Jeshua Nunez

Dr. Clenance

English 110 B

12/2/25

 

Final Reflection Essay

 

Standard English always plays a big role in everyone’s life, and especially my life as a Bilingual Freshman student studying architecture.  Throughout my journey taking this course: English 11000B was for sure an influential introduction back into school since High School. I was tested, got frustrated, was confused, but most importantly I achieved more knowledge than I was before taking this class.

My main takeaways from this course all vary into very significant skills needed for the road ahead. One major asset I learned was the importance of reading multiple different writings and literature. Reading from other pieces of literature is a strong way to improve my writing. I learned this through multiple peer reviews. Although I always viewed peer reviews as simple and not that useful, I slowly saw its impact. Every peer review, we had to read and complete worksheets on 1-2 writings. This includes Synthesis Essays, Language Literature Narratives (LLN), and more. Not only did reading other writings help me realize what I had to change and edit on my own writing, but I got inspired and enjoyed learning from other writing patterns. This included different ways of introducing a source, smart paraphrasing strategies, and simple but effective transitions. In addition, I really found the Course Texts we were required to read interesting. These readings were very different, varying from poems to personal journals. Specifically, Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue” and Langston Hughes’ “Theme for English B” were the most influential texts for me. These 2 pieces of writing really inspired my writing. Hughes used poems to bring racism/stereotypes into play and Tan brings her own Mother to show societal negativity over “proper” English. These two course texts really set the tone of the class for me, on Standard English and its politics.

Something new within this course was the Translation 1/2 assignments. These assignments stuck out to me on how visual it was in a writing focused classroom. All in all, visuals are a strong interpretation and should be used more for expressing language. Both translations 1 and 2 were a way to express our LLN assignments and Synthesis Essay into a different form of writing or visuals. Translation 1 for me was converting my LLN into a poem of metaphors. However, I made my poem integrated into a visual pleasing background, and other peers made their LLN into a visual which I really liked. Translation 2 was more creative in how essays were transformed into images/videos/gifs etc. By the end of it I found it very creative and interested in using more visuals in my pieces of writing when possible. Expressing language and literature through art/visuals/videos etc. is a unique way of having the audience understand emotions.

Something I really appreciated during this semester was being able to fine-tune my source integration and research. I expanded on how source researching is the most important step when it comes to writing essays/papers. Multiple worksheets and handouts such as Researching Online Worksheet, 2-Sentence Summary, and Synthesizing Sources Handout really helped me learn quicker and more crucial ways of researching information for my Synthesis Essay. The most effective one for me was the 2-Sentence Summary which allowed me to give context and background before putting a source into my paper. Along with this, we also visited the library and had a lecture on using the CCNY database for more effective research. All of these examples contributed to my growth in finding quotes and integrating them better.

My most important takeaway from this course is the core insight that I further developed. It is the mindset that: English is always a process no matter what. Something that really stood out to me was how I was more frustrated and tested on my writing and grammar. Although my patience was tested, it taught me the value of redoing and self-editing. The many drafts required for this course were plentiful. Revised drafts such as the LLN and Synthesis Drafts really got repetitive and felt irritated. However, the importance of drafts and re-editing the same writing gives a good habit of building up that process in writing. Peer reviews also played a role in this mindset as I see similar peers improve their writing as well. Although writing is never “perfect”, following a process helps me improve with language and literature.

Looking back at everything I’ve done this semester, I can honestly say this course shaped me in ways I didn’t expect. This class pushed me, sometimes more than I wanted, whether it was learning from classmates’ writing, experimenting with interpretations, or rewriting drafts until they finally made “sense”. Each part contributed to my growth. And as I continue through college and architecture, I know these skills, and the mindset of writing as a process, will stay with me far beyond this semester.