The Important Lessons of SUPA WRT 105

-


    I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to take SUPA WRT 105 in my senior year of high school. During the summer before my last year, the title of this class scared the hell out of me. It was the first college class that I’ve taken, and I knew that it would end up being more beneficial to me than an AP course. Oh how I was right. 



    I could never grasp the concepts of any AP course that I’ve taken throughout my entire high school experience. Oddly enough, my SUPA class was quite the opposite. Concepts in this class were easy, as I’m not too shabby at writing and finding motivation to write comes easy to me. But I know that my success in this class goes beyond those two things. It had more to do with learning how to open my mind to multiple perspectives, how to use personal experience to create better literary pieces, and how to dig deeper - or as we’d call it in class: finding the “so what?” The class was full of lessons that I’ll use in the future, especially with college not being so far away anymore, but if I had to break it down to my top five, here they are.


    Jumping into our first assignment, we were thrown into the college essay. There really wasn’t a way to ease us into it, so we weren’t. This was our first piece of the year, and it already had us sweating bullets. I believed that writing this college essay was only to get it out of the way, as most of us in AP and SUPA classes are masters at procrastination. Looking back at it now, I can see that this was a great introduction to learning the first important lesson that’ll help all of us be successful: our lives are full of original stories that nobody else will ever get to experience. Use them to our advantage. At this point in time, I feel that everyone is sick of the cliches. Or at least for the most part, because I know that there are many still out there who religiously watch Hallmark movies every night with the same plot over and over again. Sorry Mom… The college essay urged us to push past regurgitated stories and aim for personal ones that really hit close to home. Stories that aren’t heard over and over again. 


    SUPA WRT taught me the proper usage of personal voice and an academic one, and how to use them together. This was carefully done by using Blogger to publish our pieces from this year. We were taught to keep our (possible) audience in mind and key into the way a blog should look and be presented. 


    Through our research projects, we were taught something that went against everything that I was ever taught prior to my senior year. Who knew that research is only used to back up your stand on a given topic, not the other way around? I’ve done my fair share of research projects, and never have I ever included so little of the information that I found rather than my own opinion. But it makes sense! Would you rather read the same argument a million times or hear something new, raw, and original for once? Exactly. 


    And while we’re mentioning arguments, SUPA WRT has taught me that there will always be someone who disagrees with your opinions so write about the side that truly speaks to you! When you dig deeper onto a topic you’re passionate about, you’re able to find the “so what?”. Don’t succumb to a stance that you don’t believe in just for the sake of being agreed with. There will always be someone out there who’s on your side as well. You’re rarely ever alone, as long as you know what you’re talking about and aren’t completely shutting the other side out. 


    And lastly, since everyone has the right to have their own opinion, SUPA WRT encouraged us to see things from different perspectives. This is very important when writing. Doing so will allow you to have a better understanding of the entire topic, as if it was a puzzle and each perspective was a piece. Your arguments and writings will all be so much richer from acknowledging each side. 


    If you’re not given the opportunity to take a class like SUPA WRT 105, I highly recommend using these lessons and great tips that I’ve learned this year. Use your personal experiences, distinguish between the time to use your personal voice or an academic voice, use research to back up your original ideas, write about the side that is true to you, and don’t limit yourself to only seeing one perspective. 


                            I wish you luck and success in your future writing experiences!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Little Miss Sunshine: A Movie About Society's Ridiculousness

-
Image
     The 2006 award winning film Little Miss Sunshine , directed by husband-and-wife team Johathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, tackles heavy societal issues throughout the film while also using a variety of comedy for the movie to be enjoyable to all. Dayton and Faris’s movie pokes fun at the topics of beauty and society’s love for winners (and hatred for losers), to which suggests to the viewers that although these issues are ridiculous, they need to be addressed and changed as soon as possible.      The film begins in Albuquerque, where you meet the dysfunctional Hoover family. The youngest, Olive, gets qualified to attend the Little Miss Sunshine Beauty Pageant in California, and all the Hoovers, plus the mother’s adult brother, embark on a road trip to California in a beat-up microbus. Richard Hoover, Olive’s father, is obsessed with the idea of winners and losers, and believes that he and his family must be winners at all costs, as he has created a 9-ste...
Read more

Toxic Masculinity Is What's Ruining Us

-
  Toxic masculinity has been around for ages but has recently come to light in the media. There have been many documentaries, films, and articles that discuss the toxicity of what it’s like to be a man in modern times and the dangers of it. Jackson Katz shows his viewers an insight on the daily battles men have to fight in his film Tough Guise 2 . Through his film, he encourages that men and women both should challenge the way society views masculinity. Articles such as “The Boys are Not All Right” and “Not Your Father’s Masculinity” reinstates Kratz’ views and adds their own insights to the matter, as well.  As discussed in Tough Guise 2, boys are introduced to toxic masculinity at a young age- ranging from watching movies depicting men as violent, strong, gun lovers to being called derogatory names. “Old masculinity”, the masculinity in older generations, has been drifting away- to which is causing men today to feel as though they have to prove themselves to the society that...
Read more

Having Better Conversations

-
Anyone can have conversations with others. It doesn't take much to walk up to someone and open your mouth. It's easy to talk about the weather, or what you've been up to. But having a great, inspiring conversation takes a lot more than just that. To have a worth-while conversation with someone, one that leaves you feeling fulfilled, you need to learn to listen.  You shouldn't always talk about yourself, and for many people that can be the hardest part. Learning to listen isn't easy for everyone. For a long time, I admit that I talked too much. Perhaps it was because I was young and hadn't acquired my listening skills yet, but I couldn't stand having to pause to let others speak. I had too much to talk about; ideas have always come to my mind randomly and quickly, even today. Over time though, I've learned to repress my need to speak. I listen more than I speak; I have found listening more interesting and educational. I have learned so many new and intere...
Read more