High school English

In my high school English classes, I was frequently required to write papers in response to a prompt. Usually, the prompt related to the work that we were reading in the class at the time. We were instructed to form a thesis, make an outline, and then write and revise our work. Personally, I liked having that structured process to follow. It allowed me to organize my thoughts. I learned a lot from my high school English teachers because that department was much more difficult compared to the other subjects at my school. Looking back, I think that my school’s emphasis on wanting us to become better communicators was a valid goal—especially to prepare us for college. What I enjoyed most from my classes were the books that we read like Pride and Prejudice, Things Fall Apart, and The Awakening. My senior year we frequently had seminar discussions about the readings, which I liked because they helped me to become better at articulating my ideas. We were graded on our participation in these discussions, so that forced me to jump into the conversation to state my opinion. In high school I didn’t like reading poetry as much as I did short stories or novels. Personally, writing with a plot is easier to follow. I struggled with sorting out what the poems were trying to say. Sometimes the symbolism and deeper meaning just went over my head.

Based on the title of this class, I hope to learn to become better at researching and being persuasive with my ideas. I hope that this course challenges me because when I have to work hard, then I learn more. Also, I expect that this class will prepare me for higher-level English courses.