Blogs for ENC 1101

Richard Velez

 

Dear Ms. Mckenzie,

 

            I have enjoyed the time that I have spent in your class.  When I look back at my entrance essay to the last essay I wrote, I can see the improvement I made.  I think you are a good teacher; I just wish that I chose to take your class at a different time so I could actually attend all of the classes.  When I look back through my papers, I notice that my common errors are grammatical and not meeting the required length.  Mainly it was my choice of words and how my sentences were formed.

            I chose to revise project one “Technology Literacy Analysis” and project three “Van Wilder”.  I chose to point out what I revised by using a different colored font.  On project one I noticed that I was very repetitive.  I used the word “also” a lot.  The main revision to it was rewording my sentences.  Project three had to be revised more than project one.  I believe the reason for this was because I did not attend class during the reader response.  I went into more detail using my own words instead of using quotes.  I also decided to connect the last two paragraphs to make it flow better.  I believe if I had more reader responses that the final paper would have turned out better.

            I honestly do not know what grade I deserve in this class.  I would like to pass this class but to be honest I do not know if I worked hard enough.  I know that I have done my best to complete this portfolio and my blogs.  I just wish that I could have taken your class at a later time, instead of 8:00 am, so I could have experienced more of the class.

 

            Sincerely,

                        Richard Velez

Posted by: r2di2dc2do at December 01, 2004 03:20 | link | comments |

I went to my pre-calculus trigonometry class today to find out what I had made on the last test we took.  We took the test last week.  After I was done taking the test, I felt as though I did horrible on it.  I walked into that class that day confident that I would pass until I looked at the test.  The walk home after the test was infuriating.  I thought that I failed the test and as a result failed the class.  I basically gave up all hope in passing that class, until today.  When I saw my grade today, I was completely excited.  Even though I didn’t pass the test with an outstanding score, I still had a passing score.  We are even given the chance to earn twenty extra credit points very easily.  I figured now that if I complete the extra credit and receive a good grade on the final exam, then I have I chance in passing the class.  When I thought about this it just made me want to work harder to pass that final exam.  Hopefully studying very hard these next couple days will pay of and I wont have to retake that class.  I honestly cannot wait until this semester is over.  It will at least give me a break from stress for a month.  Then, when I come back next semester I will start working hard from the first day of class.  That should be my New Year’s Resolution, to stop procrastinating and put full effort into schoolwork.

Posted by: r2di2dc2do at November 30, 2004 11:36 | link | comments |

Lack of sleep is probably one of the weirdest feelings I’ve ever felt.  I haven’t slept in the past day because of all of the work I have to complete.  I feel tired yet I cannot go to sleep.  It’s as though my body is physically tired but I need to stay up to do work.  Most students, nowadays, have probably stayed up longer just to cram for an exam or to complete assignments.  I really only have to stay up just to complete this class’s assignments though.  I really do not remember getting to my first class this morning.  The good thing was that it my University Experience class, which is pretty easy.  I would definitely recommend that class to incoming freshmen.  It isn’t really a class that you have to stress over.  The class does teach you some things though like time management and how to navigate around campus.  It basically provides the general knowledge of college life for incoming freshmen.  If you actually think about it, it would have been more beneficial to take this class before even getting into college.  That way you would have known all of the study tips at the beginning of the year instead of mid way through the semester.

Posted by: r2di2dc2do at November 30, 2004 11:13 | link | comments |

I feel bad for my girlfriend right now.  She is very stressed out because the class that she needs to register for next semester is already full.  She has already completed all of her general education requirements and this is the only class she needs so she can apply to the school of nursing.  From what she tells me, if she cannot get this class than she will have to take a year off of schooling.  This seems ridiculous because there are only two of these class taught at this school.  Her only hope is that either someone drops the class or that she will be able to take it only from a school near her hometown.  I also suggested for her to try and see if Hillsborough Community College offers that class.  If they do, I would be more than happy to take her to her classes considering she doesn’t have a car.  It would be horrible if she had to take a year off.  Someone else suggested for her to go to the department that holds that class and to tell them her particular situation in hopes that they will let in the course.  She has worked hard and it would be sad to see her be set back a whole year because of one little class.

Posted by: r2di2dc2do at November 30, 2004 03:26 | link | comments |

Well the year is coming to an end.  I really do wish that I can turn back the clock and start this semester over.  We have basically less than two weeks left.  The last week is consumed of cramming and final exams.  Basically, everyone came back from thanksgiving break to work their butts off for the next week and a half.  I know I will be working hard these last days.  The thing about this is if I would’ve just attended all of my classes and not leave everything for last than I wouldn’t have to work as hard as I do now.  I have three exams to study for that are crucial to me passing the class.  I have learned a lot about myself these past months.  I’ve also learned what I can accomplish and I know what my limits are.  I have no excuses for why I let my grades get as low as they are.  Excuses wouldn’t help me anyway.  The only hope I have to pass this class is to do well on the portfolio and the blogs, yet even then I don’t know how I will do in this class.  My only hope for passing my other classes is to actually pass the final exam.  So I will be studying harder than I’ve ever studied before just to pass this semester.  Praying to do good these next days is what I will also be doing.

