GOAL 1: I used a multi-stage, recursive, and social process for my writing and took into consideration feedback from my instructor, classmates, and other readers.

I haven’t written a paper in over 20 years and was really intimidated to take this class. I was unable to attend the first class due to starting a new job.   I checked my Rowan email account and read an email on a Saturday morning from Professor Hodges that said I missed a very important class and to contact him immediately. That didn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy.   I called him Saturday morning he was very responsive and helped me get started. He helped me log onto the “blog” and explained the first assignment. First of all, I never blogged and I couldn’t believe we weren’t writing papers. We had to write a personal, evaluative, analytical, narrative, argumentative, persuasive, categorical, or reflective response to the graphic that Professor Hodges used for the background of the course blog. There was a picture of Charlie Brown and he looked really sad or disappointed. I was perplexed with the assignment and knowing what I know now, I’m sure that is exactly how Professor Hodges wanted us to feel. I only watch the news for traffic and weather due to the negativity. I’ve been reading books such as, “The Secret” and “The Power,” by Rhonda Byrne, all feel good positive books. The Comp II class was based on seeing all topics as an argument. I found Professor Hodges looking at everything in a negative way in the beginning of the class. He saw the glass half empty and I saw the glass half full, just my opinion. I completed the assignment and the feedback was harsh. I didn’t have any confidence in my writing skills when I started the class and after my first feedback session I was terrified and thought should I just take this class another time. I realized that this class was just going to be very hard and I had to stick it out and prove that I could possibly succeed.

I liked the fact that you were given the opportunity to get feedback and time to revise your work during the semester. Professor Hodges said, “Your first draft is always garbage and you will want to rip it up in many pieces,” as he did in class and threw the paper all over the place.  I’m a visual learner and that will stay with me forever.  Professor Hodges would say at the end of every class if you want feedback, please ask.  I didn’t ask for feedback in the beginning for I was afraid of what he would say.  I wish I would have engaged more with Professor Hodges in the beginning of the semester I think I would have learned a lot more. I watched one of his students, blog name,  “skyblue.” She missed a few assignments in the beginning of the semester and I watched him take her under his wing and really helped her grow. She shared her experience with me in class and I felt good that  Professor Hodges was not only reaching me as a student, but I could see him reaching others. I know he is looking for negative comments and argumentative thoughts, not going to happen for I really enjoyed his style of teaching. In the beginning I thought he was crazy, but now I think all teachers should engage with their students such a Professor Hodges style.

GOAL 2: I read source materials closely and analyzed them critically to learn how and why texts create meaning.

My favorite assignment was the Visual Rhetoric paper. I watched the video I chose over and over again without sound to really focused in on what was going on. Every time I watched the video I saw something else. I found myself really engaged and was able to articulate the actions of the actors in the video. It was a good way to tap into how you can absorb information and describe each detail. If I had to read an article and write down what I read,  I would have spent a lot more time doing that assignment due to not being able to retain information the first time I read something.  Professor Hodges is aware of all learning styles and touches most of them in his class.  He knows his audience and if his students take a shift his lectures will too.

I had some grammatical issues that Professor Hodges addressed and he actually had a few lectures on mechanical writing, gave examples  of what not to do and allowed us to practice in class. I enjoyed those assignments; however, I need complete silence when I’m reading in order to comprehend. Some of the classes there was music being played and I couldn’t concentrate. Some students are gifted and can be in a loud room and be able to perform, not the case for me.

GOAL 3: I wrote with a particular audience in mind, allowing my purpose to shape the language and methods I used not just to communicate information but to persuade readers.

My audience was my classmates  and Professor Hodges. I enjoyed being in class with students that were more than half my age.  I was able to see how creative and free their minds were and watched Professor Hodges face light up when one of his students really got what he was saying. He would share a post and tell the student how fantastic they were when given feedback. I did feel as if my life lessons got in the way of some of my assignments. I would think too much and add my own experiences instead of sticking to the topic. I thought my first Rebuttal Argument was good Rebuttal Argument until Professor Hodges gave me some feedback and burst my bubble. I put a lot of time into that piece and was disappointed that I failed. I was trying to argue that a quick response from an eyewitness was better than giving an eyewitness time to deliberate. My examples at the time seemed to be on point, but after I received feedback I realized how they really didn’t make sense. I reached out to Professor Hodges and asked him if everyone had a hard time and what I was going through normal, he said, “Yes, that’s normal, juggler, unless you’re accustomed to writing complex arguments for a very particular reader who considers it his job to challenge you always to do better. I’ve seen nothing but effort and growth from you so far. Take heart. This is how the work goes.” That was my turning point in the class and I realized I was there to learn and that my work was supposed to be criticized and not to fear the feedback.

GOAL 4: I demonstrated my information literacy by synthesizing my own experience with new insights and information from a range of outside sources to produce new material. Insert here a 125-word explanation of how you met the goal. For a fuller description of the Goal, read the description of Core Value 4 above.

After getting some coaching I was able to really understand what I was going to write about. I was told that my working hypothesis would change a few times and that was so true. I set out to write about happiness and Professor Hodges suggested I change my topic due to happiness being such a tough topic to argue. He suggested the memory, so off I went and started researching the memory and decided to write about childhood memories. Do our memories define us or do we define our memories? The White Paper assignment was not used in or Portfolio however, that assignment allowed me to read sources and synthesize with my own experiences. I read about memory, how the brain works in correlation with memory recollection, how childhood memories are rewritten. Professor Hodges suggested that we talk to our friends and family about our topics and see if we could get them to argue or disagree with our ideas and then we would be on to something. I had to opportunity to write about some of my childhood memories and then asked my parents if that was what really happened.  I drove my friends and family crazy with my questions and now find myself analyzing stories people tell me and every time they tell me the story again something has changed. I think the older we get the more we elaborate some of our memories. The memory is a complicated topic to write about and can take you in several directions.

GOAL 5: My writing is ethical. Writing about meaningful topics, I have engaged responsibly with them and represented my ideas and the ideas of others honestly, fairly, and logically. Insert here a 125-word explanation of how you met the goal. For a fuller description of the Goal, read the description of Core Value 5 above.

I represented my ideas and others honestly. I really struggled with a lot of the assignments and had to put a lot of work into a few hundred word essay.   Struggled in a way of re-creating what I just read into my own words and having a good outcome such as the original.  I found myself reading the material, dumping my version on paper, re-reading the sources and updating the information constantly. I’m aware that I’m not a good writer and feel as if I improved since day one.  I can honestly say all my first drafts are horrible and embarrassing just like Professor Hodges said. As I was putting my portfolio together I found myself revising. I did use a lot of the material from my sources to develop my argument. I need to practice creating my own thoughts and understanding the material and adding value to the academic world.  I have been utilizing all lessons in my daily world and I am convinced that Comp II has made me a more conscious  writer and reader since day one.