UWRT 1103 Professor Campbell Thompson1

Dear Malcolm,

Over this past semester I have learned more about myself, my writing, and

the world around me than in any of my other college courses. I was able to open my

eyes and consume this whole new world around me. I learned to express myself

through my words and realized that writing doesn’t have to be hard; I learned it

could be quite enjoyable. While looking over my past work this semester I have seen

the way I have grown as a person in just three short months.

My extended inquiry project opened my eyes to the world of feminism and

allowed me to explore the topic without judgment or shame. I was able to ask the

questions I needed to fully understand the topic and indulge myself in the rich

history and the current modern movement without ridicule. This class allowed me

to find the person I truly wanted to become. It allowed me to grasp onto these

thoughts and these ideas and fly with them. This is why I consider it my most

important work of the semester. Your comments and the comments my peers

graciously gave to me provided me with the opportunity to grow into a feminist

myself. You questioned my thoughts and my presence on the subject in class, in the

daybook entries, and on my first draft; this forced me to argue why it mattered to

me and it forced me to realize that I am truly a feminist. The margin outline

especially helped me when it came time for reviewing my first draft and revising it.

I was able to tell where I went off track and where there was a need for more

supporting evidence.

I found the free writing process to be fun however not very helpful to my

success as a college student. What I am struggling with most is research papers and

UWRT 1103 Professor Campbell Thompson2

trying to keep my opinion out of them. I write regularly about my personal life and

the struggles that I face so I have much experience with free writing. I felt like the

extended inquiry project allowed me to practice this process. The topic proposal

helped me to realize how I should pick topics for my papers in the future and

condense the information in a way that will make it helpful when writing the paper.

The annotated bibliography helped to understand how I should analyze sources and

pick the ones best suited for what I am arguing. My largest struggle entering this

class was probably composing research papers; that still remains my greatest

weakness however I feel that I have significantly improved and I feel much more

confident in my writing.

Another aspect that I thoroughly enjoyed about this class was the

controversial topics given to us and the blog assignments that were expected to

accompany them. One of my favorite assignments was the video on education v.

college. I found it to be extremely interesting and it made me seriously question

whether college was the right decision for me. I also enjoyed the TedTalk about

school crushing creativity. I felt as if someone finally said what I was thinking for

the past twelve years of my life. These assignments allowed me to voice my opinion

and hear others as well. This exchange of opinions helped me to realize that many

others feel the same way I do and that it is also perfectly acceptable to have a

differing opinion on the matter.

I recently re-read my original Literacy Narrative and was surprised about

what I had written about. I am usually very much conserved and quiet about my

personal life and the things that are happening. I feel that the literacy narrative

UWRT 1103 Professor Campbell Thompson3

allowed me to write down all of these feelings that had been bottled up, all of my

frustration and anger. Looking back there are many things that I would change

about it and I would someday like to revisit and hopefully rewrite it. I feel that if we

were assigned to rewrite it at the end of the semester many things about it would

change and my growth would be able to be better depicted. I felt that making the

comparison between my father and learning golf perfectly described the struggle

that I was dealing with in the early years of high school. I remember trying to think

of what to write about and being so determined to make it something memorable. I

feel that I completed that. The Literacy Assignment and that comparison is

something that I will always turn back to.

As I composed my e-Portfolio I was able to reflect on all of the things that

have happened this past semester. I was able to see my growth first hand and

realize what I still may need to work on. I never found any of the work to be

necessarily difficult however I did find it to be tedious. There is so much detail that

is necessary when writing and I realized that I need to focus on getting that detail

across to my readers. I too often focus on the main point at hand and not so often

provide people with the details they need to fully understand my topic or position.

Condensing everything together and having to reflect on this past semester was

hard yet I feel like it has been rewarding. I have progressed at a thinker and a

questioner from the blog assignments. This class was one of the first in college that

encouraged me to be a creative thinker and form opinions that differ from my

professor. You and my peers encouraged me to question norms and question the

things that people tell me. I have become a much more opinionated person that is

UWRT 1103 Professor Campbell Thompson4

able to question and think reasonably about a subject; I no longer just take what my

peers or family says for granted. I have progressed as a writer from the Literacy

Narrative and the Extended Inquiry Project. I find myself much more confident in

the work that I complete and much more satisfied with outcome.

Thank you for a wonderful semester. This class has truly been the most

rewarding and intriguing classes I have taken at college.

Sincerely,

Mary Thompson (Max)