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Ariana Azoulai

Professor Batty

English 101

31 May 2017

16 Weeks: a Reflective Essay

Language, and the way we use it, is the basis of our everyday communication. Think

about it; most everyone uses words to express themselves within their everyday lives. If we

didnt have the ability to learn reading and writing skills, life would be extremely difficult when

trying to complete daily tasks. While some may say Math or Science is the most important

subject, Language Arts provides us with the tools necessary to learn and teach such subjects.

Thus, improving my English skills is vital for my education. During this semester, my mind was

put to the test when faced with various assignments that strengthened my: writing, reading, and

critical thinking skills.

After not being in school for almost a year, I felt pretty rusty regarding my essay-writing

and my writing in general. I had always enjoyed English in school, and while writing wasnt my

favorite portion, I felt like this semester has made it more likeable. A warm-up assignment I

genuinely enjoyed doing was the Freewrite. Each Freewrite created a nice flow of creativity and

was accompanied by classical music in the background, which seemed to help with the classs

concentration. Another assignment where everyones creativity had the chance to explore was the

mural essay. This was probably one of my favorite essays to write, not only in this class, but out

of every essay Ive completed. It gave us the freedom to choose something we enjoyed, a mural,

while still relating to the subject at hand, the essay. This was a great way to ease everyone into

writing instead of assigning the same work where everyone writes about a book they barely
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enjoy. Both the Freewrite and the mural essay were able to teach me old and new skills. I was not

only re-introduced to writing, but I was also taught to see how lively an essay can become once

you dig deep within yourself and bring expression into your writing.

Reading is an important factor, like writing, in the improvement process regarding

Language Arts. While the class only read one book this semester, we explored other areas of

learning as well. For example, we would read chapters from our textbook, They Say/I Say by

Cathy Birkenstein and Gerald Graff, along with any articles posted on Canvas, which we would

then discuss in class. Doing so not only helped to keep us engaged, but it also made information

easier to retain. The novel, Still Water Saints by Alex Espinoza, was an easy and entertaining

read that made discussions much more interesting. By expanding our reading comprehension, not

only to books but to other sources as well, we were able to learn more in regards to the real

world. For example, doing the Stay Woke assignments gave us the opportunity to read and

learn about current events. These different reading assignments allowed me to do something I

love; reading. All the while, we still acquired new information about English and our world.

Critical thinking is what provides us with a choice to make smart decisions in our

everyday lives. During the semester, there were multiple occurrences where our critical thinking

skills came into play. An assignment that truly brought out our critical thinking was, once again,

the mural essay. It asked us to interpret a mural and break down all of the pieces we saw. By

doing so, I was taught to dig beneath the surface and take something more than at face value.

Learning this skill helped me when the Still Water Saints essay came around. I had chosen a

semi-difficult character, Lluvia, and needed to discover any saint-like qualities she had. This was

not as easy as it sounds, and in result, pushed me to use critical thinking. By constantly using this

type of process, I was able to fortify my ability and look at learning in a new light.
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This jam-packed first semester at L.A. Valley College has enlightened me on loads of

new information, especially in English class. A multitude of assignments and teachings have

refreshed any forgotten information, and also, taught me heaps of new information. These

learnings were able to enhance my basic skills (writing, reading, and critical thinking), to then

use for creating incredible and improved work. Coming out of English 101, I feel a greater sense

of confidence in my writing than I had before. Im ready for semester two and feel prepared for

any roadblocks that may be thrown my way.