Reflective Essay

       Throughout the first semester I have written about lots of different things. Some posts that need improvements, and some that show who I really am. Blogging has helped me learn more about myself and others. It’s like a “diary” but I think of it as a way to communicate and get feedback from others. I even gave blogging a name I call it CARL Communicating and Reading Leisurely. I blog when I’m bored, or when something major happens to me. Blogging has really helped me get my ideas out and share the things on my mind.

       I think that reading posts from my classmate’s blogs has really given me a different perspective about everything around me. When I read some ones blog, I treat it as a book. A book in which there are morals to learn. My classmate’s blogs give me a different perspective on various subjects they write about. An example would be a response post to Rokhsor’s post about stealing.

Some people steal because they want to be cool. Stealing is an issue that lots of people face. Some people steal because of financial reasons, some steal to be cool. No matter the reason, stealing is not right and there will be consequences. Its called Karma, it will come back to you in the future.

 In her post she said, “Stealing is the biggest crime in the world”. After reading that, I knew more about how she felt about stealing. When I responded to this, I thought a lot about how other people responded to something bad that happens to them and how differently I would react if I was in their shoes. Every time I read a blog I get a little smarter, and every time I respond to a blog I make a connection to my own life. This was exemplified when I had an epiphany when reading Leon Liang’s blog about coming to ASTI. I made a connection when I read:

If I haven’t applied to ASTI and went to Encinal High School, I think I would still be that lazy procrastinator back in middle school, copying homework from friends or finishing homework during passing period.

I would have done the exact same thing myself. Reading my classmate’s blogs has helped me learn more about myself. Reading and responding to posts have helped me become a better reader, writer, thinker, and listener. It helps me become a better reader and writer because when I read blogs, I get ideas for my own blogs. Then when I’m writing my blog and get writers block I’ll remember something from the blog I just read and instantly get past it. It helps become a better thinker because when I reflect on a classmate’s blog I have to think critically to give them a decent response. I am learning to give better response posts and my thinking is getting stronger too. Responding to blogs has also helped me become a better listener too. When I read a blogs I listen to what the person has to say. I don’t just read through it, I can hear the person speaking as if he/she were talking to me.

Blogging to me is different from writing in class. First of all I get to write about anything I want. An example would be my love toward raspberries. If I wrote that in any other class I would probably get a D. I actually like blogging. I’ve never been good at writing, it’s always the subject that I struggle the most in. Having a blog really helps me practice writing. Blogging has really helped me write better and be more creative when I’m writing. Instead of a teacher handing a prompt to me and telling me to write what he/she wants I get to be my own boss and decide what I want to write. It gives me power, and it feels good. I never planned to write about emotions, but when I sat down and opened blogger I suddenly got an idea to write about emotions and how they affect people differently. Just thinking about blogging will sometimes give me ideas. Even right now I, as I am typing this, I have gotten about seven or eight new ideas from writing this blog. Sometimes, I think of blogging as a way to get away from all the drama and stress that’s infested in every single crack in the world. Blogging has changed the way I think because it gives me something to think about. When I read some ones blog, it stays in my head, I don’t forget about it very quick. It keeps my brain constantly thinking so that I don’t blank out. Blogging has also changed the way I look at things. When I read my classmate’s blogs I get to know what they think or feel about something. This way when I come across a disagreement I can look at it in different ways. I think that blogging has really helped me with the different perspectives of the things around me.

       When I blog I get most of my ideas from out of thin air and from activities that I’ve done or emotions I felt. Most of what I blog about just comes to me when I sit down. On occasion I have to think for about twenty seconds and then an idea will come, but it’s usually spontaneous. I also blog about how I feel and fun things that have happened to me. I blogged about how horrible I felt one day, and how fun movie night was. Things that are exciting and interesting to me inspire me to write. Everything I blog about has some significance. I’m not saying that everything I blog about is perfect and has no holes in it, but most of what I write tells something about me and even may teach a lesson. I also write because I want to help people. I blog so that maybe one day someone that’s really sad will read one of my blogs and cheer up or laugh a little. That is probably the thing that inspires me the most.

      Blogging has really helped me with a lot of things at ASTI so far in the first trimester. It has helped me become a better writer, thinker, and listener. It also has helped me look at things differently and affects my perspectives on things. During the next quarter my goals are to blog about things that will get more response from my classmates. By doing that I will be able to improve my writing skills and write about better subjects. Another goal for me is to not forgetting to add the academic vocabulary words into my blog.