English has always been one of my strengths throughout high school and now in college. I have always been an avid reader throughout my life and this is why I think I have enjoyed all my English classes and done well in them. Do not get me wrong, this semester has been a toughie and I am still swamped with stress and worry about this class. But on the whole I think that this class has helped improve my writing skills. The blogs especially have helped me a lot. These blogs have forced me to write short essays every week and practice my writing every week. I think that this weekly writing has really helped me throughout the semester. Everyone knows that practice makes perfect and this is what I found the blogs to be: practice. So all this practice has made my writing to become better and better; and I find I am more comfortable writing to people and not just writing to merely fill the word requirement.
The group work and the responding to each other’s work has also helped me in reading others work and figuring out what can be worked on. This reviewing of other’s work has shown me the common mistakes that everyone’s work suffers from and to stay away from these common mistakes. Reading my peer’s work has also shown me different writing styles and this has helped to strengthen my own writing voice. In addition I have really enjoyed the feedback from most of my group; they really try to give the best constructive criticism and do not put your work down at all. There is only so much you can do to your own paper and it is so very helpful to have other students read your work with fresh eyes. They can usually see things that you miss and this peer review has really helped my work tremendously.
Another thing that has helped improve my writing has been all the papers we have done throughout the semester. Now I do know that this is an English class but it seems that the topics we have had to write on are much harder and thought-provoking than any other English class I have had. The issues we have had to take a stand on have made me really think, and I have had some trouble with writing on them. These papers have made me become a better writing and have pushed me out of my little comfortable writing shell. And this is what any good class is supposed to do, make you think outside of the box and question the things we take for granted.
And of course what has, in my opinion, helped the most have been the books. Everyone says that if you want to write better than read more, and I agree with this one hundred and eighty-nine percent. Good books are the key to learn how to write well and they introduce you to so many different literary styles and voices. To learn how to improve your own writing then just simply read others writing.
“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”-Victor Hugo
Monica, I’m so glad that this class helped you as much as it has! It’s always such a beautiful thing to go into a class one way and come out transformed. You mentioned in your blog that any good class forces you to think outside of the box. I completely agree with you. It’s this place of transformation where you learn the most and I think that Jennifer just has this excellent way of bringing so many of her students to that place. I find it difficult to leave an English course without being transformed in some way, however good or bad is up in the air. I’ve had horrible English class experiences at AVC, but grand experiences as well. I’m glad that you’ve learned so much and found so much of yourself through writing. I’ve always said that, through writing, you truly find yourself. You can’t hide yourself from writing because it’s through words that you bleed who you really are. Rest assured that you’re not alone with feeling like you’ve been changed from this class. It’s you and me both, let me tell you. I look forward to your last blog this week. I’ll see you in class!
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