Reflection Paper

It is essential to understand that classes taken in grade school do not give students a full understanding of each subject. With the topic of writing, there will always be a new lesson to learn, an aspect to improve, or a differing way to explain. Author Craig Vetter states in Bonehead Writing, “This is your enemy: a perfectly empty sheet of paper. Nothing will ever happen here except what you make happen.” Each story, essay, or response comes from a writer’s experiences. With each attempt at a new piece comes an underlying story of emotions the writer is facing. Each person’s writing is unique and the ideas people have are related to their past experiences and what they believe to be familiar with when deciding which writing style to use. As a high school student, I have learned many things about writing that helped me become the improved writer I am today, but the most essential advice I have received is practice makes perfect. Although there is no actual perfect way of writing, I have discovered that each essay I write, my writing improves. It is easier to spot mistakes, find areas to improve, and ponder elevated word choice to use.

On September 6, 2017, I were documented for an incident that involved a University Housing policy violation. I was charged with violating the University Housing Alcohol 1.2 policy. With my violation, came consequences. I met with The Residence Conduct Coordinator to discuss my actions and came to the conclusion that I would have to schedule a meeting with The Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center (CADEC) and with that, a reflection paper.

The first tactic I was taught in writing was the process. It starts with planning and leads to several drafts. Assignments and standardized tests tend to give cute, little diagrams with innovative ways to plan. I discovered as long as I plan, it does not matter how I plan. I function best writing out key points on paper and turning them into a first draft. Planning is a step I find essential to the writing process.

Changes in technology and society have changed and will continue to transform the ways in which we think and communicate. Students must be ready for the new demands (Dixon, Cassady, Cross & Williams, 2005). In society, English forms the foundation for effective communication. Academic success requires writing skills (Castek et al, 2007). Writing is hard work; individuals think it is better to talk than write. Social and psychological factors such as social status, background, and age affect writing skills (Reeves & Stanford, 2009). Edwards-Groves (2011) rants that students must be taught the writing process. This will help students write in any situation. Writing should not be confined to just English classes but across all disciplines. Anecdotal evidence suggest students and faculty believe that learners improve their writing skills and subject area knowledge in writing across the disciplines (Hartley, Howe & McKeachie, 2001). All disciplines have their own form and conventions. If students are going to become better writers, they must write on a regular basis.

I really enjoyed the two speakers that we had in class this past Wednesday. Katie and Shane both had such unique experiences and were both very open to talking about their lives. I remember Shane coming to talk with our SPED 201 class and how much I took away from that experience. This past week was no exception, I left with so many ideas that I would never have thought of as a future Special Education teacher.

Everyone remembers that one teacher. The teacher who was their favorite. The one teacher who they, as a student, looked forward to each and every class lecture. Through all the dry and tedious class presentations, these teachers woke the class up with their animated passion for what they were teaching and the unmistakable desire for their students to learn. The purpose of this reflective journal is to discuss this week’s assignment readings while connecting how this information will improve my skills related to clinical teaching.

Pablo Picasso once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” The more I come to know God day by day, the more the quotes means to me. As a freshman in college, it can be very intimidating to be expected to just know what I want the rest of my life to look like. However, having an idea of your skills and how they can contribute to your purpose to serve God, can help a great deal. What do I have that I can essentially give away? Becoming an elementary teacher has always been my primary goal in life, and based on my skills and talents I feel this is where God is calling me to glorify him most. At this point in my life, my God-given talent, that I know of, is to work in the lives of younger children but due to the resources I’ve been given throughout the year, I know that God is much bigger than my own comprehendible knowledge.

The environment I grew up availed me in building my confidence and paved the way for me as an individual. I’m the first U.S. Citizen in my family considering both my parents immigrated to the United States in the late 90’s from Ethiopia, a country in Eastern Africa, where education remains unfunded. The downsides as a first generation student comes with the struggles of learning from the outside of your family circle.

