As a junior in high school, deciding to take this class was not necessarily a picnic; I was not sure if I would get anything out of it due to my fear of a lack of understanding anything. I was not sure whether I would be able to do well, as a college class sounds intimidating. Now, though, if I finish the class off with an A, a B, or anything else, I know that I have definitely changed for the better despite what grade I finish off with. As I have taken part in the class, I realize that I was not as uneducated as I thought I was; this class, if anything, has given me confidence as a writer. Not only has it given me confidence in my writing, but also confidence in being able to help construct my peers’ writing.
    I remember before I ever started the class, I would tell my mom that I was scared for others to comment on my posts; I did not want feedback and I just wanted to do what I was going to do. Now I know where my faults were; feedback is not a bad thing nor a scary thing to be afraid of. Yes, I was afraid of people telling me my writing was horrible and that I needed to change this and that; this class has allowed me to experience the true meaning of “constructive criticism.” I am now able to be confident in what I write while taking the comments, good and bad, and use them to make my writing even better than it was before. This is a completely different mindset than I had before I had ever taken the class. I am grateful for it. If I had still had this mindset into my senior year or my college years, I'm not sure where it would lead me; I’m glad I was able to realize this beforehand.
     Now, as to having to comment on my peers' responses to a prompt, this part of the class has also changed my mindset, and it has allowed me to experience what it is like to thoroughly help another person review their writing. I know, for me, it is very hard to find errors in my own writing so I am grateful for those who thoroughly wish to help me make my writing better; and so, I do my best to help them as well. This kind of writing relationship is sort of like a give-and-take, where they help me, and I help them, throughout the course. Regarding commenting, sometimes though, it challenges me to find something for one of the writers to fix, as their writing is so well-written; having to comment has helped me dig deeper and really find something to add, take away, or simply fix.
   Throughout the class as well, I have learned so many new concepts such as what a portfolio is, how to make one, how to write certain pieces of writing and putting them all into practice. Before I ever took this class, I had no clue what an Ethnography or a Portfolio was; now I do! I not only know what they are, I now know how to write and make one happen! Throughout the course I have learned grammatical techniques through Norton’s book and through the lectures; there are plenty of concepts that I had no clue about. An example of these would be what the difference is between a paraphrase and a summary. There is a slight difference; anyone want to have a go at it?
     One last item that I will forever be grateful to this class for, is the element of how much work has to go into it. This class is no walk through the park, nor a walk to the moon. Taking the class, putting in hard work and my time into it has taught me time management while still doing my best. It has taught me to be patient with myself, others, and the professor. Many times I would complain to my fellow students, friends, and parents about how much work it was; but in reality, I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, reading the comments people made on it, and commenting on others’ writing. Of course, it was not relaxation time, but it was enjoyable to be able to have such participation with other classmates my age.