Course Evaluation

At the beginning of this course, being new to the college
experience, I guess I really didn't know what to expect.
I thought, I write, the Professor will tell me what I do
wrong and that would be that. I have an entire new
outlook after taking John Goldfine's Eng101 College Comp.

The first month, I discovered we would read as much
as we write. With only doing prompts and freestyles at
the beginning, I was quite comfortable with the
situation.

After a few weeks, blogs were added to the mix. These
were interesting. At this point I discovered how to
not over think what I was doing. When I opened myself
up and just let it flow from the heart, I seemed to write
better. When I wasn't in the mood or just put too
much thought into it, to put it bluntly, my writing
sucked.

The end of this course, I discovered that through the
hard work of rewriting and rewriting some more...I
really enjoyed this class. I learned that you can not
produce quality work the first time around. And I
learned that John G. is always right there for answers
when you need him.

I really enjoyed taking English Comp from John G.
The online process is not an easy one at times, but
he made it as simple as he could for us. I do wish
that sometime I will have the opportunity to attend
his lectures in person. Thank you John for being
tough, but fair. I truly enjoyed this semester. I
can hardly believe it's over.

PRACTICE EXAM - ANIMALS AND YOU

When we first started our lives together, my husband and I had very few
responsibilities. We had our first home (a trailer), inexpensive vehicles
with no payments and ourselves to take care of. After a couple of years
of marriage I decided to surprise my husband with a puppy. She was this
tiny little cute German Shepard. My husband took one look and fell in love.
She looked just like a little bear cub. So my husband insisted we call her
Bear...yes a female Bear! Who would of thought that an animal could
change our lives as she did. She stole our heart right from the start.

A month after bringing home our little one, I found out I was pregnant.
I don't know if she sensed my pregnancy or just worried about me
because I was sick a lot, but she was always there for me when I needed
a friend to lift my spirits. When I laid on the couch she was on the floor
beside me. When I walked anywhere, she was always one step behind.
She was my true companion.

She affected my husband the same way. She loved to ride with him in
his truck. She'd sit so proud in the seat next to him. When he sat in
his chair at home to watch TV, she became a 100 lb lap dog. Our first
Christmas with her was unbelievable. My husband went overboard
with gifts for her. Her favorite one being a 4 foot bone. What a site
to see her try to get the bone down the hallway. He'd video tape
her while busting a gut as she tried to maneuver a bone too large to
fit between the walls. She seemed proud to make him laugh.

Shortly after Christmas our first child was born. We were concerned
how having a newborn in the house might change her personality. She
was extremely spoiled and now would have to share our attention.
From the first day home with our son, she was amazing. She loved
him from the start. At night time she would lay in front of his crib
and not leave his side. She continued this every night for years. She
became his best friend and protector. She gave him the same love
she gave to us and never asked for much in return.

She's gone now. She passed on around 5 years ago. She's buried in
our field and has a memorial in place. I plant flowers all around it
each Spring and visit her often. We still miss her deeply. She
touched our lives in such a loving way. Her unconditional love
taught us how wonderfully amazing dogs are. We have another
Shepard now, along with two Shelties. They're just as spoiled.
But we still look at Bear's photo album every now and then,
reflecting on the great memories she gave us. She'll always
be in our hearts.

Contrast Essay - REVISED/REWRITTEN

We share the same parents. We had the same upbringing. We're
really not that far apart in age. All grown up now, I can't believe
that two sisters can be so different. How can two people go through
the same childhood and become such different people? My sister
and I are like night and day. We always have been.

Our characteristics and personalities are completely opposite. As
young girls, my sister was the strong, outspoken one and I was the
weak and shy one. If she believed in something that was a different
opinion of someone else, she would argue her case until the other
person gave in to her. Me, I wouldn't argue, I wouldn't fight and
certainly would never stand up for myself. It was easier for me to
let things go. Her voice was loud, while mine was soft. She grew
tall, while I remain short. She has red hair and brown eyes and
I have blond hair and blue eyes. People have always found it
hard to believe when they discovered we were sisters because
of so many differences. Cut from the same clothe, but not two
peas in a pod.

