Final Reflective Letter

Dear Ms. Knudson,

Coming into UWRT this semester I was sure I was destined for doom because of my
terrible writing skills. But within one semester I learned that I am capable of producing better
work. I already knew that I was good at incorporating sources into my papers but I never knew
that my sources where cited wrong most the time due to the lack of not changing the type of
source it was. I feel as if this class helped me gain knowledge to become a better writer and to
get me out of my comfort zone. Some of the writings and articles were tough to read and reflect
on due to lack of knowledge.
Having you and my classmates peer edit my papers made me more comfortable with
sharing my work. I now understand why we need to reread and revise all of our papers whether
it is to catch spelling or grammatical errors. After writing my first reading response and receiving
your feedback I realized that I needed to work harder and understand the articles more
thoroughly to gain a deep understanding of them to reflect extensively. When we first began to
talk about the Ethnography I was extremely scared as to how I was supposed to get five pages
out of observing people and creating an overall thesis to base my paper off of.
For my ten in class writings I chose the ones that were the most interesting or
controversial to me. Topics I disagree with are much easier for me to respond to because my
opinions fire me up allowing me to write vigorously until I made my point. Topics that are
personal to me were also easier to write especially if it was something Im passionate about. My
purpose for picking these ten was certainly not because theyre my best but to show how I have
grown as a writer. As we got further into the semester it became easier for me to write for the
whole time limit we were given. I feel as if my in class writings progressed as the weeks went by
and I learned how to thoroughly get my point across within the time given.
The three reading responses I chose from this semester are the ones that I feel represent
my writing style the best. I did not include my first two reading responses because I feel that they
were not as error free. Reading responses were fun for me to write because I got to pick which
article to write about to express my opinion and show my knowledge of the article. I included
multiple images in the reading responses I chose to include because I feel they enhance the
overall understanding of the reading response.
The two sets of in class discussion notes I included within my portfolio are the ones that I
feel like my group did the best on coming together to get a common idea. My group didnt
always agree on the topics because we all value different things. We learned how to work as a
group sometimes we would debate until we saw each other views but it was nice to have
someone to listen to my opinions.
My Cultural Literacy Essay is by far my favorite essay I have wrote although it was not
my best. My cultural literacy essay topic was very tough for me to discuss but I had an easy time
writing about it because it was something personal. It was beneficial to me because it helped me
realize that there was nothing wrong with me or my lifestyle all though it is very different than
the average college students. Overall I enjoyed this topic because it can relate to not only me but
my peers.
Although I started off to a bumpy start with my ethnography I still enjoyed it. My topic
was about observing what people at Sams Club bought and the thoughts in their heads. This
project helped me become a better writer because I had to use secondary resources and cite them.
Before this semester I did not know the proper way to cite resources. You were very helpful in

editing my ethnography. Also I utilized the editing of a classmate who would point out my
grammatical and spelling errors. He also helped me control my run on sentences.
Overall I feel as if this class has helped me progress as a writer. Throughout this semester
I have learned the importance of rereading and editing my papers before turning them in. I have
also learned to take criticism from classmates. I am very thankful that I learned how to use
resources and site them as they helped me with my writing assignments this semester and will
help me in my future classes. This class has really helped me take my writing to another level
which will help me in my future career field. I hope you enjoy my portfolio!
Thank you tremendously for an amazing semester,
-Haleigh Riley