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Marisol Meza
Professor Adler
STACC- English 100-#70525
December 16, 2015
Looking Back: STACC
My experience as a reader, writer and student has been a mixture of self-reflection and
the forming of new connections. It was through this class, which I believe to have found my
inspiration and relearned how to express my thoughts and ideas, in a complex and organized
manner. It is also through this class, which my entire writing style and mindset began and
somewhat evolve. Unfortunately, it was through my initial academic high school life which I
managed to rob, myself of the necessary tools and basic fundamental skills of composing. I
believe it was my lack of discipline and more importantly, the lack of finding the right triggers or
professionals to evolve and engage me as a student. It has been solely because of the
opportunity to form a connection with the teaching style of Professor Adler, which has allowed
me to discover and evolve who I am as writer. As Carol S. Dweck wrote, ..effort is a positive
thing, it ignites their intelligence and causes it to grow, students escalate their efforts and look
for new learning strategies (Dweck, 2007). I have discovered through this semester the
importance of having the desire and willingness to form the necessary connections to nurture and
inspire my personal writing abilities.
At the beginning of the semester I was extremely nervous and insecure of my abilities.
My knowledge of the English language was limited and was lacking the basic fundamentals of
English. I was extremely apprehensive of my own writing abilities as a student, particularly
because it had been 20 plus years, since I had written an academic paper. None-the-less, I was
well aware of my limited knowledge and my somewhat questionable skills. I understood they

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were inadequate as a high school student, let alone at college level. In the beginning of the
semester my writing lacked expression, structure, articulation and confidence. However, I had
the willingness and desire to grow and improve as a student. I was willing to invest the time and
effort necessary to develop my writing. I met multiple times with the writing center tutor and
used the campus resources to the fullest. I also took the time to ask the necessary questions to
understand the assignment. Since then my writing has become a purposeful illustration of my
own interpretations. I have acquired the skills necessary to create a purposeful thesis statement as
well as the supporting details. I am now able to nurture and inspire my own thought and ideas
through a college level composition. It is solely through this class which I have strengthened my
determination and reassured my abilities as a college student and a writer.
The essay which provided me with the most inspiration would be essay number two, My
Literacy Narrative. The reason I am most proud of this essay is not because of the exceptional
letter grade I received (which was a surprise to me), but because it was my first written
composition which I strived to compose a structured and well composed essay. The knowledge I
gained from this class and combination with the extensive classroom workshops, I was able to
understand the purpose of narrative essay and remain focused to the assignment. It was through
this essay which I believed I gained the most confidence. In one passage I can recall writing, I
can remember being in the 3rd grade,.I had no friends and I hated being the new kid, worst of
all we had no money to buy new clothes, so I secretly hid the hole in my sweater and my dirty
shoes. I attempted to provide my audience with a small glimpse of my memory, through the
detail and visualization. Shortly after receiving the feedback of essay number two, I was able to
confidently make the connection with my new found knowledge towards my other classes. I was
able to confidently compose multiple Critical Thinking writing assignments for my

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Psychology class. The feedback I received from the psychology professor was that all my four
page essays were well written, well-articulated and well-organized. Essay number two
provided me with the confidence to be able to structure and fulfill any assignment in a cohesive
manner.
The most encouraging and inspiring source of readings from this class was from Jimmy
Santiago Baca, A place to Stand. I truly enjoyed reading and analyzing his writing style. His
method of writing provided me, the reader, an engaging and vivid description of multiple nature
scenes throughout his book. Through the use of imagery, Baca was able to describe in great
detail the multiple naturalistic episodes of his own life. In one passage Baca recalls, We would
play on the swings and the teeter-totter, roll in the grass, and pitch pebbles making them squirt
across the waterthe reflection of the tree and sky would reflect across the horizon as we would
watch each insect as it would flee.(Baca 140). Through his words and his method of articulation
it allowed the reader to imagine the scene, in vivid detail.
The skills and resources I have gained in English 100, I have been able to transcend onto
various classes. I am no longer petrified of writing a paper of completing an assignment. I have
enough self-reliance to research and have obtained the necessary tools to be to compose and
fulfill any assignment. Because of this class, I am now able to express myself confidently and yet
meticulously. The manner this class contributed to my practical learning and education goal was
through the use of multiple writing styles and examples. This class has taught me how to use the
necessary resources to assist me in any writing assignment. The skills I have learned from this
class, I will take with me for the rest of my college career. I was particularly impressed by the
manner Professor Adler explained the Three Step Method for quotation integration. The steps

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have helped me in multiple classes and writing assignments. I am extremely grateful and have
had such a positive experience with his teaching method.
What I found the most beneficial about Professor Adler teaching method is the flexibility
of his teaching style. He gave his students a voice in his classroom. He asked for the opinion of
the classroom and took into consideration any feedback we had. Professor Alder was extremely
approachable and ensured his students had clarity of the understanding of any of the writing
assignments. In my experience, no matter how nerve wreaking or confusing the assignment was,
he always made a conscious effort to explain and provide the necessary assistance to understand
the assignment. There is not a single regret I have in taking this class. My only regret would be,
why couldnt I have met Professor Adler, sooner in my college career? I have truly enjoyed
learning and evolving as a student. I look forward to another semester of STACC English 1A and
can only hope and pray to preserve and continue to enjoy my college life. I hope to continue to
improve my writing skills and to continue to be inspired through literature. I do however, hope to
eventually locate my writing style and solidify my source of inspiration.

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Works Cited
Baca, Jimmy Santiago. A Place to Stand.
New York: Grove Press, 2001. Book.
Dweck, Carol S. The Perils and Promises of Praise Early Intervention at Every age.
(2007): 34-39 Random House. Handout.