I’ve always had trouble writing; it started when I was very little. As I progressed through high school the difficulty got worse. It could be slightly because I didn’t really try. I actually took my Junior English twice because I failed to submit my final research paper which made me flunk. I have a habit of forgetting the correct words to use, and often just stare at my paper trying to figure it out, then end up forgetting what I’m even trying to accomplish. I suffered from that in my English 101 class also. This is my first semester at BCC, or at college in general, so I had absolutely no clue what to expect. I remember on my first day of class, Holly Pappas told us we would be submitting a portfolio for other English professors to read. That made me very nervous. Not only was this my first class ever as a college student, but now I knew I had to share my writing with professors other than my own, and had to share it on my blog with my other colleagues. I overcame my fears, did my work, and now here I am!

My first essay I am submitting is my memoir called “Seaside Platter.” This was the first essay I wrote in this class, and probably my favorite. In my eyes, I feel as if I am a stronger writer when what I am writing about has no research and works cited involved. My focus was persistence. You will read how frustrating it was for me to finish my seaside platter I created in my ceramics class when I attended Dartmouth High School. I tried to bring in the reader to feel my frustration and make it so as if the reader was in my shoes by adding as much description and scenery as I could.  I chose to submit this essay because I think it shows my ability as a writer to play out the story like a movie in the readers head. I struggled in the beginning to remember exact details, but I managed to pull it together and create my memoir.

My second submission is my annotation essay. In this essay I chose to write about Alzheimer’s Disease. I made up some questions regarded the disease and researched them to find the answer. I learned numerous facts and hope to teach you a thing or two. I work at an assisted living so this topic was close to home, since I see these elderly more than I see my own family. Now this essay was much different than my memoir essay, and had lots of research and studying. I struggled on the in-text citations because I sometimes write information down on a piece of paper and I forget to write where I got it from, so I then have to retrace my steps and find the original source. This essay helped me with my research process and I feel that after I wrote this essay, I was a tad more comfortable with researching.

My third, and thankfully last submission is my research paper titled, “Paid Paternity Leave.” This was an argumentative research paper that I found very interesting to write since have a two year old boy at home. I always find it easier to write about something you find interesting and wish to know more about. I did much reading and learning throughout this project, that I will be able to take with me for years to come. I learned how to search with different databases, and how to pick out the credible sources, and the, not-so-credible sources.

After my journey through English 101, I found myself as a writer. I also learned it is not bad to ask questions, and if anything, I should ask as many questions as I can. Use your time sparingly and do not procrastinate. That makes it that much more likely that you will disregard your work and never finish. Holly Pappas taught me that. I am glad to say that my attitude towards writing has changed, for the better, and I look forward to broadening my knowledge. Thank you very much.