June3,2016

DearMrs.Stegner,
FormyreflectionletterIhavechosentheCyberbullyingEssay,the
BraveNewWorld
Essay,theRacialProfilingEssayandfortheprocessworkIchosetheGoodFoodBadFood
Proposal,thepoemfortheportfolio,andtheCyberbullyingEssayWorksCitedpage.Fromthis
workIhavelearnedhowtoannotatethetext,createaclaim,properlyciteevidence,createa
workscited,andsubmitthepapertoturnitin.com.Also,Iwillbereflectingonmystrengths,like
MLAandevidence,andweaknesses,likeanintroductionandethos/logos/pathos.Iwilladdress
myacademicessays,thenewskillsthatIhavelearned,areasthatIneedtoimprove,andmy
goalsthatIhaveformywritingskills.
Throughouttheschoolyear,Iwroteaplentifulamountofessays,butthethreeIm
choosingtowriteaboutaretheCyberbullyingEssay,the
BraveNewWorld
Essay,andthe
RacialProfilingEssay.ThefirstessaythatwaswrittenwastheRacialProfilingArgumentative
Essayanditwaswritteninthefirstsemester.Iknowthisessaywasanargumentativeessay
becauseafterdoingmyresearchIfoundquoteslike,Asaresult,racialprofilingshouldnotbe
usedbecauseitisunconstitutionalandcausescommunitiestoreactinnegativeways(Petersen
3).Afterthislessonwemovedontoanotherinterestinglesson,bullying.Thebullyingessaywas
aresearchpaperthatwaswritteninthebeginningofthesecondsemesterandIknowitwasa
researchpaperbecausewehadtolookuparticlesandpulloutinformationlike,Backin2012,
ElonUniversitydidastudyaboutcyberbullyingandnoticedthatcyberbullyingvariesbygender
about2,212ofthepeopleweremenand2,162ofthemwerefemales(Donegan3).Thelast
essayIamchoosingtowriteaboutisthe
BraveNewWorld
Essay.Thisessaywasaliterary

analysisessaythatIwroteduringthemiddleofthesecondsemester.Iknowthiswasaliterary
analysisessaybecausewereadthebookinclassandthenwroteanessayaboutitandIcanpull
outquoteslike,Hugmetillyoudrugme,honeyKissmetillIminacomaHugme,honey,
snugglybunnyLovesasgoodasSoma(Huxley166).Ichosethatquotebecauseitisadirect
quotefromthebook.Afterexplainingeverything,IknowthattheRacialProfilingEssaywasan
argumentativeessay,theCyberbullyingEssaywasaresearchpaper,andthe
BraveNewWorld
Essaywasaliteraryanalysis.
SinceIwroteaplentifulamountofessaysthisyear,Ialsohadtodoalotofprepwork.
ThethreepiecesofprepworkthatIhavedonearetheGoodFoodBadFoodProposalrough
draft,thepoemfortheportfolio,andthefirstdraftoftheCyberbullyingEssayWorksCited
page.IchosetousetheGoodFoodBadFoodproposalroughdraftbecauseithelpedmelearn
howtociteproperlylike,32,000hogsareslaughteredadayinprocessedfood
factories(Food,Inc.).AnotherformofprocessworkthatIchosetoreflectonisthepoemforthe
portfolioandIchosetousethepoembecauseithelpedmewritetheessayandmakeitmore
dramatic.ThelastformofprocessworkthatIchosetoreflectonistheCyberbullyingEssay
workscitedbecausethistaughtmehowtoproperlymakeaworkscitedpagewhichendedup
givingmeacoupleofextrapointsonthepaper.Allthreeofthesehelpedmetobecomeabetter
writerandhelpedmegetabettergradeintheclass.
OvertheyearIhavedevelopedalotofskillslikeannotatingatext,creatingaclaim,
properlycitingevidence,creatingaworkscited,andsubmittingthepapertoturnitin.com.One
waythatIhavelearnedtoannotateatextisbyresearchingarticlesoncyberbullyingandhaving
toannotatethemforagrade.AnotherskillthatIdevelopedwasthatIlearnedhowtomakea

