L a c e y 1

Mollie Lacey

English 111

Monday, April 29

L a c e y 2

Table of Contents

Cover Sheet

Table of Contents

Self- assessment (2 pgs.)

Revised Essay

Original Essay

Best & Weakest writing critiques

L a c e y 3

Mollie Lacey

Stacy Jones

English Comp. I

Monday, April 29, 2013

Self- Assessment

Over the past twelve weeks that I have been affiliated with English Composition I, I have

learned a variety of different skills and techniques essential to understanding and comprehending

the English language. Some of the things I have learned from our class discussions are the

different aspects that form a Literacy Narrative, a focused structure to proclaim an Informative

Report, the vital evidence writers need to interpret a clear Textual Analysis, eventful

significances that make a Memoir appealing, and trustworthy statistics that make reading an

argument believable. Out of all of the readings, I always enjoyed a certain story from each

objective topic that was discussed. In February when our class was studying Literacy Narratives

my favorite story from that section was “Literacy Behind Bars” by Malcolm X. I enjoyed that

novel because it showed first hand that hard work and dedication can help a person overcome

anything. Malcolm X only attended school through the 8th grade. His life changed whenever he

saw a fellow prisoner read, and he wanted to do the same. He began to read from the dictionary,

which changed his life and made him feel “free.” I liked the novel best because it described

Malcolm’s desire to read almost like a necessity to eat. Next our class learned about Informative

Reports, and my favorite novel reading from that was “Throwing Like a Girl” by James Fallows.

I was really intrigued by that article because it discussed all the misconceptions and assumptions

in the world that lead people to believe that all females must “throw like a girl.” The article

mentioned the proper steps to making a throw, and touched on the offensiveness it can bring

upon people. I also liked it because of the use of visual photos, along with great details and

L a c e y 4

descriptions. Towards the end of February our class learned about Textual Analysis’s. I liked “A

Spirit Reborn” by William Safire best. It compared how similar the Gettysburg Address was

after the Battle of Gettysburg just like the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. “A national

spirit rose from the ashes of destruction.” That quote by Safire compares both events and made a

powerful impact on myself while I was reading it. The recurring theme made this novel

excellent. In March our class studied Memoir’s. The most interesting memoir I read was, “Our

Mother’s Face” by Valerie Steiker. This piece describes her mother’s delirious actions at the

time close to her death. After her mother died the author saw her mother’s face in her sister.

Ironically the sister saw their mothers face in the authors face as well. This piece is emotionally

appealing, and the reader can feel a sense of closeness upon the family. The last thing our class

has discussed is arguments. The argument that caught my attention was “What If It’s all Been a

Big Fat Lie” by Gary Taubes. This argument is about obesity, the rates, and type 2 diabetes in

children. The author shifts focus into describing the controversy between low-fat foods and

carbohydrates. The author doesn’t give the reader a definite conclusion; however the article in

itself is great due to the solid statistics supported. I have stated above previous readings and the

examples I have learned from each work of literacy. Each week I looked forward to reading

several new pieces, pulling out information, and deciding which ones were my favorites. I have

learned more than just our class discussions and excerpts we read. I have learned to expand my

point of view, and be open to what other people think about my papers, like the peer review for

example. The peer reviews have helped me see things through a different perspective. Things I

might not have noticed without the help of another pair of eyes. My instructor Ms. Jones has

taught me not to be so self-referential in my papers. She has also helped me better understand the

use of comma splices. Sometimes in my papers I get carried away and begin to ramble. Ms.

L a c e y 5

Jones also gave me advice on how to read back over paragraphs and omit any irrelevant or

awkwardly structured sentences. I feel like my reading and writing abilities have greatly

expanded due to learning more fluently about English, in this English Composition I class.

