Metacognition: First Semester

This past semester has been one of great growth in many areas, but for relevance and conciseness purposes I will limit this list to three. In English class alone, I have grown as a writer, a reader, and a thinker.

If were able to find my mid- or end-of-the-year assignments from past years, you would most likely see, "I have improved immensely as a writer this year" written many times. That being said, I do not think I lied a single one of those years. To me, writing is a journey, not a destination. And honestly, I believe that a 'final destination' can never be reached. No one is a perfect writer. However, I do feel like I have made vast improvements this year. The only way to improve your writing is to write, and in the past months I have written many difficult, but rewarding pieces. Before, I had been very limited by structure when I wrote. I wrote best when there was a set format down to the nitty gritty detail. However, I eventually needed to get past that and I feel I did with the 1000 word essay last month. Another major improvement for me was my development of ideas. Oftentimes I'd have an insight, but fail to foster enough into a full idea for fear of 'rambling'. Rather than adding to my paper it would seem out of place and fragmented. The thesis driven essays showed me the importance of developing ideas, and I feel like my writing has reflected that.

I have grown immensely as a reader this year as well, and I feel I have to credit this growth to the difficulty of books we have read the past semester. At the beginning of the year Mr. Allen talked about being able to notice all the complexities of language 'real time.' I don't think I am there yet, which frustrates me a little bit, but I realize I have to be patient. By reading what I am reading and completing the accompanying assignments, I think I am on the right track towards becoming a more analytical reader. Although I can't necessarily pick up on everything the author intends for me to, I do catch on to most of it, and can unearth the others if I backtrack and slow down. From just the beginning to the end of King Lear (can't underline), I became a much better reader and appreciator of Shakespeare and his language. We read Romeo and Juliet last year, but I often felt I was relying on the scene summaries more than the Bard's own words. If I could change anything about my reading, I would increase my ability to comprehend what's going on the first time, rather than having to reread, but otherwise I am fairly content with my ability to acknowledge authors' work.

I feel my biggest growth, as well as most important, has been my ability to think. From the beginning of this year until now, my depth of understanding and cognition has flourished. Last year, reading a book like Sophie's World would seem unfathomable, and at the time it probably was. Even as we began the novel just a few months ago, I never thought I would catch on. But I soon realized that my mind was able to adapt to accommodate these complex ideas. From that, I realized that my mind will not grow on its own. Without constant challenges, no improvement will occur. Unfortunately, at times it can be hard to motivate myself to work past these challenges in order to reach the goal on the other side. It might be easier to avoid the difficult assignments and stick to what I already know, but what's the point of that? If I plan on improving and getting smarter, I cannot be content with simply taking the easy way out. Rather, I must constantly be pushing myself and leaving my comfort zone. That's where true insights come from.