A Year of Progress

Some people say they can remember the moment they began to learn to read. I may not remember that but I remember learning being a long and hard process. Every night and even during the day my mom read to me and I loved it but it wasn’t coming to me as easily as I think she thought it should. As a baby, my whole family thought I was extremely gifted. I could speak sentences and sing my ABCs by my first birthday. They assumed reading would come just as easily. When the training began, we all found out that teaching me to read was not going to be as simple as anticipated. My mother made me read these travel size pop up books every day in the car. I must have read those little books over a hundred times and I learned to hate them. They later bought me a reading computer program that was supposed to help. My cousin had used it in order to learn to read and it had helped her tremendously. In not too much time, it did start to help, along with me reading books every night with my mother’s help.

 Once I had learned to read, I was drilled with my handwriting in order to improve. If a sentence or a word was not neat, I would have to rewrite everything. All of this training had placed me in the top of my class honors Writing and Reading groups. Even though I was there, I sat around and analyzed how the others read and how I had been bad before. It made me nervous and I was then scared to read out loud to the rest of the group. With being scared and hesitant, I became a worse reader and of course, being a worse reader would effect my writing also. It wasn’t till later in High School that I realized it was important, and I needed to make writing a part of my life in order to succeed.

It was in 11^th grade AP English that I remember changing most as a writer. Learning so many different writing skills has been something I can not only look back on, but also continue to improve on. Throughout the year I was challenged everyday with new things such as analyzing, debates and poetry. This altogether changed the way I looked at written pieces. I know that was a year I truly struggled, but it was also a year where I felt I wrote some of my best essays. It was always hard to ace my essays in this class, but once I did, I felt empowered to try even harder to improve and continue doing well in the class.

            One of the most important things I think I learned in this class was how to analyze. To practice, we analyzed essays, stories, articles and even paintings. Each piece that was analyzed had a different significance. We had to take different facts given and try to find if the author meant something by saying things in certain orders or in a certain way. We analyzed books and constantly took quizzes analyzing each chapter and sometimes the quiz would have a paragraph from a chapter and we would have to read and analyze it then. Another assignment I thought really helped was the painting analyzing. It was interesting trying to figure out what the painting may mean to the painter and what it meant to us.

 Once, I even had to analyze and then write a story about a picture. That made me think more descriptively and I really tried to add elements of the painting into the story. Another thing analyzing helped me with was understanding books through analyzing the characters.  Understanding books made it easier to write about them. From that point forward, I analyzed in depth and saw things from a completely different viewpoint. In order to be a better writer, I needed to be able to be a good reader, and analyzing helped bring that out in me. I was able to get an even deeper understanding of what I read.
               In the middle of the year we began the debate portion of the class. I felt this was an amazing experience because it not only gave me the chance to write a research paper, but it also had me write a speech. The speech felt amazing to give with all the information I had spent weeks gathering. I felt that I had so much information backing up my side that I wouldn’t have to worry about people going against my topic later. The speech was very fluid and was a hit in the class, however, people did still go against it and argue with me.

 When the Q&A portion and debate came up, I was completely ready. I had every answer and I learned to think on my feet about reactions to audience commentary. This was the first time I had done an actual research paper and I put my all into it. Now because of this, I feel ready for research papers I may do in college.

                Studying poetry was actually something that changed my high school life. It all started with learning how to analyze the poems. There were many different ways to look at each one and it all depended on what the reader saw in it. Eventually, it came time for us to recite poems. Although I was nervous, I was ready. So I got an A for reciting the poem but from there my teacher asked me and a few other students to join the Poetry Out Loud Contest. I eagerly said yes and then in the contest I ended up placing 3^rd. That is what changed things for me. When my name was announced on the loud speaker the drama teacher was listening to the results. From there she found me and told me that she wanted me to audition to be a lead in one of her shows. That year, I ended up getting a minor character, but the next, I got the lead! The Poetry Out Loud Contest opened doors for me that I didn’t even think could ever be possible. Who knew I could go from memorizing a 30-line poem to memorizing an entire script. Now I see that poetry gave me the confidence in myself as an actress and speaker and now I no longer have a problem with that.

            Throughout the year, my writing was greatly affected. The way I looked at essays, articles, poems, books and even paintings had been changed forever. I just thought about things at a completely different angle than I had before. Never before had I thought that one word could change an entire meaning. One word can add so much or even take away so much and that is why it is so important to not miss things like that when analyzing. I learned that one sentence or a paragraph as a whole can have multiple different meanings. Each reader may take something different away from a selection of reading and that is what makes it so special.

