My hands were trembling. I just could not do it. My heart was palpitating as my blood ran throughout all of my veins. Thoughts were racing in and out of mind. I imagined the worst case scenario. I just could not press the confirm button. My essay was not good enough. Maybe I can tweak it some more to make it better. I need a good grade, and this will not get me there. Self doubt filled my body as I sat at the computer desk anxiously trying to upload my short story to turnitin.com. Many people thought that the short story assignment would be fun and innovative. However, many students found it to be more of a struggle than a walk in the park. "Class, before the bell rings, I want to introduce our next writing assignment" Mr. Wickenhauser explained. I could hear the class groan. We had just gotten done with a take home essay and an in class essay over Don Quixote. We were tired of writing, and were not excited about writing some more. "The essay type is an original short story. It can be really be about whatever you want, as long as it is a story. It can be true or fake. Let your imagination run wild. You can make the story your own. Tomorrow and within the coming weeks, we will look at sample short stories, and I will help you draft. Good luck and have fun!" What was I supposed to write about? I am not creative enough to come up with my own short story! My writing isn 't good enought to begin with, and I am supposed to write an entire story with
This English class was the best English class I have ever had. There were no tests, vocabulary quizzes, or in class essays, which made the class less stressful. Before this English class, I was afraid that I would not enjoy writing many essays or writing so many words in one paper. Afterwards, essays have become something that is not so much my favorite task in the world, but it has become more enjoyable to an extent. Professor Sullivan’s class has taught me to formally write a research paper, to analyze a book through responding to different quotes from the story or novel, to understand magical realism, and to understand my own passion for school and how much effort I will be willing to put out in years to come.
I feel like the topic that was written in this short story was good to write about because even through I am not the best of a writing either and don’t really like to write as much. That doesn’t mean you have to give up or hand in any kind of paper. Its always best to get better at
The Essay is a descriptive type essay with a negative, dark but optimistic tone. Annie
However, before the ultimate chance to succeed presented itself, there were months of hard work, assignments, practice tests, and passages to read. The road to success would not be easy, and there were frequent stops along the way. Writing an essay in forty minutes?! That was outrageous, Fran thought at first. Fortunately, Mrs. Belles would diligently meet or surpass her students with the effort she put into teaching; she consistently encouraged and taught her students in detail what they needed not only to pass the AP exam, but also prepared them for writing essays in college. In addition to knowledge, Mrs. Belles bestowed the gift of confidence upon her students, which Francine reports to be priceless and something
The blinds on the windows are shut, it feels like a prison cell as I sit under the spotlight. The darkness outside makes me feel somber and alone. I stare at the glowing screen and think to myself, “It’s just me and this paper.” In December of my junior year in high school, I was assigned a persuasive essay on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter; it was my first academic essay of the year. My previous experiences with academic writing were both stressful and unfulfilling; when the essay topic was announced, I felt only resentment and anger, I remembered my past tribulations. With my mother’s help, this essay was different; after I submitted it to the teacher, I possessed a new perspective on academic writing. From my experience, I learned that strong writing skills are vital to communication, critical thinking, and life outside of the classroom.
As your paper finally slides into that dreadful homework basket, you realize you are finally done. That stressful weekend, with the anticipation, the typing, reading, re-reading and retyping. Is finally over, you have now handed in your essay. Does this sound familiar? Of course, it does! We have all worked on that English or history paper and felt relief after handing it in. But, why is this common event always so stressful for students? Perhaps it is in the way we write our essays, but is there any other way to do it? As it turns out… YES! There are many different strategies to writing, and in this editorial, we will outline some of the most commonly voiced methods.
