Self Reflective Narrative about English Composition I

English has never been my strongest subject. In past English classes writing essays was a struggle for me. I was never confident in my writing. At the end of sophomore year when my counselor called me down for scheduling I had to choose an English class. When I saw the option for Composition I, I decided to take it just to challenge myself a little bit. As the time to start the class approached I started to panic. I fear that if I took this class not only would my grade and GPA drop dramatically, but I would also be responsible for paying for the class. By the end of the class, my goal was to be more confident in my writing. Now that the class is coming to an end, I feel like not only have I achieved my goal I have also acquired other skills. Taking Composition I has provided me with the materials I need to grow as a writer and continue my success in future classes and work. 

Rhetorical Knowledge

Before taking this class I always wrote about a story or topic that was given to me. I found it essay because all the information was given to me and I did not need to do much work. Before the first essay I wrote in this class I did not really know how to write to a specific audience. In my first essay Justifying an Evaluation, I had to choose a nonprofit organization to write about. This was when I realized I was capable of writing to a specific audience. At first, this essay challenged me in many ways. Some challenges included keeping the reader interested and engaged and also explaining what the organization supported to readers who were new and did not know what poverty was. Over time, I was able to overcome these challenges to write my essay. After completing my essay I felt confident in myself that I could write to a specific audience in future essays to come. 

Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing

Throughout this class, I have learned how to use critical thinking when writing my essays. In past essays, a lot of the information was given to me before starting so I did not need to do my own research. In my essay Proposing a Solution, I used critical thinking throughout the whole essay. I was able to gather possible solutions for solving the problem I was writing about. I also used critical thinking when I had to write about the pros and cons of each problem and when I had to choose which one was the best solution to use. After taking Composition I, I have learned how to properly incorporate critical thinking into my essays. 

Knowledge of Composing Processes

In past English classes, I never knew where to start when writing essays. When using the prewriting proposal I was able to gather all the information I wanted to put into my essay. It also helped me keep everything organized making it easier to transfer over to my rough draft. When the prewrite was introduced to me for the first time it made writing my first essay Justifying an Evaluation much easier. I struggled quite a bit with finding where to start and how to start. Following along with the prewrite and answering each question in order allowed me to thoroughly evaluate my information and organize it in the easiest way for me. Composition I provided me with the easiest way to start and organize my information, which is a skill I will need for success in future classes. 

Collaboration

Taking this course has provided me with the chance to receive feedback on my essays not only from my instructor but also from my peers. Conferences and peer editing were never something I had done before. I never had anyone revise my rough drafts I would finish my essay and turn it in hoping I got a good grade. Being able to participate in conferences with my instructor allowed me to expand my ideas. In my essay Proposing a Solution, I struggled with creating and explaining my solutions. During conferences, my instructor helped me put all my ideas into my prewrite in a simple form for me to be able to transfer and go into more depth with them in my rough draft. Along with conferences, I also received feedback from my peers during peer editing. When using my essay Arguing a Positon during peer edits I received positive feedback but also ways to improve my essay.  After taking this course, it has taught me the importance of participating in collaborations. 

Knowledge of Conventions

Before taking Composition I, I did not know how to properly cite quotations, articles, or visuals. In my first essay Justifying an Evaluation, I had no idea where to put my visuals or how I had to cite them. I spoke with my instructor about it and he directed me to two resources the writing guide and the website citation machine. When accessing the writing guide I received examples of where I could put my visuals and where to put my citations. After receiving ideas I moved to the citation machine website which taught me how to properly cite my sources for both my visuals and my articles. Both of these resources helped tremendously improve my essay. With this course coming to an end I feel confident that I learned the skills of citing and adding visuals that I can use for future English classes. 

Composing in Electronic Environments

Before this course, I had never heard of Grammarly. Reading over my essay after I was finished was the way I was able to find spelling mistakes. Although I thought what was the most effective way it wasn’t because I only found the obvious spelling errors. With Grammarly, I was not only able to fix spelling but I could also upgrade my wording to help my sentences. When writing my essay Proposing a Solution I was unable to use Grammarly so I did not know if there were any errors. Towards the end of my essay, I was able to turn Grammarly back on and when I did I had many mistakes that I was able to fix before I turned my essay in.  Composition I has taught me the importance of using electronic resources while writing essays which I can continue to use in future classes. 

Conclusion

With this course coming to an end I can confidently say that I was taught the skills I need to be successful in future classes and work. As I evaluate my class choices for next year, I hope to be coming back to take Composition II to learn more skills and to apply the skills I have learned this year as well. I plan on going to college to become a neonatal nurse practitioner therefore, I will need to use a lot of critical thinking for the decisions I make. Overall this class has made me more confident in my writing. To conclude, Composition I has taught me many writing skills that I plan to continue to use in the future.