qualityaclaim.IdevelopedthisskillbecauseIhavetowriteaclaimforeverypaper.For
example,inthecyberbullyingessayIwrote,IwrotethatCyberbullyingisthemostcommon
formofbullyingintodayssocietyandsadly,themostharmful.Whenwritinganyessay,I
alwayshavetoproperlyciteevidence,whichIbecameverygoodat,likewhenIcitedthat
Whendoingastudyaboutcyberbullying,ElizabethLandau,areporterforCNN,wasdoinga
studyoncyberbullyingandfoundoutthatasmanyas25%ofteenagershaveexperienced
cyberbullyingatsomepoint(Landau1).Afterwritingaplentifulamountofessaysthroughout
theyear,IhavealsobecomequitegoodatmakingaworkscitedpageandalsoIhavebecome
strangelygoodatturningmypapersintoturnitin.com.ThesearethefiveskillsthatIhavemost
developedthroughouttheyearandtheycanreallyhelpmegofarinlife.
Afterwritinganabundantamountofessaysthroughouttheyear,Ihaverealizedwhatmy
strengthsandweaknessesare.OnestrengththatIhaveisthatIamabletoproperlyputanessay
intoMLAformat.Althoughthistookmeawhiletolearn,IhavemasteredtheskillandIamnow
aproatit.AnotherskillthatIamproudtohaveisthatIamstrangelygoodatcitingevidence.I
knowthatIamgoodatthisbecauseMrs.Stegnerhasleftnotesonthesideofmypaperssaying
GoodJob!orNice!andsheeventoldmeinpersonthatIamgoodatthis.EventhoughI
havealotofstrengths,Istillhavesomeweaknesses.OneweaknessthatIhaveisthatIstruggle
withmakinganintroductionparagraphbecauseIjustneverreallyknowwhattoput.SinceIhave
beenyoung,makinganintroductionparagraphhasalwaysbeenthehardestpartofanessayfor
me.Thismightbebad,butanotherweaknessthatIhaveisthatIstilldonotunderstand
ethos/logos/andpathos.Iknowwehavegoneoverthisalot,butIstillhavenocluewhatthey
areandthatiswhytheyaremyweakness.AlthoughIhavestrengthsandweaknesses,Ihavestill

becomeanexcellentwriterandIhopesomedayIcanbecomebettersothatIhaveno
weaknesses.
Aftercompletingtheresearchpaper,thereisnowoneskillthatIcannowdothatIcould
notdowhentheschoolyearfirststartedcreatingaWorksCitedpage.InowknowthatIhaveto
alphabetizetheauthorsbylastname,Ihavetodoahangingindent,andIhavetoknowwhereto
putcommasorperiods,whichIdidnotknowhowtodointhebeginningoftheyear.Ialso
learnedthattheWorksCitedpagehastohaveapagenumberatthetopjustliketherestofthe
essay.OnceIcompletedtheresearchpaperandMrs.Stegnergradedit,IsawthatIgot100%on
thepieceitselfbecauseIknewwhattodoandhowtodoit.IamverythankfulthatIhave
learnedthisskillbecausenowIcanproperlycreateaWorksCitedpageandIknowthatitwill
turnoutperfect.
Comingintothisschoolyear,Ididnothavethebestvocabulary,butthroughoutthe
schoolyearIbecameahumandictionary.Mycriticalreadingskillshaveimprovedimmensely
becausewhenIwrotethePersonalStatementinthefirstsemester,Mrs.Stegnerputalotof
dwsofthepaper.Incaseyoudidntknow,dwmeansdeadword.Surprisingly,throughout
theyearMrs.Stegnerstoppedwritingdwonthepaperandstartedwritingdifferentwordslike
Goodchoiceorsometimeshewouldntevenwriteanythingatall.Thisschoolyearhasbeen
greatbecauseIhavelearnedalotofwordsthatIneverknewbeforeandnowmycriticalreading
skillsareamazing.
Whilecompletingthiscourse,Ihavelearnedthatcollegeessaysrequireyoutodoalotof
researchbecausemostoftheessaysareharderthantheonesyouencounterinhighschool.These
skillstransfertootherclassesbecauseinmyAmericanGovernmentclasswehavetodoatonof

researchonatopicandthenwriteanessayaboutit,butIhavebecomeimmunedtothisbecauseI
amusedtodoingalotofresearch.IbelievethatIamreadyfortheacademicreadingandwriting
thatIwillencounterincollegebecauseIneverdidpoorlyonanessayandMrs.Stegnernever
wroteanynegativecomment,plusshealsosaidthatIdidthebestintheclassonthe
BraveNew
World
Essay.AnotherreasonwhyIbelieveIampreparedtocollegeisbecauseIalwaysturnmy
stuffinontimeandIalwaysdomywork,whichisveryimportantincollege.Inconclusion,this
coursehashelpedmeprepareforcollegebecauseInowknowhowtoproperlywriteanessay
andhowtodogoodprocessworksothatitiseasiertowritemyessays.
Sincerely,
JonathonPetersen