Grammar Reflection

I thought the Microlab assessment was helpful in understanding where I am at in my grammar. I liked the way it broke down the different categories of grammar afterwards. This way you can see which areas you need improvement in and which areas are your strongest. I learned that I need to study the pronoun choice, subject/verb agreement, distinct sentences and orderly sentences. I like that it narrowed it down to the specific topics I need to work on.
It took me about 30 minutes to complete. If I was to do it over again, I think I would slow down and not rush through it. I found that after about 15 minutes through it, I would have a harder time finding errors. I kept second guessing myself too, usually the first answer I went with was the correct answer. I was really upset with myself when I found out my results on the commas. I knew the right way to use them, but going through it so fast really brought my score down in that area.
I think the only thing I would improve about this process is that we would have one class discussion about the test before and afterwards, like a review. This way we know what to expect and look for. I think getting others feedback from the class would also help us going into the test to get another perspective and point of view. Talking about it with others afterwards gives us a better appreciation in knowing the areas that we need to improve on as a group. However, I do like that we can go back and review it afterwards, so we can figure out why we got it wrong. I found this to be very helpful.
In the past, I have received mixed reviews on my writing. I have been told that my creativity and ideas are good, but that I need to work on the grammar and organization. I agree with them, I have a hard time finding organization in my papers. Once I get to the conclusion, I have a difficult time wrapping it up and making the whole paper tie together. Getting the paper started is another struggle I have. I can find an idea for the body of the paper, but just getting it started seems so hard to do. I remember having to write a paper in high school and I couldn’t figure out how to start it, so I just cried and cried. I had to ask a friend for help, because it was so intimidating. She told me to relax and just start writing. That it didn’t matter that I started out with a good thesis at first, because I could always go back and edit and revise it later. Since then, I feel I have improved in this area and continue to work on making my grammar better. English was one of the toughest subjects for me in my educational experiences. I like to free write my thoughts and ideas, but when it comes to actually putting it in a correct and organized format, I struggle with this.
My writing is very simple and to the point. I have tried to expand my vocabulary and use more descriptions in my writing to make it more interesting. I think the education system does not prepare you for college writing. I would like to see more of an appreciation for teaching English to children in the early years of their education. Especially high school, I didn’t feel like high school really prepared me for what I was to experience in college. When I look at my writing, I feel behind and know that I need a lot of improvement. I feel that it is the main component when it comes to education, and the back bone of it. I want my children to see how important grammar is. I would love to someday be a great writer and show my kids that it’s possible to make our weaknesses our strengths if we work hard at it. I want to find enjoyment out of writing and be able to write a good paper without coming to tears over it.