As a student in English class, reading and writing has not always been my strong suit. I have always felt stronger in other subjects of school and I often felt behind in studies related to literature. When school started I created this idea of having to perfect everything I do and having to follow every little rule that comes with it. This included things such as grammar, transitions words and even correctly placing punctuation. Not only was this mindset created by myself but especially by the environment around me. There was always an emphasis on grades and strict rubrics that made one afraid of not meeting expectations. Most of the time I felt anxious and stressed whenever doing English assignments and even dreaded the idea of having to go to class. However after my time in this class, I have learned to not feel intimidated by the work given. I have grown and have felt a lot more comfortable. It felt more of a space of creativity and growth rather than a place where I’m always being measured on my worth as a writer and reader. Through things like peer reviews, translations, essays, text readings, and discussions, I have been able to express my ideas more freely and have allowed myself to write what I want without being afraid of the grade I receive. The activities we have done allow me to see writing more as a process, rather than a final product, especially by giving me an opportunity to learn from my classmate’s feedback, revision, and experimenting with what I am doing.

While I have learned a lot, one of the most important lessons I learned this semester was the importance of language. I have grown to appreciate the value of different languages. I’ve realized that everyone comes from their own unique background and despite sounding different, every language carries its own power. In class what helped me learn this was through the various texts we read and analyzed together. Specifically, how attitudes toward linguistic standards can both empower and oppress language users. We explored many texts but one that stuck out specifically to my growth was June Jordan’s article “Nobody Mean More to Me Than You And the Future Life of Willie Jordan” because it showed how language can cause social inequalities while also serving as a tool for personal expression. I learned to approach both the reading and writing process differently. We broke down the reading through a rhetorical situation worksheet. For example, one thing that was asked was, “What is the author trying to accomplish? To persuade, entertain, inform, educate, call to action, shock? How do you know?.” To this question I wrote, “The author is trying to inform others that Black English is its own language. There are many parts to the way Black people speak English, and it comes from a part of their history that’s why it is important to recognize. Jordan uses her reflections as a call to action because of the many challenges that Black people face just because of the words they speak that eventually lead to worse outcomes therefore she uses this writing in order to get change.” This essentially allowed me to break down the message, and to analyze the reading correctly, it was important to learn the actual purpose. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QNZsuWBYW17Mcid9FcWSSMBAsu2vI5Ws/edit This process helped me realize that language is not just a set of rules to follow but, rather, a powerful way of communicating and connecting with others. This became more apparent when learning from and hearing about classmates and their experiences. Overall this has helped me grow more confident in expressing my ideas, that while at times I may feel behind, it is all apart of the learning process and we are all learning together.

Additionally, an important area of growth has been my ability to revise and edit my own work. Before this English class I viewed my first drafts as having to be perfect final products and felt stressed to perfect everything on the first go. Being able to submit and revise multiple drafts of writing such as the Language and Literacy Narrative, I learned that writing is a long process, that nothing is perfect and there is always room for improvement. Not only did we make multiple drafts but after our Language and Literacy Narrative we turned it into a translation presentation. This also was given as assignments as drafts first before the final product.

The opportunity to be able to submit multiple drafts allowed me to experiment with ideas, receive feedback, and make my work better. Furthermore, one thing I had never done in my previous English classes was peer reviews which allowed me to get multiple forms of feedback while also seeing how others write. Over time I started to approach revisions not as corrections to mistakes but as opportunities to refine my ideas. Now approaching the end of the semester, I notice a significant difference in my confidence and ability to produce thought out work and I now approach assignments with a mindset of exploration rather than anxiety.

Another area where I have seen growth is writing opinion based texts. Although I believe I still need work and improvement, I feel a lot more comfortable in taking a stance and being able to back it up. Especially when completing my Synthesis Essay where I use information from multiple sources to support and develop my argument. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u47WGBaenzUArbgXPbLsfd8LuQncRCwGSjVwB2z0EIQ/edit?tab=t.0 One specific source I used is titled, “The parents trying to pass down a language they hardly speak,” by Kat Chow which helped me support my points and add depth to my analysis. In my essay I discuss my experience of navigating two languages. This assignment helped me see the value of synthesizing different viewpoints and reinforced that my own experiences and ideas are meaningful in academic writing. It also strengthened my ability to structure an argument thoughtfully and to support my claims with evidence, which has carried over into other areas of my writing. Overall the process when creating this essay showed me that developing an original perspective is both challenging but insightful. I learned more about myself, how to write, and more on how to accurately read sources. It gives me more confidence for future writing assignments like the essay.

Lastly, this class has helped me strengthen my skills in finding as well as correctly formatting my sources in my writing with MLA format. I have done so in other English classes however not to the extent of citing images. Before this class I often struggled to determine which sources were trustworthy or how to effectively use evidence to support my ideas. Through assignments that required research, mainly our essays where I cited articles, images, as well as newly learning how to use academic sources, I learned how to assess sources for credibility.

By learning how to effectively gather and incorporate research I developed a deeper understanding of how evidence supports claims. I have grown my confidence in my citing skills and I know it will continue to help me in future courses and other future activities I decide to do after college.

Ultimately, this English class has taught me a lot, while at times it felt like there was a lot to do I quickly reminded myself to not stress about it and instead put in my best efforts. The most important thing I want to take from this class is the importance of language, language is everyone’s own no matter how they use it. I enjoyed the texts we read and feel more confident in reading and analyzing texts. English feels more exciting to do and I feel like a better reader and writer.

Works Cited

Chow, Kat . “THE PARENTS TRYING TO PASS DOWN A LANGUAGE THEY HARDLY SPEAK.” The Atlantic, 25 Sept. 2023, https://linguistics.illinois.edu/system/files/2023-09/The%20Parents%20Trying%20to%20Pass%20Down%20a%20Language%20They%20Hardly%20Speak%20-%20The%20Atlantic.pdf
Jordan, June. “Nobody Mean More to Me than You and the Future Life of Willie Jordan – English 110 to Clone.” CUNY Academic Commons, 1 Sept. 1998, engl110ccny1.commons.gc.cuny.edu/content/june_jordan/.