This semester felt like it was tough but also felt easy at the same time. Though there were so many roadblocks and obstacles, I grew as a writer and person. Those roadblocks and obstacles are what helped me grow. But most importantly, putting in the dedication to do the work helped me grow. I learned from past mistakes and tried to avoid making the same mistakes again. With writing this many essays in a short span of time definitely taught me so much about the proper way to use resources to support my ideas and claims. Although I have learned a lot, I may not have always been successful with all my composed writing. But overall, I was able to achieve almost all of the course learning outcomes this semester. 

  Over the semester, doing the assignments, I achieved many of the course learning outcomes. One course learning outcome that I have achieved this semester was to “explore and analyze in my own and others’ writing a variety of genres (field notes, narratives, rhetorical texts, rhetorical analyses, poetry, research essay, academic source material, song lyrics, advertisements, commercials, etc.) and rhetorical situations.” This outcome was something that I was able to achieve with each assignment because being able to look at not only my work, but others work helped grow my thinking. Growing my thinking helped me improve my own writing by using what inspired me from other writings, whether it’s to add more ideas or remove some parts that may not fit as well as I thought it would have. Another course learning outcome that I achieved this semester was to “develop strategies for reading, drafting, revising, and editing (i.e. peer review, revision, proofreading, high vs. Low order issues, writing multiple drafts.” For me, when I’m given an assignment prompt, starting the essay would be the hardest part. Then I would have to think about the best way to organize all that I need and want to include into my writing. So, drafting is something I absolutely did this semester. In a draft I would write down all that comes to my head and write as much as I can, even if I would have to start over, or remove a whole paragraph. Now with this draft, my strategy is to read it out loud. Reading it out loud allows me to hear what makes sense and what doesn’t make sense, as well as gives me more time to think about what else I can add or revise. When we had class, we would have peers around us to read our writing where they give their own thoughts and suggestions. Using those, you can revise your essay even more to be better in ways you don’t realize or notice. But it wasn’t all the time where I agreed with their suggestions. A third course learning outcome that I have achieved this semester was to “examine how attitudes towards linguistic standards empower and oppress language users (i.e. Jamilia Lyiscott, Amy Tan, our labor-based grading contract).” I was able to successfully achieve this outcome with the narrative essay assignment. According to my reflection, I was able to practice and find different ways to speak to my intended audience. I had learned that adding personal perspectives to writing can hold so much power. The power of being able to write something that the audience can relate to is what makes them want to read more. So therefore, these course learning outcomes have helped me improve my writing in different ways. 

With all the time I had spent revising my essays, I was still not so successful in some areas. Although I looked at other writing written by others or used the suggestions from my peers, I was not able to successfully achieve some course learning outcomes. One course learning outcome that I was not able to achieve was to “recognize and practice key rhetorical terms (context, audience, genre, purpose, etc.), strategies, and appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) when engaged in writing situations.” I’d say that I did okay when it came to aiming for an audience, choosing the right genre, and having a purpose for the writing. But the hardest part was having an appeal for my rhetorical text. Having to choose an appeal had me stuck thinking of what kind of appeal would make sense and what is best for the type of genre I chose. Even though I concluded to use pathos, I was not able to back up my thinking of how and why I used it to appeal to my audience. So, appeals would be something I could use more practice on. Another course learning outcome that I did not successfully achieve was to “develop and engage in the collaborative and social aspects of the writing process (i.e. peer review, group work). As I talked about above, being able to hear what my peers thought and suggested did help for the most part. But this outcome was not successful even in the past because of me. Throughout my whole life I was never the most talkative person, I was always so shy or afraid to speak. My goal in college was to be able to talk more and create more connections. So far, I have tried and somewhat did, but not much as I had wished to. So, talking with my peers, whether it’s to get their opinion or ask any questions I may have is something I do still need to work on. These two course learning outcomes are what I think I mostly need to practice and work on is important because I think these will have the best effect on me and my writing. 

Considering everything, I was able to achieve the course learning outcomes this semester, but I should still work on some areas. I have seen and learned that your own writing would never be perfect the first time you write it. It takes time and many revisions to make it as best as you can, with the help of others. Overall, these assignments proved to me that any roadblocks had helped me think deeper, to better my writing. Not just the roadblocks but being able to practice the course learning outcomes has helped me become a better writer than when I first started the semester.