Feelings about Writing

My feelings about writing have changed dramatically as I have continued on into

my school career. During the early years of elementary school and middle school, I
enjoyed sharing my ideas in the form of writing. I thought of writing as a way to express
my thoughts to myself and make an understanding of them. I remember writing stories
for childrens books or your favorite family vacation and these were topics that better
influence my feelings towards writing. But, as I entered into high school, writing became
much more intensive and annotating became a huge part of writing essays. Instead of
writing about whatever I wanted to, I had to stick to a strict prompt, normally based
around a book or idea that I found little to no interest in.
The higher standards of the high school English teachers also took some of the
fun out of writing and reading. We would talk about a book in class for weeks, taking
every idea out of the text and supporting it with evidence in our writing. Writing had
changed, from a helpful way to express your ideas, to thesis building and annotating
text. The use of extensive standardized tests played an important role in the way
teachers taught writing to their students. This new development of critical analysis that
we were introduced to turned me away from the joys of writing. I remember dreading
English class and getting tired of writing about poetry and Shakespeare. I found much
more interest into the practical uses of science and math rather than expressing my
writing skills. Entering into college, I retain the same mindset of writing that I had in high
school, but hopefully this experience will bring me back to my roots.

My Writing Process

I would describe my writing process as a tool that I should work on more for
future writings. Ive always been taught in school that writers should have a list of their
ideas or outline their essay before they begin writing, but I have always done my own
form of the writing process. Instead of planning ahead or making a list of my topics, I
focus on the opening line and the introduction in order to grab the readers interest. I
have never been much of a planner, but rather a spur-of-the-moment kind of writer.
After I write the intro and construct a thesis, I base all my writing around the thoughts
that pop out in my head. This may be the reason why my writing isnt always up to
standard with teachers. I dont completely structure my paper the way I should, which
can sometimes make the ideas of my paper confusing to the reader.
My writing process does vary a little for different areas of study and use. When I
write for English class, I dont plan or outline my papers ahead of time, but come up with
evidence and structure as I write. For classes that are history or science based, I have
a different routine. With these papers, I often gather all the information I can and read it
over several times to get a grasp on the subject. Then, I state my side of the argument
in the introduction of the paper and fill the following paragraphs with data and evidence
to support my theory. More often than not, I have to use a dictionary or better diction
with English writings, whereas with logical writings, I can stick to facts and evidence.
This makes it easier for me to write a paper on the Civil War rather than my thoughts
about To Kill a Mockingbird.

Favorite Reading Experience

My favorite reading experience would have to be Lord of the Flies by William

Golding. This book was one of the only novels assigned in high school that I actually
enjoyed reading and writing about. I found this piece particularly interesting because it
involves the classic cast-away scenario but with a twist of using children instead of
adults. The children in this story represent the different personalities of people in our
society and puts them in a situation of survival and instinct. I enjoyed the imagery and
odd structure of the novel, as well as its deeper meaning to society, and I often read the
book on the bus ride to school. It gave me a little escape from reality everyday as I
wondered what would happen next on this trivial island.
During the time I was reading this book, we often had class discussions about
the ideas and characters in the text. We would have writing assignments in class and
share our thoughts about the story in groups. This activity in the class gave me an even
greater interest into the book as it opened my eyes to new ideas. We spent the first few
weeks of school focusing on this book and had a project and test on the material. Near
the end of the period, I was getting a little tired of text, but I chose this to write about
because it gave me a new perspective on reading. I finally didnt hate a book that was
assigned to us and I felt like I could connect to the books writing and ideas. Since that
experience, I have found much more joy in reading for recreation rather than for
schoolwork.

Feelings about Reading

My thoughts when I think about reading are very conflicted. When it comes to
school-assigned novels and short stories, I often dont enjoy the actual reading of the
text. I only enjoy reading if I can find some interest or relation to the text and its ideas. I
would say I dont enjoy most of the books Ive read because Ive been required or forced
to read them for an assignment. Out of school, I dont really read many novels, but I do
enjoy reading about discoveries in science and the use of technology. I believe these
opinions of what I like to read come from my interest in the science and math fields. I
prefer books in the science fiction category as they benefit my interests much more than
narrative stories.
I used to enjoy reading a lot more before I got introduced into the world of high
school literature. This dragged-out process of annotating and evaluating the text turned
me away from the pleasure of reading. I didnt get back into the reading game for a
while, until I found a book I could relate to. Once I found a book, I would binge read the
entire novel in a short period and then have no further reading interest. This would lead
me to read articles and short stories online that I find practical and useful to my
knowledge. The information and ideology presented in the text is far more interesting to
me than the authors experience and reason for writing the piece. Overall, I would say I
enjoy the skills and ideas you can gather from reading, but I dont enjoy the extensive
and tedious breakdown of the text.

Literacy Spaces and Artifacts

A literacy space that is very important to me is my room because it offers me a

variety of literacy artifacts. When I look around my room, the literacy artifacts I see are
my books, computer, comics, posters, trophies and a dictionary. These literacy artifacts
all give me a different perspective on the use of literacy. Each literacy artifact I own
contributes to the effect that literacy has had on my life and what I have learned from it.
My most important literacy artifact would have to be my computer because it grants me
access to such a vast amount of literacy material. I spend most of my reading and
writing on my computer, looking up science articles or events taking place in the news. I
often use my dictionary as a literacy artifact to strengthen my diction use in essays and
widen my vocabulary. These artifacts found in my room are there to help me with my
literacy and give me a reason to read and write recreationally.
When I moved to Charlotte last August, I wasnt sure what to take with me to
college. The pieces I ended up bringing were the ones I found the most interest in and
the ones that would benefit me the most. I brought some of my favorite books with me
in order to encourage myself to continue reading and expanding my literacy. The
comics I brought were significant to me because they were some of the first readings I
ever felt attached to. The trophies and awards I received from band furthered my
literacy in the field music and gave me a sense of accomplishment. Ultimately, the
books and other literacy materials I have in my room shaped the person I am today and
the styles of my literacy learning.

Exploring a Discourse Community

A major discourse community that has been part of my life would have to be the
marching band in high school. I learned a lot about music literacy during my
experiences and it has opened my mind into the world of music. The words and
communication we used reflected mostly on the aspects of musical language. Our
conductor would use words like crescendo and staccato to describe the power and style
of the musical note we were trying to play. Most of our time in the band was spent using
our knowledge of music to practice and perfect our playing and sound. We
communicated through our group by using a leader, called a drum major, to give us
vocal orders and keep the tempo of the music under control. Normally, only the
sections leaders and the drum major speak out to give orders, while the rest of the
members follow instruction and get told what they could improve on.
Another important aspect of this discourse community was the use and
understanding of written music. In order to be a participating member of the band, the
person should be able to read and write music fluently, as well as, being able to keep
tempo. Members who lagged behind or struggled to keep up were taken aside to better
their skills. If a member wasnt fully committed to the band program or skipped
practices, then they would be asked to quit, as the band only takes dedicated students.
I learned much about musical literacy and teamwork during my years with the band and
all that practice and dedication has shaped me into the hard-working student I am today.
Without the knowledge and accomplishments I received from this experience, I may not
have been as driven as I was during my high school career.