My Thinking | Katietauberenglish

Reflective Letter

Dear Ms. Andrews,

I strongly feel that the past four months of English 1102 has developed my writing and critical thinking skills. I can see a significant difference in my writing and the process that leads me to my finalized written product. I grew as a person, I developed new skills, I connected to real life, and I passed English 1102.

Growth:

Growing up. It’s a part of life that happens sooner in some people than others. As we grow and get older, we acquire new skills, gain knowledge, and become proficient in something we weren’t before. For me, Katie Tauber, I grew as a writer and a thinker because of English 1102. My portfolio demonstrates my newly found abilities. I will never stop growing and this can be seen though my past ideas, present thoughts, and future goals.

Before: Rewind to High School English. Don’t worry- I’m not going to talk about the awkwardness of these years. I want to focus on why these classes restricted my growth. In High School, each teacher had an agenda that they needed to strictly follow in order to accomplish the set curriculum. And then there was the “Ideal Paragraph” set-up. I remember this song very clearly: “Topic sentence, Evidence, Explain, Evidence, Explain, Ah-ha!” This was a corny song my teacher taught us on how to “correctly” write a perfect response. No room for the writer’s voice or style. The institutionalization of high school English created a classroom of 32 students with the same exact writing style. I was one of them. How bland. How dull. How boring. And this is the reason why I hated to write- I didn’t know I was unique.

Now: This class has led me to discover that I am no longer under the constraints of the ridiculous institutionalization. I am myself in my writing. I’m not writing super casual or super formal. I write the same exact way I would say it. I have grown to think that there is not a specific format I need to follow- especially in this portfolio. If you look at any of the work I have turned in this year, from blogs to responses to daybook entries, I was able to practice using MY voice. What I have learned has been all summed up in this website- it is entirely me. In the end, this has inspired my love for writing. I now enjoy it (who would have thought!) It’s easy for me to think and reflect when I am not someone else’s ideas. It is okay to be yourself in your writing.

One day I want to: Now that I have this information, I want to foster it and grow even more. I have learned to enjoy my writing, I will continue to write down my ideas and thoughts. I know who I am, but I continue to grow. I have found that I realize my growth by looking back on previous writings. If you read my work from high school and then read this from today, you will see the difference. I’m sure if I come back to this in 10 years, I will be different. Growth is continuous- I just needed something to spark it.

DEVELOPMENT

I believe that the daybook has developed me. I found it almost therapeutic to write down whatever came to my mind at the beginning of class. I really like how it would only benefit one person- me. I was not writing for the good of anyone else. I thought of new ideas for new pieces of writing, ideas for improving already written pieces, and ideas regarding reflecting on my writing. If you look through my daybook, you will not find the prettiest handwriting or the most organized thoughts. However, you will find original and genuine ideas and thoughts written by me.

I believe that the online responses to my peers has developed me. I have always loved reading other people’s opinions, thoughts, and stories. And then connecting how I feel about it. I love input from others and I come to value other’s opinions. Since everyone has different strengths, we all have something to add to the conversation. I do not always feel obligated to incorporate everyone’s ideas, but it is nice to have multiple opinions on something.

I believe that this portfolio process has developed me. Now that I am pulling it all together, I get to see all of my hard work in one place. Digitizing my work allows me to truly express myself in a way I have never tried before. You can see what I think though my words, hyperlinks, videos, pictures, colors, fonts. These pieces of media allow me to develop my creative side and incorporate my personal writing.

Connections:

Connections with other students: I think that it is important to make connections and grow from other people. One of the main reasons I enjoyed English 1102 so much was because we were given the opportunity to discus with others and get feedback on writing assignments. In the past, I have felt hesitant to share my writing with anyone else because it’s very personal. I felt the students in high school had no interest in my writing and that they would judge me for the words I chose and how things were phrased.

This is vastly different in college. I know that the people sitting next to me will intently read my writing and give me helpful suggestions. When I need something proof-read from now on, I know that there are always people who will help. I have realized that there will always be people who do not like my writing and who would change it. Ultimately, it is my own piece that I made myself. I can take or leave the comments that others leave for me as I please.

Connections with other student’s writings- The variety of everyone’s writing has influenced me or interested me in some way. I believe that the more well-read you are, the more ideas you have to contribute to discussions. Reading other’s ideas, whether you agree or disagree, promotes growth in readers and develops the ability to critically analyze a piece of literature effectively.

Connection to college life in general- College. A new experience for all incoming freshman. Students learn what’s important in life and where their priorities are. For me, I knew that school would be my #1 focus. Now that it is the end of the year, school is still the most important, but I have found new hobbies that spark my interest. People change over time, including myself. I now know that.

Connections with other classes- One day down the road, I want to become a Registered Nurse. English 1102 allowed me to practice interacting with people with different ideas. It has also allowed me to practice extending the conversation and saying something that hasn’t been brought up yet. Fine tuning my critical analysis skills