Writing on the most basic level is more than just a string of symbols arranged for meaning. Chapter 2 of Rhetoric for Writing Teachers presents the working definition of writing as “a process of communication that uses a conventional graphic system to convey a message to a reader” (10). Understanding the dynamic interplay of the subject, message, reader, and writer is paramount to producing effective writing. Lindemann’s deconstruction of Roman Jakobson’s version of the communication diagram offers intriguing insight into the complex pathways of written communication, thus leading the writing teacher to a greater understanding of student writing difficulties. Students have often said, “Why do I have to take English?…
In this reflective final essay I will reflect on my experience through my semester in English 125. My professor for this class is Dr. Theresa Rooney, two positives characteristics that I found in her is that she is a caring person, she care about our grades, she constantly gave us feedbacks in our assignments. Another positive characteristic that describe her is that she is really responsible with the material that she gave us in class, she is always on top of the assignments making sure that everybody did it and that nobody missed it. The purpose of this reflective essay is to demonstrate how much my writing is being improved in the semester of the spring 2016 year in English 125 class. Through this semester we learn main keys to writing clear and rational, some of the learning objectives in this class were: read and listen critically and analytically, writing clearly and coherently in varied, academic formats such formal essay and research papers, demonstrate research skills using appropriate technology, support a thesis with well reasoned arguments, and formulate original ideas and relate them to the ideas of others by employing the conventions of ethical attribution and citation.…
Before I started to ask the questions in regards to the writing instruction she uses in her classroom, I wanted to get to know Miss. Silva a little better and understand a bit more about her so I started to ask her a couple of questions in regards to where she had attended school, why she chose teaching, and her prior field experience. She began by telling me that she graduated from Bakersfield State University with her Bachelor's degree in liberal studies where she worked for about 5 years as a tutor with different schools around the county that helped students that were falling behind in school. She told me that growing up she was a second English learner and that along the way she had met exceptional teachers that made a difference in…
When I walked into Mrs. Buckhold’s class the first day of the semester, I had the preconceived idea that I wouldn’t have to put much effort into the class, or that I didn’t have a significant amount to improve upon in my writing. On the contrary, the entire first semester of English Composition was a literary journey—a journey that helped me establish my voice as a writer and build upon the solid—but far from perfect—foundation I already had as an effective, persuasive writer. While my writing certainly has improved over the semester, I do hope that over the course of my lifetime, it becomes more and more refined through the accomplishment of my future writing goals. In regards to my development as a writer this semester, I have amassed a wide variety of skills and acquired a considerable amount of knowledge.…
In the past, I like to believe that I have been an incredible writer. Writing has always been a hobby that I enjoy doing. In elementary school, my teacher had us write a short story, and she allowed us to print them off and bind them. I have also had one of my poems published into an actual book that was filled to the brim with poems. Ever since then, I have always wanted to have one of my own works published.…
On my first day of English 1101 class, I was expecting to have totally miserable time and told myself that it will be painful to go through an English class for a semester. However, all these expectations shattered after my very first day. My teacher, Gale Thompson, is a really positive and energetic person. Throughout the semester, I realized how much she cares about our learning experiences and helping us to become better writers. She was really caring and willing to help no matter what kind of problems we were dealing with.…
I can’t believe I have been working as a writing advisor for half a semester already! I still remember when I was putting together my application and how nervous I felt during the interview. In these past weeks I have learned tutoring strategies that have not only shaped me as a college advisor, but will be of great help when I go back home this summer to work as an ESL summer school teacher. I have enjoyed writing letters every week to Eleanor because get the opportunity to just sit down and reflect on how my journey as a writer is going, something I would not do if these letters were not an assignment. Now I am able to do and overview of my thoughts and concerns during these past weeks, and meditate on the writer and tutor I have become.…
didn’t think I could be successful if I didn’t complete college, and I didn’t know what to do with myself. I kind of lost it for a while. I left Nevada and moved to Arizona for a fresh start. I stopped reading. When I moved away, I didn’t even hunt down the local library.…
My Journey As a Writer Throughout high school, I feel like my writing skills have changed drastically, thanks to all my aspiring english teachers who have helped me grow along the way. Essays, speeches, and short stories have been a struggle for me in the past. Writers block is my worst enemy. Because of my helpful mentors, I’ve learned different strategies to overcome these writing obstacles.…
It has been nearly a month since my last brief analysis was written and during those weeks my hours at work have been many and my opportunities with tutoring have been few. However, I did have an interesting encounter during one of my shifts in the writing center. This encounter was also consequently my first actual session with a tutee at the center. Holding high expectations of myself, I drew from all of the knowledge that I had retained during my classes and readings and hoped for the best as my first student writer walked through the door. It soon became prevalently clear, though, that this session would be a challenge for me.…
My Real Life Realization of my Sophomore Year Ever since I can remember, I have always had trouble when it comes to writing. I was often called things like “stupid” or “unintelligent” by my classmates when I would ask for help over and over on the same topic I had asked about ten minutes before. That is, until my tenth grade year when I met my new English teacher for the year, Mrs. Kimbal. I remember sitting, front row, in that tiny, heat ridden room contemplating whether or not I actually needed this class to complete my high school career.…
As the semester comes to a close this assignment provides an excellent opportunity to look back on my experiences in this class. Writing is something that has always been an issue in my life. I do enjoy writing as long as it is not academic such as research papers. Throughout this semester, I was surprised by how much I actually learned and also how much I developed the writing skills I already had. In this essay I will talk about my participation, performance, progress and the process that I used to help me become successful in English 111.…
In one of the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s quotes, he said that “instruction does much, but encouragement does everything.” As my teacher and supporter, Dr. Droz, you guided me by providing me with your important feedback, and encouraged and motivated me to become a better writer and researcher. I am not saying that before I was not writing essays or I didn’t do as good. But, before I was writing all the assignments and essays to get good grades, which was my only goal. After taking your class, I got the confidence in my writing skills and you made me understand that writing is a very powerful tool and I can use it for myself to voice my opinion.…
As I begin to writing this letter to reflect on our past semester together in advanced writing, I realize just how much I’ve grown, not only to enjoying a writing class but also as a writer. Throughout the course of our class we had multiple assignments, yet each one was geared toward a different audience. For example, we had to imagine that were were writing a literature review for our department’s undergraduate research journal. The primary readership would be fellow undergraduates in my major who are interested in my topic.…
My Sojourn Through Intensive English 2 Throughout my sojourn of Intensive English 2, I’ve come to grow a great deal within my work. This can not only be seen by my essays but also on my capability of taking notes while reading now. I wouldn’t have been able to grow though without the help from Mrs. Pendell, especially with her way of explaining all of the essays, notes, and assignments in an understandable way. From the beginning of the year to now I can definitely see a huge change in my writing.…