Introductory Reflection

In complete and total honesty, this was the hardest semester that I’ve ever dealt with, but
at the same time it was the most fun I ever had. It’s been full of challenges. This is the first time
I’ve ever lived out by myself. The first time I’ve ever had to deal with the physical, mental,
emotional, and financial stress of my current magnitude. However, I was able to meet new
people. Talk to individuals that I’ve always wanted the chance to talk to, and experience life by
myself the way I wanted to.

World Mythology, one of my favorite classes this semester, taught me every aspect that
mythology had to offer. Not just the stories of divine myth, legend, or folktale. But the course
also taught me about the culture behind mythology. How they believed they were created, why
certain traditions matter, how they developed language, etc. This class made me realize that
mythology was only the tip of the iceberg. That the culture within the mythology also mattered
because this is what gives the mythology its identity. With the tools that I’ve learned with this
class, I have a wider variety of possible material that I could cover in classrooms if I ever have a
‘mythology’ unit in future English classes.

Advanced Creative Writing has only strengthened my firm dream of becoming a writer. I
was able to expand my horizons. Writing reviews for readings, critiquing pieces (short story and
poetry alike), submitting my first Flash Fiction to an online journal, and learning about the
possible career paths that I could ever take my future writing after earning my bachelor’s degree.
When it comes to aspects of this course that I can apply to my teaching, I now have a broad
range of skills that I can take to my future units. Especially when it comes to ‘Poetry’.

Literature in Secondary School and The Short Story taught me something very important
this semester. Something so important that it’s going to make me reevaluate myself as a person.
For the first time in my life, these two courses have taught me the importance, the need and the
love of true failure. I was never taught this skill at a young age. I was trained to hate it. To
despise the ideal of failure with everything that I have. I see now that I shouldn’t hate failure.
Because without failure, how am I ever going to learn how to grow as an educator? How am I
ever going to get better at the craft I’ve sworn myself to learn? This will help me later down the
line because now, I know what I have to do in order to become a better teacher, a better student,
and a better person.
Compared to where I started in freshman year, I still have a long way to go. I have never
been the ‘A’ student in my courses, but I still put in the effort and dedication necessary.
Sometimes, I have days when I wonder whether I want to be a teacher. But then there are days
when I am reminded why I picked this major in the first place. I want to teach to help guide the
next generation. To give them the safe space to learn how to be their best selves. If it was not for
the department of English and Education courses that I had taken so far, I would not be here.
And if it was for the classes that I’ve taken previous; I would not be able to bring these certain
skills to the job market.
 Courses like; Introduction to English Studies and Ways of Writing, Advanced
Composition, Introduction to American/British Literary History, Non-Western Literature, and
Women’s Lit and Gender Theory were my initial foundation. Every skill, like any sport, needs
training. And for me, these courses explicitly gave me that. Introduction to English Studies and
Advanced Composition allowed me to learn about the several theories that comes from writing
and the proper writing tune ups I needed to push forward. While the courses Introduction to
American/British Literary History, Non-Western Literature, and Women’s Lit and Gender
Theory especially focused on the amount/the quality of my reading.

Then there were other classes like Advanced Composition, Shakespeare’s Comedies and
Romances, Writing in Sec Schools, Creative Writing, Diversity and Equity Education, Intro to
Exceptionalities, and the Fiction Workshop class focused on other skills that I could offer as a
English Teacher. Shakespeare’s Comedies and Romances allowed me to learn how to read
Shakespeare, dissect it, and ultimately learn about the hidden meaning behind his words. For
Creative Writing and Fiction Workshop, when I cover my Narrative Unit, I will have plenty of
experience in teaching my students how to write stories or poems. Then my last courses,
Diversity and Equity Education and Intro to Exceptionalities provided me with skillsets on how
not only to adapt my classroom for more Inclusive teaching for students who take special
education, but also allows me to use my students, and my own, cultural backgrounds within my
classroom.
Previous Courses

i. Non-Western Literature
ii. Introduction to English Studies and Ways of Reading
iii. Introduction to British Literary History
iv. Introduction to American Literary History
v. Advanced Composition
vi. Women’s Lit and Gender Issue
vii. Shakespeare Comedies/Romances
viii. Writing in Sec Schools
ix. Literature in Sec Schools
x. Fiction Workshop
xi. Creative Writing
xii. Advanced Creative Writing
xiii. The Short Story
xiv. World Mythology
xv. Introduction to Exceptionalities
xvi. Diversity and Equity – Education