Reflection Paper In English

Coming into my Composition I class, I did not really know what to expect. Some of the seniors from last year told me that it was not particularly difficult, but I needed to be prepared to work. However, last year’s seniors had the class for a whole semester; I had only nine weeks. As a result, I was not aware of how fast paced Composition I would be. In previous classes, I was used to having long increments of time to complete research papers, but now, I am expected to complete research papers in much shorter amounts of time, sometimes just one week. Even though this process has been quite grueling at certain times, my introductions, content, and sentence variation have massively improved, making it easier to put my ideas on paper.

When I made the decision to stop going to college because I was pregnant I made a promise to myself; I promised that the moment my daughter was in school I would go back to school myself. Five years later I followed thru on that promise but not without any reservations. I had been out of school for so long, and I have a decent job why did I need to go back? How would the scheduling work? How was I going to maintain my work schedule and go to school? My determination and the want to keep the promise to myself is what allowed me to overcome my doubts and fears. Fast forward to picking classes I was nervous. I enjoy English and writing so that was fine and expected, but it was picking out the right teacher. I am beyond glad that I picked you as my professor. Not only was class fun and engaging, but your willingness to work with your students and encourage them is just what I needed. Out of everything I learned during the duration of this course the three significant things I learned were pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, how to keep a paper formal, and how to use different tools to produce the best paper I can.

When I signed up for this class, I never thought it would change anything about myself. This class has allowed me to think differently, and view people in a new way. It has provided me with tools for the future in parenting, career, and relationship. I learn most of these tools in chapters five, six, seven, eight, ten, eleven, and twelve. In these chapters I learned how learning, memory, thinking, personality, psychological disorders, and many other psychological topics can shape how someone perceives others, and life.

I spent my life in school having troubled on understanding the learning in English when I moved to America. I started to have some troubles with understanding and knowing a different language (English) in this country and also having a problem with communication with other people who speak English. It took me through the process to know and understand English when my mind was focused and understanding my native language Chinese Cantonese. There are some moments that I accidentally pronounced something wrong while I’m trying to learn English. I somehow accidentally mixed some ideas with grammar along with English and Cantonese when I realized it was totally different. My ability to learning and reading at school somehow still become an problem in English. People in special Ed. said that I had disability. By the word disability I thought that only disability only people who handicapped or on wheelchair. By learning a different disabilities I learned that my disability works and struggles only the part of the brain function rather than a physical part than some other people who are disabled. There are some issues with my English I had to get involved with more support with teacher aides who specialize ESL (English Second Language) to help me with understand and improve my English. I also had to get involved with special education in school so that they could help me with my English language easier.

People say that I have a hard exterior and that I rarely show my emotions. Well, that is true, but isn’t that applicable for every human being? Seeing someone when they are at their weakest moment is uncomfortable and the last thing they want is your pity. Sure, that might be true, but what they want after is certainly companionship and people to talk to. Keeping feelings pent up is fatally detrimental to the mental health, and I myself have been a recipient of this during my sophomore year of high school. It was only with the help of a close group of friends that I could preserve through my darkest hours.

I think we tend to push religion away from the public arena because today’s society and culture has made it taboo to talk about Christ. Even though it has been taken out of context, the separation of church and state is a prime example. While most schools in my area allow prayer there is still the risk that non-Christian students may bully or even shun their fellow classmates for who and what they believe in. We as Christians accept everyone as they are. We may not approve of their lifestyle or life choices, but that is where we are given the opportunity to witness to the secular non-believers. That is when we as Christians see our true calling.

Not too long after arriving in Texas I committed myself to being a Christian. In retrospect, I understand I didn’t fully understand my actions, but I knew that my aunt, uncle, and cousins were different and I wanted to experience the love, joy, and freedom they all have. As a result, on a June summer night in a hotel with my extended family, I prayed to the God “Come into my heart Lord and be present in my life.” At that exact moment, a feeling engulfed my body that is hard to explain; it's almost like a wave that crashed over my head and moved down to my feet. Even though I was surrounded by my extended family, I understood that like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego we weren't alone but another had entered into our company. The mountain top experience of my salvation was brief and sadly inconsequential in my life for a couple of years. Life moved on and as a ten-year old, I didn’t want change to consume my personality despite my recent conversion. I had just been introduced to this concept of the church being enjoyable and fun; anything that stood against that idea was put to the wayside. Relationships between my brother became tense and strained. Life during the spiritual transition from an immature child and a growing one is reminiscent of James chapter three verse six through nine,

