Bueller… Bueller… Bueller... Unfortunately, this is a voice heard by many, if not all, students at some point in their high school career. It is heard so often by these innocent creatures, some develop a habit of incorporating this bland, monotonous “voice” into their everyday presentation to their peers, and even in their papers. Despite having experienced this dilemma on several occasions in my high school career, I have yet to develop the contagious monotonous voice, which proves one of my many writing strengths. If selected as a representative of St. Charles East’s Fighting Saints Chapter, I would share this writing strength with others through providing help to those in need of a peer editor. If I were a Freshman anxiously walking out of her English 9 Honors class with the rubric of the Of Mice & Men essay in one hand and the rough draft of the actual essay in the other, who would I, a desperate, lost, and helpless …show more content…
Freshman, turn to in times of such dismay? Another lost Freshman, or perhaps the Junior who has not only taken the English class, but has also had further experience in language and composition? With that being said, I offer a lending hand to those in non-linguistic need.
In the past, I have partaken in several service hours dedicated to caring for kittens in the Anderson Animal Shelter, and I have also helped the librarians at the St. Charles Public Library as part of their teen volunteer program. With these two experiences, I have gained the patience needed to help peers, such as the previously mentioned situational Freshman, who are lost in their endeavours. However, these skills are not only to be applied during school hours: after school, I act as the role of the magically mechanical superheroine who revises her friends’ and siblings’ essays into the wee hours of the following morning. Though it seems as if this were torture, I, like almost all superheroes and heroines, admire helping others; if the favor will benefit the other party in learning about which rhetorical devices would fit when attempting to emphasize pathos, or reviewing the long-lost knowledge of a synopsis versus a retelling of a book, I would gladly shorten my
sleep. This of course leads to the obvious passion I have: writing. Without the scandalous pen and paper, I would strut around the halls of the school with a different, perhaps less open minded perspective on each student who passes me by. This may seem like a bold assumption, as one with a sane mind would come to conclude that such a young woman could not possibly have an altered state of perception based on a miniscule hobby; writing is not a miniscule hobby, nor has it ever been a “shortened” part of my life. From the day my hands were introduced to the beautiful, curvy writing instruments, to the day everyone else in my eighth grade language arts class sighed about writing yet another essay, to even now as I distance myself from the mechanical devices to focus more on the electronic version of a ballpoint pen, the art of writing is, and will always, amaze me; in my perspective, the writing instrument is the object, and the writer’s limitless, infinite expansions of imagination act as the catalyst to create a masterpiece such as Roald Dahl’s Matilda or even the eerie, somber compilation of pieces written by Edgar Allen Poe. One day, as a librarian shuffles to shelve books recently returned by patrons, she will shelve my book alongside these authors, as it is my goal to achieve a status so prestigious as this. As a Fighting Saint, I will not only provide aid to those in need of assistance regarding literature and linguistics, but also learn from others’ and my own errors along the way.
Writing with Readings and Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. 52-57. Print.
The odd thing about a lisp is that the speaker does not hear it himself. To him, his speech is just as normal as everyone else. It wasn’t until friends started comparing my speech to cartoon characters such as Sid the Sloth and Daffy Duck that I began to realize that I sounded different than everyone else. In a strange way, knowing that I had a lisp taught me a sense of determination that I feel one only learns when he knows he is facing adversity every time he opens his mouth to speak. Throughout high school, it was my mission not to let my lisp define me. Whether it was with a rapidly beating heart or a cold sweat trickling down my spine, I was determined not to shy away from public speaking or the often daunting task of speaking to anyone who was not a close friend. I was resolved though not to limit myself by the lack of self-confidence that my lisp instilled upon
During the transition from a high school writer to a collegiate writer, my strength at understanding the basic principles of good writing has remained consistent. I grasp the ...
As the semester finally approaches the finish line, I revisit my past work to compare and contrast how this class has developed me into a successful writer at the college level. Throughout the year my writing style has developed and become broader as I have learned how to incorporate more of my personal views as well as reliable, unbiased information. This portfolio is a representation of how many things I have learned along the way while being an English 102 student.
There remains this experience in my mind that I need to write about that actually inspired me in countless behaviors in reference to service and self. I consider relationships concerning those in the helping field and those obtaining aid stands as particularly vital; hence, I believe I must direct focus on this concept. I resolved to enter this discipline because I wanted to give back to those in the community in need. One day I was speaking with a counselor at Centaur who happened to tell me about the significance of connecting to clients, and she expressed to me that I should pay homage to those who accept the “gift” of service because without them, we would not possess the zeal to accomplish authentic behaviors approaching community service. I realized these were true words of wisdom because when I thought about it, I realized my actions were not just about those that I helped but how I helped myself. Thus, in my opinion, these connections were essentially interactions that were in effect a “gift” that could be passed on. I am not just here to help and individual, I am here to create notable connections that would present the motivation to others to also aid those in need and bolster the
The third part of the book’s purpose is that by attaining the first two, “it would encourage more enjoyable and articulate communication between the two [Professor and pupil]” (pg. X). To do so, Corrigan endeavors to excite readers with the possibilities that lay in writing: sharing experiences, analyzing themes and imagery, and simply writing about the most popular and entertaining medium around.
