Reflection Essay

It is still so surreal to reflect back on my first semester as an incoming college student in the ENC1101 course, analyzing at my progression as a reader and writer in literacy. Since the first day of class I set in stone my goals for this class: receive a 4.0 GPA, develop my connecting theories skills in writing, and become more aware of objectives for each Unit throughout the course. All of these goals became achievements that not only make others proud but most importantly give me self pride. In order to earn the grades and achieve these goals, I went after every opportunity that I was given as an incoming college student, such as office hours and extra credit. By taking this course I have gained confidence with the utilization of literacy, and made an addition to my group of impactful literacy sponsors. Once students are finished with high school they assume that there is nothing else to learn beyond the stereotypical five paragraph essay, but they are so wrong. I was able to obtain so much knowledge about numerous course concepts from Writing about Writing, articles, and my professor. These concepts will carry on with me throughout a bright future of writing courses, job interviews, and any other skills that require literacy. The four outcomes listed below will help illuminate how I improved as a writer, by being a driven college student and going out of the way to earn my achievements in this course. In the first outcome I improved comprehending scholar texts,

I am a Nursing student from Glenburn, Maine and before this course, I had a strong passion for writing poetry and also writing short stories about my life. In my high school English class, each Tuesday would be designated in writing for twenty minutes constantly about a given topic. I found that as a writer, I write the best about topics relating to me personally. However, in Rhetoric and Composition, I was able to learn new skills that allowed me to improve as a writer.  In Rhetoric and Composition, I composed essays about my own subculture, a unique place of importance, and a subculture with little to none previous knowledge of. All of these essays taught me at least one skill that allowed me to grow as a writer throughout this course.

Racism has taken on a new comprehension within my thoughts and mind over the course of this semester. I had always considered racism a baneful idea and an even more wicked practice. We defined it as a prejudice based upon the color of one’s skin or race. Although laws have outlawed the practice of segregation and racism, we have seen as a class that it is still practiced within a

Coming into Drexel this year, a necessity, I learned was to have a clear understanding of the mechanics for literature composition. I learned that it would mature my writing to a higher level of thinking. This is seen as past experiences in my writing through high school English teacher feedback indicated my writing to be full of flaws. I often would receive feedback on my writing being awkwardly worded or lacking fluidity. The one valuable skill I learned from English 101,102 and 103 was the idea that exposure to different readings, formulas and informal writings give practice, for me to find my own voice in writing.

The opportunity to teach at two high schools in the Bronx made me reflect and struggle with the power of stereotypes surrounding the schools because of the reputation of their borough. These stereotypes did not just impact the way that the schools were perceived, but more importantly the way that my students were perceived and labeled based on the stereotypes reinforced through performance on the Regents exam. Since I was not from New York, I did not have a very good understanding of the stereotypes surrounding the schools when I started, but I knew that the Bronx was a scary place based upon the way that it was portrayed to me through media and in New York history. I won’t lie, I was nervous when I realized that I would be working in a high school in the Bronx in my fall placement, but it did not take long for me to realize that I had been led astray and had believed stereotypes that were far from true.

“Poetry is the one place where people can speak their original human mind. It is the outlet for people to say in public what is known in private.” - Allen Ginsberg

My goal for this semester is to do what I have been telling myself forever, putting in work and dedication into whatever I want to do. I know that this semester is not going to be easy, but I will make sure that it is not difficult by reaching out to people on campus. I have already reached out to career advisors via phone so that I can get help with opportunities that could help me in this upcoming semester to succeed. In the past three semesters, I had a problem with seeking help with my advisors, professors, and centers on campus, but I have improved and I now have a personal tutor that can help with my English courses this semester. This will be helpful and convenient for when I am not able to meet with my professors or other free tutoring services on campus. I will make sure that I stay on top of my academics by finding a sacred place on campus where I can devote my time of studying into. I want to excel in all my classes and that is not meaning to get an A in everything, but leaving each class knowing the material. If I do not know the material I will go to my professor or TA and ask for clarity before I leave so that I can keep up, because all it takes is one day to fall behind. I plan on raising my G.P.A to at least a 2.4 this semester. This will help give me the stepping stone I will need in excelling in my spring semester because this year I will make it a habit to continue the academic schedule that I have created for this semester. My academic schedule will help

I used to be an introvert. I spoke only when necessary and solely when I was called upon. Friend to none. Shadow to all.

