Kyle Plemmons Plemmons 1

Mr. Arnold

English 1101

November 29, 2010

Evaluating Reflective Essay

What can I say, I have never really been a good writer. All throughout high school I felt

as if I wasn’t a decent writer. This upset me because I realized that I would need to obtain at

least some writing skills either before or during my first semester here at UNCC. The English

class I am currently in has helped save me from remaining a poor writer. I have this sense that I

am learning slowly but surely how to write a good paper with essential components needed to

make A’s or maybe a few B’s here and there.

The two papers that I have written in my English class this semester are of great value to

me. I feel I chose rather proper topics to write about for both of them and that I succeeded in

turning them into comfortable A’s. I chose to write about Jamaica for my significant event

paper because my trip had a very sentimental value to me and it changed my life in different,

positive ways. For my explaining paper, I chose to write about tennis because it has been my

sport of choice since I was a youngster and I have taken many lessons which have stayed with

me these years. It started off a little slow, for our first paper at least. It was taking me quite a

while to type up my first draft of my significant event paper but when I finished it I felt very

complete. When my professor reviewed my paper, I was to edit it and make any changes I felt

necessary. I read over the paper a few times and made any corrections paragraph by
Kyle Plemmons Plemmons 1

Mr. Arnold

English 1101

November 29, 2010

paragraph. This way I was able to focus on a small portion of writing and it was easier to

analyze the material. I was happy with an A on that paper. Our second paper was not as bad

and turned out real nice in my opinion. I edited it the same way and although there were more

corrections to be made I think I improved quite a bit with being able to pick out mistakes.

Overall the class of English 1101 has helped turn me into a more aware writer. I feel as if

I am now prepared for what is to come in future writing intensive courses. This is a rather

exciting feeling considering I was never a good writer in any aspect. One of my main problems

while writing in high school was that I would have a hard time staying on subject in my paper. I

always seemed to stray away from the topic and it would drastically alter my paper in a

negative way. The ways that I’ve learned to edit my papers, such as narrowing down what I

analyze, has allowed me to make sure I stay on topic. I expect at the end of the semester to be

fully prepared for English 1102, feel as though I can write a well constructed paper on any topic

given, and to be able to enjoy writing in the future. I firmly believe that my expectations will be

met successfully and this thought makes me feel accomplished as a writer. From receiving

proper and helpful instruction to hands on experience, my English 1101 class has made me

more positive about my writing and I can’t wait to utilize my techniques in future English and

writing courses. My improvement makes me feel better because it brings a feeling of joy to

know that I can now succeed in another subject which has been hard for me to grasp.
Kyle Plemmons Plemmons 1

Mr. Arnold

English 1101

November 29, 2010