After weeks of writing blog posts and various assignments, I would conclude that this class has improved my writing skills. I want to reflect on my experience in this class, because it was a positive one. Although at first, it may have been seen as a chore to compose a blog post every week. After doing one every week, it became easier and I can tell my writing has improved. This process has made me more aware of my writing because it is published to the public, so I want to ensure that I make my writing as clean and entertaining as possible.
I had never written a scene before this English Composition I course, and I dreaded the idea of it. It wasn’t that hard after being taught how to write one, and practicing with my previous blog posts. One of my favorite blog post written about a scene was Composing a Present Scene with Dialogue and Symbolism because the picture of my dog really makes the scene feel more alive. I also like that blog post along with many others because I was able to write about anything I wanted. It is really easy to write about myself or what I experienced. Making a website was also fun because it made it more enjoyable to do the assignments because I like the aesthetic of my website. It gives it personality and shows the viewer the personality of the author of the website. I also like writing blog comments because I like seeing the feedback from my classmates and it helped me improve my writing. The idea of leaving a comment on a classmates blog was a little daunting, but I think it is nice and helpful to give others feedback on their writing as well. One of my favorite processes from class was listening to Lulu Wang’s podcast What You Don’t Know because it helped me write about a moment that had a negative impact on my life from a choice my parents made for my Narrative Project. Her podcast helped me add dialogue to my story, and sensory details to make the moment come back to life. She also provided context and delivered subtext to her story which played as an example for how I was going to write my narrative. Listening to another podcast Rewinding and Rewriting: The Alternative Universe in Our Heads also helped with that process and the second draft of my Narrative Project. For my second draft, I wrote an alternative and a “what if” counterfactual situation to change the story. Overall, I really enjoyed this course, because it made me become more creative with my writing. Even my ALP class which was right after this class was beneficial for me because I had more time to edit my work and had one-on-one time with Professor Mangini. One day during my ALP class, we discussed growth mindset. This means that no matter where we are in our writing skills, there is always room for improvement which can be accomplished by using effort, good strategy, and help. There is a gold standard to writing and I know I am not there yet, but from my experience in this class and what I have learned, I am moving forward in my writing to get to where I want to be as a writer.
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For my introduction to my research project, I decided to write one of my journal entries from the "Week of Three Good Things". I decided to use this journal entry and make it into a scene in order to allow the reader to understand my feelings during the process. I wanted to capture my emotions and how quickly they changes after I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I chose to write a scene in my introduction because I want to entertain and inform the reader on the research topic.
I also used this specific entry based on Martin Seligman's PERMA model on happiness. I reviewed my journal entries and found that most of my gratitude moments associated with the PERMA element relationships. I had written on Friday November 2 this scene that I was grateful for, and the process of writing this moment played a part in the improvement on my well-being. “Are you going to West Chester University this weekend for homecoming?” my brother asks. “I don’t know, I haven’t been up there in a few weeks” I respond, feeling a little anxious. I look down at my phone, wondering whether or not I should message my friend Megan who lives up in West Chester. I really wanted to go and I question myself, “should I ask to hangout, I don’t want to be annoying.” I am always fearful of what people think of me. “No, just do it”. I start typing out a text to Megan, “Hey what are you doing this weekend?” I push send and sigh with relief. Last time I visited I asked the same question, I hope she doesn’t think I’m bothersome. I then see three text bubbles, and start to anticipate for her response and prepare myself for rejection. A blue message finally appears on my phone, “It’s homecoming this weekend, you should come up!” She replies. “Whew, thank god” I tell myself. Now my stress had disappeared and I reply, “Okay, see you Saturday!” I found myself in the moment feeling grateful that I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. I realized that I shouldn’t be so worried about little things and I was so thankful that she invited me up to visit. After taking part in the “Three Good Things” gratitude process, I would use this whenever I am feeling down and need to boost my well-being. I would not continue this everyday but I think that Dr. Martin Seligman’s research was really beneficial for me, especially because of his PERMA model on happiness. This process made me realize that I shouldn’t take anything for granted and has made me appreciate the little moments in life that I may have not thought of before. Also, it has made me appreciate myself most of all, because I am my harshest critic. While doing more research for my research project on gratitude and well-being, I thought it would be interesting to find out what occurs in the brain during moments of gratitude. When I began writing a week of “Three Good Things”, I was a little skeptical of the outcome. From reading other classmates blogs, I have read and discovered that this process hasn’t worked for them. When finding sources that backup their statement, it was a little difficult, but I know that this experiment couldn’t have worked for everyone. I find psychology very interesting, and wanted to know the science behind this research.
