Not All Timelines are Straight

  Writing/Schooling Timeline

My mother, a special education teacher and avid reader, has always represented the earliest and best influence on my identity as a student and writer.  She taught me to read very early in life, an act that led me to cultivate a lifelong love of learning. She also taught me the true value of education--how your performance in school directly affected your ability to succeed in life.  I worked very hard in school, achieving top grades all throughout, while my mother worked hard to reward that success with praise and incentives, which invariably took the form of new books. From very early on, I was encouraged to read and discuss books with her, giving me early exposure to concepts of reflection and critical thinking.  Learning to read, think, and eventually write about the books I read with my mother gave me an early advantage in school, and I have hear to thank for much of my success in childhood.

I was also fortunate enough to have a fantastic English teacher in middle school who served as another catalyst in my development as both writer and student.  Patsy Davis, a whirling dervish of poofy black hair and cat-eye glasses, recognized my love of books and encouraged me to keep their stories alive.  She asked me to continue where the books left off and introduced me to the powerful concept of humor in writing.  I was allowed to be silly, sarcastic, even bend the rules of the assignment if it would help me write a good story.  Several of the pieces I wrote in her eighth grade class were entered into writing contests. I was honored with several awards, giving me the confidence to keep writing well and often. Mrs. Davis was also the person that introduced me to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Durham and encouraged me to apply there when I was eligible.  Her son was a senior at NCSSM at the time and she thought I could really benefit from that kind of dynamic learning environment. 

Later, after writing an entrance essay edited by Mrs. Davis, I was accepted to the Class of 2000 at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics.  Though the name suggests utter devotion to anything but the humanities, it was in History and English class that I truly excelled.  To my surprise, I was put to shame in science classes, ultimately coming close to failing Organic Chemistry and risking dismissal from the school. My professor, Dr. Myra Halpin, helped me learn and retain by employing pnemonics and other memory aids similar to those used with quotes and vocabulary words.  I buckled down and employed all my efforts into understanding the Chemistry; when it clicked for me, it was like I had learned to read all over again. I fell in love with the subject and resolved to major in Chemistry in college. At NCSSM, I had learned humility for the first time in my academic career.  I realized that it wasn't always going to come as easily as it had before--getting off track and almost failing taught me that life and learning are both difficult, yet ultimately rewarding.

I next attended Wake Forest University on a full scholarship for community service.  Swollen with pride at having won a full ride and several exemptions due to AP credit, I entered into advanced freshman classes and resolved to show my brilliance to the school.  However, I did not fit in at all at the University, and my lackluster academic performance was a direct reflection of that.  Instead of studying notes and writing papers, I focused all my energy into what was, at that point, the most fashionable form of writing--IMing using AOL Instant Messenger.  I would spend countless hours writing to friends I desperately missed who were attending other colleges, even chatting with total strangers. I skipped class to craft the perfect pithy away message, and I disdained emoticons as a lazy form of communication.  I spent so much time writing on AIM that I gave very little time to my academic work, the result of which was that I failed to cite my references correctly in a paper I wrote for British Literature. I simply couldn't be bothered to give credit to another author's voice, an act which violated the Honor Code on plagiarism and forever changed my schooling and writing trajectory.  I took a failing grade in the course and wrote letters of apology to my classmates, professor, and the Dean of Academic Affairs.  I also was scheduled to appear before the Academic Affairs Committee to decide whether or not I would be suspended from the University.  Truly sorry for what I had done, I resolved to get myself together and wrote a proposal outlining how I would make amends to the University and my fellow students.  I proposed that I would give a speech to the freshman class about plagiarism and and serve as an example of what not to do--a speech that would be mandatory for every freshman to hear and would become a part of the Student Life 101 series of lectures alongside those cautioning against underage drinking and hazing in the Greek system.  The Committee thought this was a novel idea and accepted my proposal; I prepared the speech with their help and delivered it to the freshman class that fall.  When I gave the speech, I wore a red P on my chest like the A worn by Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter,and even now, I'm not sure if I've ever really taken it off in my heart.  I lost a great deal of faith in myself and in my writing as a result of this incident, but I devoted the rest of my academic career to making things right and giving credit where it is due.

