Reflective Essay: Learning To Read And Write

Coming into this class, I wasn't sure what to expect. Of course,I expected to be writing a lot but was unsure of the type of writing and the style. I was looking forward to writing challenging pieces that stretching me creatively as a writer. I wanted to explore how to express myself in my writing because it had been a long time since I'd written a creative essay. One of my main hopes for this class was challenging myself to become a better editor of my own papers. I often find it a tedious and laborious process to find and edit the grammatical errors in my papers. However, this is an important skill that I need to develop for my future as a successful writer.

     One of the techniques I am going to use through out college is talking to

When I was learning to read, I remember my kindergarten teacher telling us to read all the sign in the street so we can improve are reading. I will drive my mom crazy every time there was a sign because I would want to read it but because of traffic lights sometimes I couldn’t finish. That was a really good method my teacher used to force us to read everywhere, at every time.

Before I came to college, I felt my writing had to follow a certain pattern and be fixated around one way of thinking. What I was fortunate to learn was quite the opposite. Writing does not have to follow any certain pattern, but can rather be structured through many different possibilities. I was also told in high school that my papers either had to agree or disagree with the given topic, even if I believed otherwise. This formulated a very one-track way of thinking when it came to my papers. Now I know that I can let my mind explore new and exciting ideas. I can agree, disagree, compliment, criticize, and question the author however my heart desires, as long as I have the evidence to back myself up. Many authors in the book, Writing About Writing, explain their processes as well as the processes of others when it comes to writing. As a writer, I can draw on my own processes and relate them to the authors, as well as use their ideas and apply them to myself. Through reading, I have learned new methods of invention, planning and revising, and incubation when it comes to writing. All ways I can use to create more meaningful and creative work.

When I was learning to read, it wasn’t hard,although it did take me a couple years to figure it out. I had always been very smart with language,speaking full sentences like, “Mommy, can we go to the park today?” at two. Once I used those skills and mastered reading, it opened up a new world for me; the world of wizards and dragons, imagination, gods and goddesses, and mentally ill people speaking out and telling everyone how they think. After I began to read, I continued, addictively reading every chance I got. I would read at school and be overjoyed when we went to the library. It even got to the point where I couldn’t sleep without reading. Reading was,and still is, my oasis, my shelter.

This fall semester in ESL 91has been pretty interesting, and so far successful. The main object of this semester was to improve our essay writing. We were taught various lab techniques that helped us to improve our English writing skills, such as using appropriate verb tense and how to write a research paper with a works cited. Through my work on the research paper I have learned how to write in an academic style, how to find appropriate sources from an academic database, and how to cite my sources. Most of all, I can say that my reading skills have improved because the research for our papers required me to do a lot of critical reading.

Congratulations, you have finally made it to your first day of English in college. It only took you half an hour searching multiple buildings and poking your head into random classrooms filled with frustration, due to the complexity of UCF’s landscape. In the classroom there are other incoming college students frantically searching around them, waiting to examine the behavior of the professor. Just stop freaking out, I have no idea why I was a nervous wreck like you are right now, but this is a first-year writing program. For those that did not pass the advanced placement exams for English, did not attempt any exams at all, did not enjoy English, or absolutely despised the course, be prepared for plenty of more essays that will enhance your writing. Recently from all of my writing and reading experiences in ENC1101, I am capable of explaining the crucial takeaways of this class that will benefit any student putting in the effort for academic success. The knowledge presented to you will build an understanding for how writing works, and to discover who you are as a writer through experiences in this course.

Coming straight out of high school and being thrown into a college-level English course can be very frightening; much like a mother leaving her child on the first day of school. Except, this time we are on our own. It is almost like we are blindly being thrown into this big pool without knowing how to swim. We are scared and almost unprepared as much of what we did in high school is nothing compared to of what college professors expect from us.

Writing wasn’t exactly my strongest subject. In fact, compared to the more technical subjects that I often excelled at, writing was a relatively weak subject. Rarely would I score very well on my essays in high school. However, my approach to writing changed forever after taking College Writing R1A. One semester of writing several essays over a myriad of topics was all I needed to refine my writing techniques. Although numerous prior habits I had with writing changed over the span of fifteen weeks, there was one reform that was absolutely monumental: Altering my approach to revision. In high school, my approach to revision was just completely off. I took writing too mathematically and logically; my writing seemed fine unless pointed out otherwise, and I never made changes to the essays unless a comment was explicitly written in that section. As a result, I could never understand why I scored so consistently low on my essays in High School Language Arts class. There was obviously something wrong with my writing, but that problem would not be rectified until my first semester of college.

