Writer's Profile

This portfolio includes my progression as a writer throughout this semester. I started the semester as an unconfident writer who did not really want anyone to read my papers. I was also completely horrible at forming a thesis and conclusion. I was even guilty of writing all of my papers at the last minute and never making any kind of revisions.

However, I have improved the formation of my thesis in my papers to a certain extent. For example, I got a complement from Ms. Andrews in her comments on my revised inquiry argumentative essay. I only had one thing that I needed to take out to make the thesis close to perfect. Usually, my thesis is not always clear or it is not strong enough. I am still working on improving my conclusions but I do feel more confident about them than I did at the beginning of this class. For instance, I went back and added a few things to the conclusion of my writing that moves you essay. It may not still be the best but it is a little better than it was.

I also take the time to revise my essays and not just write them the day before they are due. I now see that my essays turn out better when I spend time on them and take in consideration the ideas and constructive criticism of my peers and teacher. For example, the process that I took to form my this I believe essay and my inquiry argumentative essay consisted of multiple drafts. The more changes the better. I also set goals to plan out the days and time that I will spend on my essays to make sure I do not write them all in one sitting.

I used to think that getting criticized by my peers or teachers meant that my paper was horrible. However this class made me notice that my peers and teachers actually saw potential in my essays and were only trying to give me advice on how to make my paper even better. I also realized that people actually thought my essays were good. Therefore these peer response activities helped increase my confidence in my writing and it also showed me where my weaknesses were.

In the beginning of this class I really did not think that I would learn much or even enjoy it. I also thought that it would be like any other English class I have had and I would not grow as a writer. However, I was extremely wrong. This class made writing interesting because we had many class discussions, peer response activities, and Ms. Andrews was extremely helpful. Since the class was interesting and most of my peers were involved it helped me actually try to become a better writer and realize that I had potential.