Daybook Reflection #1- I Am What I Am.
In this piece of writing, I described who I was, where I came from, and what I believe in. I really wanted this to be an introductory piece for myself so I could see how I improved as a writer. In this I got specific about things I love in my life. In the first paragraph I mentioned my hometown, Winston-Salem, and some of the things that I loved in my hometown. I talked about cheering, my physical features, where I grew up, my family, and my dogs. Next I moved onto some things that I found love for in college. The main thing was my sorority Zeta Tau Alpha, where I have grown as a person, and into the woman that I am today. I also mentioned my faith, and how my father is pursuing him to be a youth pastor. The final thing I talked about what how I could not wait to be a teacher.
I learned in this first piece of writing how disorganized I am when I first start writing. When I went back through my work, I noticed how scatterbrained I was. I had memories about Winston, family, and sports mixed in all over the place. I learned as a writer and as a teacher, how important it will be to teach revision. Your first draft will never be perfect, therefore revision will always be necessary to improve any type of writing, especially for publication. To come to this understanding, it took me looking over a few of my past pieces for publication. I had never realized how important revision was until this class.
If I were to write this piece over again, instead of just starting to write, next time, I think I would plan out "what I am" before I start writing. I think preplanning for writing is also very important. It is a way to get organized before you even start, so your first draft is better than it would normally be. I would also add in a few things from my childhood to this draft, not just current things, to show who I became and how I became that way.
I learned in this first piece of writing how disorganized I am when I first start writing. When I went back through my work, I noticed how scatterbrained I was. I had memories about Winston, family, and sports mixed in all over the place. I learned as a writer and as a teacher, how important it will be to teach revision. Your first draft will never be perfect, therefore revision will always be necessary to improve any type of writing, especially for publication. To come to this understanding, it took me looking over a few of my past pieces for publication. I had never realized how important revision was until this class.
If I were to write this piece over again, instead of just starting to write, next time, I think I would plan out "what I am" before I start writing. I think preplanning for writing is also very important. It is a way to get organized before you even start, so your first draft is better than it would normally be. I would also add in a few things from my childhood to this draft, not just current things, to show who I became and how I became that way.
Daybook Reflection #2- Writing into the Day
In this daybook reflection, I was writing into the day. This was an event that takes place at the beginning of every class. I used this as a way of venting for myself. There are many days when I come into class and I had a bad night previously, or started off my morning on the wrong side of the bed. In this instance, I was absolutely furious was UNC Charlotte parking services. I was taking out the fact of not being able to find a parking spot at 11 in the morning on my daybook. My daybook has also been useful in situations with boy problems where I know my friends get tired of hearing about it, and family situations when me and my mom fight.
As a writer, and a teacher, I learned how important it is for people to vent. It is not only a good writing technique, but it is also a way to stay sane. I also learned that it is okay to write the worst junk in America! Sometimes, when kids have bad days and do not feel like they can talk to anyone about it, a daybook is a good resource for them to have. There are many times that kids may become embarrassed or be too uncomfortable to talk to their teachers about it as well. A daybook is a way for them to vent when there is no one else to go to, and when no one will understand but them. This is an understanding that I came to see throughout the semester. At the beginning, I was unsure about it because it was hard for me to write for 10 minutes straight. I was never one to keep a journal, but I have always been good with writing. As the semester went on, the writing became easier, and it really saw it as a form of therapy after I became used to it.
Now that I have completed this class, I think that I will begin to keep a daybook for myself. Previously I did not really believe in writing outside of class unless it was a paper, or for some sort of project. Now I have really come to like writing for me. I can not imagine a semester without a daybook to vent it. It will really be a form of therapy when I begin student teaching!
As a writer, and a teacher, I learned how important it is for people to vent. It is not only a good writing technique, but it is also a way to stay sane. I also learned that it is okay to write the worst junk in America! Sometimes, when kids have bad days and do not feel like they can talk to anyone about it, a daybook is a good resource for them to have. There are many times that kids may become embarrassed or be too uncomfortable to talk to their teachers about it as well. A daybook is a way for them to vent when there is no one else to go to, and when no one will understand but them. This is an understanding that I came to see throughout the semester. At the beginning, I was unsure about it because it was hard for me to write for 10 minutes straight. I was never one to keep a journal, but I have always been good with writing. As the semester went on, the writing became easier, and it really saw it as a form of therapy after I became used to it.
