Risiglione 1

Kevin Risiglione

Professor Batty

English 101

30 May 2019

The Right to Learn: Learning to Write

As humans, we have the distinct ability to take in information, process it, and put out

something unique. When we are presented with something that is new or unfamiliar, our brains

begin taking in the information. It spends some time up in the brain, and soon enough, this

information becomes our own. We no longer require to be glued to our text books or instruction

manuals, we’ve learned it. Oxford dictionary defines learning as, “the acquisition of knowledge

or skills through experience, study, or by being taught”. Humans learn from the second they are

born to the second they die, whether or not most people retain what they learn is a whole

discussion on its own. In English 101 with Professor Batty, I learned how to write an informed

paper and how to do my own research. While under her instruction, I was able to start with a

blank page and develop it into a piece of scholarly writing. I’ve learned that, personally, it takes

me a good while to come up with something worth turning in. I identified areas I excel in and

what I might need to improve on. Although I am not the perfect writer, through her guidance,

Professor Batty helped me learn that I am capable of gathering my thoughts about a particular

prompt and formatting an essay I can be proud of putting my name on.

In the beginning of the semester, my best essay would have 5 generic, cookie-cutter

paragraphs. I would initiate a worthy hook, to get the victim of my essay interested, state my

claim, use three quotes in as many body paragraphs and restate my introduction in reverse order.
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I was once proud of being able to turn something in with this lack-luster formula. The first 2 or 3

months of instruction, the professor held our hands as we said goodbye to this way of writing.

Although inferior, the prior formula is a part of the three-story thesis we would learn to use in

her class. We still need an introduction, conclusion, and quotes to support our claim. We also

learned about picking relevant topics and the importance of being specific. We discussed pre-

writing strategies and how the thesis is the main argument of our essay. The three-story thesis

teaches us to employ a deeper analysis in our writing. We should dissect the passages at face

value, identify an issue in the text, and relate it to the world we live in today. This makes our

essays much more interesting and it also helps to keep the reader engaged till the end. We

learned different ways to revise the essays we produce, nobody writes good first drafts.

Some of my weaknesses include that I choose to procrastinate at times. Sometimes I’d

just rather be doing anything than my homework. I would prefer to do things I enjoy than to

make a word cloud or do research. I became aware of this and began to form a solution. If I start

sooner I am free to take my time, by engaging sooner I can break it into smaller parts rather than

be drowned in work. Another one of my weaknesses was a reluctancy to do research for essay

prompts. When presented an unfamiliar topic, the last thing I wanted to do was read a bunch of

articles about alien sightings, for example. I learned to find beauty in the struggle and change my

mindset to enjoy the new information. It is in our nature to grow and learn more things, when

this ceases to be true, the worst lies ahead. One thing I felt I was good at was prefacing the reader

and catching them up on what they’ve missed. I might overdue it at times but its better to have

love and lost than to never have loved at all.

Overall the course was a success for both the instructor and myself. I learned to improve

my writing, that its not so scary to attempt a 5-page paper. I learned that titles are important
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because it is the first thing the reader will see. I learned the importance of research and how they

help justify your argument. Not just that, it is also important to use them in the proper context;

just because you quote something doesn’t mean that its relevant at to what you’re arguing. I

found a new appreciation for doing research because it is important to know what you are

discussing. Learning to write is a crucial step in developing essays for your classes.