            Although not all of my intentions to take this class were great, I am so glad I did. I wanted to improve my writing skills and that is one goal I did achieve! Another reason I took the class was because all of my friends were taking it. I didn’t want to be left in the dust, so I took it too. That may not be the best reason but it had a pretty good result. I also felt it would look really good on college applications, not only the class, but with my improved writing, I would be able to make my essays better, which would improve a college application.

            In the end, it was a long year. I truly did benefit greatly from that class. I felt that my thought process in analyzing improved the most. In making that skill my base, I continued to learn more and with that, I became a better writer. It’s easy to lose sight of what I learned here and just try to write, but taking time to think about all of these skills helps me improve. Then the more I write this way, the more I feel myself grow as a writer.

           The lessons I learned to improve my writing have continued to help me even today. I developed better quote weaving in this class and I can think back to it for structure help always. Also, everyday I use my analyzing skills that I learned in this class. I am so glad to have the analyzing experience because I believe that your analyzing skills only grow through experience and different opportunities to analyze. Different teachers provide that practice and teach to expand your knowledge. That is why Helen Keller says, “The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me” (HK excerpt). Having great teachers myself, I see why Helen is so strong about her love for this teacher, Anne. Like her, I overcame “barriers still, it is true, but barriers that could in time be swept away,” and through much practice, they were (HK Excerpt). My skills then developed to allow me to take this amazing year of AP English and now I look back and I am so glad that I did take it. Despite the difficulty level, it made me a better writer.

Letter of Reflection

Dear Reader,

I have collected six artifacts of reading and writing and looking through them reminds me how much I have grown as a writer and a person. There are some things I wrote that I would totally change and some I would elaborate on. Each essay reminds me of the class I wrote it in and the whole section that was based around that essay. Then remembering the time makes me think of my life around the time I wrote it and how much time I spent on it.

The first essay, Analysis of “The Enemy Within”, was written when I was in 10th grade Honors English. I know that in that specific class I was just beginning to develop the writing skills and I had trouble with fallacies. This essay helped me grasp the subject more but I still felt like I may not have always been correct when answering fallacy questions. One thing I remember learning from this class however was how to weave quotes into my sentences and although I was not great then, I do feel like I have gotten much better.

Next, I have my essay, Say Nope to Dope, which I wrote in 11th grade AP English. This essay was meant to defend my assigned subject and side. I was given the assignment of Against Legalization of Marijuana. With this I had to research and then read the speech to the class. I was really proud of myself after writing this because the way I read it and the amount of support I put into this. I spent a lot of time researching on the computer and through personal interview. I even interviewed reliable sources like a nurse and got brochures from her about marijuana. After that introduction of a research paper, I feel prepared to take on another, now at the college level.

In the beginning of my Senior Year, I began preparing to write college essays. My Senior English teacher had us write about something memorable. Reading that first paragraph gives me the chills because that moment was one of the best feelings in my life. It brings back every feeling and memory like it was just yesterday. I think that is an accomplishment alone to be able to feel what I felt that day by reading this. It may not have been the best essay, but it has passion and feeling and that was what I was most proud of in that essay.

For my Tone in Pride and Prejudice essay, I evaluated tone using specific examples from two characters: Elizabeth and Darcy. Writing a whole essay about tone was not something I had done before however, I had already written shorter summaries about tone. I realize now that I could have quote weaved better. If I could change this then I would rewrite better and more fluid quote weaving. Despite that, I think this essay was good for me because I had to elaborate on something I had not before.

Getting to the end of Senior Year, I needed to write letters for scholarships. One that was important for me to get was the cheer scholarship because I felt that I had a lot of history there and deserved it. I remember writing this and thinking about all the bad cheer had done in my life. I remembered the bullying and the harsh, rude girls. Writing this made me have to think about the positive however. I thought of lessons that should have been taken away by everyone and made me stronger. Thinking about the effect of cheer was much better than the cliche writing of how cheer was the best and coolest to be in throughout high school. I was proud of myself for thinking outside of the box and writing stuff that showed more long term effects. I did end up getting the scholarship and I know that it was because of my future thinking, learning the right lessons and making goals outside the sport.

Finally, in the beginning of the summer I read “The Fault In Our Stars” by John Green. It was about a girl with cancer who fell in love. I read about her struggle with the equipment she needed to wear and her love’s unexpected relapse. It was sad but I really enjoyed the book. Just thinking about it makes me feel upset though!

All of these artifacts had a big impact on me and made me improve or realize something. At the time, I would have never thought it could be that important, but now I see.