After a grueling first quarter, I was completely miserable, with terrible grades, low self-esteem, and no end in sight. I was hanging on to the hope that there would be some epiphany moment, a moment where suddenly my writing soared, along with my grades. That change did happen, but not all at once‒ it began during the third quarter, when my teacher, Ms. Boynton, asked me to stay after class, along with five other students. She asked if we would each be interested in participating in The Atlantic and College Board Essay Contest, in which we would each submit an analysis of a famous American speech. I was truly stunned that she had chosen me over so many other students in the class, since I had felt so lost for so many weeks, but it was exactly what I needed as motivation to keep on improving my writing. As I worked closely with her on my contest submission and other class work, I came to realize how much she cared about me and wanted to help me succeed. With that being said, she never made it easy; she continually pushed me, knowing that I could always do better if I set my mind to it. Last September, I began her demanding course with the intention of purely surviving, not necessarily thriving, but that
I only had fifteen minutes left. It was then that I understood that this essay would not be perfect. In fact, it would most likely be disorganized and flawed, but, regardless of the outcome, I would have to write. With this realization, the weight of perfection lifted off my shoulders and it was strangely liberating to know that I would not be able to meet the impracticable standard I had set for myself. The unmarked page seemed less of an adversary and more of a companion as I began to write. At first, my words came slowly and laboriously. Then, they came all at once. One sentence led into another until sentences formed paragraphs and paragraphs formed an essay. When the proctor rose, considered us with practiced sympathy, and told us to put our pencils down, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I was simultaneously filled with relief and self-doubt. I had completed the essay, but, in the process, I had compromised an aspect of my identity that placed faultlessness above all else. In the past, I had seen that part of me as an asset, but on that day, it seemed unpleasantly clear that it was my greatest weakness. As I slowly unfurled my stiff fingers, I considered the now empty desk in front of me. Perhaps perfectionism is as much of a hurdle as it is a
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.
The essay is your dad getting laid off from his ritzy Inner Harbor job and having to sell used cars for a living when you are 10 years old. Every few weekends, you would beg your dad if you could go with him to one of the exotic locales where he sells his cars. This weekend, it was Princeton, New Jersey. The buildings there look like scary European castles, but you agree to smile and pose and help your father stumble over his touch screen to send them, captioned “She got in!!” to a number labeled “Wifey”, who will probably have to read the text when she is driving home from the nursing home after a 16 hour
Brief description of essay topic. Don’t go into too much detail, but try to write a description that’s more than three words long.
After finishing the prewriting exercises, Professor Cardinale would have the class write a first draft of
Entering the class, english comp. one, I had many fears as to what the class would be like. I had no idea what to expect as a senior in highschool. During the past english classes I had, we wrote papers, just not a different one every day. Going into english comp. one, I figured it would be the same method in english just like the past classes I had. On the very first day in the class, I quickly found out that I would have to buckle down a little more than I have been in the past. I knew then, from what Mrs. Garth had told us, that I was going to have many weaknesses while writing my papers, but I would also have many strengths from what I had learned in the past about writing.
We were told to write about a memory or experience we had with writing or reading. I found this difficult right off the gate due to my lack of enthusiasm of the class. Once I sat at home and ranted for a while, until the book and experience was chosen for me to start compiling for the day to day tasked that were demanded of me. As I was compiling I was seeing my thoughts of the rants slip into the paper that I was to turn in. After writing the paper I reread the work; astonished as I was I just laughed at the idea and believed this was just going to be unacceptable. Next day to my surprise it was accepted. As I read it aloud my peers and the teacher tore it apart in the class and gave feedback that they felt would help improve it. Shuffling through all the bits of ideas at night shaking and shifting the words around piecing the puzzle to create my paper. Clinching on the questions that arose with Faizon asking about repetitive sentences in the paper, along with Tori’s request for more description. Then having the teacher point out the words I chose to depict the descriptions at times were vague. Keeping those suggestions in mind and more I went through again and again to find the hidden errors with the heightened sight that was giving to me with others views among the forest of characters before me. Hunting out each mistake able
I have never been an excellent student and perennially struggled with English, Math, and Science growing up. These subjects would cast a pall over my day and school work. Anxiety would well up inside of me which often resulted with me passed out across my desk sleeping through parts of class. When I would return home at day’s end, I rarely completed my homework. When I did try to complete homework, it often ended in tears of frustration or the hurling of a book across the room. Taking this class has helped to quell a portion of that anxiety and frustration. It was a grueling class, seemingly impossible at times, but taking this class has given me the confidence to know that not only can I finish the class if I work hard but can also excel! Writing is something that I will exercise throughout my college curriculum and my life. It will help to convey my ideas to the instructor, peers, bosses, and co-workers. In my college curriculum, it will also show my instructors that I’m learning the information provided and how to apply that knowledge appropriately. It will allow me to complete assignments, discussions, and reports, and I will also apply writing in basic communication when necessary.