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I have actually not had any real failures during the first semester. However, I also worked hard to do the best I could in classes.
The one assignment that felt like a mini failure was a timed essay I had to write in my English 1A class in the beginning of the semester. We had 90 minutes to write and upload an essay. Since it hadn't written an essay in a long time it was not enough time for me to look up what the structure should be like, how to come up with a thesis and to write a coherent piece of writing. However, I still received 80% in the essay, which I would not really call a failure. It did leave me with a feeling of insecurity though. I was not sure if I would be able to meet the course expectations or my own. I set fairly high standards for myself, which is not always a good thing. I try to have a growth mindset and to see failures as opportunities to learn and grow, but that does not always work. After this essay I took the time to study Diana Hacker's Writer's Reference and learned how to properly structure an essay, formulate a thesis statement and also how to integrate and cite my sources correctly. I had never written an outline for an essay before, but learned this semester how to do so, mainly through research and teaching myself. Looking back at this essay, I can really see that my writing has improved. I used too many quotes and too little of my own analyzing. The structure is not great and I don't really have a clear thesis statement. Now I can see all that, but I could not at the start of the semester. |