I have never really enjoyed English classes for writing. However, I appreciate the courses for the readings. English classes help expose me to works that I might not have read otherwise and really push me to analyze and look into what I read. Through this course, I hope to develop more of a liking towards writing and learn how to be more engaging in my writing. My writing tends to be very straightforward with very abrupt shifts in ideas. I want to work on better organizing my ideas and to create more of a flow throughout my writing. Throughout high school, I did a lot of narrative writing and analytical writing but not much research-based writing. Since I am less familiar with it, I hope to learn more about it as it will be very useful to my future endeavors in whichever field I end up in.
The biggest obstacle this semester will definitely be time management. With everything being online, I might think that I have more time than I actually do and end up procrastinating. The weekly schedule on the class website in combination with using a planner will hopefully help me keep track of due dates and hold me to some sort of schedule. The use of a planner will allow me to dedicate time to homework, while leaving time for club commitments and my part-time job. My phone is also a big distraction that I have grown more attached to throughout quarantine. I will try putting my phone in a different room while I do schoolwork, which will increase my productivity and allow me to use my time more efficiently. The writing skills, analytical skills, and time management skills that I will develop in this course will be invaluable throughout my life and I am very excited despite the virtual setting.
Nora I like your take on how you approach the readings in English class. Most of the time I would suffer through it and think to myself that I had nothing to gain from them, but I never realized that the mere exposure to the different types of literary works could broaden my knowledge so thank you for that. Just like you I have a fear that I might think I have more time than I actually do. It really resonates with me how you said your phone distracts you from doing your work, because as I am writing this I am sending texts and checking updates rather than just focusing on writing this comment. In the future I may use your idea of keeping my phone in a different room; I think it’s a really good one.
Your post resonates with me a lot because I also personally don’t look forward to writing in an English class and I also hope that I will start to enjoy writing more. I really like your idea of using a planner because it’s such a good way to organize everything, especially because it’s even harder to keep track of stuff when everything’s online. I also have a phone usage problem since I’m on my phone 24/7 so I will definitely try putting my phone in another room as well!
You make a good point about how English classes have exposed us to works of literature that we probably would have never looked at. I completely agree and you’ve opened up my eyes to that perspective as while reading those pieces of literature, I often found them boring. I realize that I should appreciate the exposure that I do have and should continue to want to read new genres and styles. I also agree with what you said about time management and how you think you have more time than you actually do and end up procrastinating. I also have that fear but I have the same mindset as you that hopefully an agenda book will keep me on track.
After reading your post, I know you are very conscious of your strengths and weaknesses, which is a huge advantage. I realized some similar issues I have with my own writing after hearing you talk about a lack of flow in writing. My original application essays to Macaulay struggled from this very flaw, and I still feel like my flow could improve as well. I think it’s something a lot of people have to work on, so you’re not alone. I also admire your valuing of your education and that you foresee many of the things you learn now you will use throughout your life even though it can be easy to relax those values because of at-home learning.
Hi Nora,
It sounds like what you need the most help with is transitions, which link one idea to the next and avoid a choppy feeling in an essay. We will spend some significant time on this, which I know plagues many students as a big challenge when writing for school.
You are 100% right that time management is an essential part of success in college, and that being at home all day makes it harder. Your intention to use a planner is a good idea, and I would add that it’s often helpful to add a “start” date as well as a due date for larger assignments, so they don’t spring upon you suddenly. So if you have an essay due in mid-November, you might write “start working on essay” around the second or third week of October.