LoganFlaherty AdamPadget English1102 20April2014 ReflectiveEssay Letsstartattheverybeginning,averygoodplacetostart.Ok,Iwontstartatthevery beginningbutIwillstartatthestartoftheschoolyear.WhenIfirststartedcollege,Iwasnot lookingforwardtotakingEnglish.IdidnotdowellinEnglishclassesinhighschoolandIknew thewritingwasgoingtobealotmoreintense,ohwhatajoy.AsIwentthroughmysemester withRobertArnold,IfoundthatIactuallyquiteenjoywritingandIamprettydecentatit.Ithink whatreallymadethatclasseasywasthatIwasjustwritingaboutmyself.Knowingmytopic intimatelymadewritingaboutitcomenaturally. Afterleavingthisclass,feelingmuchmoreconfidently,IwasreadytotakeonEnglish 1102.WhenIfirstcameintotheclass,Iexpectedittobelike1101justwithnoticeablymore writing.Iwaswrong,whichseemstobeareoccuringthemeincollege.

.However,eventhoughI wasnotwritingaboutmyself,Iwasstillveryfamiliarwithourclasstopic,socialmedia.Itwas greattocontinuediscussingsomethingofthatIwasveryawareandofwhichIwasapartbut,I stilldidnotfeelasfreeasIdidinEnglish1101.Personally,Idonotfeelthatwritingshouldbefor anyoneelsessatisfaction.Writingistrulyjustawayforpeopletoexpressthemselves.Wehave usedthisexpressionmostrecentlyforcommunication.ThisisveryusefulandconvenientbutI thinkthatpeopletakeitforgranted.Writing,tome,isreallygettingoutwhatyoucantsayaloud orprovingyourpoint.Sowhensomeonetriestoforceyoutoputyouropinionsonpaperit basicallydefeatsthepurposeofwritingandcreatesforaveryboringessay.Thetopicsassigned

atthebeginningofthisclassactuallywerenottoorestrictive,simplyaskingquestionslikehow doyoufeelaboutsocialmedia?orhowhassocialmediaaffectedsociety?Thesearegreat questions,theyhaveenoughsubstanceonwhichtoformawholepaper.However,whenyou askmorepointedandobjectivequestions,peopletendtoshutoff.Iknowtheobvioussolution seemstobelettingstudentswritewhatevertheywantbutthatiswrongtoo. Allowingstudentstowriteonanytopicoftheirchoosingonlyleadstoconfusion.College kidsarenotverydecisive.Theyneedtobepointedintherightdirection.Thisiswhytheresearch papersseemabitunorganizedandsomewhatdismantled.Americansareraisedtocrave structurealongwithindependence.SoaskinganAmericanstudentcanbetrickythisiswhywe needcreative,innovativeandflexibleEnglishteachers.IfeelthatMr.Padgetdidanexceptional jobatthis.Ienjoyedhisdailyquestionswhenheaskedustowritebecauseitgaveusaclear pathonwhichtofocus.Thesequestionsalsoquestionedwhywethinkthewaywedo,thisalso givemoreincentivetowritebecausestudentsfeelliketheyarewritingaboutthemselves.