English 1101

Literacy Memoir
5

Writing and English in the past have been known to be two oI my least Iavorite subjects.
The Iirst real English/Writing course I took was Ireshman year oI high school. It was a class oI
about 50 students, which made it a little harder to Iocus. The curriculum then was strictly
Iocused on grammar. I remember having to memorize long list oI adverbs and diIIerent parts oI
speech. My senior year English class was centered around old English texts. I Iound the reading
to be extremely boring and very hard to comprehend. This inIluenced my attitude towards
English in a negative way. In previous English courses, I have experienced teachers who would
provide a prompt, but not give clear instruction in how to go about writing. This leaves me lost
and clueless on how or where to begin. Mrs. Burns, a much liked and respected teacher, always
stressed the importance oI good structure in papers. Because oI her lectures, I now Iollow certain
guidelines to construct a paper.
When writing a paper I first lay out some ideas and brainstorm what I think about
the topic. I can then begin on my thesis statement and write the first paragraph or so,
known as the intro. I usually try and make my thesis sound clear and intelligent. From
here, based on the type of paper, I have been taught to write about three main points which
describes or explains my thesis statement. After including plenty of examples, antidotes,
and possible statistics, I close the paper with restating the main idea. Usually it is good to
write a paper and then let a peer look over it, also known as a rough draft. When peers
read over your paper they are more likely to find mistakes and help add new and different
ideas. After the rough draft you should take in the constructive criticism you get back and
make corrections as needed. Some corrections may range from spelling errors to
reconstructing whole paragraphs. Your final copy is then typed errorless with clear ideas
which explain the topic. Before turning the final copy in, I try to revise it one last time and
eliminate any spelling or grammar errors. Some things I could improve on when writing is
the beginning process. I usually have a hard time putting my thoughts into words. I often
find myself needing examples of the prompt in order to get started with ideas. The writing
techniques I use come from past teachers and assignments such as my senior exit project.
The senior exit is a mandatory project every student in our county completes in order to
graduate their senior year. One component oI my senior exit consisted oI an eight page paper
persuading that kids with divorced parents are at a disadvantage. Along with this you had to do
lots oI research using multiple sources. Presenting a visual aid, product and speech was the last
component due. Almost all students dreaded talking about this project, knowing it was coming
up their senior year. Although students despised this paper, majority walked away with helpIul
tips and techniques on improving their writing.
In the past I always Iound writing to go by a lot quicker when interested in the topic. II I
had a paper due on my personal hobbies, I would be interested in the research and more
motivated to make time to write the paper. The topic oI soccer keeps me curious which makes it
easier to research and gain background inIormation thus leading to a more detailed and thought
out paper. My senior exit paper about divorce wasn`t too hard to write because oI my personal
experience with the topic. Coming Irom a divorced Iamily I could connect and stay curious with
the topic. I have Iound this much easier and less time consuming when you can relate to the
topic. It gives you personal examples to share and plenty oI thoughts to talk about. Another
lesson learned in the past when writing a paper is to never procrastinate. Instead oI waiting till
the last night to complete a paper, it`s easier to start the paper by brainstorming and stop
whenever you Ieel lost or out oI ideas. This way you pick up the next time with Iresh ideas and
possible corrections Ior the work you did earlier. This will also eliminate that long night beIore
the paper is due, trying to cram and Iinish three and a halI pages.
I would say reading and writing is valued greatly in our society and will be Iorever. You
will always need good writing and reading skills in whatever proIession you choose. In the
Iuture, whether I like to write or not, I will most likely need the skills to obtain a job. That is one
reason I need to take advantage oI this class and get as much as I can out oI it.
English 1101 hopeIully helps me when approaching a paper in the Iuture. With a good
teacher I think it could get me more interested in writing and respect the subject a little more. I
am curious to see what this semester oI English is all about and what it has to oIIer. But at the
same time, Iear having to write a lot oI 4 page papers because oI my busy schedule already with
school and soccer. Going into my Iirst year oI college English with an optimistic attitude
hopeIully makes the experience worthwhile.