Throughout this assignment, I worked hard for success and learned a lot from my mistakes along the way. I strongly believe that I have successfully met the criteria and accomplished the requirements for this rant. I was dressed appropriately, with no bright colors or designed shirts, to prevent any distractions whatsoever, however, I had a smart student look, which I would think is the ideal clothing for a rant topic such as mine. I maintained a steady, slow pace, and I frequently stopped moving and turned my body to the camera. I performed this at times I felt were necessary in order for the audience to understand when I am delivering a main idea or main points. “The fact is that our school washrooms are never fully clean and this really pisses me off”. This is an example of when I stopped walking and turned my body to the camera. This line is one of my main points that I wanted my audience to clearly understand. My setting was adequate and relevant to my topic (Bell High School Washrooms). In the start of my rant, I showed a school sign that displayed “Bell High School”, then I walked past the lockers of my school during my introduction. Soon after, when I was talking about girl’s washrooms, I stopped walking in front of one. Furthermore, when I was discussing the interior defects and unsanitary environment, I placed myself in a male washroom, so the audience can have not only a verbal understanding, but also a visual understanding, which I feel had an impact on how much

A red shirt with black jeans. As I approached the building's entrance, I thought nothing of my clothing. Neither did the officers who checked my identification, patted me down, and escorted me. The program coordinator had instructed us not to wear green shirts, to make our clothing distinct from the forest green uniforms of the "inmates." I sat in the classroom, preparing for class, going over readings for the lecture, thinking about possible debate topics, and conversing with the students. A correctional officer entered, glanced around, and declared to the instructor, "There should only be five inmates in here. I'm counting one extra."

After taking an advanced English class at my school, I improved my writing skills, but I felt an absence in my abilities. I knew my writing was still not acceptable; I knew that numerous aspects of my writing needed to be improved. Through this realization, I decided to journey outside of my comfort zone and enroll in English Composition I. Quickly, I was met with obvious obstacles, which demonstrated the true lack of writing skill I possessed. I was not able to develop a proper thesis and did not understand what a strong thesis truly is. Through the analyzation of my essays and with the assistance of my instructors, I realized that the absence of a strong thesis resulted in a lack of focus in my writing and the inability to adequately convey my point to the audience.

While the majority of my students are homogenous in terms of race, economic and social class, sexuality, and their technology access, I do have some individual students whose lives do not follow the same uniformity. As a result, I am driven to work even harder to create an inclusive classroom community. While most of the students in my classrooms may fall under the category of “privileged” I also have a percentage of students who do not. In the minds of my students, their disadvantaged statuses are only made more apparent while surrounded by those who do not experience the same hardships.

When I was a child, I was a real menace. My mother told me my behavior could clear out a playground. Obviously changes have happened since my playground days and today I’m going to tell you a story prior to my metamorphosis. This is a story that I am not proud to say happened. My parents think it’s funny; however, at the time of the incident they did not. This happened about ten years ago, so I can now look back on it and laugh about what happened with them.

As the first semester of my first year as an undergraduate student has progressed, I have realized how quickly time is passing by. I can easily recall back to the beginning of the semester when it was Frosh week and how nervous and excited I felt as I was about to commence the new chapter in my life that is post-secondary. As the mid-semester quickly sneaks upon us with another five weeks left, I have found myself to be stumbling from morning to morning and from deadline to deadline. I am mentally and physically exhausted as well as overwhelmed with the amount of work I am required to complete; I am burnt out.

Prompt: Science, Mathematics, Computer Science students have the opportunity to specialize in rigorous mathematics, science, and computer science curricula focused on problem-solving skills and research. Students will work with a diverse group of peers to solve mathematical, science, and engineering problems. Please describe yourself as you study, work, and interact in your favorite class or activities related to the focus of Science, Mathematics, Computer Science program. Be specific and choose your words carefully. Your response must fit the space below. Your response may be word processed using font size 12 and pasted in this space.