Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Looking Back and Looking Ahead Education has been a major part of life. Thanks to education, I am able to continue my studies now at a college level and soon I will be able to achieve my professional goals. These goals could not be met without having the proper habits of mind. According to Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing, habits of mind are “ways of approaching learning that are both intellectual and practical”. These habits include: curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and metacognition. Throughout the years, I have learned to incorporate many of these habits in my writing, but I am still continuing to learn how to develop and use habits that may be challenging. Consequently, my education in high school was one of the main sources that instilled my habits of mind in writing. During the four years, I was involved in various clubs and organizations that helped me develop curiosity, engagement, persistence, responsibility, and flexibility. Not only did my involvement in school help, but also the rigorous courses required me to stay on task in order to succeed. On the other hand, there were some areas that were neglected like openness and creativity in writing, specifically in my English classes. Looking back, I realize that all of these habits of mind do not necessarily begin in school but instead, in the homes of everyone. As young students, our parents are responsible for teaching us healthy habits and maintaining them. With the support of my parents, I can proudly say that they have done an excellent job helping me develop good habits of mind. Providing that no one is perfect, I am still learning to improve my habits and overcome writing challenges. Because it is my first year of college, my learning results for first year writing courses will be very valuable. These proper writing lessons will be the ones that I will take with me for the rest of my college education and in the