Dear Mr. Weinstein,
This year has been one astounding, amazing and astronomical year! I entered the year as an English novice; a mediocre student that was not interested in writing or reading whatsoever. I was afraid to ‘’bleed on paper’’ and voice my ideas through my writing. Not only have a transformed this year as a student --I was recommended for 12 AP --but also I have changed for the better as a person as well.
I’ll be the first one to say that I was skeptical coming into your class -- ‘’Another year of reading Shakespeare and writing long, boring and annoying essays,’’ I thought. However, you introduced me to a completely different side of language arts -- the arts themselves. Through the use of vibrant mind maps, enthusiastic lessons and interesting techniques, my creative juices began to flow. I always make a checklist when writing my essays to make sure I used all the literary devices I have added to my repertoire this year: semicolons, anaphoras, antistrophes, and even just using colons and exclamation points! These additions to my arsenal have improved my grade, my diction and my vocabulary. Receiving straight A’s, I am proud to say that my view has shifted from despising English to loving it. From ‘’Death of a Salesman’’ to ‘’Macbeth’’ to The Great Gatsby, I have enjoyed thoroughly reading every work of literature. Themes such as ambition and hard work have affected me in a positive way. I realized that in order to be happy with yourself and your situation, you must do what you love and work hard for what you want. Let’s face it: No one wants to be a Willy Loman, -- a man who tried to hard to appease everyone; in the end, it backfired on him and his family--a Macbeth--a once great hero whose ambition got the most of him--or a Gatsby--a troubled man whose endless desire to turn back the clock ends up killing him. These characters have taught me what to and what not to do. Whips around the room help us all become better public speakers and allow us to come out of our comfort zones. Free writing time allows us to keep our brains and pens going and have helped me develop ideas on the spot. Mind maps and poems have allowed me to put my writing skills to the test and the countless hours I have put into my creative writing have been totally worth it. I am grateful for all the lessons I have learned this year through both fictional characters, classmates and you, Mr. Weinstein.
As I have received pretty good grades this year, I look to take my talents to English 12 AP next year. Honestly, I’m not too excited. I’m scared. I don’t want to go back to a conventional English class with a boring teacher. I loved every aspect of this class, from surprise essays to free writing time to making mind maps at home. It is amazing how much one class can transform me. In proper English terms, and if my life was a novel, this year can be classified as a Bildungsroman. Not only have I come of age in English, but i have matured so much throughout this year. I feel like I have truly come of age. Thank you, Mr. Weinstein. Thank you for making this the best English year that I will ever experience.
Sincerely,
Andrew Tse
This year has been one astounding, amazing and astronomical year! I entered the year as an English novice; a mediocre student that was not interested in writing or reading whatsoever. I was afraid to ‘’bleed on paper’’ and voice my ideas through my writing. Not only have a transformed this year as a student --I was recommended for 12 AP --but also I have changed for the better as a person as well.
I’ll be the first one to say that I was skeptical coming into your class -- ‘’Another year of reading Shakespeare and writing long, boring and annoying essays,’’ I thought. However, you introduced me to a completely different side of language arts -- the arts themselves. Through the use of vibrant mind maps, enthusiastic lessons and interesting techniques, my creative juices began to flow. I always make a checklist when writing my essays to make sure I used all the literary devices I have added to my repertoire this year: semicolons, anaphoras, antistrophes, and even just using colons and exclamation points! These additions to my arsenal have improved my grade, my diction and my vocabulary. Receiving straight A’s, I am proud to say that my view has shifted from despising English to loving it. From ‘’Death of a Salesman’’ to ‘’Macbeth’’ to The Great Gatsby, I have enjoyed thoroughly reading every work of literature. Themes such as ambition and hard work have affected me in a positive way. I realized that in order to be happy with yourself and your situation, you must do what you love and work hard for what you want. Let’s face it: No one wants to be a Willy Loman, -- a man who tried to hard to appease everyone; in the end, it backfired on him and his family--a Macbeth--a once great hero whose ambition got the most of him--or a Gatsby--a troubled man whose endless desire to turn back the clock ends up killing him. These characters have taught me what to and what not to do. Whips around the room help us all become better public speakers and allow us to come out of our comfort zones. Free writing time allows us to keep our brains and pens going and have helped me develop ideas on the spot. Mind maps and poems have allowed me to put my writing skills to the test and the countless hours I have put into my creative writing have been totally worth it. I am grateful for all the lessons I have learned this year through both fictional characters, classmates and you, Mr. Weinstein.
As I have received pretty good grades this year, I look to take my talents to English 12 AP next year. Honestly, I’m not too excited. I’m scared. I don’t want to go back to a conventional English class with a boring teacher. I loved every aspect of this class, from surprise essays to free writing time to making mind maps at home. It is amazing how much one class can transform me. In proper English terms, and if my life was a novel, this year can be classified as a Bildungsroman. Not only have I come of age in English, but i have matured so much throughout this year. I feel like I have truly come of age. Thank you, Mr. Weinstein. Thank you for making this the best English year that I will ever experience.
Sincerely,
Andrew Tse
