Dear Malcolm,

I have so enjoyed being in your writing class. The variety in our assigned reading
material and writing assignments were very interesting to me and I enjoyed the process
of reading and writing these materials. We began with Joyas Valadoras and ended with
The Sacrament of the Present Movement. And Ill never forget our first writing
assignment- why is writing important? Aside from writing assignments, we also
completed several writing assignments along with peer review. One of the most
challenging papers we wrote was our annotated bibliography. I had a really hard time
getting the hang of writing that paper. I just could not understand how to write my
annotations correctly, and I found the whole process to be quite tedious. I know it was a
very important part of the class, though, because it set the foundation for our research
and topic proposal, ultimately leading to the writing of our extended inquiry project. The
annotated bibliography required four sources to be cited in MLA format followed by an
analyzation of each source explaining the general content, what we found helpful, and
how the source will help us further our research. After writing our rough draft annotated
bibliography, we did a peer review exercise in class. My peer review group was super
helpful and showed me how to correctly cite my sources, and how to better my writing
so its easier to understand.
We also completed daily journals in writing class. I really enjoyed those. It was a
time to kind of unwind and write exactly what we were thinking. For example, in my
Daily Journals tab, youll find some of my journals that fall into certain categories, one of
them being my favorite writing. My daily journals helped me become more attentive by
draining my brain and allowing me to begin class with a clean slate. I enjoyed the

different prompts we got every morning. They ranged from explaining the meaning
behind a quote, to evaluating a photo, to explaining why our topic for our EIP matters
and to whom it concerns. There were prompts for writers all across the board, and I
thoroughly enjoyed the daily journal process. It really helped get my brain rolling in the
morning. My favorite daily journal was when we were given the scenario tell your
parents you wrecked your car and we had to write a letter explaining to them what had
happened. I chose to branch out and write my letter from the perspective of two teenage
stoners who were sure they could top 100 mph around a curve. I did not write
eloquently at all, and used a lot of slang terms, which made the writing process even
more amusing. My second favorite was the time we were shown a zoomed in picture of
a young boy smiling, and we had to assess what was happening in the photo- which
might I add, was not what it seemed. When zoomed out, the photo became sinister. It
was a photo of two young boys holding guns to a baby boys head. We assessed other
pictures along with the photo of the boy, but none were quite as shocking.
My most important work in the class overall would have to be my EIP. My EIP
topic is on music therapy and how it can help reverse effects of psychological illnesses.
I have passion by the pound for my topic and I never grow tired of learning about it. I
actually became so fascinated with my topic, I considered changing my major from
music education to music therapy. I just absolutely fell in love with the idea of giving
people who suffer from a mental illness a portion of their life back. My topic actually hits
quite close to home. My fiancs grandma was just recently diagnosed with dementia,
and she was a former musician. She cannot remember much, but she remembers
music like it was yesterday. It amazed me how music had such an impact on her brain,

and everyone elses brain at that. This topic is so important to me because it involves
music- an element of my being that makes me, me. Music is an essential to my life- like
food or water or oxygen, so anything that music affects is important to me. Writing about
something that matters to me makes me a better writer and allows me to dive into
something I love while excelling my career as a writer. Writing the topic proposal and
annotated bibliography that went along with my EIP were quite difficult for me. I loved
the research and learning new things, and I enjoyed the peer review that went along
with writing both of those papers, but I suck at annotations and I suck at explaining how
I will use sources to further my research. It would be easier for me to just put the
sources into my final paper. But I understand that both assignments were important to
the big picture. And as I finish up my final EIP, I will be grateful for completing the topic
proposal, the annotated bibliography, and the EIP rough draft. By having these things, I
can see where I made good and bad writing choices and use them to better the
outcome of my final EIP.
I have more weaknesses than strengths as a writer. I struggle with my word
choices a lot, and tend to drift off topic really easily. As previously mentioned, I struggle
with citations as well and explaining sources. My strengths are few and far between.
When I am writing about something I feel strongly about, my writing tends to be eons
better than when Im writing about something I dont deem important. Unfortunately, my
weaknesses have not left me and the only strength I gained is the ability to write really
long papers. But thats okay, change is change no matter how small.
Along with my weaknesses came challenges. And honestly, the biggest
challenge this entire semester for me has been this eportfolio. It is so hard for me. I am

terrible at technology and there are limits to what I can understand via computer. I have
no idea if Ive done this project correctly and Im terrified Im going to fail the class
because my portfolio sucks. I would rather write a 12 page reflective letter than do
another eportfolio. Well, maybe not. Just looking at this assignment as a whole is very
overwhelming and there are so many places to make mistakes. This whole process has
been really stressful for me and I hope Ive gotten it right. And hey, after I finish this
portfolio, Ill never have to stress again because now Ill know how to create one. I have
progressed a lot despite my challenges. My thinking has broadened and I question a lot
more than I used to. I look at multiple elements rather than the big picture, and I am
able to mix my opinions with those of others to form one solid opinion.
Speaking of forming one solid opinion, lets talk about SLOs. Our SLO
assignment was very easy for me. I really enjoyed the whole process of picking apart
the original work and rewriting it into my style of language. I also really enjoyed getting
together with my peers and combining our interpretations of the SLOs into one. I feel
like, as a student, I have met the requirements of the SLOs. I am able to pull
information from multiple sources. I am able to read critically and interpret readings. I
am able to write eloquently and use information from other sources to reach more
audiences and make my papers more interesting. I feel as though I have succeeded. By
no means am I the best, but for myself, I have improved and met the goals the writing
faculty set.
This was my first ever college class. I began my career in the walls of your
classroom, and I could not be more thankful. I had so much fun every morning- even
though I was tired. Your assignments challenged me and interested me and helped me

further my skills as a writer, a thinker, and a reader. I procrastinated, spent many late
nights making up for my procrastination, and I learned. I so enjoyed your class,
especially the blog. Though sometimes I did not want to write a blog post, looking back
on it, the blog was so fun and its something I think everyone should try at least once.
Your class treated me well, and I am thankful for my experiences. Thank you for
keeping it interesting.
Best,
Regan Sawyer