Dear Reader Letter
Dear Reader,
Many years have passed since I graduated from high school, and I have to admit the thought of returning to school after so many years was pretty intimidating. But with the support and encouragement of my family, and a lot of obsessing on my part, I am currently enrolled as a full-time student. The Fall Quarter is drawing to an end, and these past ten weeks have gone quickly. English 97 has been both challenging and exciting. It was challenging because over the course of the Quarter, we were given many assignments. Therefore, I had to learn to manage my time to meet the various deadlines. And exciting because I can see the progress I have made in my writing during this time. Moreover, it has allowed me the opportunity to learn new things and brush up on old skills; long forgotten.
I can remember when I was in the fifth grade, I really enjoyed writing. I had a wonderful teacher, Mr. Pringle, and his teacher’s aid, Claudia, was also really terrific. I loved writing stories, both fiction and non-fiction. Both of my teachers motivated me to be a better writer, and I even won a class writer’s contest, twice! The prize was San Francisco Giant’s tickets, and my parents and I went to both games. Also, back at that time, I had dreams of being an airline stewardess. Don’t ask me why? I guess it seemed like a prestigious job when I was ten years old. I remember Claudia writing in my autograph journal, “Dear Andrea, you truly have a gift for writing, but if you want to be a stewardess, I’m sure you’ll make a good one! Much happiness to you all through your life, Claudia.” Well, I never did become a stewardess. But certainly through English 97, a renewed interest in writing has been sparked.
As I reflect back to what I have learned this past Quarter, I have to say there are many things I have learned. First, coming into English 97, I had trouble with sentence structure. Even writing and joining main clauses was a problem for me. The sentences would be full of comma splices or run-ons. I learned how to correctly use coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, and relative pronouns, which are basic skills I had long forgotten. And when it came to using quotations to incorporate dialogue, forget it; I would put the quotations and commas in all the wrong places.
I have to say what I have enjoyed most is being able to give my writing a voice. I was able to accomplish this in my writing by creating emotion and other sensory detail. This is also what the instructor would refer to us as showing not telling. It took time and thought, but I think I captivated this effect well in my first major writing assignment, titled "My Mother, My Friend."
I hope you enjoy the reading the following writing pieces I have included in my e-Portfolio. These pieces, I believe, reflect the writing challenges I faced coming into English 97, yet also shows the significant progress I have made along the way. What I have learned in English 97 has afforded me the basis for what is yet to come in my writing. And as I see it - my writing can and will only get better.
Sincerely,
Andrea
Many years have passed since I graduated from high school, and I have to admit the thought of returning to school after so many years was pretty intimidating. But with the support and encouragement of my family, and a lot of obsessing on my part, I am currently enrolled as a full-time student. The Fall Quarter is drawing to an end, and these past ten weeks have gone quickly. English 97 has been both challenging and exciting. It was challenging because over the course of the Quarter, we were given many assignments. Therefore, I had to learn to manage my time to meet the various deadlines. And exciting because I can see the progress I have made in my writing during this time. Moreover, it has allowed me the opportunity to learn new things and brush up on old skills; long forgotten.
I can remember when I was in the fifth grade, I really enjoyed writing. I had a wonderful teacher, Mr. Pringle, and his teacher’s aid, Claudia, was also really terrific. I loved writing stories, both fiction and non-fiction. Both of my teachers motivated me to be a better writer, and I even won a class writer’s contest, twice! The prize was San Francisco Giant’s tickets, and my parents and I went to both games. Also, back at that time, I had dreams of being an airline stewardess. Don’t ask me why? I guess it seemed like a prestigious job when I was ten years old. I remember Claudia writing in my autograph journal, “Dear Andrea, you truly have a gift for writing, but if you want to be a stewardess, I’m sure you’ll make a good one! Much happiness to you all through your life, Claudia.” Well, I never did become a stewardess. But certainly through English 97, a renewed interest in writing has been sparked.
As I reflect back to what I have learned this past Quarter, I have to say there are many things I have learned. First, coming into English 97, I had trouble with sentence structure. Even writing and joining main clauses was a problem for me. The sentences would be full of comma splices or run-ons. I learned how to correctly use coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, and relative pronouns, which are basic skills I had long forgotten. And when it came to using quotations to incorporate dialogue, forget it; I would put the quotations and commas in all the wrong places.
I have to say what I have enjoyed most is being able to give my writing a voice. I was able to accomplish this in my writing by creating emotion and other sensory detail. This is also what the instructor would refer to us as showing not telling. It took time and thought, but I think I captivated this effect well in my first major writing assignment, titled "My Mother, My Friend."
I hope you enjoy the reading the following writing pieces I have included in my e-Portfolio. These pieces, I believe, reflect the writing challenges I faced coming into English 97, yet also shows the significant progress I have made along the way. What I have learned in English 97 has afforded me the basis for what is yet to come in my writing. And as I see it - my writing can and will only get better.
Sincerely,
Andrea
posted by Spirituality4YourSoul at 4:51 PM
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