Learning how to be an effective writer is essential in order to better invest in my academic, professional and personal growth. Working on improving my writing skills will be a huge help while I further my education. As I continue being a student, I will be required to work on readings and essay assignments. These essay assignments can cover a variety of things from events in my life to research papers. If I am able to use the language and grammar correctly, it will help me gain the new knowledge and creating a well written essay. This will also aid me when transferring over to a four-year university where I will pursue a bachelor’s degree.
If I were to work on receiving any other higher degree, the graduate work will also require the completion of several extensive essays. Frederick Douglass and I are willing to work in order to improve ourselves through education. Douglass was working towards making himself free by learning how to read and write, while I am working on enhancing my skills to benefit my studies. Education will strengthen and give us the willpower to reach our goals, “the first step [has] been taken” and we want to progress our abilities through knowledge (Douglass).
We notice we want to continue our education, even if we have to work as hard as we possibly can in order to get to the place we want to be. As a student pursuing a field in education, being able to write accurately will be a basic and fundamental necessity. Having good reading and writing skills are required for getting any job, but since I will be the one handling students’ papers I will be expected to be at least a borderline expert on them. Writing is essential in every academic subject so it is more than likely that I will have to assist students in improving their writing skills.
As a teacher I will also be expected to create lessons, presentations, reports and being able to make points clear. If I do not have the effective writing and communication skills, I will not be able to shared and explained the material I have for the students in an interesting and understandable way. Being an effective writer will also help me advance in my career because I can receive more credibility by my peers if I am familiar with the things I am doing. If I have the ability to teach and make students understand the information I provided them, it will stick.
Douglass was not instructed by adults, but by children, “the plan which [Douglass] adopted, and the one by which [he] was most successful, was. . . making friends [with]. . . the little white boys whom [he] met in the street. . . [he] converted [them] into teachers. With their kindly aid. . . [he] finally succeeded in learning to read” (Douglass). When Douglass’ mistress stopped teaching him how to read he did not give up, he had to find other ways to learn and he eventually is taught by children. I want to be able to teach my students as well as the kids who taught Douglass, to do that I will need to effectively express my instructions.
Improving my reading and writing skills will help me express feelings and thoughts, present facts and opinions, or simply make my message understandable to the readers or to other people. Learning how to articulate my opinion, correct my grammar, use proper punctuation and adequate spelling will be key to accurately communicate. Organizing and clarifying my thoughts is hard enough, so the chances of the reader forming a negative opinion or having a bad impression of me because I have poor writing, spelling mistakes or by finding any error will be extremely high.
This course will help me become a better writer so I can have the ability to express and communicate thoughts to paper. Being able to effectively write will help me confidently articulate myself, if not a part of me would otherwise be overshadowed. This will boost both my skill and comfort when revealing my own thoughts and feelings. I can see myself similar to Douglass because he worked as hard as possible in order to make his life better.
Douglass reads the story of the “slave [who] was made to say very smart as well as impressive things” and was set free because of them, he knew if he could be as intelligent like the slave he could possibly be freed too (Douglass). When the slave and the master speak, all the slave had to do was speak his truth, but he must do it effectively so that the master is convinced of the slave’s belief. I want to be able to say the things I think so effortlessly that they can convince anyone that I am a strong intellectual individual just passed on my writing.