Community service is something that I have always engaged. In college, I worked with chemically dependent children as both a caretaker and a mentor. After I graduated, I taught at-risk children in a community youth outreach program. To remain involved and aware of the focus of my studies during my first year of law school, I volunteered at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center teaching youth their basic legal rights. Essentially, we strove to empower kids by providing practical information about the legal system and to help them develop more favora...
Well, it’s ninth grade and I’m sitting in English Class, a little bored and a little puzzled by the constant emission of rhetorical interpretations, each slightly different in their own way, but all the same nonetheless. At this point, my teacher is calling on the students who haven’t raised their hands to offer their two cents on…something we had been reading. Frankly, they’re just phoning it in. I look to the clock and, wow, we still have another forty-two minutes left. So naturally, I zone out, lost in a trance, achingly trying to stay awake. English is not really my favorite subject, so I don’t really participate in our discussions that much.
Taking time to volunteer at the many nonprofit organizations, homeless shelters, advocacy centers, philanthropic fundraisers, local schools and child care facilities in the inner city is not always at the forefront of young people’s minds while navigating through their college experiences. But, with a little push from student organizations, local nonprofits and passionate individuals, volunteerism and community change can start to take a front seat and become not just an opportunity, but also a priority in the lives of young people.
I was fortunate enough to have spent my last two summers as a high school student actively engaged in numerous ways. Two summer ago, I decided to be a counselor of a wonderful enrichment program called Camp Invention, a renowned science camp for young children to explore and invent creatively. During this 40 hour volunteer service, I learned how to handle children with both care and responsibility in a subject I am greatly passionate about. In addition, I also was responsible for my employment as a cook at Hwy 55. During the most recent summer, I attended the NC Governor’s School for Natural Science, a six week residential program that focuses on integrating academic disciplines with the world around us. This was an enlightening experience,
Volunteering enables a person to develop new skills that he or she would otherwise not have been able to develop. Unlike most other organizations, a charitable organization is happy to give positions to passionate, though inexperienced, individuals who desire to help others and benefit the community. Therefore, an individual with little experience in a field of work can gain meaningful skills that he or she can use in the future. For example, while I volunteered at the hospital this summer, I learned about the daily work lives and professional duties of doctors and nurses. Had I not volunteered, I would not have learned about these things. I was always interested in the medical field, but volunteering at the hospital let me explore my interests and en...
Carpe Diem! An English professor begins his senior student’s last year of high school english with this simple phrase. In most cases a brand new professor’s views on life would affect a group of arrogant and emotional teenagers, but John Keating had a certain charisma that convinces them to listen. Through months of life lessons and unconventional classwork, Mr.Keating manages to give some, such as Neil Perry, Charlie Dalton, and Todd Anderson, a whole new perspective on the world around them. Others, like Richard Cameron, do not heed his advice and continue life without his wisdom. Mr.Keating gave his class a bone full of knowledge, and only a few chose to suck it out.
Besides my warm and nurturing personality, one major strength I bring to the helping situation is my background knowledge from prior experiences related to helping. Since my freshman year at the University of Maryland, I have continuously volunteered at the Help Center. The crisis hotline provides emotional and social support for individuals in vulnerable and difficult situations. I am familiar with how to use some of the concepts utilized in helping situations such as reflections and restatements. I have also served on the Student Counselor Advisory Board. I advertised and educated students of the University of Maryland on the Counseling Center ‘s services on campus
Instead of learning about volunteering from an indoor setting, I was able to first-hand experience volunteerism. I truly enjoyed being able to help my community while also earning credits by doing so. It was a win-win! If I had the opportunity, I would definitely take a class similar to this one. I will be transferring to the University of Kentucky and I am hoping that they will have some clubs/organizations that specialize in volunteering so that I can continue to help with the community. You will encounter some rough patches while volunteering, but that should never discourage you from continuing on. I know that at first while volunteering at MCHS, it was pretty strenuous. I hadn’t worked with any other animals other than my own and I had never volunteered at an animal shelter before, but everything ended up working out. I learned so much more about working with animals, gained people skills while working with other volunteers/adopters, and became more aware of my community’s needs. I will continue to volunteer and encourage others to do the
School had just started; it was the fall of my sophomore year. I was excited about having new teachers and being able to boss around those little freshmen since I had finally lost that ridiculous title of “freshy.” Although one class did turn all that excitement right into knots in my stomach, it was English 10. Ugh I hated English, partially because I could never remember all those rules of writing, which I had just thought of as “dumb.” I figured, “Why would I ever need to know all them? Computers will be able to fix all my mistakes for me!” As I would soon find out, boy was I ever wrong. Surprisingly, class was going good; our teacher Mr. Mieckowski seemed to be a little weird and quite boring at times but all in all not too bad I mean who isn’t boring occasionally? He had a shiny head with very little hair and never wore long sleeves to class. He was also quite tall and skinny, so everyone had his or her own conclusion about Mr. Mieckowski’s personal life. A lot of the time this ended up being the topic of conversation for his students, along with his hatred towards icicle lights, white reindeer, and especially technology; the thing I loved most.