English Comp.

Stephen Griffin                                                                                     

English Comp.

4/18/11

Journal #8

  I’m usually pretty good at describing situations, emotions and expressing my gratitude towards an individual, but journal number eight will put me to the test.  I struggle to find the words to describe what this class has done for me.  Furthermore, I may not ever be able to relay to any one person reading this how thankful I am to have had such a great professor in Ms Warren.  She has motivated me to strive towards something that I love to do, but have always been hesitant to consider even a remote possibility of becoming actuality.  Up until this class started I hadn’t written hardly anything.  I always loved to write when I was younger, but after a few life altering decisions and a change in priorities, I put writing away and considered it to be impractical and unimpressive.  Once I came to a point in life where I found myself writing again as a way to cope with a bad situation, I couldn’t put my pen down.  However, the purpose for which I was using my writing faded away, but the pen stayed in my hand.  After 9 years of writing absolutely nothing, I began to write as if I had never stopped.  With Ms Warren motivating me and complementing me, along with teaching me the basics that come with writing, I have been given something that has opened so many doors for me.  Writing has allowed me to process thoughts, deal with guilt and come to an understanding of my life as it is now.  I have absolutely nothing but praise and gratitude for this class and its professor.

  One of my favorite things about this class is the freedom that Ms Warren gives her students to be able to input their own thoughts and feelings into their writing.  I’m not sure, but there are probably other professors that are slightly more stringent in their essay format requirements, which I have to think hurts their students.  To allow an individual to open up his or her heart and place it onto a piece of paper is nothing short of awesome.  Ms Warren’s style allows her students to be creative, which I believe is a staple point in writing.  It also makes writing fun.  As long as you stay within reasonable range of the given type of essay, Ms Warren allows the students to be themselves and be creative.  That does wonders for an individual.  Personally, after a couple of my essays, I would go back and read over what I had written, and I couldn’t recognize what I was reading.  I didn’t remember writing any of it.  Having the freedom to allow my personality to develop throughout an essay almost literally takes me into another world.  I go into a “zone” as some would describe it.  It’s comparable to driving to work early in the morning and upon arriving to work somehow you don’t remember how you even got there.  Somewhere in between your house and your place of employment, you blacked out, but somehow made it there alive.  That happens to me in my writing.  I go into another world and quite honestly I can get carried away.  But when my imagination combined with my personality takes over, the finished product more often than not surprises me because I can’t believe the stuff I come up with sometimes.  Imagination is the thoughts of your heart.  Ms Warren allowing me to just be myself on paper has broadened my imagination and love for writing.

  I’m actually sad to be leaving this class because it has really opened a lot of doors for me.  I really don’t want to leave.  This was my first semester of college and at the beginning I was very worried that I just wouldn’t like it.  But at the end of the second class I was addicted.  I couldn’t wait for the next lesson and the next writing assignment.  Quite honestly, this class has given me something to focus on while a lot of bad things have transpired around me.  Instead of being constantly depressed and dealing with a tough situation in unhealthy ways, I was able to sit down and write a story that took me into another world.  It was a breathe of fresh air.  This class has given me a sense of purpose, Ms Warren has motivated me to press forward and I admittedly cannot fathom any other possible way of beginning my college career other than starting it in this class with this professor.  I have loved every minute of this class, and I lack the words to express my thankfulness for everything that it and its professor have done for me.  I know that most students see this class as just another class.  But for me, it has been a doorway into another life.