A Writer's Wanderings

Since we’re in the season of being thankful, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’m grateful for, and in regards to my studies, between English and its various subfields, I am especially grateful for all of the encouragement that my parents gave me toward reading. While encouraging me to read anything, my parents gave me the freedom to read what I wanted to read, and that established practices which have helped me in so many ways. Throughout my time at Fresno City College and Fresno State, I have come to understand how much reading is a skill, more than just an act that you do. The more you read the easier reading becomes. Of course it also matters how difficult the reading is; reading harder material helps you later when you deal with denser texts, but you don’t have to run full marathons to be healthy. Reading what you enjoy reading will help you develop the skills necessary to take on harder readings you’ll need for school and work. When it comes to reading, a little is definitely...

          Sometimes, as tutors, we come to the point where we stop acknowledging the importance of our work and how much it is valued by our students. Unfortunately, at this point, our work becomes simply habit which is problematic because we fall in danger of addressing every student’s need with the same style.  In the time that I have been working at the Writing and Reading Center, I have learned that not every student can be approached in the same manner because everyone has a different learning style. As a rule, one of the very first things I do to begin my session is try to create a comfortable environment for the student to ensure that they share any concerns, opinions, or suggestions with me. I do this by greeting the student in a friendly manner, introducing each other by name, and by engaging in small talk like describing how our day is going. Doing this procedure provides me with a basic overview of the student’s background and the  resource...

IT by Stephen King is a story about a small town called Derry that is terrorized by a being known as It every 27 years. It is a monster that appears as someone’s greatest fear and then hunts them down and consumes them. The story revolves primarily around six characters who fight back against it. The story takes place both when these characters are kids, and then 27 years later when they are all adults. In addition to dealing with It, each character has their own personal issues that they are trying to deal with, all while avoiding the childhood bully who is hell-bent on bullying the six of them.             I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each character was very distinct from the others and were relatable in some way. You never wondered what their motivations were behind their actions, you understood why all the characters were the way they were. The story had excellent pacing and even the less action-packed sections made you w...