I informed my dad, so he rushed to find myself a new class at the last minute. English 1A - 41066 was open, so I tried sitting in for the day. The class (and the teacher) seemed interesting enough that I decided to try and get an open seat. Fortunately, as more students left, I was able to officially enroll in the class.

Achiever. My fifth SBL attribute, the only from outside the strategic category, is achiever. An achiever can be defined as, “[A person who has] a great deal of stamina and work hard” (Rath & Conchie, 2008, p. 103). Rath and Conchie (2008) also state that achievers somehow love to work hard; aside from those who are considered ‘workaholics,’ I do not believe that the majority of hard workers want to neglect whole aspects of their lives to succeed at whatever enterprise they are undertaking. My story in education is one of an ‘underdog;’ however, I did not enjoy being this underdog for one moment. How much better would it have been if I could simply work as others did? At one point in my life, I was put into a position in which I knew

Princeton was my Paris not Nolan. My parents talked to each other and asked me more questions about Nolan. They couldn 't believe that I finally had a boyfriend. "Boyfriend" and "Nolan" in the same sentence made me lose my appetite. Mom and dad told me they wanted to meet him soon.

As I sat in my chair, I looked around the room at the individuals sitting in the meeting with me. I never thought in a million years I would be sitting here, or given the opportunity to attend this type of meeting with so many individuals with advanced education degrees, knowledge, and training. Up until May of 2010, I worked in the food service department at a local hospital, and part-time at a local hotel; all while obtaining my associates degree. If someone told me then that in four years I would be sitting in a meeting with doctors, a lawyer, the Chief Medicine Officer, Chief Surgical Officer, Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Operating Officer, President, and CEO I would not have believed them.

It’s been two years, and yet if somebody asks me about that day, my voice will crack. By “that day,” I mean the day I came home from MacArthur Elementary School to find my Golden Retriever, Honey, splayed out on the asphalt near our driveway, her head bashed open, her body lifeless but still warm. It’s an image I can’t seem to shake, as much as I try.