Posted by: r2di2dc2do at November 29, 2004 19:32 | link | comments |

After looking at some other people’s blog’s, I questioned myself on what is my greatest fear.  Most people would probably say something like dying or spiders.  Ever since I was about 15 years old I knew I wasn’t afraid to die.  Death was something I didn’t want to fear.  I felt that if death came then it was my time to go.  After a lot of thinking, I figured out that my greatest fear would be to disappoint my family.  That would be the worst pain in the world to me.  If everyone in my family was disappointed in me, I just don’t see how I could keep going on.  That is probably why I try so hard to please my family.  They’ve done so much and sacrificed so much just so I can be where I am today.  I am probably one of the few in my generation of the family to have gone this far.  The rest have either tried but something got in their way or didn’t even try at all.  I just want to make something of myself where my family can be proud of me.  My greatest fear my not be like others’ are but it is something I wouldn’t want to happen.

Posted by: r2di2dc2do at November 29, 2004 18:11 | link | comments |

Most students get lectured about their grades from their parents every once in a while.  With me, I get lectured every time I speak to my parents.  The lecturing comes mainly from my father.  All my life, since I can remember, my father has always been strict.  He has always lectured me about the same things over and over again.  Half of the time when he is talking to me, I will be able to finish his sentences.  I understand that what my father says is important and that I should respect him, which I do.  Yet sometimes I feel as though he talks to me like I’m stupid.  He speaks to me like I haven’t gone through anything in life.  I have gone farther in schooling than he has.  The way he lectures about keeping the grades makes puts more stress on me to be someone in life.  I know I have the opportunity to get my education and have a good career, but sometimes I feel like I’m doing this for more than just myself.  At times I feel as if I fail than I have let everyone down.  My whole family looks up to me to do better than they have.  I think this ties into being a big fear of mine.

Posted by: r2di2dc2do at November 29, 2004 17:47 | link | comments |

Parking on campus is probably one of the worst things on campus.  Honestly, I really don’t use my car as often as I used to.  This is mainly because since I live on campus, everything is within walking distance from my dorm.  Half of the time, whenever I find a good parking space in the dorm parking lot, I won’t want to go anywhere because I know if I move my car I will probably have to park across the street.  It’s not much of a hassle to cross the street but it is more convenient to have your car close by, especially since it has been getting much colder outside.  One thing I discovered the other day was that if we had a resident parking permit than we would be able to park anywhere on campus after 5:30 pm.  This even includes that we would be able to park in the metered parking and not have to pay the meter.  I really do not mind walking to where I need to go on campus, but sometimes I become lazy and would rather drive to get where I need to go.  I probably wouldn’t have bought the resident parking permit if I knew that I wouldn’t have used my car so much.  Getting the park-n-ride permit would have saved me a little bit of money.

Posted by: r2di2dc2do at November 29, 2004 13:52 | link | comments |

Visiting the holocaust museum in St. Pete was a very rewarding experience. I’ve been to a few different holocaust museums in the past, but every time I go, it is a different experience and I always learn something new. At this particular museum, individuals are given a wand, in which when the corresponding number on the wall is pushed, it will give you an audio tour. The voice from the wand is a bit monotonous, but helpful nonetheless. The tour of the first floor took about an hour and a half. On the second floor is a few different exhibits. The wand is used once more for a survivor’s gallery of aerial views of things like the different concentration camps. The fact that he is using charcoal is symbolic to the fact that he is drawing with ashes, the fate of so many Jews. There are two more exhibits in the second floor; one is for the prisoners of war, and the other is for the stereotyping of Native Americans. The Native American exhibit was quite impressive: you don’t realize how much this stereotyping happens in everyday life. On the third floor is more artwork and a library. My favorite piece of work on this floor is a drawing of two mothers holding their children in a cave/tunnel. It was very moving to look at. The most touching part of the museum is an actual train car that carried the holocaust victims. The ring that was found in the floorboards while it was being prepared for the museum, and the fact that it is displayed so that you can reach out and touch the car, made it so much more real. We also met a survivor. He had just finished a presentation and was leaving when he ran into us. You could still hear the resentment in his voice as well as see it in his face. This visit to this particular holocaust museum was overall a good one. I left feeling sad but determined.

Posted by: r2di2dc2do at November 29, 2004 13:20 | link | comments |

            Dorm life is probably the newest thing to me this year.  I had to get adjusted to moving into a place where I have to share the bathroom with eight other guys.  It was different when you come from having your own room and your own bathroom.  The good thing is that I really got along with my suitemates.  Some people were unfortunate to have suitemates they hate.  Unfortunately, next semester I will be getting a new roommate and two new suitemates.  This actually may be a bad thing or a good thing.  The reason I will be getting new suitemates is because one of my suitemates got kicked out of school and the other decided to move in with his friend.  My roommate decided he is moving back to his home in Miami.  So hopefully I will be getting roommates that I get along with because I think it would be hard to live with people that I couldn’t get along with.  Right now I get along with everyone in my whole suite.  Most of us just get along because of common interests.  The rest just get along because they don’t care enough to argue about anything.  Well, I guess I will just have to hope on having good living conditions next semester.

Posted by: r2di2dc2do at November 29, 2004 13:14 | link | comments |