Looking back on my life experiences, I can’t help but smile in response to every memory of struggle, success, and change for each experience has served as a page in a larger, unfinished story. Growing up my identity has been strongly tied to my upbringing in a traditional Italian household with my father, mother, and brother. My upbringing has thus included an emphasis on food, family and friends, and culture. The backyard of my childhood home in San Mateo, California was complete with slowly growing key ingredients in a variety of Italian dishes. Considering my father’s parents emigrated from Liguria, a region in Italy most famously known as the birthplace of pesto, growing basil allowed us to maintain a connection with our heritage. As a child I remember playing in my backyard with my brother, careful to not roll the ball in the dirt where the basil was growing. That would ruin the fun of picking it with my dad and making it with my mom. Yet, the truly satisfying aspect of this tradition was sitting down as a family, which often included my maternal grandparents, and sharing a meal complete with numerous anecdotes.

I thought that service learning would be a great way to connect with the community while learning more about the environment. In ENVIR 239, I knew that I was going to be focusing on minimizing my footprint and aside from class assignments, I wanted to know what other hands-on activities I could do. Through the service learning, I actually feel like Beaven, “balance[ing] what negative impact [I] couldn’t eliminate with some sort of positive impact” (Beavan, 15). As Beaven would call it, this “environmental activism” has made me wonder what other activities I could do aside from composing and recycling. When I went to my first volunteer event, I was surprised to see the different age groups. There were kids and adults eager to get their hands dirty and do their part to minimize their footprint.

I went into junior year without any fear or stress whatsoever. I started a new program at my school called the Associative Arts program in order to graduate high school with a two-year college degree. This program entailed not only taking both on site and online college classes, but also completing high school classes in order to fulfill my high school graduation requirements. Unaware of the academic rigor this year involved, I decided to take AP Chemistry along with these other classes. My older sister took, and passed, an AP class her junior year, so I expected myself to also pass this class. However, in my case, this teacher had never taught an AP class before, especially not chemistry. After completing my junior year, I now understand there is an important difference between setting high goals and pushing myself beyond my limits.

Isn't amazing to think that every word you say and every action you undertake has the potential to change the world? I know that through my education at UConn, I can accomplish that goal.

It’s familiar. I was just here four months ago. The smell, sound, and the people. The clock reads 10:06am. I hear crying babies, sit in a dark room, and wait till I’m chosen for my room. The bracelet is stuck onto my wrist before vitals are taken. “Your blood pressure is up, are you okay?” Well I’m not okay since I’m in the ER because of a 77 day migraine and a numb lip. As I change into the XXL gown in room 9, I lay in bed nervous, but ready for the doctors to come in and review my past, ask everything, and do the normal routine. Yes, I have long-lasting chronic migraines. The pain is in the back of my head. The Toradol, Compazine, Rizatriptan, Sumatriptan, Aleve, Excedrin, Ibuprofen, and Tylenol aren’t decreasing my pain. I’ve been here 5 other times; I get an IV with Toradol, Compazine, and fluids. I feel as if I could just write a resume with all of my information to hand out to every person who walks in the room. I go through about 3 other interviews on my background and the issue I’m here for. Yet again, they decide on the normal procedure. Although, this time it was brought to my attention the day before that my lip is drooping and I realize it is numb. That’s a new issue. Now they run a load of neurological tests to decide if I have had a stroke. An MRI is another thing added to the list this visit.

Speech. The English language has been hard for me to grasp. It still is today, in many ways. Of course, I have grown to love it and accept it, even indulge, in the challenge it presents. This did not come naturally, though. As a young child, I had a speech impediment. It was hard for me to make myself understood, even less so through my writing. Not only was it hard for me to write, but also to read. As a result, from the time I was four years old to the time I was nine years old, I worked with speech tutors and attended special reading classes to improve my speed and comprehension. In the end, it made me come to love the English language and its different sounds and compositions. However, struggling with this early ineptitude for it had

On the first day of my junior year of high school, I made the lowest grade I had ever made on a test: thirty-three. The test was in my English III class over our summer reading book, Beowulf. I had read the book and the SparkNotes that went with it and I still failed. At first, I thought that it would get easier and that I did not do well because I was still in summer mode. However, I was far from correct. That first day set the tone for the rest of the school year, but I was determined to find a way to bring my grade up.

Every teacher that I have ever had has always enforced the golden rule that ‘reading is fundamental’. That’s what I think of when I think of reading a book. While my childhood sparked the start to my struggle how did overcoming speech issues, reading aloud, fantasy, and reading classic literature help? It starts with a negative experience but did I feel like I got a positive experience by my adulthood? Or do I still have that same trouble, just an easier time.