Monique Whiteing

1227 Landing Rd
Detroit, MI 48213
15 October 2015
Professor McKeever
Tri-C
4250 Richmond Road
Highland Hills, Ohio 44122
Dear Professor McKeever,
Enrolling in an on-line course for English1010 was a great move. You were
right. As a third rounder for English 1010, I had my doubts about risking
another W hit on my transcript. But I fastened my seatbelt, stayed
healthy, and did my best to budget my time, just as you advised. As a
slow writer, I spent in excess of 15-18 hours per week working on each of
the writing assignments listed on the syllabus. The framework never
seemed to come together until I was close to the 24 th hour. Although the
expectations for weekly assignments were made clear, I didnt fully
understand how to express the thoughts inside my head on paper
effectively. Writing has helped me to develop better self-expression and
communication through sharing experiences and understanding the
message Im trying to convey.
Essay number 1, an expository essay, titled Perception vs. Reality was
written based off the subject, Life is a comedy to those who think, and a
tragedy to those who feel. To make my point I utilized resources from a
psychology class I had taken previously. I chose this topic to emphasize
the difference between perception and reality. It revealed that the reality
behind perception is dependent on a persons ability to think objectively
opposed to subjectively. This assignment also set the tone for an
interesting personal revelation. Subjectively, I felt like I would never be
able to write fast enough or form my thoughts into insightful, detailed
essays ranging between 500-750 words in order to progress through an
accelerated, eight week class. Objectively, I had no facts or measurable
results to back these thoughts that sounded off like an ear piercing echo
whenever I attempted to write a paper. Writing each word and having it

critiqued repeatedly was like having my perception or personal writing

style cleansed in order to connect with my audience.
Writing my first personal narrative for the second essay stretched my
ability to show opposed to just retelling a personal experience. Learning
the importance of using descriptive words in order to create a vivid
picture based off of my depiction seemed difficult at first. Sensory words
helped me discover the various ways to engage the reader.
Reading the summary essay, How to Say Nothing in 500 Words by Paul
Roberts actually helped me to write the rave type of restaurant review for
the 5th essay assignment. How to say something when there is nothing to
say is the most valuable information that I will take from this class. Adding
depth to any writing assignment can be accomplished through research
and reliable resources. To depth, add colorful and descriptive words that
will absorb hard to reach word counts and engage the reader between the
lines. While writing this essay, I had an AH-HA moment; my own
perception and beliefs arent required to be included in my writings.
Relevancy and reliable information is what I will use to say something
more, when necessary.
The Argument Essay was the last essay written for this class. It showed
the most growth and development out of all the papers that I wrote
during the term. The content and development was more than an
opportunity to rant in a thousand words or less about my point of view
and statistical reports of factual information. This Essay encouraged me
to keep writing even when I wanted to quit around the sixth essay. My
argument essay titled School-Less encouraged direct instruction through
independent learning. Being left alone for eight weeks to write papers
based on information that I was reading proved that being in a classroom
for 1-2 hours twice a week isnt a good fit for everybody, especially not
me. My own learning has always been a bit of a challenge because I hold
a thousand-plus questions that most instructors dont have time to
answer. Having an online class is exactly what I needed to get through
this class. This class offered no fluff or constant reminders of due dates to
get in the way of a professor wanting me to get more out of the class than
I wanted for myself. It turns out that the more often I wrote a paper and
revised it according to the e-tutors suggestions, the faster I began to
complete writing assignments.
A valuable consequence to taking online classes is the increased number
of writing assignments that is required. As I continue to make steady
progress towards my degree, I am more confident in enrolling in higher
level English classes. I am no longer afraid of on-line classes and not
having the face to face contact that comes with on campus learning.
Writing is a process that takes practice to get better. Ive come to the end

of eight weeks and Im still here. This class has proved that anyone can
go as far as their efforts will take them.
Thank You