I don’t know what it is about me and freshman English classes but they have been the most influential in my literacy growth. After my freshman year of high school I continued to get A’s in all of my English classes...until my freshman year of college. I received a B on my first paper and I immediately went to my professor’s office hours to figure out where I needed to improve. He of course gave me some great ideas and I applied them to my next paper. Unfortunately I received a B on my next paper as well. I went right back to his office and wrote down more areas where I could improve my writing. I took all of them into consideration and applied them to the next paper that he assigned. And again I earned a B! I was at a complete loss. I went to his office hours again because I was determined that I was not going to let Mrs. Powell down. I was going to earn an A.
I wish I could remember my professor’s name but I will never forget what he said to me that day. He asked me if I was use to getting A’s to which I replied for the most part that was true. He then preceded to state the obvious, “But now you are receiving B’s”. I would have never guessed what he was about to say next though. He told me that that was the exact reason he wasn’t giving me an A on my papers. He explained to me that he wanted me to change things up a bit. He wanted me to stop writing my papers as if he was the one reading that was them. He wasn’t looking to see if I could simply regurgitate facts and form my own opinions. He was looking to see if I could step outside of the box and have a deep enough comprehension of the subject to make inferences and connections. Once again my writing skills were put to the test. I by no means think that I have perfected my writing skills but I have seen how they have been influenced and have improved over the years to adapt to what was being asked of me.
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