After a week of recording “Three Good Things”, I found myself happier. Whenever I would experience a gratitude moment, I would look back and think in the moment on how much I appreciated and cherished that moment which I had never done before. According to neuroscientist and a 2009 National Institute of Health study, practicing gratitude can cause the brain to improve mood and trigger a blood flow to the hypothalamus which controls sleep patterns and stress levels (Emmons, Medibank.com). Gratitude can activate the neurotransmitter dopamine to the brain as well which can improve mood (Emmons, Medibank.com). Feeling happier after the experiment would explain why I felt an impact on my well-being. It is so easy to focus on the negative, but by participating in this process, I was able to recognize and focus on the positive and reflect on the goodness in my life. In my earlier blog post, I used my sociology class as a source to this project. After doing a thorough editing session with my teacher, I realized that I didn’t want to use that information in my research. It included the cause of suicide which I don’t want to get to deep into because I want to focus mainly on me. Although, I may do more research on why college-aged students are so unhappy and how the three good things could be a process to improve their well-being. Continuing on the topic of my research project on the “Three Good Things” I began relating some of my findings to my Sociology course here at Delaware County Community College. After writing the blog post A Week of Three Good Things, I wrote in the comments using Dr. Martin Seligman’s model PERMA for happiness. I found from that blog post that relationships and positive emotion are large factors in the improvement on my well-being. I believe that doing a week of three good things made me happier, especially because of the relationship aspect of it. I am typically a shy and quiet person, and social interactions are an important aspect to help one grow and be a part of society.
After experimenting with the “Three Good Things” project, I believe that this process improved my well-being. I wrote for one of my days for the blog post A Week of Three Good Things on Friday November 2nd that I asked my friend if we could hangout at West Chester University because I knew it was homecoming. When it comes to relationships and friendships, I always overthink situations because I can sometimes have a low-self esteem about what others think about me. But after I realized that it is not a big deal, I definitely know that my friend loves having me hangout with her. I was always nervous about annoying her because I sometimes initiate the invitation. The more we spend time together, our friendship strengthens and we are both kind of the same person so it is fun to experience the same moments for the first time. In Dr. Seligman’s PERMA model, relationships are one of the key elements. Social relationships are what humans thrive on and I definitely agree with that statement. I went out of my comfort zone and just asked to visit her and I was really happy with the outcome. Most of my days for that assignment had to do with relationships and social interactions and what I have learned from my sociology class as well, is that those who have a higher level of social integration are bound to be more mentally stable and happier. This project relates partially to my sociology class because of the social science aspects of it. Social science is the study of human behavior, interactions, and change. This can relate to Sociologist Emile Durkheim based on his study on suicide. He found that the suicide rate of a society reflects the extent to which people are not integrated into the group life of the society. More young people are finding it difficult to integrate into society and if one has a low level of social integration, he concluded that this will mean they will have a higher chance of committing suicide and being unhappy. Social interactions are important for humans. It is a reciprocal exchange in which two or more people read, react, and respond to each other. When I began writing “A Week of Three Good Things” for my research project, I was a little skeptical of the outcome. After that week of recording “Three Good Things”, I really found myself happier. The purpose of last weeks blog post is to see if my well-being improves based on positive psychology. Positive psychology studies thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, with a focus on strengths rather than weaknesses. Positive psychology does not focus solely on happiness, but instead on well-being.
Well-being can be measured through positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishments. This assignment is to help improve my well-being by focusing on gratitude moments, which is the appreciation of what is valuable and meaningful in oneself and represents a general state of thankfulness or appreciation. It was easy for me to remember everyday to write a moment I was grateful for because I was eager to know what or how my day was going to turn out. Whenever a moment would occur, I would really think about it in the moment and afterwards appreciate it. I never really did that before this experiment and it makes the moment more special and thoughtful. This article speaks to how I felt, “By focusing on what we are grateful for, and looking toward what is going right in our lives, it can help reframe our thinking processes”. It has been a week later and even though I haven’t continued writing grateful moments, I still find myself stopping and feeling more appreciative. Before this research project, I was feeling down and almost lonely. In my opinion, I do believe that the ‘Three Good Things” has made me feel so much better and it can be proven from Martin Seligman’s, the father of psychology, PERMA elements. PERMA stands for positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments. I always overthink situations and my relationships with friends, but I have tried to not worry so much. As I had written on one of my days from last week's blog post, I just asked to hangout with my friend at West Chester University and although we were already close friends, I feel that the more effort I put in with people, it strengthens the relationship and friendship which is very important to me. In the PERMA model, relationships are one of the elements because social relationships and connections are what humans thrive on. In order to prepare for my research project, I read What is Positive Pyschology & Why Is it Important? (Positive Psychology Program), Greater Good in Action: Science-Based Practices for a Meaningful Life (UC Berkeley's Project Home Page), and Three Good Things (Greater Good in Action). Below are my journal entries for seven days with three different gratitude moments that occur each day. This assignment will help me with my research project on positive psychology. By writing gratitude moments and considering what caused them, I can think of the goodness in my life that I might take for granted. After the seven days, I will see if writing these journal entries make me happier.
