Do Your Best Today, Tomorrow Has Yet to be Written!

There are moments in life, that as many times as you do them you are always left with the same feeling. I got to the room early, making sure to have first pick at seating. Maybe that is a way of providing some control in a new situation. My pen and notebook were out and ready to go. Unknown faces began to enter and fill up the open desks. It was the first day of school for the English 111-55 class.

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A group of strangers sat together wondering what and who would guide them through the next eight weeks. From day one, the class had a serious tone to it. Multiple times, the class was informed of what was and what was not acceptable. Specific rules were given defining the intricate details of how homework was to be submitted. The offer was given multiple times to drop the class if we would not be able to keep up.

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Although it seems like a gloomy beginning, the class turned out to be quite interesting. We began to look into the makings of a good essay. Words like rhetorical analysis, rhetorical purpose, rhetorical tools, ethos, logos and pathos were introduced. Topics to be written on where both informative and creative. They gave us the abilities to express our own ideas about things that we would care about, instead of the a generic assigned essay topic. I especially enjoyed the rhetorical analysis essay, which encouraged us to share our personal stories while testing the skills that we had learned. The assignment meant so much in fact that I used it on my blog!

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The class became more and more exciting as we got to know one another. Class discussions were no longer just a group of people giving answers to satisfy criteria. Instead, the group began expressing feeling, bringing a completely new energy to the discussions. People began to argue and debate the topics given. As a final project, we were tasked with creating an argument essay to present to our peers. Although there was a lot of work that needed to be put into them, nobody left without feeling more informed on topics that they had previously known nothing about. The most enjoyable part of the class was the peer review forms that we were given to complete. For three of the assignments given, we were actually allowed to analyze the essays of other students. This not only gave us a feeling of what the instructor goes through, but also a feeling that we were part of others success in the class.

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Later on in life, I do not know how I will think back to this time. In my personnel life things were going crazy. I do know that although the class criteria was spelled out clearly and enforced, the instructor was an understanding and compassionate person. For a short time, I considered dropping English 111. Even after the drop date had passed, I thought for sure there was no way for me to achieve a passing grade. I decided that I wanted to complete the class even if failing was my only option. As I would soon realize, this class was not completely based on the strict guidelines set out, but on the ability of the individual to learn and become something more than what they were.

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Here I find myself in the last days of class, finishing what I had started. This class is the next to last one needed for the completion of my bachelor’s degree. The opportunity that lies ahead is unknown, but I feel more confident to face it with the things that I have learned here. If whoever is reading this is just beginning English 111, than take my advice and enjoy this class, because you will walk away a better person.