When I think back to high school specifically, I did not have the best dynamic with my 10th-12th grade English teacher. We butt heads often, I’ve always been opinionated and imaginative, however I always interpreted poetry differently than her, and in her room there was one right answer, hers. I had to take her as my teacher to take AP level english courses, however for my electives I got to take a writing course with a different teacher. He admired my creativity, and let me interpret prompts more freely. Yes it was creative writing, and that is the whole point, but having a teacher allow for students to create their own interpretation of literature was a nice change. In college, I have had the freedom to interpret poetry how I like in my writing, as long as I am strong and sensible in my writing, which I slowly learned is how all English classes should be. Allowing myself to interpret art my way, and write it how I feel confidently has allowed me to not only enjoy writing more in college, but score much better on assignments. In my AP English classes, I wouldn’t score well. I remember specifically I got a 70 on my Frankenstein essay, the only paper I remember doing well on were my satire paper and my Metamorphosis essay. In college I specifically remember receiving a 100 on my critical methods II paper, I was very happy. I also received an A on my Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson paper. I take feedback very seriously, so these specifics stand out to me because their feedback did. Since my high school days, I have noticed a grand improvement in my essay score average, going from C to usually A, and I have also noticed my confidence, comprehension skills, and analysis writing abilities have significantly improved since taking college English courses.
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