19th June 2019

Portfolio
Composition II
Northern Oklahoma College
1118 West Hall of Fame
Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074

Dear Mrs. Davis,

These collections of writings really reflect my like in a whole for the last two years. I have spent
the past two years of my life going to school for respiratory and it has consumed my life. I
haven’t had to write any papers for my other college classed so my writing is form essay
questions from Autry. We would go over chapters in class and have to answer questions to gain
more knowledge on the topics. Refection of my writing shows how my life has been going and I
feel that I have become a better writer this summer than ever before.

My first portfolio sample writing is one from this class. It was the “I believe” essay and was my
favorite one to write. I really felt a connection with what I wrote in this essay because it came
from the heart. It showed what has been most important to me through the last two years of
school. I couldn’t have done it without my family and this essay showed the dedication I have
felt. The second writing sample I had chosen is into to Respiratory care. This writing was about
the beginning of school and the skill I thought I would be learning in my schooling. Most it was
true but as in everything sometimes what you are taught and what is reality are not always the
same. Over the two years things have changed and not just in school but different information
and studies in the hospital. The third sample writing was the first questions that we were doing in
mechanical ventilation. Mechanical ventilation was probably the hardest book that we have gone
through and this was just the beginning of a long year trying to keep everything together. I under
stood what a mechanical vent did but this was the first time we were going to divulge into the
year of the vent. The fourth sample writing was when we were about half way through the year
and getting into what we need to know to get a vent set up and how to work it and in what
settings. I feel from these questions on I started understanding what was going on with the
mechanical vent and was real changing point in my schooling.

I had not considered myself a literate person before this class. I was just doing what needed to be
done to get through school so I could move on with my life. I think that the order I put the
writings in were my favorite to my least. My questions from school are defiantly not as well
written at the essays I have tried to do for this class. I have never been so confused in a class
about what to do with writings because it had been such a long time since I had been in English.
But feel like a stronger writer now that I am at the end and I have appreciated the helping
explanation that you have given us through this summer.

The process of writing for me has been doing what you need to do to get it done correctly and
quickly. I know it is not the best process but it is all that I was allowed this summer. I am a very
busy person as I am sure everyone is because life is busy! In my tool box it was mostly trying to
understand and looking up the meaning of what was expected of me and getting it turned in on
time. I spent many hours looking up and learning from YouTube or reading the student
examples. I appreciate all of the extra material you put out for us the look at.

I feel like time was a real weakness for me and being out of school for such a long time it had
really hindered me in my writing. I feel with more time and with the class and to be able to spend
on the assignments would have been better enjoyed the classes only being six weeks long. I think
that my strength is my thoughts and imagination I am able to come up with topics to write about.
I feel my strengths are less than my weaknesses but getting better as I go along.

In my future I don’t predict to be writing essays, but I will have to communicate with others in
documenting notes. Communication with staff and Doctors is very crucial when dealing with
patients. I still need to address the citing of information but feel that I have grown with that also.
I don’t see myself going back to school and having to utilize essay writing or citing in my future.
I believe that I am more prepared now than I ever was before and this class has really helped me
with that feeling. I am not planning on going to school anytime in the future but, 13 years ago
when I stopped going to school I didn’t think I would be finishing a degree 15 years later!

Sincerely,

Jill Schwerdtfeger