Reflections

On September 21, 2009 I began my “back to school” journey. As a former stay-at-home mom turned divorced single mom of two kids, I felt like an outsider my first week of college. Actually, the feelings of being an outsider began during the SOAR testing. I felt like the oldest person in the room (can you believe that I am almost 30?). I was surrounded by eighteen year olds and feeling a bit out of my comfort zone. Perhaps that is one of the reasons that online classes appealed to me. I chose to take online courses for a few reasons.

I would be able to complete assignments on my own time and in the comfort of my own home. Day, or night, in my pajamas, or in my work clothes. It wouldn’t matter because no one would be able to see me.

Online classes would allow me to continue working full time.

Online classes would allow me to spend more time with my kids since daycare would not be needed. I could even study and complete homework as they played quietly with toys, or watched a movie.

These initial classes, such as English 101, are “easy,” and I could knock out these types of classes online and in the comfort of my home, before having to set foot on campus.

Needless to say, I made a few wrong assumptions about this new world I was entering.

The first day of class I got my first wake up call…I could not believe the work load! I clicked on that “lessons” tab, and all of my preconceived notions were rocked to the core. After the first week I was seriously questioning if this single mom could hack it! After eight weeks of trying to “do it all,” I made some serious changes. I took stock of my priorities, and I decided to cut my hours at work in half. I admitted to myself that my kids were going to continue to be a distraction and I made special time for them, and when I needed to, I sent them to Grandma’s so I could study without interruptions. My biggest breakthrough was when I realized that these core classes were essential to my long term success in school and in life, and then made the decision to be intentional about my work in English 101D.

During the course of the last eleven weeks we have explored three main topics: identity, community, and traditions. Through the use of discussion boards, blogs, timed writes, and formal writes we have questioned the ideas and assumptions we have about each of these subjects. Each of the exercises has allowed me to further develop and stretch my views on personal identity, the purpose of communities, and the importance of traditions. I have had the opportunity to experience the views of a rather diverse group of individuals, which has enabled me widen and enhance my own belief system in regards to these issues. In some cases my beliefs before the class started have been strengthened, and in other cases they have been altered and changed forever. After careful consideration, I chose the following pieces of my work to represent and showcase my hard work in this class.

Critical Thinking: My post from the Identity Discussion Board #2, “The Evolution of Language and Identity.” This piece showcases my ability to analyze material.

Revision: My Timed Write from Intermission #2. Due to the limited amount of time to organize and then create a paper, I am looking forward to taking the time now to make this rough and choppy paper into a complete and cohesive paper.

Awareness of Audience: My post from the Tradition Discussion Board #2, “Vampires.” This post on pop culture received a lot of feedback, and was fun to write.

Writer’s Choice: Blog #2, “Scrapbooking is a Community.” The blogs were my favorite part of this class. I loved the opportunity to write “freeform,” and knew that I wanted to include one of my blog posts in this assignment.

Although this assignment felt overwhelming at the beginning of week 10, I am thankful for the opportunity to prepare and showcase a sample from each of our units in this portfolio. Each piece I have chosen is special to me and I am happy to share them with you in this e-portfolio. Happy reading!