One More A For the Road

This is the final blog post for my writing 122 class, it is also my final exam/essay. We are to write a short argument essay in which we are stance is to persuade our instructor Sandy of why we deserve whatever grade we think we deserve for the class. I think i deserve an A and you can read on to why. Hope you enjoy!!

The Beginning if the End

I had a rough upbringing. My mom was married and divorced three times by the time I was 15 and when I was 16 when she kicked me out because her boyfriend didn't like me. High school at that point wasn’t a priority but I didn't give up on it. I had this determination to finish even though my whole junior year I was house hopping between friends. I wasn't sure where I was going to end up but quitting was never an option. I moved back in with my mom beginning of  my senior year, got my first job, and ended up graduating from high school. 



College wasn't a priority after high school but getting out on my own was my number one. I moved out, found a better job and started thinking about school. Since my monthly check only covered my rent and necessities, there wasn't much left to pay for school. So I applied for financial aid and That meant I needed my mother’s tax information, well she was unwilling to help me, so i was screwed. The school gave me no options to get around it so i waited and try to save money.When I was twenty, I got married to a wonderful man and was then free of my mother to apply for school. Then I got pregnant, I went to my first term of college while carrying my son and did my final presentation nine months pregnant. I took a year and half off and then decided it was time for school.




When it came time to buckle down and be a student I was ready for it. I was excited to learn and ready to prove myself even if only to myself. I had been through so many hurdles in my life and in the road to education, that it was finally time to shine. This term is my fourth term at Lane Community College and I have a cumulative GPA of 4.08. Any time I thought of giving up I just remembered all the people who made me feel like I was nothing and let it push me to succeed. Also, the drive and desire comes from a deep value of education and self willpower to push myself to my limits and grow because of it.

Believe me it hasn’t been easy, my son is almost two and most nights I wait until he is in bed to do my homework. I'm up late and rise early and I sacrifice time with my husband to do homework (thank goodness he supports me).Just like I did for him, he graduated in June 2012. A different road might be easier but I have never had it easy, I am resilient and I thrive under pressure.. According to Rebecca Fraser-Thill a professor at Bates college who earned her masters in psychology from Cornell University wrote  “Academic resilience refers to a student's willingness to persevere at academic tasks even when they are frustrated. In other words, academically resilient children do not give up, no matter what faces them”. She explains academic resilience referring to children but I think this applies to adults as well because I have exhibited this many times through out the terms. I believe this is completely necessary in order to be successful.






Having a child makes going to school tough. I have to coordinate child care twice a week. This is not as simple as finding someone to pawn my kid off to, it is a difficult decision that requires a lot of thought and attention, plus there is a little mother’s guilt involved.. There have been days where he has been sick but luckily his grandma was able to be with him. At any moment my child’s needs can push class obligations right out the window on the priority list. The trick is to balance and make sure a grandparent is always on standby. All but one day when I was in the hospital puking my guts out, I have been in class. Not only in class but participating openly an willing. For me this has become an important way of learning. I have found that I get more out of class when I'm listening and responding then if I just sit there quietly.” We know that active involvement in learning increases what is remembered, how well it is assimilated, and how the learning is used in new situations. In making statements to peers about their own thoughts on a class topic, students must articulate those thoughts and also submit them to (hopefully constructive) examination by others. In listening to their peers, students hear many different ways of interpreting and applying class material, and thus are able to integrate many examples of how to use the information”.(Maznevski). What this assistant professor is saying is what I feel, we all learn better if we are actively participating and I have learned a lot.





Sandy has pushed me into uncomfortable situations in class but I have learned so much from it. I believe this is how one grows, not in contentment but in uncomfortable atmospheres. I believe this also shows who people are and when push come to shove what one believes in. In the beginning of the term I didn't know much about blogging but by now I think I'm ready to upgrade to WordPress. I am also a more confident person because of each assignment which forced me to take a stand and have an opinion, I worked very hard on each task and  I poured my heart and soul into each. I expect nothing less from myself and think that this is what is required of me.

I deserve an A in my writing 122 class because I have academic resilience, I came to class and participated fully, and I gave everything I had to each task and never slacked.


Thanks Sandy for all your help and molding, I am truly a stronger person because of your class and pedagogy. Thank you!.

Works Cited

Fraser-Thill, Rebecca. "What Makes Someone a Good Student?" About.com Tweens. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2012.

Maznevski, Martha L. "University of Virginia Teaching Resource Center." University of Virginia Teaching Resource Center. Teaching Resource Center:University of Virginia, 1996. Web. 05 Dec. 2012.