Our differences go even further than looks and personalities.
Our life choices have always been the opposite. She had a wild
side to her for many years. She loved to party. She became an
unwed mother at an early age, and never really settled down
until recently. Now she is forty, married to a wonderfully
stable man and she's the happiest I've ever seen her. My life
settled about twenty years before hers. At the age of fifteen,
shortly after the death of my oldest sister, I became a very
serious person. I got a job doing secretarial work at a mill
while still in high school. Got engaged to my high school
sweetheart at 16 years of age, graduated at 17 and married
at 18. Our first born came when I was twenty-one. I was
definitely serious and focused. I felt I had to set goals and
conquer them just in case I lived a short life like my sister.
I was too serious and finally realized this in my mid-twenties.
Ironically I was too serious and my sister was not serious
enough. Too bad we hadn't met somewhere in the middle.

Another difference between my sister and I is our career
choices. She chose a path as a nurse, helping people hands
on. I chose administration, paper work and more paper work.
She is good with blood and guts and I am good with office
work and numbers. She's tough and I'm spleeny. Night
and day, that is what we are.

So how can sisters turn out to be so different? We must
be born with qualities and trates that belong to no-one
else but ourselves. It is built into us long before the
process of living. But even though we are so different,
we have one great common bond. The bond of sisterly
love. When life becomes a struggle my sister is the first
one there to my rescue.

John-sorry about the first one. I totally misinterpreted
the format. Hopes this ones better.

Comparison Essay

Sitting here with the radio on low, I'm thinking about how
far music has come. Looking at my stereo I remember what it
was like as a kid listening to music.

As a young girl, I loved listening to music. A variety of music could
be heard in our house, and I loved it all. Records and turntables
were our "stereos" back then. Believe it or not, I even had an
8 track player.

Moving forward to ten years or so later I was in my late teens
when the cassettes and boom boxes were the craze. The larger
the box the cooler you were. I remember when I wanted to listen to a
particular song I would have to rewind or fast forward for minutes
that seemed like hours. Most of the time I would go past the song
I wanted and have to go back and forth until it was found. What
a pain in the neck that was.

Flying through the next ten years takes me to the generation of
CD's. Good ole compact disks. Now this is a topic my children
would be able to comprehend. What an amazing sound coming
from these tiny flat disks compared to the cassettes. I have to
admit, it took me a few years after they came out before I would
buy one, out of guilt of owning so many cassettes. I never thought
I'd cross over, but finally did. I was so glad I made the leap. It
was a much improved sound of music.

We have come a long way over the 30 years of my life developing
music devices. Eight tracks, then records, then cassettes and then
compact disks. We're discovering new and improved technology
each and every day. How exciting it will be to see what the future
will bring. But the bottom line is, music is beautiful no matter
what generation your life is in. So enjoy.

Example Essay REVISED

I've really noticed a change in my oldest son, lately. He will turn
15 in a month, and is a freshman in high school.
A year ago he was completely different. He argued about every-
thing. He didn't want to do chores, he talked on the phone when
asked not to, he hated our ground rules about dating. He could
not understand why he couldn't ride around with his 19 year
old cousin and hang out. He certainly hated his curfew and
mouthed off to us for the first time in his life. We thought we'd
never make it past this stage. But now things have turned around.
He's becoming such a remarkable young man. We're amazed at
what we've observed for changes in him.

For instance, he thinks about his future now. A year ago, he
could have cared less about his grades. This year he takes
pride in a job well done and tries very hard at accomplishing
making the honor roll. If he struggles with a subject, he lets
us know so we can help him through it. He talks to his teachers
about his school work and what he can do to improve. We talk
about his goals and what colleges he is interested in attending,
and what it will take to get there. He is really starting to buckle
down and focus.

Another example of the changes we've noticed is the relationship
he has with his girlfriend. In junior high he had girls he called
girlfriends, but they were silly relationships. No real friendship
or depth to what they had. The girlfriend he has now is
treated with such kindness and respect, which goes both ways.
They talk about mature topics and have such an open and
honest relationship. Their friendship is amazing. If it doesn't
work out, they've promised to keep their friendship strong.
They have what most adults don't even have. Even though
their time together is quite restricted, we allow them to visit
each other on the weekends at each others homes, supervised.
A year ago, my son would have argued about the rules we set,
but now he accepts them without saying a word. He finally
understands we set rules out of love.

