Over the past nine months I have grown greatly as a writer, thinker, and reader. When I first entered the class I was already stressing about whether or not I would pass the AP exam in May. My sophomore year, I had taken my first exam and I didn’t do as well as I hoped. I was completely upset about failing and felt that my parents’ money went to waste. For my junior year, I promised myself that I would do better than the previous year. As this year progressed, I began to see that some of my weaknesses became strengths and my strengths became stronger. My confidence about how I thought and wrote changed positively and I began to trust my ability to succeed.
Throughout this year I’ve improved in many areas within my writing, thinking, and reading. I have increased my vocabulary, strengthened phrasing of sentences, and began to rationalize things in a bigger perspective. While reading I have learned to notice small things that may seem insignificant but relate to the overall purpose and theme of the novel or excerpt. My thought process has also develop significantly as I progressed through the year. I began to think outside the box, which, when I stepped into this class on the first day, was very difficult for me.
I have definitely learned from my mistakes while taking this class. I have learned that I need to use my time wisely, proof read my work, read what the task asks specifically and follow the directions. Although, I still have difficulty with punctuation, especially when and where to use commas, thinking quickly, and focusing, I feel that I am at a better place than I was before. As I looked back at my essays I wrote at the beginning of the year, i.e. Fourth of July, I could tell that the manner in which I went about writing the piece has changed and I realized that I didn’t have as much difficulty as I had before. My planning was a much smoother process and I could ask myself questions to probe a better explanation. I am very proud of my many small but impactful, accomplishments this year.
If given the opportunity to do things differently, I wouldn’t change much for my decisions have shaped who I am as a writer, thinker and reader. One major thing I would change though, is how much I procrastinate tasks given to me. I am terrible at getting things done before the due date and then I tend to rush myself to complete it. I need to push and encourage myself to take time to complete tasks before the due dates so that I am not stressed when the day comes around. I would definitely mark this as one of my overall weaknesses but hopefully by the end of senior year I will have figured out how to manage my time more wisely so that I can have more of a stress free life. As for keeping things the same, I would most definitely take this class again. I honestly enjoyed it very much. Yes, it pushed me outside of my comfort zone at times but I believe that it strengthened me as a person. I will never regret being able to come to this class knowing that I will improve myself every day.
The way one thinks and what they say sets up who they are. Having the ability to communicate passionately through language is a wonderful asset in which I wish I had. When I talk, I tend to jumble up my words so that what I say sometimes just doesn’t make sense and is an absolute mess. When I speak in front of people I get so nervous that I leave out words or mispronounce everything. Unfortunately, how I speak is made me who I am to others. For me, it’s not always a bad thing but when I’m trying to make a point and I mess up, it makes me feel incompetent. Having autocorrect and backspace when I talk would be very handy at times.
Language whether spoken or written is what connects every culture together. There are many different languages within our world and humans have the capability to learn one different from their native language so that they can effectively communicate with a person of a different ethnicity. Learning how to speak in a different language sets one apart from the “norm.” It makes that person special compared to everyone else. The fact that they have this ability will forever be a part of who they are. One’s thoughts and words tend to impact their actions. The words “I love you” can be life changing or the words “I’m coming home” from a military father after being deployed for several months is relief within a simple statement. The phrase “stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” can’t be any more untrue in today’s society. People have the ability to find someone else’s weakness and use it against them so that they completely flip their world upside down. I do believe that language is a powerful tool that every person should utilize but one should use it in a positive way that will impact society in a beneficial way.
My parents always tell me that I should learn something new every day so that I am always adding to my knowledge. I believe that a person’s education doesn’t end after high school or college but rather that one is always learning. Yes, while in school that’s is where one learns their primary education but there is so much more to life than what 2+2 equals or how to write a complete sentence. The lessons one experiences as they develop is what makes them who they are. There will always be something new to learn like how to cook on a grill, or how to drive, or even how to take care of a child. One will always constantly learn so that they can live a fulfilled successful life.
Throughout this year I’ve improved in many areas within my writing, thinking, and reading. I have increased my vocabulary, strengthened phrasing of sentences, and began to rationalize things in a bigger perspective. While reading I have learned to notice small things that may seem insignificant but relate to the overall purpose and theme of the novel or excerpt. My thought process has also develop significantly as I progressed through the year. I began to think outside the box, which, when I stepped into this class on the first day, was very difficult for me.
I have definitely learned from my mistakes while taking this class. I have learned that I need to use my time wisely, proof read my work, read what the task asks specifically and follow the directions. Although, I still have difficulty with punctuation, especially when and where to use commas, thinking quickly, and focusing, I feel that I am at a better place than I was before. As I looked back at my essays I wrote at the beginning of the year, i.e. Fourth of July, I could tell that the manner in which I went about writing the piece has changed and I realized that I didn’t have as much difficulty as I had before. My planning was a much smoother process and I could ask myself questions to probe a better explanation. I am very proud of my many small but impactful, accomplishments this year.
If given the opportunity to do things differently, I wouldn’t change much for my decisions have shaped who I am as a writer, thinker and reader. One major thing I would change though, is how much I procrastinate tasks given to me. I am terrible at getting things done before the due date and then I tend to rush myself to complete it. I need to push and encourage myself to take time to complete tasks before the due dates so that I am not stressed when the day comes around. I would definitely mark this as one of my overall weaknesses but hopefully by the end of senior year I will have figured out how to manage my time more wisely so that I can have more of a stress free life. As for keeping things the same, I would most definitely take this class again. I honestly enjoyed it very much. Yes, it pushed me outside of my comfort zone at times but I believe that it strengthened me as a person. I will never regret being able to come to this class knowing that I will improve myself every day.
The way one thinks and what they say sets up who they are. Having the ability to communicate passionately through language is a wonderful asset in which I wish I had. When I talk, I tend to jumble up my words so that what I say sometimes just doesn’t make sense and is an absolute mess. When I speak in front of people I get so nervous that I leave out words or mispronounce everything. Unfortunately, how I speak is made me who I am to others. For me, it’s not always a bad thing but when I’m trying to make a point and I mess up, it makes me feel incompetent. Having autocorrect and backspace when I talk would be very handy at times.
Language whether spoken or written is what connects every culture together. There are many different languages within our world and humans have the capability to learn one different from their native language so that they can effectively communicate with a person of a different ethnicity. Learning how to speak in a different language sets one apart from the “norm.” It makes that person special compared to everyone else. The fact that they have this ability will forever be a part of who they are. One’s thoughts and words tend to impact their actions. The words “I love you” can be life changing or the words “I’m coming home” from a military father after being deployed for several months is relief within a simple statement. The phrase “stick and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” can’t be any more untrue in today’s society. People have the ability to find someone else’s weakness and use it against them so that they completely flip their world upside down. I do believe that language is a powerful tool that every person should utilize but one should use it in a positive way that will impact society in a beneficial way.
My parents always tell me that I should learn something new every day so that I am always adding to my knowledge. I believe that a person’s education doesn’t end after high school or college but rather that one is always learning. Yes, while in school that’s is where one learns their primary education but there is so much more to life than what 2+2 equals or how to write a complete sentence. The lessons one experiences as they develop is what makes them who they are. There will always be something new to learn like how to cook on a grill, or how to drive, or even how to take care of a child. One will always constantly learn so that they can live a fulfilled successful life.