It was my second grade year and I was only 7 years old when I first found my hatred for anything that had to do with reading or writing. Every week my teacher would give us a lengthy list of vocabulary words that we had to memorize before our spelling test the following week. I would study for periods at a time trying to memorize these gruesome lists of words that I could never remember. When it came down to the day of the test I would see all my classmates at ease while I would panic trying to remember what I studied. When it finally came time to take the test I hear the teacher call the word “island” but the only thing I could hear was noise In a room full of silence. I was frustrated I couldn’t think, the teacher would ask is everyone ready to move on and I wouldn’t say anything because I was too shy. After a couple of days I would get my score back and would not be surprised when I found out that I had failed the test. Week after week this became a recurring theme when I got back my spelling test. Following this experience I accepted the fact that reading and writing was just (not my thing).

When I was little boy around the age of 4, I remember that everyday after morning announcements were over that my teacher at the time Mrs. Euwing would always have bellwork right before class started and I just have a vivid memory of not knowing how to form a proper sentence. I would just end up writing random letter in the alphabet hoping that I would form a sentence but sadly I knew that it was not possible because I could barely speak English yet I thought that I could write in my journal. My teacher started to notice that issue and that’s where my tutor came into play.

When thinking about what effective writing is, there is no single answer as to what the definition is. Everyone has their own idea of what the most important aspects of effective writing are. This is why combining multiple people’s ideas into one concrete style allows us to open our mind to other possibilities. In our group, we all had a slightly different ideas of what the most important aspect of effective writing was. Because of this, we were able to combine all three and make a three step process of how a writer should go about generating an effective piece of writing. The three steps are, contemplate, clarify and connect. Good effective writing requires proper preparation to write a clear and concise piece of work which results in the reader's understanding of the point the writer is trying to get across.

I have never written to write. I always write for a teacher, college admissions, a good grade, but it has never been for me. My writing is not bad, I struggle with things like spelling and grammar to this day, but I can form an idea and put it to paper well. After years of learning how to structure an essay I am confident in my ability to do so. I have filled out mind map after mind map and learned 50 different “correct” way to format a piece of writing. I have mastered how to hit all points on a rubric. Focus on the ideas, outline, and flow, because grammar and spelling is only 10% of the grade. Writing is a game for me. It has been about how I outsmart the teacher, how I put in the least amount of effort for the most pay off. Working with this mind set has created a dangerous relationship between me and writing, and ruined the potential I may have to succeed in my writing career.

Writing 101G is a class that I enjoy, and look forward to attending. I have always loved to write, but as a child I never payed attention to the basics of writing. Now, I feel that I struggle a little to catch up on the basic structure of how to write. I feel that if I had payed more attention, today I would be attempting to get a job as some sort of writer, or editor in some type of fashion magazine. I think this class, and the way Brittany teaches, got me to rethink if I could have a job like that one day. When I feel comfortable with a teacher, I am able to learn, and enjoy what I am learning. During the past month, I noticed that I have learned so much more than I did in a whole year of writing in high school. I know that there will be more progress if I put in all my effort in every paper I write rather than starting it the day before it is due. If I do save it for the last day, I will not be able to recognize what I can change to make my essay better. At this point in the year I notice that I feel that I have a lot to say in my essay, but still need help trying to do exactly what is asked.

Good writing is a major point of importance when it comes to making understandable and legible writing. You may not realize it, but writers everywhere use good writing techniques and good writing concepts that separate their writing from all of the others. For example, writers don’t use boring words because the reader would get bored of the information way too quick. The writer also switches up the length of their sentences so that the reader does not feel like they are reading the same sentence over and over again. Many writers write with a specific audience in mind; meaning, they are trying to target specific people to read what they are saying. Every time I write I try to put myself in the readers shoes and ask myself these questions. Is this information boring? And, Could you do a better job of making it more interesting? I have learned a lot this semester and want to continue learning.