The final example I have to share with you about the changes
in my son that convinces me he's growing into a fine young
man is that he has begun hugging and telling me he loves
me again. He went through a period where we couldn't share
affection with each other, especially in front of people. To get
him to say "I love you, Mom" for the past couple of years was
a struggle. He would, but without feeling behind it. So we just
kept telling him each and every day that we loved him and
hoped he would come around. Now he says it often, and just
because he wants to. He doesn't have to be prompted. He
even cuddles on the couch to watch TV. When he calls me on
the phone and is with a group of his friends, he doesn't care
who hears him say "I love you, Mom". As a matter of fact,
most of the time, even his friends holler it before he says
goodbye.

So my little boy is changing into a wonderful young man
right before my eyes. I'm proud of who he is and the
choices he makes. I'm proud that he is not afraid to own
his mistakes and learn from them. His examples are
good examples for his younger brother and sister to
observe. I'm proud to be his Mom.

Effect Essay REVISED

The same group of ladies gather at the same time twice a week.
"All right", I say. "Let's get started". We first warm up and then
begin the class. They make fun of me because I smile throughout
the entire hour. I Love to exercise. They complain when I push
them to work harder, but at the end of the workout, they all
gather around and chat with each other about the benefits
they've received from their time here.

They boast about the energy level they have now. Exercising
helps them to feel more energetic than ever before. It's gives
them more stamina to make it through their hectic days.
I love to hear the changes they are developing. Building lean
muscle makes a different in people. The leaner the body, the
more calories burned through your day. It helps create a
steadier metabolism, which in turn gives people more energy.

Another benefit is the cardio endurance level they are
achieving. I overhear how they can't believe how far they've
come since they started. Some say they couldn't even climb
flight of stairs without getting winded. The jump rope class
I teach is my favorite. It is a fun class, but at the same time
is a high level cardio routine. If someone needs to lose
weight, this is a great class for them. It not only burns 1000
calories per hour (and yes, we jump for an hour), but it
also helps strengthen joints, improve balance and gives the
body physique a nice shape. It strengthens the lungs better
than any class I have ever taken. The people in my class
have come to love it, almost as much as I do.

The final benefit I hear them chatting about is how their bodies
have taken on a new beautiful shape. They not only feel great
on the inside, but look great on the outside. Most of them have
struggled with their body shapes and sizes for many years.
The change in body shape when you strength train is a well
defined strong body. Most see a drastic change in their posture.
With strong abdominal muscles it lifts your back and appears
to make you taller. And the best reward of all are the
compliments they are receiving from family and friends. Who
doesn't appreciate compliments? It makes us feel great about
ourselves.

So, even though they mumble and grumble during my workout,
they all have stuck to it and overcome. I always remind the class,
"If it were simple, the whole world would be fit." But beating
this challenge makes it all the more worth the effort. I'm proud
of their hard work and dedication.

Division Essay REVISED

My life has grown to be in repetitive motion. My days are
filled with being a different person to different people. I'm
not sure if it's like this being a man, but I know as a woman,
I have to wear many hats. I wear the same three hats day
after day, week after week.

My first hat starts with my husband. Each day it's the same
routine. I make his morning coffee and breakfast and pack
him a lunch to take to work. I cook supper 98% of the time
and clean up afterwards. I schedule his appointments, take
care of the banking and finances, and at the end of a long
day I finish out my wifely duties, if you know what I mean.
Okay, not every day!!

My second hat that I wear is my Mom hat. this one can be
very challenging at times. I also start the day with cooking
them breakfast and packing their lunches for school. I
remind them to pack their homework, hats, gloves, gym
clothes and whatever else is going on in their day. I always
have to remind them to brush their teeth and to not be late.
I then drive them to school. That is I drive three children
to three different schools and still make it in time to my
work. My main goals as a Mom is to make sure they're fed well,
are warm and feel greatly loved. Being patient and understanding,
yet firm, while juggling my other responsibilities takes a great
deal of energy. Especially when my kiddos don't cooperate.
But this is no doubt my favorite hat I wear. Their unconditional
love is the greatest gift in my life.

