Successful in English I Am

¶ … successful in English

I am confident that I will be successful in English 1A because of the excellent preparation I received in the classes of my previous English instructors. The first English class I took was Mrs. Lynn's English 3 class. Mrs. Lynn asked us to read the Odyssey. The Odyssey is a Greek mythological story describing the adventures of the hero Odysseus after the Trojan War. Mrs. Lynn would always ask us to guess what was going to happen next, before we read each chapter. It did not matter if we guessed right or wrong. She encouraged us to use our imagination as well as to speak and read in English.

After Mrs. Lynn's class, I attended De Anza College. I decided to take a writing class there, ESL 273, taught by Mr. Matt. I learned about the relationship between reading and writing, which I had never studied before. Mr. Matt taught me how to correctly structure an essay. He told me there are always three parts to an essay: the introduction, the body paragraphs and the conclusion. The introduction is a preview of what will be covered in the rest of the essay. The body paragraphs combine analysis and examples. The conclusion summarizes the body paragraphs.

Now I am taking English 1A. I look forward to learning more about the English language and gaining confidence in my reading, writing, and speaking skills. As well as my previous preparation, I also bring my love of reading to the class. When I read a book, whether it is the Odyssey or a work of nonfiction written by a contemporary author, I am able to enter a new world. I love the fact that reading an interesting story or topic can take me away from my everyday cares and stresses. The exciting thing about English 1A is that although I will be working hard, I can still have fun reading fascinating stories and essays!

As well as strong preparation in my previous English classes, I also bring the determination that my family has given me to succeed in everything, no matter what I try to do. Although my family is not made up of English speakers, they have always stressed that succeeding in school is an important part of being successful in life. It is not just grades that are important. The lessons a student learns in school will help the student succeed later in life.

Learning English is an immediately useful skill. When I am learning algebra or chemistry, sometimes I wonder how these subjects can help me in my everyday life. When I am learning English, I know that I can use the language to communicate more effectively with others. I know that what I am learning in class can help me improve my writing for all of my classes. And someday, I would like to write stories that are just as exciting as the books I like to read.