English has always been one of my favorite subjects in high school because I love reading and writing as pastimes. During this semester, I look forward to reading articles, poems, and more texts, and especially being able to discuss and debate them in class. I also look forward to learning and mastering skills in terms of my writing and my organization.
I am confident that the writing portion of the class will be my strongest suit seeing as I do love doing it as a hobby. However, in terms of my style of writing, such as essay format and level of vocabulary, there is room for growth, which is something I definitely plan to work on this semester. I plan to work on these obstacles by taking in my peers’ feedback as well as my professor, and applying it to my writing.
With regard to challenges I’ll face besides trying to improve my style of writing, time management is a big one. I do have a habit of delaying work until the last minute because I convince myself that I work better under pressure, which isn’t the greatest approach to managing my time. In order to improve my time management, I will have a strict set time for each week where I sit down and do my work in order to prevent lounging around and engaging in distracting activities, such as scrolling through social media.
Lastly, I hope to gain a lot from this course, starting with improvements in my writing and ending with betterment of my time management. I also really appreciate the size of the class because it allows for Professor Gordon to really be able to help us each individually in reaching said goals, unlike a huge lecture where it would be more difficult to do so. I also hope to be able to develop further skills to use in other classes with other professors and I would have Professor Gordon to thank for that. In short, I am extremely eager to start ENG 2100 with Professor Gordon and I can’t wait to see what this semester has in store.
Hi Mana, I truly envy your passion for writing and wish that I could write without dreading it. Much like you, I like to read and I am eager to read these texts so that we could discuss it in a group. However, I never realized the advantage of a small class until you mentioned it. To me, smaller classes meant a greater chance of being called on randomly (and who enjoys that). Through this small class, I look forward to working closely together and receiving individual attention that huge lecture classes lack. I echo your eagerness for the journey of growth as a writer in this course and I can’t wait to work more with you.
I love how you’re passionate about your writing and how confident you are about it! Confidence in their writing is something that many people don’t have; I can learn a thing or two from you!
I also appreciate smaller classroom sizes. I find that it is easier for me to learn in small groups because of how intimate it is. It’s so much easier to participate and interact with others than in lecture classes. I also find that it is easier to stay awake in smaller classes because of the possibility of being called on by the teachers. Can’t wait to work with you this semester!
You are all right that the small class size is to everyone’s advantage. I teach another section this semester which has almost twice the numner of students, and I can tell you, it’s already more difficult to get a sense of who each of the students is individually. I do think that to improve one’s writing, the most essential conditions are: one-on-one and small group feedback, regular practice, and lots of reading (of all sorts).
Time management is also going to be crucial for everyone this semester (it always is, but the online environment can sometimes make school feel imaginary or unreal, something you must fight against if you want to get the most out of it). I recommend making yourself a weekly schedule with due dates, work times, and start times for getting started on longer-term projects. Whether you do this on paper (my choice), through excel or google sheets, or through an app like https://www.mystudylife.com/, having a regular schedule to refer to can make a big difference in staying on track.