Tuesday, October 30
In this weeks blog post, I have read What is Fan Fiction -- and why is it making people nervous? (Stephen Downes) and Rewinding and Rewriting: The Alternate Universes in Our Head (Hidden Brain Podcast) to help me write my second draft of my narrative project and understand a counterfactual. Below is a vlog of me answering some questions about the revision process for my narrative project. For my midterm reflection blog post, I wrote about my experience in this class using the text Reflective Writing and Genres in Academic Writing: Reflection to help me do so. Below, I included specific assignments, readings and processes that helped me learn and grow in the class. I focus on my writerly identity and even my blogging. I chose to not film a reflection video because I am not yet comfortable talking in front of a camera. This reflective observation is about my thoughts on how I have done in the class and how I feel I can become a better writer.
My experience in this English Composition I course has been very beneficial in teaching me how to be a better writer. Writing the blog post every week, especially the blog posts writing about different scenes has helped me compose my Narrative Project. I was also taught about literary analysis and it has helped me understand that I must provide context which is background information that frames the text along with subtext which is the theme or the main idea of the story, symbols, motifs, essentially what is left unsaid in the story. Don Murray’s “Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product” allowed me to realize that writing is a form of language and communication, and that you’re active in your own choices in your writing. From his passage, I understood that in order to write something, I just have to write about anything because eventually I’ll be able to develop something from an idea. Even listening to Lulu Wang’s podcast “What You Don't Know” helped me recognize context in a story. The text in a story has to have description along with senses, symbols, and motifs. Description is an important aspect in a story because it allows the reader to relive the story with the author. The process as we discussed in class is a phrase Professor Mangini says which is “what’s D.A.T.” That phrase means that we as students have to question our writing and ask whether or not our writing has description, action, and a clear time-frame. As I continuously rewrote my narrative project, especially in the blog posts, I was able to ask myself if my story had any description and if it delivered subtext. Although I was a little nervous, I was glad that I shared my story to my class and received feedback from them. That experience really helped me develop my story and add information that a reader would want to know in my story. I needed to also add dialogue and more sensory details in order to relive the scene rather than just retelling the scene. Another aspect of the class that I find interesting is reading and writing blog comments for and from classmates on the blogs. Reading the comments on my blog allow me to grow as a writer and improve my writing. Even writing comments on classmates blogs help me with my own writing. I have never experienced a class like this course, and I like that we have more freedom like creating a blog and a website. As an artist, I am used to critique sessions so when we comment and talk about how we can improve our writing, I really appreciate it. Instead of handing in an assignment and receiving a grade, we are able to critique and learn how we can improve. My three primary intrinsic English Composition I goals for the rest of the semester is getting assignment done a few days before the due date, using more description and sensory details in my writing, and sharing my opinions and thoughts in class because sometimes I can be a little too shy to share my ideas. For this week’s blog post, I have read What is a Found Poem, Sample Found Poem and Examples of Found Poems to help me write my own found poem by taking works from my Narrative Project. This found poem summarizes the decision of going to community college, and how it affected me my senior year of high school. The type of found poem I created is an erasure poem which means that I took my existing Narrative Project and erased the majority of the text, leaving behind select words and phrases so when it is read in order, it composes a poem. Below the found poem is a reflection section where I answer questions that will help improve my narrative project when I revise it.
