Before this year started, I really sucked at writing. Name any style of writing and I’ll most likely say that I sucked. But I think this has all changed after being in Mr.Sutherlands class. I used to believe that all writing should be planned, but now I see that sometimes you need to write from the soul. If you write copying sentence starters off a page and don’t involve any feelings at all, your writing gets boring. No ones going to want to read it. Now I write what I remember the feeling I had towards something or the feelings I feel currently.
My favorite blog post is the one about when my brother left to Arizona.
I wrote about him because I was feeling down at the moment and I found blogging this would bring me some sort of relief. It’s my favorite because I didn’t take time to plan or think about what was going on there. I just let my fingers type and do all the talking. I missed my brother so much, I wasn’t used to him not being around. With him gone, I didn’t have anyone to talk to about all my problems, or laugh with when I was bored or down. I got so used to him that sometimes I would ignore him and take advantage of him being at my house. When he left to Arizona I realized that without him at home and in my life, I would be incomplete. Hopefully, I’ll work up the courage to show him this post, but he’ll probably call me a weenie. I think he’s going to call me a weenie because he told me numerous times that he was going to come back home, but not permanently. He would only visit in the summer and on holidays.My mom was also very sad and past her worries and concerns on to me. She would talk about how he might get arrested, he needs to watch out, he might get shot, or he might get into drugs. She cried all night which got me real upset. My little brother stayed talking about how he missed him and its not as fun as when my brother was at home. Everyone noticed how different the house was and how much we missed him.
I love having a blog because it gets me thinking in different ways both positive and negative. Before I had a blog, I always thought that my point of view was right and everyone elses was incorrect. Before I hated reading other peoples blogs because sometimes the things they thought or said pist me off. But now I can go through everything with an open mind and leave with positive thoughts. I love reading the different ideas people have to say. I think blogging has made me a better person and way more respectful.These transformations in me and in my writing began with a small blog discussion I had with another peer and as I read through others post. Eventhough at the beginning I wasn’t and it took me a while to get there, I still got there. I remember when I blogged about Justin Bieber and some people went against what I said and said a bunch of mean things I really disagreed with. I argued with one of my peers. Now that I look at it, I made a mistake because it was simply just her opinion. There is nothing wrong with voicing your opinion. At the moment I thought it was wrong because I was completely hooked on Justin Bieber and was willing to defend him but it wasn’t worth it because she did nothing wrong, I can’t change someones opinion. But I also saw that although the tone in the post seemed very angry filled and rude, but that wasn’t correct of me to just take it the way I read it and start being rude myself. I understand now that the way people think their writing may seem different to the people reading it. You may write something funny and happy but another person might take it offensive and pessimistic. There are a lot of ways that the true feelings of writings can be confused. They changed my mind about arguing and being impulsive by telling me what they actually meant in their post and redirecting me to read it with open eyes. One example of that was,”As for the claim that I specifically don't like Beiber, may I direct you to this statement of mine?I don't have an opinion on Justin Beiber...but I'm not a "hater" either. I find it extremely interesting that there is no middle ground, only the fans and the "haters".”
As you can see, I feel like I’ve grown and learned a lot this year. Hopefully next year, I will do way more post that I’ll feel real proud of. I love Mr.Sutherland’s way of teaching and the genuine concern he shows for us. He is a great teacher and I appreciate all he has done for us this year. I also appreciate my peers for providing great blogs and truly expressing their feelings in their writing. I love this year and feel proud to know that I’m leaving with a lot of knowledge.
