Austin Lambert

Kempsville High School

5194 Chief Trail

Ashley Bauman
Kempsville High School
5194 Chief Trail

June 6, 2019
Dear Mrs. Bauman:

This year in English we’ve explored many genres of literature. These include Siddhartha,
Anthem, The Giver, Shoe dog which was a book that I chose, and a few other pieces of
literature. I have also enjoyed the group projects I have completed with my classmates
throughout the year. I feel like I have learned a lot from this class even though the work was
challenging, I still obtained a lot of knowledge throughout this year. This year I have
strengthened my reading, writing, and revision skill during my time spent in English.

I have grown so much as a reader and thinker this year because of all the hard work that
really tested my abilities. Doing research, making personal connections, symbolism, and
imagery are all my strengths as a reader and thinker because my brain likes to make
connections to things associated with not just reading, but also with the things around me. My
favorite piece we read was my student select book ​Shoe Dog​. Phil Knight created something
you see everyday and it was fun to find out the history of such an amazing company. Siddhartha
was definitely the hardest piece I had to write about this year. It was very challenging because
of the language so it was difficult to interpret. Lord of the Flies was my least favorite because it
is difficult to imagine a group of young boys treating each other in a cutthroat way in a survival
life style. Julius Caesar was also very difficult to interpret because of the language.

I wrote many essays dealing with all the novels we’ve read throughout the year. The
most challenging piece I wrote was definitely my Julius Caesar essay, it was hard to understand
the old language. I have improved so much over this year such as being able to see things from
different perspectives. I also had an amazing experience doing my summer network project
when I went to Bauer Compressors. I’ve had a great year reading non-fiction books that were
actually interesting like Shoe Dog, I have learned so much from that book that you must start at
the bottom to become the top dog. New things likes rhetorical appeals were my favorite thing to
learn in class because I actually know how to use them in my writing.

This year I have revised just about every essay I’ve written like the Siddhartha timed
writing that I put on my portfolio. I fixed my hook to make the word choice sound better and
become more of a hook. I have also changed my Lord of the Flies paper by rewording some
long and short sentences to make them sound like they are more on topic. I feel like the
revisions i’ve made to my paper really helped me become a better writer and editor.
 I don’t really see myself reading leisurely very often, but I do read news articles as well
as sports. I feel like people right because it is a source of communication to everybody that
reads it. I only see myself writing when I’m in english class, I never write outside of school
unless it’s a homework assignment. I think that writing won’t have much of a role unless I really
have to write.

I really feel like my six word memoir captured this year because I really struggled
obtaining information because of the teaching styles my teachers used. I went through many
changes this year because of this pressure and work that I pushed through and completed,
really helped me become a better student as a whole. The work was very hard at first, but when
I really put my mind to it I was able to complete it in the time frame required. My perceptions
have changed a lot because when I get assigned so much work I have to do in a short amount
of time it changes the way I do my work, which most of the time helps me become a better
student, making me try harder so I can be successful.

From your student,

Austin