Christina Orlandos Mr.

Neuburger ENG 102-104 7 December 2012 Reflective Essay English 102 has been an interesting and informative class to be in. It hasnt been always enjoyable, between freaking out about the research paper to freaking out about the video project, but I did learn a lot and I did have fun. The atmosphere in the class was fun; everyone seemed to get along well and insults and jokes were getting passed around the class as the semester came to a close. Everyone worked together to help each other out when needed. The teacher, Mr. Neuburger, was organized with his assignments and always helped students with their technical problems, whether it be writing or computer. The semester felt so long, yet looking back it seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye. Im caught between the sadness of leaving the familiar, and the excitement of having learned the skills that enable me to move onto new things. The main thing this class has taught me is to how to adjust to projects that are outside of my comfort zone, such as the video project. My mantra this semester has been shut up and write. Something that I had pointed out to me my first time writing a one paragraph essay was that I frequently switched between present and past tense. Once it was brought to my attention I was able to keep a lookout for my mistakes and correct them. I also had trouble writing in present tense instead of past but I think I finally got the hang of it. My favorite one paragraph essay was the Kevorkian one. It was not the most pleasant short story to read, nor was the paper my highest grade. I was proud of the essay because I managed to write a thesis that took neither one side nor the other; instead it used the information that was presented by the author and not my own opinion. I did write it all in past tense unfortunately, the notes on the paper by Mr.

Neuburger help to remind me to keep it all in present tense. The one paragraph essays were not terribly hard for me to write, but they did force me to write well, and taught me to me how to use the information provided by the author to support my thesis. By requiring at least two quotes it forced me to write a thesis that got to the heart of the essay and to pick quotes that backed up the thesis well, I couldnt just BS it anymore. The Holocaust research paper was harder for me to write than the one paragraph essays because it was longer and, for me, it was harder to be consistent and to keep the writing strong. The research paper was not as much of a nightmare as I thought it would be, despite all of the worrying, but it was difficult. I was put out of my comfort zone by having to write an eleven page research paper on a topic I knew very little about. My research skills got put to the test and I found out Im better at it than I thought, although, apparently I did not always understand things correctly and I completely misunderstood one part that I was writing on, which was embarrassing. I also learned that transitional phrases were not optional like I had previously believed. They are required between paragraphs to connect the papers points so that it does not sound choppy and random. The research paper forced me to just sit down and write for long periods of time, which is a skill that I have needed more than once this semester. I learned a lot about in-text citation, both before the paper was turned in and while it was being graded. Both Diigo and Easybib helped me to organize my information and to keep track of my sources and I found them to be useful when writing a paper. When I saw how much technology was going to be used in class it was appalling to me. I am a person who can use technology when needed but prefers not to. With technology threatening to wipe out hardcopy books, I prefer to stay on the side of my beloved reading companions. Books are my most valued possessions and to have an English class where the

teacher boasts about not even carrying a pen absolutely horrified me. That being said, I must admit that organizing my sources and information with Diigo helped me immensely with my research paper and I have been using Easybib to cite my papers in all my classes since I learned how to use it this semester. Both websites helped to simplify things that would have been difficult to keep track of. I am still not a fan of using all technology in an English class, nevertheless, I am not foolish enough to say that technology should never be used. I can see that technology can be useful when used properly and in moderation, and Ill continue to use the websites previously mentioned in future classes. One thing that I couldnt understand was why a video project was assigned for an English class. The thought of the final project being a video instead of a paper unnerved me, not only because I am inexperienced at making videos, but because I felt that technology was stepping too far over the boundary for an English class. Once I quit complaining and became familiar with the programs needed to create the video, I saw that it was not as difficult as I thought it would be and most importantly, that it the video project did require a form of writing and research for the narrative track to be successful. I actually had fun researching for the project. I got a couple of books from the library on libraries and I loved searching for the pictures I would need. I love books, the Ash Grove library was like a second home for my siblings and I. Writing on a subject I love was not only easy, it was a joy. More than once during this class, I was put outside of my comfort zone but I learned to overcome those obstacles with increasing ease over the semester. I have used the skills learned in ENG 102 in many of my other classes this semester. I feel that over the course of this class I have grown as a writer, and that with every paper I write my skills are improving, although my punctuation may not be. I hope that I continue to grow as a writer over the years.