Reflections and Musings: A High School Freshmans Experience with Writing a Weekly English Journal

　　Reflections and Musings: A High School Freshman's Experience with Writing a Weekly English Journal

　　As a high school freshman, I remember feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work I had to do in my English class. Whether it was reading assigned texts, writing essays, or working on group projects, I felt like I was drowning in a sea of work. But there was one assignment that stood out to me as both challenging and rewarding: writing a weekly English journal.

　　At the beginning of the school year, our English teacher introduced us to the concept of a weekly English journal. We were told that every week we would be given a prompt and our task was to write a three-paragraph response to it. The prompt could be anything from a quote from a book we were reading to a current event happening in the world. The journal was supposed to be a reflection on our thoughts and feelings about the topic and how it related to our lives. I remember feeling intimidated by the idea of writing every week, but little did I know that it would become my favorite assignment of the year.

　　One of the biggest challenges for me was finding the time to write. As a freshman, I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities, so it was hard to find a time where I could sit down and think about the prompt. But over time, I realized that it was actually helpful to have a designated time to reflect on my thoughts and feelings about the topic. It gave me a chance to slow down and really think about my ideas instead of rushing through the assignment.

　　Another challenge for me was finding the right words. I remember feeling frustrated when I couldn't find the right vocabulary or phrasing to express my thoughts. But I also recognized that this was an opportunity to grow as a writer. The more I wrote, the more comfortable I became with expressing myself through language. I began to experiment with different stylistic techniques and found that I really enjoyed the process of crafting a well-written sentence.

　　But what I enjoyed most about the weekly English journal was the opportunity to express myself in a way that wasn't strictly academic. Writing is often seen as a chore, something that needs to be done to pass a class or get a good grade. But with the English journal, I had the chance to write about things I was genuinely interested in and express myself in a creative way. I could write about my dreams and aspirations, my fears and anxieties, and everything in between. It was a chance to be vulnerable and honest with myself, something that is often difficult in high school.

　　Looking back on my freshman year, I realize that the weekly English journal was more than just an assignment. It was an opportunity to grow as a writer and as a person. It taught me the importance of reflecting on my experiences and expressing myself through language. It also showed me that writing doesn't have to be a chore, but rather a way to explore my thoughts and feelings in a creative way. As I move forward into my high school career, I will continue to use the skills I learned from the weekly English journal and cherish the memories I made through this assignment.