Writer’s Reflection 1

Last year in 8^th grade, I had a teacher who assigned frequent essays. At my school I had never really learned how to write a comprehensive essay, so I struggled regularly to put my work in the correct format. On one of my classes first in class essays, regarding Lord of the Flies, I was not only feeling unprepared, but nervous as well. I decided it would be more helpful to me to write the essay as I usually would and pay careful attention to the feedback my teacher provided later. Thinking of the experience more as a process of helping me learn than as one where getting a good grade was most important helped to ease my mind a little. When the period started I was worried, but once I began to ease into my regular style of writing things came more easily. After turning in my completed essay I felt pretty happy with myself. A few days later upon receiving my graded work I made a point to review and make sure I understood the comments and feedback I received. This experience made me realize two things: more can be done with an open, focused, and relaxed mind than with one thinking only about the final grade, and that paying attention to the feedback and opinions that a teacher shares can really help you improve as a student. Although I have a better understanding no of how to write a good essay, one goal I have for this year is to solidify that knowledge.