My Progress as a Reader and Writer
English 20M-Section 2
12 May 2011
My Progress as a Reader and Writer in English 20M
If I had a time travel machine, I would love to go back to our class’s first meeting. It was such a memorable day. I was so nervous that my first piece of writing seemed less than mediocre as I reflected on what I had written that day. While being happy that my name was randomly chosen to be added to the class, I was very scared of this class. The last time I wrote an essay was two years ago, and before this class I had forgotten how to write one. I believe good writing requires lots of practice, and I have not practiced my writing for a long time. In addition, my reading was not even up to par since I only read books required for my classes. I did not do much reading outside of my discipline, and that is not a good habit for anyone who wants to better their writing. Through this class, I figured out my composing style, which is crucial since good writers should be aware of potential advantages and disadvantages of each style. I think my critical reading skills have been dramatically improved thanks to different types of analysis frameworks I learned. As I contemplate what this class has taught me, it would probably take pages to list all the things I learned from my professor, classmates, textbook, and my work. However, the major lessons I have learned are the reading and writing strategies that help me form many good habits to become a better reader and writer.
I think most people would agree with me that reading is very crucial for improving writing skills. In a developing country like Vietnam, reading was considered a hobby for the intellectuals since the illiterate population is high. My parents were aware that I should have a healthy and useful hobby, so they encouraged me to spend my free time reading books. As I continued to mature and began to study English, my reading hobby was changed. It was because of the second language barrier that makes me read less or only
12 May 2011
My Progress as a Reader and Writer in English 20M
If I had a time travel machine, I would love to go back to our class’s first meeting. It was such a memorable day. I was so nervous that my first piece of writing seemed less than mediocre as I reflected on what I had written that day. While being happy that my name was randomly chosen to be added to the class, I was very scared of this class. The last time I wrote an essay was two years ago, and before this class I had forgotten how to write one. I believe good writing requires lots of practice, and I have not practiced my writing for a long time. In addition, my reading was not even up to par since I only read books required for my classes. I did not do much reading outside of my discipline, and that is not a good habit for anyone who wants to better their writing. Through this class, I figured out my composing style, which is crucial since good writers should be aware of potential advantages and disadvantages of each style. I think my critical reading skills have been dramatically improved thanks to different types of analysis frameworks I learned. As I contemplate what this class has taught me, it would probably take pages to list all the things I learned from my professor, classmates, textbook, and my work. However, the major lessons I have learned are the reading and writing strategies that help me form many good habits to become a better reader and writer.
I think most people would agree with me that reading is very crucial for improving writing skills. In a developing country like Vietnam, reading was considered a hobby for the intellectuals since the illiterate population is high. My parents were aware that I should have a healthy and useful hobby, so they encouraged me to spend my free time reading books. As I continued to mature and began to study English, my reading hobby was changed. It was because of the second language barrier that makes me read less or only
Cited: Ede, Lisa. The Academic Writer. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2011. Print