TOW #27: TOW Reflection

            As much as I disliked the TOW assignments, I will admit that they ended up being extremely helpful throughout the progression of my English education. At the beginning of the year, I saw writing TOW’s as unnecessary busy work; but boy, was I wrong.  Who would have thought that a short 300-350 word blog post would allow me to grow so much as a writer.  After going back and reflecting on old TOW posts, I realized how much I have evolved as a writer in less than a year!

            From the first marking period to now I have noticed a huge leap in my writing ability. In the beginning of the year, my TOWs were extremely formulaic; I simply followed the guidelines that were handed to me in the syllabus. At this point in time my writing quality was below average and I struggled to accept the fact that I would not be able to be successful if I continued my black and white form of writing. The TOW posts allowed me to experiment on different ways to transform my bland writing style to more cohesive, enjoyable pieces. So now looking back, I realized how much these silly little blog posts have help me.

            TOWs also allowed me to work on specific elements of writing. For example, I saw transition sentences as a struggle in the beginning of the year, and now they flow easily and effortlessly on to the page. I also placed a large amount of focus on diction and word choice this year. TOWs let me experiment with new words without having to worry about a penalty.  But, there is always room for improvement! I still need to work on strengthening my analysis and also generating a strong conclusion that can leave my readers thinking.

            So, even though I dreaded writing my TOW post every Sunday, I have most definitely benefited from them. I only wish I would have known how much I would gain from them when I first started the APELC course. The TOW assignments have achieved their overall purpose flawlessly.