As the semester draws to a close, it's always a good practice to look back on the highs and lows of the past to evaluate what you should and shouldn't do in the future in order to help you succeed. Now after that dull introduction, can I just say that OH MY GOSH IT'S THE END OF THE SEMESTER?????? This year has gone by so fast -- I can still remember the first day of school. This year, English is definitely up high on my list of top classes; I think that it's so much fun to debate and discuss, even if I'm not usually the most talkative person (#throwbacktohuckdiscussion *cries*). There are a couple things that I'd like to mention that I believe I have done (or not...).
This year, I've learned that I'm pretty good at leading group discussions within my table in English. They can be a pretty rambunctious bunch, but they're cool and keeping them on topic is possible (even though it's definitely a struggle). This isn't really related to English, but I think it's still important to be able to keep your peers on track and to stay determined in the face of bad puns and gossiping teens. I've also noticed that I'm growing more skilled at analyzing rhetoric. When I first began to read rhetoric, I was kind of overwhelmed. I already had a preconceived notion that rhetoric was going to be mind-numbingly boring, which probably didn't help, and I thought that this would make it impossible for me to be able to be engaged enough to discover all the rhetorical devices and purposes. However, rhetoric isn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I've thoroughly enjoyed delving deeper into this new form of literature.
One of the things that I've struggled with is reaaaaally digging deep when I'm reading books. I have a tendency to sometimes only skim over the surface and read mostly for entertainment; it's not like I'm stupid and can't see themes or purposes or similes or motifs or anything... it just takes a little hinting or prodding or, heck, just careful reading for me to see them. I think next year I have to focus more on actively searching for hidden meanings when I read instead of purely relying on class discussions to point them out for me. In addition, although I improved greatly since that first timed writing, I've been having a plateau of timed writing grades lately. The score I'm getting isn't bad by any means, but I'm just not sure what I need to do to improve my writing. I always get nervous when I'm asking teachers for advice, but I think that in order to improve, I need to find out what to fix about my writing in order to keep in moving forward.
So far, it's been a pretty decent year in English and in life in general. Here's to an even better one.
This year, I've learned that I'm pretty good at leading group discussions within my table in English. They can be a pretty rambunctious bunch, but they're cool and keeping them on topic is possible (even though it's definitely a struggle). This isn't really related to English, but I think it's still important to be able to keep your peers on track and to stay determined in the face of bad puns and gossiping teens. I've also noticed that I'm growing more skilled at analyzing rhetoric. When I first began to read rhetoric, I was kind of overwhelmed. I already had a preconceived notion that rhetoric was going to be mind-numbingly boring, which probably didn't help, and I thought that this would make it impossible for me to be able to be engaged enough to discover all the rhetorical devices and purposes. However, rhetoric isn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I've thoroughly enjoyed delving deeper into this new form of literature.
One of the things that I've struggled with is reaaaaally digging deep when I'm reading books. I have a tendency to sometimes only skim over the surface and read mostly for entertainment; it's not like I'm stupid and can't see themes or purposes or similes or motifs or anything... it just takes a little hinting or prodding or, heck, just careful reading for me to see them. I think next year I have to focus more on actively searching for hidden meanings when I read instead of purely relying on class discussions to point them out for me. In addition, although I improved greatly since that first timed writing, I've been having a plateau of timed writing grades lately. The score I'm getting isn't bad by any means, but I'm just not sure what I need to do to improve my writing. I always get nervous when I'm asking teachers for advice, but I think that in order to improve, I need to find out what to fix about my writing in order to keep in moving forward.
So far, it's been a pretty decent year in English and in life in general. Here's to an even better one.