Shenendehowa High School
Writing essays in high school seemed to be about all I ever did. In New York State we still are required to take regents exams. They are incredibly long, tedious tests that no other state or college looks at. When I was a junior they decided to increase the length and intensity of the English Regents. We were required to go to two three hour sessions. One session was part multiple choice and part essay, and the second session was just two essays. So as you can imagine, all year long we did practice essay after practice essay. I was lucky that year and had decided to take a creative writing class for half of the year. We practiced in that class as well. My friends and I decided that all the essay writing was discouraging imagination and free thinking.
Anyway, besides being loaded with practice essays we were required to write longer papers in most of the other subjects as well. Starting in high school we always had to have a conference with the teacher about our thesis statement and because I wasn't the fastest at learning the art of the essay, I was able to meet with my teacher for other editing too. If the essay required research we would spend a week or two in the library gathering research in any way we pleased and as long as we were able to show our teacher that we had done something. Then after we had written a rough draft we would have someone in the class read it and mark it and then return it to us. The peer editing only happened a few times. I don't think I really grasped the whole concept of a thesis statement until college.
Here at Weber State, in an English 2010 class it finally dawned on me that writing an essay wasn't really that complicated. At least not at this level. So I wrote all of my essays the same way and received good grades on all of them. I was pleased.
Now that we know a little about how I learned to write essays I can attempt to compare it to our discussion. I agreed with a lot that was said in the article that we read. I was not a big fan of some of the open ends of it though. For example, due dates are necessary and students should be able to write at any time. Their state of mind or feelings shouldn't determine when a student should write. I feel like some of my teachers in high school may have know about, and agreed with the comments in the essay. Many of my teachers had us write outlines, rough drafts, and do peer editing.
I think that the ideas discussed in the essay apply mostly to longer essays and in high school we were encouraged to write shorted essays and to be able to write them well on the first try. Here at Weber I have been given lots of time to get assignments done and many opportunities to receive some sort of feedback. Sometimes from the professor and other times from my peers. I think many aspects of the method in the article are used here at Weber, but I don't believe that I have ever had a teacher use all aspects of it. In today's society where we are run by schedules, deadlines, and time clocks the relaxed ideas from the article would not function well. If there was not a deadline it would never be done, and if I wait until I feel like writing I won't ever write, especially and essay.
I think that the theory presented in the article gave teachers lots of ideas and techniques to help their students improve. I believe that most theories when strategically mixed with the ideas of others create more effective methods of teaching.
Anyway, besides being loaded with practice essays we were required to write longer papers in most of the other subjects as well. Starting in high school we always had to have a conference with the teacher about our thesis statement and because I wasn't the fastest at learning the art of the essay, I was able to meet with my teacher for other editing too. If the essay required research we would spend a week or two in the library gathering research in any way we pleased and as long as we were able to show our teacher that we had done something. Then after we had written a rough draft we would have someone in the class read it and mark it and then return it to us. The peer editing only happened a few times. I don't think I really grasped the whole concept of a thesis statement until college.
Here at Weber State, in an English 2010 class it finally dawned on me that writing an essay wasn't really that complicated. At least not at this level. So I wrote all of my essays the same way and received good grades on all of them. I was pleased.
Now that we know a little about how I learned to write essays I can attempt to compare it to our discussion. I agreed with a lot that was said in the article that we read. I was not a big fan of some of the open ends of it though. For example, due dates are necessary and students should be able to write at any time. Their state of mind or feelings shouldn't determine when a student should write. I feel like some of my teachers in high school may have know about, and agreed with the comments in the essay. Many of my teachers had us write outlines, rough drafts, and do peer editing.
I think that the ideas discussed in the essay apply mostly to longer essays and in high school we were encouraged to write shorted essays and to be able to write them well on the first try. Here at Weber I have been given lots of time to get assignments done and many opportunities to receive some sort of feedback. Sometimes from the professor and other times from my peers. I think many aspects of the method in the article are used here at Weber, but I don't believe that I have ever had a teacher use all aspects of it. In today's society where we are run by schedules, deadlines, and time clocks the relaxed ideas from the article would not function well. If there was not a deadline it would never be done, and if I wait until I feel like writing I won't ever write, especially and essay.
I think that the theory presented in the article gave teachers lots of ideas and techniques to help their students improve. I believe that most theories when strategically mixed with the ideas of others create more effective methods of teaching.
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