Husein

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Syeda Husein
Professor Adler
STACC English #32475
27 April 2015
Looking Back:
Reflecting back from the first day of STACC English 100 to the end of STACC
English 1A, it has been a very challenging experience as I learned to analyze many
difficult texts and think critically. At times, I often found myself questioning why I even
need to take so many English classes but I knew that a negative attitude towards this class
would get me nowhere. So, with a positive attitude, I survived through the two semesters
of STACC English unscathed. Looking back over all of the work, I can truly say I have
grown as a reader, writer and learner.
As much as I enjoy reading in my free time, I didnt enjoy reading most of the
texts in class because it required a person to analyze and think critically. Over the years
from elementary to high school and now, to college, I admit that I would rather memorize
and learn than to critically think because it requires less work. One article that seems
support my mindset was bell hooks Critical Thinking. She argues children questions
everything at a young age but gets conforms to the way the school is teaching. I would
agree with this because as a kid, I probably questioned my parents to no end but I was
conformed to obey. As a result, I struggled to think metacognitively.
At times, I wouldnt understand the texts I would read by myself but class
discussions helped tremendously as I realized how each and every person had different
unique perspectives over one article. It makes me wish I couldve been more outspoken

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during class because I felt like everyone were so respectful towards what someone would
share. On the other hand, I felt much more comfortable with group discussions because it
was always easier talking to someone directly rather than the entire class. As we all came
together to unveil the argument of each texts, it allowed me to broaden my skills as a
reader and allowed me to interpret texts by reading between the lines.
Additionally, Ive grown as a writer as well. When I started college as a freshman,
I knew that my skills as a writer had to improve because professors are expecting so
much more from us. During my free time, I enjoy writing short stories, however, I just
despise writing essays. My mind becomes a blank canvas as soon as I learn the prompt
and it takes quite awhile to gather my thoughts and choose my choice of colors.
No matter how much I would prepare for in class essays, my mind would go
blank as soon as Im sitting in the chair with the blue book in front of me. I spend at least
half an hour on the introduction paragraph because I believe that the key for a wellstructured essay is a strong introduction paragraph. Even though, we worked with various
methods like inverse drafts and starting with body paragraphs first, it never worked well
for me. Although, for the critical analysis in class essay, I spent too much time on making
sure that the first two paragraphs were perfect and didnt realize how fast time was
running by. I knew I had yet to connect all the authors work but by the last two minutes
of class, I found myself scribbling fast to write down the worst conclusion paragraph I
have written in any essays. It was a disappointing moment because I had a sense of what I
wanted to claim but unfortunately, time ran out. The critical analysis was one of my worst
essays I have done and I definitely knew it when I received my graded essay back. If I

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ever have another timed essay, Im going to remember this because it was a lesson that
taught me to pace myself accordingly.
On the other hand, the discourse community ethnography essay was the most
challenging essay of the entire semester but it was also the one that I was most proud of.
At first, I thought itd be really easy because I knew exactly what field I wanted to
examine until I soon realized that dentistry doesnt count as a discourse community
because dentists across the world dont communicate among each other. Researching has
always been a weakness for me because I dont know how to find credible sources. After
struggling for endless weeks, I finally narrowed it down to the American Dental
Association (ADA). One would think that it would get easier but it didnt. The website
for the ADA was really informative, however, I couldnt access any of the message board
among the members. As a substitute, I got access to their monthly journal articles which
the members of ADA publish with new research directed towards dentists in general and
the general public as well. I have to say, the Pasadena City College database wasnt
helpful during the research for this essay whatsoever. Google was the best form of
research for this particular discourse community. In the end, I was proud of my end
results and hope that Professor Adler was content with my work as well. I overcame my
struggles through this essay and brushed up my research skills so Im ready to face future
research papers in my college career.
As I look back, I can truly say that Ive grown as a learner as well. I never thought
I would be able to analyze such difficult texts or write challenging essays but writing this
essay at the end of the semester, I know I have the ability to do anything I set my mind to.
In the next two years, I would like to see myself transferring to UCLA to complete my

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Bachelors degree in Psychology and applying for dental school afterwards. I know it is
going to be a long journey ahead of me but with determination I know I can do it. For
example, I dreaded starting English 1A because I assumed that its going to be too hard
but a person cant accomplish anything with a negative attitude. Hence, with a positive
attitude, an open mind and heart, I allowed myself to learn. English 1A has taught me
many lessons that I wont forget for the rest of my education journey because there is still
so much to learn in this world.