There are 7 billion people living on this planet, and I can say that I have something in common with all of them. We have all faced challenges that have made us who we are today. For me, I have dealt with the challenge of my family’s coming to America when I was very young, with no English skills.My family and I come to the US from a refugee camp in Thailand when I was 10. My parents had fled Burma to the camp 14 years before and started their family there. I am the oldest of 6 kids - 4 of whom were born in the camp. As soon as we got on the plane, I could tell that our journey was going to be a challenge. My parents and I could not understand anything that was said, and I was confused by all the new and different food that we were served. When we finally arrived in Charlotte, NC after three days of traveling, nothing was familiar. Even the names of streets were different. I was terrified to start a new school. As it turned out, my first day was harder than I thought. I felt sad and alone and wanted to cry all day because I did not understand what my teachers or peers were saying. Every day I wanted badly to understand what other people were talking about. I spoke only Karen and Karenni at home and English was a very strange, weird, and difficult language to learn. I was placed in an ESL class but it was not very helpful and I was only able to take it for one year. I realized quickly that I would need to work hard outside of school to learn the English that I wanted to

Have you ever cried so hard your contact fell out? Because you felt so hopeless, crying was all you could do. Don't worry, this is not a typical story about getting dumped by a boy.

At a young age money, politics, and first world problems never occurred to me. However, as I grew older all of these things started to hit me one at a time. From when I started my first job at fifteen, this thing called “taxes” took money out of my check. At that time my mother showed me all of the bills she had to deal with such as, house payments, insurance, and car payments. My entire world was turned around on the subject. This led me to start caring more about America's crises and the responsibilities that come along with adulthood. After bringing my child into this uncertain, harsh world, this subject concerned me beyond belief. It was a cruel smack in the face from reality. Starting with the little things, this is how the 2017 presidential election changed my view on this country, and my view on the world in general.

Most young adults hardly remember any aspects of their childhood, but despite me being a graduating senior in highschool,  I can visualize my childhood quite vividly. This is most likely due to the fact that it has played such a critical role in my life. Once we get older, it’s easier to see how our background has shaped us into the individuals we are today. For me, it all began when I was about six years old. At this point, my sister had began to start piano lessons and, even at my young age, I enjoyed hearing her practice. “Would you like for me to teach you something?” she asked one night. This night, in particular, would be the one that would affect many of the future activities that I’d pursue. Ever since this night, I have grown to get deeper into music, and actually began taking piano lessons myself when I was eight years old. While I am proud of my achievements in music, I have come to realize that it has also impacted the person I am today in many positive ways. For example, to be successful in music takes a disciplined individual. There are many hours put into perfecting a piece of music, and I personally choose to apply this same discipline in my daily life: in regards to school, as well as other endeavors. I can still hear the voice of my first piano instructor reminding me to practice daily. At the time, I believed that I practiced enough, although it never quite seemed to please her. “What can I do to make this piece better?” I would constantly ask her. She

Every religion has different beliefs. I personally am Catholic, so we believe in some things that other people do not. Since I am Catholic we believe in having Godparents; it is almost like having a second set of parents, but they do not live under the same roof. Having Godparents is like having backup parents. If your parents pass away the Godparents would raise you and take care of you. Godparents are the ones who are supposed to help children understand things about God and their religion. They also make sure children are going down the right path in life. Sometimes I still question: What is the correct path in life? There are a variety of different paths that I could take, but sometimes I do not know which one is the perfect one; this is when my Godparents help me discover which path is the one for me.

“Pay attention!” My abnormally boring teacher snaps at me as she struggles to catch my straying attention. I’ve just discovered that if I trail my eyes without moving my head, I can look at anything I want rebelliously and ignore the lesson. However, my teacher is less than thrilled. It’s as if she was just told to put a collar on a flying dog, which by the way is totally possible. She’s frustrated with me, as I’m the only child in this vast class who gives her this much trouble. I won’t even sit still and pretend like I know what’s going on around me. It’s not my fault, I just can’t understand, therefore I can’t pay attention to the “meaningless” words like ‘cookie’ or ‘ball.’ I can hear obviously, but what I’m supposed to be learning isn’t registering in my tiny five year old brain.

Dive into the perils that is writing. All of us have been writing since we were young. Throughout this semester of English, I have learned how to write in APA, and I have learned how to use every detail possible to extend and expand my essays. The literacy narrative essay, research essay, and annotated bibliography have all been essays I have written this semester, and each one has been a different challenge.