I transferred to UNC Charlotte not long after giving that speech, a change that made a remarkable difference in my academic performance.  I've done fairly well and am not ashamed to say I've avoided writing as much as possible while at UNCC. Choosing to major in Chemistry was a definitely a calculated decision--I knew I enjoyed the field and I knew that I would only have to write two research papers in order to complete the major requirements.  Even so, I knew the day would come when I would have to take an English course as a part of the General Education requirement.  I avoided it until the very end, and as I sit in English class, I am not scared in the least to say that I am very concerned.  My mind is full of good memories of wonderful teachers that encouraged me to grow as a writer. Yet, fighting for space in my head are the memories of my past academic dishonesty and the crushing blow it dealt to my self-confidence. My identity as a student and as a writer seems to be, in a word, non-traditional.  I have certainly not followed a straight path through, but I am not entirely convinced that's a bad thing.  My experiences to date have made me the person I am and I have to hope that they will make me, if not a decent writer, then at least an interesting voice in the conversation.

Reflection on Writing Timeline

As a writer, I believe that I was greatly affected by the presence of several truly passionate mentors, all of whom encouraged me to read and write about what I had written.  My mother encouraged me as a child to read all the time, allowing me to gain exposure to new voices and ideas.  Later, I was encouraged by teachers like Mrs. Davis and Dr. Halpin. With their guidance, I discovered novel methods of learning and writing so that I might approach a subject from a new angle and meet the challenges as they came. I also believe that all the people involved in my experiences at Wake Forest taught me to accept responsibility for what I produce as a writer and to show respect others' intellectual property.  I think this may be the most important lesson I have learned to date.

For obvious reasons, my worst writing is that fated British Literature paper where I failed to cite my references properly, resulting in a violaton of the academic Honor Code.   I sincerely doubt whether I will ever be able to come out from the shadow cast by such a disgrace. Still, I put my best efforts into making amends for my behavior and serving as a cautionary tale to those who would benefit most from it.  I think the worst thing about the whole ordeal is the fact that I have lost faith in my writing to the point where I second guess every word I write and have trouble finishing assignments.

It seems that my best environment for writing includes an encouraging, engaging teacher and a place where I can devote a lot of time to writing and editing.  I write best at home because I am most comfortable there, but I think I need to write in a classroom where I can benefit from the guidance of a skilled writing advisor or teacher.  I do not edit my own papers very well; I used to write A+ papers in one sitting, but I know I need someone close to edit them now and definitely check my references for completeness.  When I get started writing I just sit down at the computer and start typing.  I rarely have a plan or outline unless it is required for the assignment to be complete, and I recognize this to be a major flaw in my writing process.

After reading my timeline, it's clear that I have been lucky to have a number of passionate mentors who directly contributed to my love of learning and got me involved in the writing process early.  I also think that I have been profoundly impacted by my experience with plagiarism; I learned a hard lesson about life that has not left me with the strongest voice as a writer.  I would like to think that other writers can learn from my mistakes and recognize the importance of writing with purpose, clarity, and, if nothing else, properly cited references.

 Reflection on Schooling Trajectory

After reading my timeline, I think that it's safe to say that the trajectory I've taken in school has been far from conventional.  That said, I think the path I've taken has made me just as passionate and inquisitive a person as my mentors.  I have had the privilege of being taught by wonderful instructors from very early on, like my mother and my teachers in middle and high school. With their help, I discovered how to learn, retain, and make the knowledge my very own.  Even so, I have been humbled greatly by several of my experiences in school and have failed just as spectacularly as I have succeeded.  My writing has taken a similar path, with extreme highs and lows in my ability to express myself. At a glance, it seems so tightly woven together that I can barely distinguish on path from another. The path I have traveled, while anything but straight, will undoubtedly affect the direction I will travel from here. My only hope is that

there are good things ahead.