Sincerely,

Christine Patrikian

The Space Filled with Music

With different music coming in and out of this space at all times, it remains diverse, and yet the people in it are similar. The similarity is obviously the love for music but what else could it be? Also while observing this area I noticed how easy it is to see how many Los Angeles characteristics the people here have. They all have the huge dreams and participate in the entertainment industry. There is the learning side for younger people that are still trying to make something of themselves and then there are the performers in the Carpenter Performing Arts Center that have already accomplished so much. Each of the two sections also have their own unique characteristics despite the fact that they are so close and that shows the part of LA that is different everywhere you look. This space also may be associated with the thought of having your dreams broken but I think that is wrong and different factors effect that.

The amount of diversity of can completely change a space. In this case, the diversity makes it more like LA but then when the area completely fills with Vietnamese people to listen to the Vietnamese songs at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, it may scare some people away. The point is that the area at least has a good population of different types of people. Although different events may attract a certain ethnicity to buy tickets, others around still have the opportunity. Different times also make different people come. Its like how at Whisky-a –go-go different bands coming in filter the audience. That is also the same as how when you attend events at the Staples Center, different people are attracted to everything and that’s why it makes it easier to start conversation with total strangers at. Then during school time the corner goes back to being totally immersed in culture and diversity. Students in LA can be this diverse because especially when it comes to music, they come from all over the world to get to learn there.

That brings me to how this attracts people like LA. The level of skill and talent this program creates and showcases has become not only something worth joining but something worth seeing even as an outsider or tourist. This is the big part of Los Angeles that is the entertainment. It includes places like the Dorothy Chandler with Operas all the way to things completely opposite such as mariachi bands on Olvera Street. The Carpenter Performing Arts Center is a nicer attraction and is basically one thing you can’t miss when visiting LA: a real show. As tourists come in and out and students constantly tour, enroll and learn, it keeps this space busy at just about all times! That is one difference from a place like this and a place like whisky-a-go-go. While whisky-a-go-go and other clubs may only attract people at night, this corner of CSULB attracts at all times. Although both have a sort of “nightlife”, and the club life may be far different, it still has less activity going on due to the time of things going on in the corner.

Location flexibility can be used to describe the way the music corner is at Cal State Long Beach. It can go from a learning place to a performance space to a meeting area and to a practice and hang out spot. When you look at a space like a club, it may have possibilities of more, but those are just not looked into because the nightlife is so crazy and they need that clean up and set up time. Another way the music corner is flexible is by supporting and hosting such different events from Operas to Cultural Music Celebrations to Dog Trick Shows. In that way I believe it relates to the Grand Central Park because at that park, they are always looking for different events and activities to get more people to come out and to make that area stand out, not only to the community, but also to the world. Location flexibility is something that is more likely to get a place well known because it has more types of people coming and people spread the word about it to their friends and it gets more and more business. Of course, some places like In n Out may have very little flexibility and only be about one thing, and that can get a place known too but I think it happens faster with more variety. For example, In n Out is very famous for their burgers but if they had more variety to the location then it may have taken the starting restaurant less time to become more popular. Meaning it would always still become popular, but flexibility could potentially speed up the process! After all, making it big and becoming popular or famous is one of the main things people think about in LA so the sooner the better.

Becoming famous is also an idea in many of the student’s minds in the music corner of CSULB. Perhaps that is because of the idea that becoming rich and famous is what LA is all about. The idea of Los Angeles is going there to have your name put up in lights and have thousands of fans chanting your name while you make millions of dollars just playing music and having a good time. That is why people go to learn how to be a great musician at this corner of Cal State Long Beach. This is a place where training is given and careers start. The school is helping develop talents and musicianship in order to one day reach a goal like that or whatever goal a student may have. They then give you guidance to get to that goal during the training. Being a place to start a musician’s career is a lot like how many bands get their big breaks and start their career at Whisky-a-go-go. Getting a manager there is like how CSULB music gives guidance for the specific things the musician(s) want to do. The two both begin a career or give the possibility to and it is what the performer does on the stage at the end of the day that makes it or breaks it for them.

When I say make it or break it, I don’t necessarily believe that is permanent. A musician may fail one day and then completely succeed above and beyond the next. Being a difficult program, one bad stereotype I believe it holds is being a place that crushes dreams. It is only something like that if the student lets it be. There is always an opportunity to make up for it or prove yourself. This stereotype may prevent people from realizing that it is in our own power to make it work or not. Whether we succeed or fail, it is on us, and we are the ones that can change that. Rather than looking at one bad moment as a generalization for the program crushing dreams, people should look at the good side of how if someone really want the school, feeling the bad could force people to work harder and do whatever it takes to get there. More important than the stereotype is just the ability to follow your dreams. Every space has a purpose, and while this one has many, some may only have one or a couple. That’s what space is about; finding purpose and fulfilling it.