Now that I have completed this class, I think that I will begin to keep a daybook for myself. Previously I did not really believe in writing outside of class unless it was a paper, or for some sort of project. Now I have really come to like writing for me. I can not imagine a semester without a daybook to vent it. It will really be a form of therapy when I begin student teaching!
Daybook Reflection #3- Influential Writing
In this piece, I wrote about who had influenced my writing the most throughout my life as a student. It is becoming hard to believe that I am almost through college, but I have learned so much from so many teachers, especially about writing. I labeled my top three most influential people in my writing career in this writing who were my 7th grade teacher Mrs. Frank (not in a good way by any means), My 12th grade English teacher Mrs. Wooten, and my 10th grade reading teacher Ms. Schaefer. My 7th grade teacher Mrs. Frank was a real turn off for reading and writing. We had a book report due for her class every three weeks and they made me, along with my other friends, want to shoot ourselves. The books were long along with the reports and reading along with writing became more of a punishment than a pleasurable experience. Mrs. Schaefer, my 10th grade English teacher, really helped me to learn to love read and write through something that interests me, the Holocaust. It has always been an intriguing subject for me and she helped me learn to express myself through reading and writing. As the years went on Mrs. Wooten also contributed to my experiences. My senior year when I was ready to zone out from school in general, she really made me love reading and writing, and made me see the fun side of it. She left a sweet taste in my mouth for the college world, along with a lot of positive reinforcement and encouraging words. I also has a timeline of my writing experiences.
As a writer and a writing teacher, I learned how much impact is possible for us to have on children. It lies in our hands to turn our children on, or off from reading and writing. I have had a few bad teachers who used busy work to turn me away from writing. However; I have also had some good teachers that made me love and develop a passion for writing. Little do we know how much we do for the students in our classroom. I came to this understanding by reflecting on my experiences from middle and high school, through the good and bad teachers.
This reflection makes me want to think about what assignments I will have for students. I want all of my assignments to be worthwhile assignments that will benefit my students and make them good readers and writers. I will also have the kids make a list at the beginning of the year of what they like and dislike about writing. I will try to turn these dislikes into likes, and make the likes even stronger. As a result of this reflection, I will also add in Dr. Kissel into my list of influential writing teachers. He has opened my eyes on many levels. I have a better understanding of how I can help kids to enjoy reading and writing by applying my past experiences.
As a writer and a writing teacher, I learned how much impact is possible for us to have on children. It lies in our hands to turn our children on, or off from reading and writing. I have had a few bad teachers who used busy work to turn me away from writing. However; I have also had some good teachers that made me love and develop a passion for writing. Little do we know how much we do for the students in our classroom. I came to this understanding by reflecting on my experiences from middle and high school, through the good and bad teachers.
This reflection makes me want to think about what assignments I will have for students. I want all of my assignments to be worthwhile assignments that will benefit my students and make them good readers and writers. I will also have the kids make a list at the beginning of the year of what they like and dislike about writing. I will try to turn these dislikes into likes, and make the likes even stronger. As a result of this reflection, I will also add in Dr. Kissel into my list of influential writing teachers. He has opened my eyes on many levels. I have a better understanding of how I can help kids to enjoy reading and writing by applying my past experiences.
Daybook Reflection #4-
In this piece of writing, I attempted a no time narrative for my Multigenre project. I really wanted to have something in my project to display where I am from and what I believe in, so what better to do than to create a "Where I'm From" piece. I wrote about things in my life that lead into college. I wrote about my high school, my faith, my family, and was over all really pleased with this piece. I liked it a lot better than the I am who I am piece.
As a writer and a teacher, I learned how passionate I am about my hometown, and also learned a few things about myself. As a writer, I learned how easy it is to write about something you are passionate about, I also learned that the revision process and way to publication is actually a long road. It took be about a month and a half to make this piece perfect. As a teacher, I learned that it is important to give children the children an option of what to write about. Telling them to write a no time narrative leaves the drawing board wide open for them to create a masterpiece. I think it is really important to have kids writing about things they enjoy because that is where they will preform at their best. If we make them write about something they are not interested in, there is a great possibility that their interest will reflect in their work, and it serves as pointless. I learned this through past teachers, and reflecting on my work throughout this class.