L a c e y 6

Revised

Mollie Lacey

Stacy Jones

English 111

Monday, April 29th, 2013

A Childhood Not Forgotten

Of all of the memories my Mammie and I have made, the ones I value most are learning

the importance of reading, writing, and comprehending at an early age. My mammie lived one

house down from mine growing up. I certainly spent almost all of my childhood with her,

Monday through Friday from 8 until 5 while my mother worked in Savannah. My mom would

drop me off in the mornings and pick me up in the afternoons. That left Mammie and I spending

much time together. It wasn’t until I grew older that I realized just how privileged I was to have a

grandmother so involved, and so concentrated on me learning the fundamentals of our Standard

English language.

573 Hillside Drive might be a random address to many people, but to me it was the

address where I was given attention, shown love, and most importantly taught to read and write.

I had a toy room at my mammies’ house. I can distinctly remember everything about that room,

for that room was where my imagination let loose. I could be my favorite princess (Cinderella),

or I could play “Teacher Mollie” and teach my stuffed animals. On the days Mammie kept me

we always had fun! Before I started kindergarten Mammie would play school with me. We

would cut up and have fun, but actually she was somewhat preparing me for kindergarten. We

would take breaks and go outside to swing, or bake brownies, but whatever we did she always

made sure there was a lesson to be taught. In all reality, she was just expanding my knowledge.

L a c e y 7

It is quite amusing because I can still picture my beautiful Mammie and myself in my two

little white wicker rocking chairs, followed by a white wicker desk. My feet would always

dangle; they wouldn’t even touch the floor. While my mammies knees were too tall to perfectly

fit under the desk. I can still picture the room and see the off white sheetrock walls with scribble

and crayon marks left over from me being a daring little child. I can even still picture the old

wooden chalkboard that was handed down to me used by my mother. It had the ABC’S outlined

around the rims. Also, I remember having teacher manuals and old teaching books in a bucket in

the corner. Mammie and I would go check out books at the public library and occasionally

purchase them. It was so much more fun playing teacher when you had a real teacher book! It

was quiet evident that Mammie and I both had a profound love for playing and listening to

“Teacher Mollie.”

My biological father was a school teacher; however, he died when I was three. My

Mammie and my mother strived to make sure I was one of the smartest in the kindergarten class.

Both my Mammie and Mom would encourage me to read on my own. I can recall sitting in the

toy room every single day while Mammie read story rhymes such as “Little Bo Peep, Mary Mary

Quiet Contrary, Humpty Dumpty, Hey Diddle Diddle ”, and many more while I anxiously

listened. I got good at memorizing what she would read. I got to where I could repeat them off

the top of my head. Mom would read me bed time stories, while I followed along with my little

index finger rubbing against the crisp pages of a good fairy tale book. It wasn’t long until I was

reading out loud small children books such as Barney, and the monthly imagination library ones.

I know Mom and Mammie felt a huge sense of accomplishment since they put so much time into

helping me comprehend vowels, constants, and of course words.

L a c e y 8

Once I learned to read, it was time to practice making my letters better. I could write, but

as any kid starting out it was very sloppy and spaced out. Day after day, I practiced tracing letters

on my tablet of gray lined paper. Somehow or another I always smudged it, and the pencil lead

would get all on the paper and my fingers. I loved my dry erase and chalk boards in the toy

room. I wrote everything on it. The only problem was I was the only person who could read it!

Yes, I was a very sloppy writer. Mom and Mammie learned that it would take time and a lot of

patience. I mastered my ABC’s, colors, phone number, address, and my grandparents’ phone

number before kindergarten. Everyone in my family thought this was “neat”, and were eager to

brag.

Then it was time to make the first big plunge. I started kindergarten at Adamsville

Elementary School in the fall of 2000. I was in Mrs. Sherri Carroll’s class, and I was one of

fourteen total students. Having a small kindergarten class gave me lots of one on one time with

Mrs. Sherri, proving to be a good thing. By the end of kindergarten some of my friends were

reading chapter books 15 to 20 pages long by themselves. I could read, but certainly not that fast.

I would go to the after school program in the afternoons from 3 to 4:30. In that time I would

work on whatever subject that was struggling me, and that was always math. Looking back now

it seems foolish that I had trouble with adding and subtracting, but kindergarten was a huge

adjustment for me to leave my Mom and Mammie every day.

