Blog Post 10
In honor of Stephen Hillenburg passing away to the great beyond, a spongebob gif.
So.
What have I learned this semester?
For real, I think my writing has improved. I mean before, I was alright. I’ve always been good at writing and doing papers and such. But no one has ever taught me to write. I just assumed that what I was doing was okay cause I kept getting A’s on all my stuff. But I actually learned how to form sentences and make my writing seem more professional. I have written more papers this semester (as a result of your class and two others) than I have written in my entire college career. I really think that overall your class made me a better writer. I can see it in my papers that I submit. I catch myself when I start writing “there” a lot in my papers. I used to do that all the time now that I think about it. I didn’t really think it was wrong, which goes back to the fact that I’ve never been taught how to write. Also, the peer review that we did on the last paper really helped as well. Having questions to ask others and answering their’ in my paper really made me think about my writing. That peer review really helped me move along the paper. I recommend doing that a lot more for future classes.
I’m not really sure that my writing process has changed that much. I think that part is set in stone.The way that I edit has changed though. I’m better at seeing my mistakes, and hopefully recognizing them in the future. Also, I never really did get down the paragraph- sentence structure. Those notes you always put down at the bottom of my papers. I dont know why I could never get the structure down. I think its because I usually write what I’m thinking at the time. I of course could improve that in the editing process. That is something that I need to work on in the future.
I’m also not sure the readings did me much good. They didn’t hurt of course, but overall I learned more from the powerpoints and your lectures. The older ones with more examples than reading, I didn’t get anything out of. I think the ones about style and cohesion by Williams. There was not enough explanation. I felt like I could look at the page and get the information I needed without reading it.
I dont think that my thinking style has changed much. I think that is something that will stay the same. Maybe my thinking style when I write papers, but other than that I’m the same. I think I’ve always been a pretty good critical thinker.
Overall, I think that this course was beneficial to me. Even though I changed my major and will not be pursuing a degree in writing( maybe a minor) I still think that this class was a good use of my time. I’m glad I took it. It helped me become a better writer and analyzer. I met some pretty cool people. I got to complain about my upbringing and get a grade for it. I found a possible non profit that I would like to work for once I’m kicked out into the real world. I learned alllll about discourse communities.
The way you explain your writing in the beginning of the semester/past school years to now is exactly like me. I would get A’s on my papers and would think it was good until I got to this class and realized I did not even know how to write. It’s not that my writing was wrong but that it could be improved tremendously. You say your writing process hasn’t changed but that you know how to better revise. Just spending more time on revising is a bit of a change to your process.
The readings helped a bit when they were explained on our level. Reading them, I felt as though I was reading gibberish half the time which wasn’t to helpful. I agree that the in class lectures though helped tremendously including the presentations and white board activities. In the Williams styles, I found myself to have the same perspective. I felt like what I was reading was redundant but then found it helpful to focus on every detail.
My style of thinking hasn’t changed either but I agree with you that it has helped me think deeper into my writing and reading. Being able to think with this mindset can be helpful for many social situations as well. This can be helpful in job interviews as well. Even dissecting what you say to the most minor of details.
It is sad to hear you are no longer pursuing writing, the peer reviews did help a lot but reading your paper, it was fantastic! I hope that your new major brings you joy!
I had a similar experience during this class. I was always taught grammar when I was in school, but I was never talked how to properly write rhetorically. I was never taught the elements of a good argument and to remember to keep the audience in mind. I was never taught about the different methods of writing and how writing is an art, not just a way to create fluff for a “boring paper”. I found the peer reviews helpful as well. I had done peer reviews in the past, but not since high school. I learned how to think more about my writing as well and to use words with purpose rather than as a means to fill the page. Where we diverge is when you talk about the readings. I found most of them useful. I learn well by being shown examples. I enjoyed reading the auto ethnographic stories; It gave me a better perspective of what we were supposed to write. I’m happy you’ve found an opportunity to work somewhere that seems to be a passion of yours and I wish you the best.