“How Could I Not Go There?” I grabbed mail out of the gold mailbox It was a breezy afternoon, I flipped until a purple and gold pamphlet caught my attention I wanted to apply to this school; West Chester University “How could I not go there?” I raced up the stairs to discuss the possibility to my future My mom was laying out blue sheets of paper I was puzzled on what was happening A wave of disappointment filled my mind My mom, unable to send me to a four-year school Only to community college I was upset, skeptical of the school at first But after visiting, I fell in love with West Chester I didn’t fight back, this conclusion was due to the financial decisions my dad created He destroyed my family and I, made me depressed I recovered as it matured me, but I felt embarrassed and so out of place Why would he do this, I feel resentment, anger I knew it wasn't the right choice for me I would be at a loss of experiences and independence, I felt like a failure Reflection
After reading My Mother Gives Me a Writing Lesson by Martin Lee, I was able to understand and improve last week’s blog post Composing a Past Scene in this blog post. From the reading, I made sure to incorporate and pay more attention to sensory details and dialogue in order to enhance my scene.
As per usual, I grabbed the mail out of the gold mailbox hanging outside on the brick wall next to my front door. It was a breezy November afternoon and I had just returned home from school. I flipped through the pile of mail until a purple and gold pamphlet caught my attention. The smiling students on the pamphlet made me excited because I already knew I wanted to apply to this school early in my senior year of high school, to West Chester University. All three of my brothers attended, along with my mother and older sister. The campus was basically engraved in me, how could I not go there? With the pamphlet in my hand, I raced up the stairs to my mom’s room to discuss the possibility to my future. “Mom, look what came in the mail”, I exclaimed after opening her door. “I see, could you get your sister? I need to talk to the both of you”. My mom seemed uneasy and upset. “Okay”, I said a little confused. I ran down the steps to receive my twin sister, sitting on the top bunk of our bunk bed in our room. “Ana, mom needs us”. “Why?” She asked with an attitude. “I don’t know, let’s find out”. We walked back up the stairs to meet our mom for our little meeting. My mom was sitting on her bed, laying out various blue sheets of paper. Ana and I looked at each other, puzzled on what was happening. “Girls, sit down”, my mom finally said. She pushed back her curly hair and paused for a moment, her voice was a little shaky. “I want you to look at this graph”, she said as she held up a blue sheet with two graphs. “As you can see, there is a difference in the cost of tuition of community college compared to a four-year university.” Immediately, a wave of disappointment filled my mind. I knew where this conversation was going. Holding back tears, I was crushed. My mom continued, “Unfortunately, I am unable to send the both of you to a four-year school, I’m only able to afford to send you to community college”. I was upset and angry. Just several months ago in the summer, she had taken us to visit West Chester, her beloved school. Ana knew it was the perfect school for her because of the Early Education program. I was skeptical of the school at first only because everyone in my family went there. But after visiting the art department, I fell in love with the school. Ana and I just nodded in agreement because we knew how hard this was for her. We didn’t fight back like we usually did. Although my mom made this conclusion to send us to community college, it was made due to the financial decisions my dad had caused for my family several years ago. My parents had divorced when I was younger because of the financial decisions my dad had created for my mom. He destroyed her credit, and it caused her to become self-supportive. My family and I lived in a beautiful home, with a pool and a giant backyard. Friends and family regularly visited and we hosted many gatherings and parties. In 2012, we discovered that we had to move, and eventually we found a smaller house nearby. My dad’s choices made me depressed. I saw a therapist which made me feel a little better, but it didn’t bring back my old life. Eventually I recovered as it matured me, but I am still faced with the remnants of the financial choices my dad had produced. My dreams of attending a four-year university was ruined. I felt embarrassed and was always nervous whenever a classmate at school would ask, “What school are you going to next year?” I would pause, biting my lips and unable to answer. Everyone passing in the hallway at school was wearing a school t-shirt or sweatshirt. I felt so out of place, wearing my simple white sweater. At Strath Haven, my high school, everyone was so intellectually competitive. After years of hard work, I knew I could’ve been accepted to West Chester. “Is it a coincidence that everyone is wearing a school shirt today?” I questioned a classmate sitting next to me. “No, today is college decision day” she exclaimed, wearing an oversized red Temple hoodie. Sitting at my desk, I sank into my blue metal chair. I felt like I was a failure. I couldn’t show off the achievement of being accepted to a school I wanted to go to. I could’ve worn my favorite grey West Chester sweatshirt that was sitting in a box, in the bottom of my closet. I still love my dad but I question, “Why would he do this to us?” All of my life, I lived with my mom and we visited him several times on weekends. For some reason, I can’t help but feel resentment towards my mom. I can’t take my anger out on my dad because he isn’t around as often. I am at a loss of experiences and independence I desperately crave. |
Chrissie FackenthallI will use this blog to write and post weekly assignments for my English Composition I course at Delaware County Community College Archives
December 2018
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