If I were to go back and change anything about this piece, i might make it longer, and more descriptive. I did not want to make the piece too long and uninteresting, so I tried to limit myself to a page for it. However; for myself, and for my future children, it is very possible that I will go in and add more life events to I will be able to remember them, and my kids will be able to picture how I grew up, and things I experienced throughout my lifetime.
As a writer and a teacher, I learned how passionate I am about my hometown, and also learned a few things about myself. As a writer, I learned how easy it is to write about something you are passionate about, I also learned that the revision process and way to publication is actually a long road. It took be about a month and a half to make this piece perfect. As a teacher, I learned that it is important to give children the children an option of what to write about. Telling them to write a no time narrative leaves the drawing board wide open for them to create a masterpiece. I think it is really important to have kids writing about things they enjoy because that is where they will preform at their best. If we make them write about something they are not interested in, there is a great possibility that their interest will reflect in their work, and it serves as pointless. I learned this through past teachers, and reflecting on my work throughout this class.
If I were to go back and change anything about this piece, i might make it longer, and more descriptive. I did not want to make the piece too long and uninteresting, so I tried to limit myself to a page for it. However; for myself, and for my future children, it is very possible that I will go in and add more life events to I will be able to remember them, and my kids will be able to picture how I grew up, and things I experienced throughout my lifetime.
Daybook Reflection 5- Midterm Review
I used my daybook, here, as a method of review for our midterm that we had coming up at the time. I normally try to go through my text book and try to follow the study guide to help me to study for my exams. I realized since I had been keeping my daybook, that I would be able to use it as a way to review. I had all of my notes from class anyways, so it was a no brainer as to where my review should go. This ended up being a very helpful resource for my test since it would take way too long to go through my textbook and find all of the answers. I tried to hit all, if not most of the main points on the study guide that Dr. Kissel had made for us and label them so in case I could not remember the answer on the test, I would be able to find them in my notes. This made life extremely easy for me on test day, and without a doubt paid off. I got a 99 on my first test!!
As a writer, I learned the power of how well writing pounds things (even review for a test) into you head. Not only does it help taking things out of you, like stress and venting, but it also puts things in. I also learned the importance of organization. It helped me while testing. As a teacher, I learned how helpful written reviews are for students. This review really helped me prepare for my test, and I do not think it is such a bad idea to allow children to use their notes for tests. If the child takes the time to prepare their notes for the test, when it comes to the test they may not even need them. These notes for the test will also serve as a good means of review for students. Being an actual student and being in this situation really helped me to understand it from a student perspective, and a teacher perspective at the same time.
Next time, when writing notes into my daybook, I will try to go into detail and try to catch onto the small stuff from the readings. When I was writing my review, I remember being so nervous about taking up too much room in my daybook because I wanted to save most of the pages for my classwork (not thinking that I could always BUY another daybook). Now I will not be afraid to take up the remaining pages in my daybook, and write down as much material for my final as I can.
As a writer, I learned the power of how well writing pounds things (even review for a test) into you head. Not only does it help taking things out of you, like stress and venting, but it also puts things in. I also learned the importance of organization. It helped me while testing. As a teacher, I learned how helpful written reviews are for students. This review really helped me prepare for my test, and I do not think it is such a bad idea to allow children to use their notes for tests. If the child takes the time to prepare their notes for the test, when it comes to the test they may not even need them. These notes for the test will also serve as a good means of review for students. Being an actual student and being in this situation really helped me to understand it from a student perspective, and a teacher perspective at the same time.
Next time, when writing notes into my daybook, I will try to go into detail and try to catch onto the small stuff from the readings. When I was writing my review, I remember being so nervous about taking up too much room in my daybook because I wanted to save most of the pages for my classwork (not thinking that I could always BUY another daybook). Now I will not be afraid to take up the remaining pages in my daybook, and write down as much material for my final as I can.
