Blog Post #6: Self Evaluation

            Throughout my time in English 15s, my writing and appreciation for the arts both definitely improved and became a greater focus in my academic life.  However even beyond academics, this whole semester has taught me how fast things fly by and how I have to make the best of my time here at Penn State and succeed as best as I can.  I feel like it was just yesterday I was walking into the classroom for the first time, and now the semester has come to an end and a new one will be starting in just a few weeks.  It’s one down, and only seven to go (hopefully!).  Because I know it is going to go so fast I cannot wait around and hope opportunities to succeed come to me, I need to go out on my own, find them, and capitalize on them.  When it comes to English 15s though, the class has certainly improved both my writing and my appreciation for the arts. 

Throughout all of high school, I would always write essays with the state of mind that my teacher is my only audience.  English 15s taught me that I should be writing for a greater purpose, and as if many people will be seeing my work.  In this class that was true because of the blogs, group project, and peer editing sessions.  The class has also helped me improve on my basic writing skills, such as essay structure, not using cliché statements, and using details to further connect my work to my readers and show in more depth about how what I write about affects me.  This class was definitely different than my high school English classes because I felt they never stressed these points enough.  Those classes were much more concerned with very little things such attention getting statements, and not using “be” verbs (I always hated that rule).  Overall I really do feel that as a writer I have become much more mature due to the teachings of this class.

Other than how to write essays, this class exposed me to more of the arts than I have ever seen before.  Prior to this class, I had never visited an art museum, seen an abstract play, or even gave the arts much thought other than music.  By visiting the Palmer Museum of Arts, I was able to experience works of art of would otherwise not think much of.  The works I saw in the museum were truly amazing and unlike anything I have ever seen.  The viewing of In Red and Brown Water was also a very unique experience because before that the only play I had seen was Your Welcome America starring Will Ferrell.  Needless to say that was not nearly the cultural experience I received from In Red and Brown Water.  The play showed me a look at a type of life and culture I was not used to, being from a middle class Long Island suburb. 

This class was probably one of my favorite of this semester because it was not just another lecture hall.  I felt like I received my individual attention and the overall experience was much more personalized.  This class also opened me up to experiences that no other class this semester did.