Growth
Caroline Erlandsen
Perhaps I could probably write all about how the adversity I have faced with this virus has affected me and overcomplicate the ways in which my life has carried on since, but honestly that would probably be just a long fake way to get an assignment done easily so I can be done with this class and never look back. To do that now would be such a disservice from me to this class. I am sure many of you were affected in large ways from this pandemic and this is not to discredit you at all. I simply believe that writing about that would discredit any actual struggles any of you or anyone else has gone through. Which leads me right into what I have learned this semester.
This has been one of the, if not the, best classes I have been a part of in a long time. A simply gen ed class meant to get a few English credits out of the way for most of us and completely unrelated to my major, I expected to be doing a lit of boring cookie cutter papers and sitting through annoyingly overcomplicated lectures as my friends who took this course last semester did. But wow, I am so glad I was surprised to find the opposite. This class’ discussions started on day one and just took off from there. We only had a month together, but I think everyone reading this blog post can agree that our class was something special.
I have always been a writer, but I would label myself as a closet writer. The only time people ever read what I have to write is English teachers grading my papers or God forbid I have to peer edit and one of my friends reads what I wrote. I write through everything. If I am having a bad day or I can’t get something off my mind or I really need to express some feeling I am having, I will write about it. There are so many stories stored in journals I have, on my phone in notes, and most of them in this very laptop I am typing from. None of them have seen the eyes of another person, except my folder labeled ‘English 110.’
When we had the opportunity to take this class and run with it I was excited to share some creative work rather than boring research papers or book reports. So, I submitted my work full of funny little sayings and weird tidbits from my life that sound like I am casually speaking. When I was chosen to share my whole story in front of the class I was petrified. I am a fine public speaker and I will present anytime when I must but presenting my writing is something that makes me incredibly and scared. But I watched a few souls braver than mine go up and share their thoughts too and it eased my mind because I realized the environment, I was in. I shared my piece and then I got so much positive feedback. So many kind words and not just the simple, ‘you really did a good job’ or ‘nicely written,’ it talked about favorite parts and gave specific examples and related my work to their own lives. I knew and hoped that this could be something so cool.
And it was. Over just a few short weeks I feel like most of us had gotten so comfortable sharing our words and opening our hearts to each other which is something that is so rare these days, at least for me. I have loved reading and listening to so many stories and thoughts and opinions and experiences from all of you and I am so grateful that I was a part of this. I guess to ACTUALLY write what the assignment is asking and share what I learned this semester I will say this: I learned to open myself up. I have always been a somewhat closed off person terrified to tell people how I really fear out of stubbornness or pride or whatever dumb thing is inside my head. It is something I have been working on, but this class really helped teach me hoe to open myself up like I have never before which is through words. Written words can be so much more revealing than spoken words because they will not hold back what they want to say. Being able to share with all of you has been an honor and privilege. Thank you for being the best audience and the best writers yourself and thank you for the, although bizarre, cool semester you provided in this class.
PS no this is not my cat, just a funny cat that came onto my feed and i turned into my project
English 110 Spring 2020 10:10-11:00 
Caroline, I think this may be one of my favorites of the semester. You summed everything up so eloquently. I definitely was dreading checking off my freshman English requirement but this class changed how I felt after the first few days. Just like you, I was nervous to read in front of the class but everyone’s supportive comments and incredible discourse made this class something I looked forward to. Your voice shines through very well in this piece, really great job. I hope you have a safe and healthy summer.
-Jamie
LikeLike
Caroline, this piece is one that I have definitely related to. I would have never expected to be so comfortable sharing something as intimate as my writing to a class full of people I have never met before, but for this class it seemed so easy–after the first time. I never felt judged or criticized by anyone in this class, despite the fact that I usually can always come up with something that I believe I am being judged about. It was so nice to have a class that I enjoyed participating in that was outside of my major academic interests. I had always done fairly well on writing assignments but they always stressed me out and seemed like a chore, and this class felt nothing like that. Thank you for sharing, stay safe and good luck!!
-Elizabeth
LikeLike
I can definitely agree with you on this one! Firstly, I was dreading taking another english class after finally finishing AP Language & Composition in high school, the class that managed to take away my will to live during my second semester of senior year… even saying that name now makes me nauseous. And secondly, knowing that the premise of this class was to foster discussion by having people share their work really did terrify me as well. I’m a very insecure person and when it comes to english assignments, the work you turn in is far more personal than finding the answers to equations, so I’m very hesitant to let people read my work. I was honestly surprised that people were so willing to share their assignments with everyone, as I was trying to find any way of getting out of it. However, this class was not what I expected at all, in the best way. I’ve never had prompts like, “sit in silence for 15 minutes” and “people watch” but this provided for much more creative and intriguing pieces since it allowed for every student to approach the assignment from a different perspective, which made it easy to hold a discussion. Also, the support that I’m sure we all feel from this class has been such a rewarding experience as I know that every Monday I can come on here and read the similar experiences, and heartwarming comments everyone has left. Getting these positive responses were far more encouraging and motivating than getting chewed out by my last teacher for… everything I did. I’m glad that this class pushed you to share your writing since I have thoroughly enjoyed every piece you’ve written. Not only are they composed thoughtfully but they are engaging and relatable from the way you are able to incorporate your voice into your pieces. This is a great way to end the semester, Caroline. Great job.
LikeLike