Mr. Trenthem: My English Writer

My English Literature major has helped me to achieve an outstanding level of appreciation, enjoyment, and knowledge of both American and British Literature. As a high school AP English student, I struggled through great works like Hamlet and To the Lighthouse. My teacher’s daily lectures (there was no such thing as class discussion) taught me merely to interpret the works as critics had in the past. I did not enjoy the reading or writing process. As a freshman at Loras, I was enrolled in the Critical Writing: Poetry class. For the first time since grade school, my writing ability was praised and the sharing of my ideas was encouraged by an enthusiastic and nurturing professor. Despite the difficulty of poetry, I enjoyed reading it.

Midlothian High School remains extremely well-known across the country for its intelligent, caring, and dedicated faculty and teachers. As a former student, I can affirm this claim. From History to French to Mathematics, my teachers made my learning experience feel important and worth-while. Despite this, among all these great faculty members, the English Department shines bright because of one teacher and leader that stands out above the rest. Mrs. Sharon Austin, my junior year John Tyler Community College composition teacher has impacted my life in extraordinary ways. Because of her influence in my personal education and growth as a student, I admire her greatly as a leader in the world.

Most people have or have had a teacher that has inspired them. For me, the teacher that comes to mind is Mr. Rod Edson. There are many great things that describe Mr. Edson, but a few stand out to me more than others. Mr. Edson has inspired me in many ways because he has a great sense of humor, he is laid-back, and he is motivational.

From the early beginning of the school year to the current day, my writing skills and knowledge have improved and broadened over time. If not drastic, the change is noticeable nevertheless. For almost an entirety of eighth grade, assignments of varying difficulty challenged me to a degree. To be frank, some seemed as though they were beyond my comprehension and ability. However, determination amalgamated with knowledge obtained in advance helped me to overcome my doubts, for I exceeded my expectations; surprisingly good grades and comments are a delight, owing to the fact of that I don’t tend to think of myself as being proficient at writing. Consequently, the assignments given to me this school year shaped me into who I am as a writer.

Throughout my high school career, a teacher that has had an impact on my life consists of Michael Sherwin. He is my Advanced Placement Government and Advanced Placement U.S. History teacher. Mr. Sherwin proves to be prominent in my high school career because his lectures in class are always enjoyable and very comprehensive. He is very knowledgeable on the subjects that he teaches and he is able to provide insight on countless topics. As his student, he is the reason that I have taken the initiative to partake in much more difficult classes throughout high school.

Welcome back my friends to the blog that never ends. I’m so glad you could attend. Read along! Read along! There in this class is some prose that’s pretty crass. Be careful as you pass. Read along! Read along! Wow! How disappointed Emerson, Lake and Palmer must be in this sophomoric attempt at humor. Certainly, a painful finale to wonderful class. Admittedly, I have struggled to produce original and interesting content for these blogs. It wasn’t always so. In the autumn of 73, I experienced no such struggle. Ideas burst forth freely and often to form exquisite prose delighting my English professors. Indeed, the fact that I now struggle was a compelling argument to register for this class.

At 11:15 on Monday, August 17, 2015, my first official college class, English 1101, began. In general, I had no idea what college classes would be like let alone how college English would be. Even though this class taught me a great deal in one semester, it took a large amount of time and effort to make the adjustment from high school. The simplistic writing style of high school was put to rest the moment the first college English class began. As a result, I learned quickly that college writing is complex and less systematic than high school writing. Five paragraph essays with three strict body paragraphs were no longer the norm for writing. Even though my professor helped guide my writing, I was no longer coddled through the whole writing

In my freshman year of highschool, I can without a doubt say that I have been pushed beyond my limits when it comes to writing. Not only have all of my previous English teachers ensured me of literary success, but I’ve always been rewarded in numerous ways for my writing prowess. So, it may seem odd for me to say that I very much enjoy this test of my abilities, and I greatly appreciate this opportunity to push myself to become even better. I’ve always been both physically and mentally bored with the numerous amount of teachers who have attempted to reel me into their lesson plans. Their desperate searches were in vain, for I never truly felt a tug on my mind until I stepped into Mr. Thoma’s class. The material isn’t exactly hard to grasp, but it forces your mind into a plane of insightfulness;

One person I am really inspired by is my English teacher Mrs. Henley. It has only been a month since I started 7th grade and I already feel that my writing has improved. She has given us lots of tips on reading and writing. I have always really enjoyed reading but now I love it even more.I started reading the book Harry Potter a week after school started. It is a very extraordinary book but I think I am enjoying it more because of all of the skills I have learned from Mrs. Henley.

Has someone ever made you feel welcome, taught you life lessons that would be helpful to your upcoming life, or someone that taught you something in a fun way so you actually liked learning? Someone like a teacher? A teacher is a person in our life who provides many important things including a good education. A teacher means a lot to his or her students. During the six hours a day during the 5 day a week can really impact a student's life. And I can only think of one teacher that really impacted my life- Mr. Miller.

Marcum. I don’t think I could had a better teacher because I never made an A or B in English. So to see myself improve the way I have it is great because that show me that I can do it. Even though I struggled through the course I tend to make it through with the help of Mrs. Marcum. Because of all the grammar issues I had I used my sources. I have accomplished a lot in multiple areas. Areas with having a small paragraph to knowing how I could expand my paragraph with anything. It took time for me to just read a story and take notes to just better my writing, and to actually have something to talk about in my papers. So with all that being said I will take all the things that I have learned with me. Knowing that I can write a paper, do a reading response on a short story, which really showed me that as long as I try I will make it through it

Joel Olson, english teacher at St. Francis high school and one of the most influential teachers I’ve ever had. What made Mr. Olson special was not the subject that he taught, as English has only ever been something I've enjoyed in passing. It was not that he made some great claims about life, or instilled any great wisdom upon his students. His distinctiveness came purely from the fact that, unlike most other teachers I’ve encountered, he treated his students like adults, like equals. He gave us the same level of respect and drew the same importance from what we had to say that he would any of his friends or colleagues. This kind of interaction was trans-formative for my high school senior self. Never before had an adult given me such regard

So, in conclusion, my English and Creative Writing teacher, Miss Sherry Best, has inspired me to be exactly who I am today. Whether or not that you believe my words, just know that no matter what, she has helped many of her students to become some of the best people that they could ever be. Without her, all of her would-be students would be nothing more than sacks of “boring” that have nothing better to do in their lives. If I could have the choice, I would want to be in all of her classes if I

And last, but certainly not least, I would like to mention Mrs. Ruth Ann Wilson. Back in elementary school, I was fortunate enough to be involved in the enhanced learning program, taught by Mrs. Wilson. She is one of the most creative teachers I have ever known. She always challenged her students and taught us to strive to reach our full potential.

For some reason or another certain students are drawn to particular teachers while other students are more fond of others. In my life I have studied under three memorable teachers. Teachers with which I was able to connect, to laugh, to share my misgivings. While I may have been close with each of these teachers, it is very clear, in retrospect, that each was very unique, and represented an entirely different class of teacher.