At 4:30 p.m. almost every day I couldn’t wait to hear the beep over the intercom telling

the teacher I was checking out. I hurriedly put my backpack on and ran down the hall, turning the

corner to find my Mammie waiting on me. She would take me to her house where she would fix

me a snack, and then she would say let’s do any homework you have now so you and your

Mamma can play later. I would eagerly pull out my subjects I had trouble in and we would sit at

L a c e y 9

the kitchen table. Many times she would call out spelling words, or even go over study guides. If

we got done in time she might even get me in the tub, so I could be squeaky clean and ready to

see my Mamma.

Every afternoon from kindergarten until the 6th grade my mammie would pick me up.

When we got to her house she would routinely fix me a snack, and then focus on homework. As

I look back now I can remember countless of times when she would put her cooking, washing, or

ironing up until I left therefore she could focus on my education needs. I know she could have

chosen to do other things, but she put her granddaughter before herself. I will forever be grateful

for all those summer reading programs, scholastic book fairs, reading of books, writing of words,

and playing along that she did for me. Just so I would be prepared for the next grade level. Now

I am a senior, and I truly realize what love is for one’s granddaughter.

L a c e y 10

Mollie Lacey

Stacy Jones

English 111

11 February 2013

A Childhood Not Forgotten

Of all of the memories my Mammie and I have made, the ones I value most are learning

the importance of reading, writing, and comprehending at an early age. Growing up living one

house between us I certainly spent almost all of my childhood with her. Monday through Friday

from 8 until 5 my mother worked in Savannah, therefore she would drop me off in the mornings

and pick me up in the afternoons. That left Mammie and I spending much time together. It

wasn’t until I grew older that I realized just how privileged I was to have a grandmother so

involved, and so concentrated on me learning the fundamentals of our Standard English

language.

573 Hillside Drive might be a random address to many people, but to me it was the

address where I was given attention, shown love, and most importantly taught to read and write.

I had a toy room at my mammies’ house. I can distinctly remember everything about that room,

for that room was where my imagination let loose. I could be my favorite princess (Cinderella),

or I could play ”Teacher Mollie” and teach my stuffed animals, or where I could laugh until I

cried, and lastly where I would sit in time out when I acted out of line. On the days Mammie kept

me we always had fun. Before I started kindergarten Mammie would play school with me. We

would cut up and have fun, but actually she was somewhat preparing me for kindergarten. We

would take breaks and go outside to swing, or bake brownies, but whatever we did she always

made sure there was a lesson to be taught. In all reality she was just expanding my knowledge.

L a c e y 11

It is quite amusing because I can still picture my beautiful Mammie and myself in my two

little white wicker rocking chairs, followed by a white wicker desk. My feet dangling not even

touching the floor, and her knees being too tall to perfectly fit under the desk. When I picture that

room I still see those off white sheetrock walls with some scribbles and crayon marks left over

from me being a daring little child. I still see the old wooden chalkboard that was handed down

to me used by my mother, which had the ABC’S outlined around the rims. Also I remember

having teacher manuals and old teaching books in a bucket in the corner. Mammie and I would

go check out books at the public library and occasionally purchase them. It was so much more

fun playing teacher when you had a real teacher book! It was quiet evident that Mammie and I

both had a profound love for playing and listening to “Teacher Mollie.”

My biological father was a school teacher; however he died when I was three. My

Mammie and my Mother strived to make sure I was one of the smartest kids in the kindergarten

class. Both my Mammie and Mom would encourage me to read on my own. I can recall sitting in

the toy room every single day while Mammie read story rhymes such as Little Bo Peep, Mary

Mary Quiet Contrary, Humpty Dumpty, Hey Diddle Diddle, and many more while I anxiously

listened. I got good at memorizing what she would read. I got to where I could repeat them off

the top of my head. Mom would read me bed time stories, while I followed along with my little

index finger rubbing against the crisp pages of a good fairy tale book. It wasn’t long until I was

reading out loud small children books such as Barney, and the monthly imagination library ones.

