Self Evaluation

Through the first half of the school semester, English 1100-03, taught by Ms. Gail Taylor, has expanded my knowledge substantially through various open class discussions, many journal entries, essay and poem readings, and critical analysis of articles. Because the course deals with reading, writing, and teaching the use of proper grammar, my vocabulary has definitely increased. Also, because of the emphasis on higher learning that the class presents, we as students are expected to maintain a journal broken down into three parts: a "Dear Gail' section, a section for journal entries, and a section for rough drafts for upcoming assignments. Along with keeping a journal, we as students also have to have an attitude of flexibility, curiosity, and respect for the diversity of beliefs and opinions we all share.

One of my strong points as a student in English class is critically evaluating a poem or an article that we had previously read. I feel that I excelled the most in those assignments because expressing my opinion on paper along with critiquing is one of my better strengths. Another point that I feel that I am strong in is participating in open class discussions. I try to firmly explain my opinions to my classmates without disrespecting their own beliefs. One of my favorite assignments that we did in class was when we had the opportunity to pick an article out of a nationally known newspaper of our choice and select an article to read and to evaluate and critically analyze it. This assignment introduced the class to how to begin a critical review of an article, film, or an essay. I received a check plus on the assignment and have enjoyed the lessons ever since.

On the other side, one of my weak points is maintaining the third section of our journal. That is the section where we organize our thoughts for an upcoming essay. I tend not to do well because I dislike writing rough drafts. I like to start my essays off the top of my head without really thinking about what I'm about to write. I think this is because I had so much success doing it in high school. I would use this technique and still receive high grades on my work, and because of that I continue to do it. I am trying to correct this bad habit by organizing my thoughts and writing them down on paper before I go into writing my final piece. Another point that I don't do well in is doing the reading assignments that are assigned in the syllabus, not in class. If we have a reading assignment, I tend not to do it at all because I feel that Ms. Taylor really doesn't enforce the students to do it. Don't get me wrong, she shouldn't have to threaten us to do the work, because we're the people paying thousands of dollars to be in college. But I do feel that it would help if I had a little more drive instilled