My final hat I wear in my routine is the hat of a worker. My job
is very demanding and leaves no room for me to bring my other
two hats to work with me. When I'm at work my concentration
is focused on the task at hand, making through another hectic
day. My day at work starts by unlocking the school, checking
messages and making sure the coffee is ready for when the
teachers and staff arrive. If there are any meetings
taking place, it is my responsibility to make sure food and
coffee is set up for their arrival. When the students start to
arrive I check them in if need be. Throughout my day I am
school secretary to the teachers and students and assistant
to the school's director. I'm pulled in many directions and
multitasking is my middle name. Truth is, I love it. It's
challenging and rewarding. The students are great and the
staff are a great group of people. But when I leave
at the end of the day, my hat comes off and I don't bring it
home. My day wearing my work hat ends when I leave the
building.

So although I may appear to be one person, I am divided into three
ways. the challenge is to keep well balanced and be the best person
I can be for each situation and divisions of my life. My life
is good and I am blessed with being able to provide and take
care of the ones I care about. I love my many hats.

Contrast Essay

We share the same parents. We had the same upbringing.
We're really not that far apart in ages. All grown up now
I can't believe at the different lives we live. How can
three children go through the same childhood and become
such different people.

My sister, Anne Marie, is the oldest. She's tall and slender.
She's loud and pushy, in a loving but still pushy way. She
has two children by two fathers and is on her second
marriage. He's not the father to either of the kids, but
what a great guy to both my sister and her children. She's
finally happy. It took her a long way to get there.
Lot's of drama, lots of tears, and a whole lot of growing up.
She's now forty years old, went back to school to become
a nurse (which she's quite good at) and seems to have
settled down quite nicely.

Middle child is my brother, Rick. He and I are only a year
apart. We are much more similar than me and my sister,
but still....very different. We're the same in that we have
similar looks. Through the years, we lived our lives much
differently. It took him some time to settle down as well.
He's never had kids of his own. Couldn't slow down long
enough, I suppose. He traveled for years as a construction
worker across country. Living the bachelor's dream.
He finally came home and is now married to a woman
who has two children; one in the service and one in high
school. He went from wild boy to now owning a farm
with cows and horses and is a full time fire fighter and
EMT.

Then you have me. The youngest in the family, but since
I can remember, the one who was always the rock. Never
partied, always trying to make my parents proud. Worked
to get good grades. Dated a nice boy in high school, worked
since I was 15, got married and settled down at 18, and
gave birth to our first child at 21. I've always been the
quiet and shy one of the family. I hated attention drawn
to me. Just the opposite of my sister who loved to be heard
and seen at all times. The baby of the family and daddy's
little girl, that's me.

So how can three people turn out to be so different? We
must be born with qualities and trates that belong to
no-one else but ourselves. It's built into to us long before
the things we learn from environment come along. But
even though we are so different, we have one great
common bond. The bond of sibling love is always there,
and when life becomes a struggle, they are always the
first ones to my rescue.

Cause Essay

Driving down the road in my sports car. I hate to say this
out loud, but oh do I love to speed. I've loved this model
since I was little. There's nothing better to me than a Mustang.
Even the name gives me chills. I picture a strong, muscular
horse ready to race. There are a few reasons why I have had a
love of this car. Because of the excitement of the horsepower
under the hood, how you feel in the seat like it was made
to fit your body and because people take notice when you
drive by.

When I put the key in the ignition, I take a deep breath. I
make sure the radio is off and then turn the key. The motor
makes a deep low roar. I put it in gear and step on the gas.
What a feeling to have all that power. This is the first reason
I love mustangs.

Driving down the road and sitting in the bucket seat.
Everything in the car seems to be right where it needs to be
for my body. It all fits as thought it was made specifically
for me. The seat hugs my form. The car and I become one.

The last reason for my love of this car is something I hate
to admit to others. I love to have people stop and look twice
when they see me in my car. It makes me feel special and
maybe a little powerful. People come up to me all the time
a comment on my "wheels". They're almost envious. That
shouldn't make me feel good, but deep down it does.

I miss my car already. It gets parked for the winter. I'm back
in my Mom Mobile now. It's not so exciting to drive. But it has
convinced me that people treat you not by who you are inside,
but rather, what you have. I don't get as many waves. I don't
get double takes anymore. And the first question I get asked
when they see me in my winter vehicle is, "where did the
mustang go". Oh well, I can pretend for a moment it's actually
me they are awing over even if it's really the car that catches
their eye. One can dream..