I know Mom and Mammie felt a huge sense of accomplishment since they put so much time into

helping me comprehend vowels, constants, and of course words.

L a c e y 12

Once I learned to read, it was time to practice making my letters better. I could write, but

as any kid starting out it was very sloppy and spaced out. Day after day, I practiced tracing letters

on my tablet that was made on gray lined paper. Somehow or another I always smudged it and

the pencil lead would get all on the paper and my fingers. I loved my dry erase and chalk boards

in the toy room. I wrote everything on it. The only problem was I was the only person who

could read it! Yes, I was a very sloppy writer. Mom and Mammie learned that it would take time

and a lot of patience. I mastered my ABC’s, colors, phone number, address, and my

grandparents’ phone number before kindergarten. Everyone in my family thought this was neat,

and were eager to brag.

Then it was time to make the first big plunge. I started kindergarten at Adamsville

Elementary School in the fall of 2000. I was in Mrs. Sherri Carroll’s class, and I was one of

fourteen total students. Having a small kindergarten class gave me lots of one on one time with

Mrs. Sherri proving to be a good thing. By the end of kindergarten some of my friends were

reading chapter books 15 to 20 pages long by themselves. I could read, but certainly not that fast.

I would go to the after school program in the afternoons from 3 to 4:30. In that time I would

work on whatever subject I was struggling in, which was always math. Looking back now it

seems foolish that I had trouble with adding and subtracting, but kindergarten was a huge

adjustment for me to leave my Mom and Mammie every day.

At 4:30 p.m. almost every day I couldn’t wait to hear the beep over the intercom telling

the teacher I was checking out. I hurriedly put my backpack on and ran down the hall, turning the

corner to find my Mammie waiting on me. She would take me to her house where she would fix

me a snack, and then she would say let’s do any homework you have now so you and your

Mamma can play later. I would eagerly pull out my subjects I had trouble in and we would sit at

L a c e y 13

the kitchen table. Many times she would call out spelling words, or even go over study guides. If

we got done in time she might even get me in the tub, so I could be squeaky clean and ready to

see my Mamma.

Not just in kindergarten did she pick me up but every afternoon at 4:30 p.m. until the 6th

grade. She would routinely fix me a snack, and then focus on homework. Looking back now I

can remember countless of times when she would put her cooking, washing, or ironing up until I

left therefore she could focus on my education needs. I know she could have chosen to do other

things, but she put her granddaughter before herself. I will forever be grateful for all those

summer reading programs, scholastic book fairs, reading of books, writing of words, and playing

along that she did for me. Just so I would be prepared for the next grade level. Now I am a

senior, and I truly realize what love is for one’s granddaughter.

L a c e y 14

Writing Critique

Best: I feel like my best piece of writing I have wrote this semester was the Literacy Narrative,

which was my first paper. I was excited to write my own story and add in several significant

details. I feel like “A Childhood Not Forgotten” was my best work because it was easy for me to

describe the setting and details because I lived it. Since the subject was how one came to read

and write, I couldn’t think of anyone more appropriately to write about than my mammie. I

believe my essay has several valid, intriguing points. I hope it made the reader eager to read on,

and feel a sense of appreciation of my grandmother.

Weakest: I feel like my worst piece of writing was my Informative Report. My title was

“Breaking News: Doctor finds first cure of HIV in a child.” An informative report is a well-

researched topic, and I had trouble finding one. I didn’t want to inform the reader about a

controversial issue that is always in the news. For instance: gun control, abortion, medical

marijuana, etc. I think I had some trouble between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. I felt

like I was repeating myself by continuing to talk about HIV. I discussed what HIV was, how you

can get it, and what the treatment options are. Hopefully my next informative report I can find a

better topic that takes up more paper space. This time I rambled on and on about HIV.

Ideas for improvement: For any future papers I need to make sure if I pick a topic then I will

have plenty of information to take up four pages worth of typing space. Also I need to learn not

to ramble. Another big problem I have is over using commas. Lastly I need to reread everything I

write to make sure I don’t have any awkwardly structured sentences.

L a c e y 15