Multigenre Reflection Paper

I am not one to enjoy projects.  I usually just throw something together last minute, it ends up looking good, and turn it in.  This project was completely different from many others that I have completed in my past.  I went through many phases over weeks to prepare for this project (needless to say, I did not procrastinate like I am notoriously known to do).  My first step was the planning of my project.  I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do something I was passionate about.  I figured the first thing that popped into my head would be something that I had a deep passion for.  I could never really find an idea that would just come to me, but when I went through my daybook, I seemed to find that I was writing a lot about my hometown.  I immediately thought, if it is something I continue to write about, then I must have a passion for it.  My first piece of writing I knew I was going to use in my writing was my no time narrative, “Where I’m from.”   I knew that it told a lot about me, and what I saw in my town.  One class period, I drafted my writing, then I had a peer also draft my writing.  She gave me a suggestion that I never would have thought of using myself.  She told me to give a weekly schedule of where I am from.  She said to have each day be a different part of where I am from.  I really liked that idea and ended up using it in my final draft.  The other pieces that I wrote and used for my project I also had my classmates look over during various class periods.  The editing of my project too place until the very last minute.  I am an extreme perfectionist.  If my writing does not sound the way I think it should, I will fix it until I am satisfied.  I had a few words in a piece of two of my writing that I was not completely happy with.  I kept changing around those pieces until I was completely satisfied.  This can be both a blessing and a burden.  Publishing this work however was my favorite part of the process.  There is nothing better than looking at your work when it is completed, and being proud of it.  There were a few things I might have changed when I look back on my project (colored construction paper!) but I am over all generally pleased with it, but ecstatic with my writing!  I really like the pieces I inserted to this project.  They do not only tell the reader about my hometown; they also tell the reader about my family, different activities I participated in, my life story, and me.  

As a writer in this process, I learned that I am a pretty creative person.  I can write about anything fairly easily.  I wrote a poem for my project in class one day, it took me 10 minutes tops.  My ode to Winston is one of my favorite parts of the project.  I learned that I also can draw better than I had originally expected (the front of the brochure).  This was a really good overall experience for me.  I learned how passionate I am about my family, and Winston-Salem.  Writing about Winston became a way for me to relieve my homesickness. 

As a teacher, I learned the importance of revising and editing.  Before I did this project, I was never really a strong believer in editing or revising.  There came a point in time where I had pretty bad writers block on what to do with one of my pieces, and peer editing helped me immensely.   People from my group, and peers in my class were able to help me out and give me ideas to help my project become its best.  When I am teaching writing, and my children are working on a piece that they are planning to publish, I will always remember this experience.  This was a great way to make me realize how important all steps of editing are.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable experience for me.  I learned a lot about myself through this process, and had fun all the while.  I am so excited to see my other classmate’s projects so I can learn just as much about them from their projects, as I hope they will learn about me!