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Ethan Tordjman

Professor Beard

English 110

6 December 2023

Ethan’s English Adventures

Coming out of high school, my writing confidence was very low. I didn’t do well in my

English classes in high school, so I was anxious about being enrolled in a writing class my first

semester. However, I did have hope that my writing in college would evolve and improve.

English 110 with Professor Beard was more straightforward than any other English course I’ve

taken in the past. I actually felt that my teacher was actually connecting with his students, and

was willing to explain concepts and essay structure more clearly and thoughtfully, which I

wasn’t used to. I received much more detailed explanation and instruction than I was given in

high school, and because of the clear expectations and support, it made it feel like I could

actually thrive in the classroom and be seen as a “good” student. It feels unbelievable what I

have been able to achieve this semester in English 110, having almost a 95% in an English

college class and feeling so confident in my essays that I want to share with my friends and

parents.

Looking back at my previous assignments, I believe my biggest strength in writing is

creativity. This is where my confidence in writing comes from. I believe that I have a good

imagination, and I think I’m very crafty when it comes to putting words together, so I liked

writing the hooks and introductions to my essays the most. I could be very creative and write

more comfortably in my own voice. I also feel confident about the beginning stages of an essay,

the planning and researching components. I’m good at collecting information at the beginning
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of the process and taking a lot of notes and finding quotes, which I use like puzzle pieces to put

together my essay. My notes and outlines help me a lot in the construction of my final draft.

Structurally, I do think that I need to continue working on my writing. I want to work on

cutting my larger paragraphs down into smaller, neater paragraphs. This was frequent feedback

that I received this semester from Professor Beard and my classmates. In my final revisions of

my essays, I tried to incorporate this feedback and shorten my paragraphs to make them more

readable and clear. I actually think one of my strengths also connects to one of my weaknesses.

Looking at my feedback from Professor Beard on my first essay, I think my creativity is

typically limited to the introductory paragraph, which means that I need to become more

comfortable being creative throughout my essay, even if I think I need to be more formal and

scholarly. I need to work on making my tone more consistent, because sometimes I’m not sure

how to find out which tone I should write in, casual or formal and academic. I would also like

to become a bit more comfortable writing concluding paragraphs. I think I’m being to learn how

to structure the final conclusion of my essay. Throughout the class, I have been uncomfortable

and nervous when approaching my concluding paragraph because I’ve felt uncertain about what

to write. However, I believe I’m gaining confidence in this segment of writing, especially in my

most recent Food Justice essay.

Ultimately, my writing and I are evolving. This course has helped me change my view

of myself and my writing ability. English and essay construction used to be something that I

wasn’t excited about–was even afraid of–and I certainly never wanted to enroll in any courses

that made me write at all. I think this English 110 has changed this for me, and has been crucial,

even making me want to take part in future writing courses in college. Restoring confidence, in

my ability to write and succeed in school overall, has been the most significant factor affecting
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my view on writing.