Whenever I rewrite an in-class essay, I spend an hour or so developing my ideas, rewording awkward sentences, and analyzing more evidence. The actual time spent rewriting is almost the same amount of time allotted during the in-class write, an hour. Why then do my ideas flow better, words connect seamlessly, and evidence united my essay cohesively during my rewrite? Is it the pressure of a ticking clock that makes my ideas jammed in my head and my words jumble out in a sad reflection of my ideas? Or maybe it's not the pressure of time but the pressure of a grade that will be reflected on my Schoology page and may, O no!, alter my chances of getting into college. Maybe it too is the dead silence of the class during in-class essays that drowns my brain in a black hole of nothingness, no inspiration to draw from. Or maybe it is a combination of all of these and more, or maybe it is none of them at all. See, I don’t really know what causes it, but for me, and I’m sure most, if not all, other students, my in-class essays pale in comparison to rewrites. My last essay, for example, went up by 3.5 from my essay to rewrite. Not to say my in-class essay was a complete failure, but a 3.5 margin is quite large, and if those 3.5 points could be fully gained on the in-class essay, it can be the difference between a 4 and 5 on the big AP test. And, inevitably, I come back to grades and scores as the conclusion to a blog post. The insatiable obsession we have with getting the best grade or score is unhealthy and detrimental. Perhaps next in-class essay, I will simply sit down and convey my thoughts, not worrying about the implications the grade or score will have on my future. Maybe we should all gain a mentality, whether in school or out, of sitting down and just writing our ideas, not for a grade, but for ourselves.
Whenever I rewrite an in-class essay, I spend an hour or so developing my ideas, rewording awkward sentences, and analyzing more evidence. The actual time spent rewriting is almost the same amount of time allotted during the in-class write, an hour. Why then do my ideas flow better, words connect seamlessly, and evidence united my essay cohesively during my rewrite? Is it the pressure of a ticking clock that makes my ideas jammed in my head and my words jumble out in a sad reflection of my ideas? Or maybe it's not the pressure of time but the pressure of a grade that will be reflected on my Schoology page and may, O no!, alter my chances of getting into college. Maybe it too is the dead silence of the class during in-class essays that drowns my brain in a black hole of nothingness, no inspiration to draw from. Or maybe it is a combination of all of these and more, or maybe it is none of them at all. See, I don’t really know what causes it, but for me, and I’m sure most, if not all, other students, my in-class essays pale in comparison to rewrites. My last essay, for example, went up by 3.5 from my essay to rewrite. Not to say my in-class essay was a complete failure, but a 3.5 margin is quite large, and if those 3.5 points could be fully gained on the in-class essay, it can be the difference between a 4 and 5 on the big AP test. And, inevitably, I come back to grades and scores as the conclusion to a blog post. The insatiable obsession we have with getting the best grade or score is unhealthy and detrimental. Perhaps next in-class essay, I will simply sit down and convey my thoughts, not worrying about the implications the grade or score will have on my future. Maybe we should all gain a mentality, whether in school or out, of sitting down and just writing our ideas, not for a grade, but for ourselves.
I love this blog, extremely relatable and i love how you always relate your blog back to a personal event going on in your life
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