Letter of Intent

Well, here it is, the first GRADED English assignment. The last one was not graded. This was to answer three questions: What is the purpose of being in the online version of the course? What do I hope to learn from the class? Lastly, do I think I am ready for a fully online course? The answers are below. Funny thing I did yesterday too. I got a notebook and on the front of the notebook I wrote ENGISH just to spite my brain...

Nichole Hill

ENGL 111 WC3

23 August 2011

Letter of Intent

            The purpose for me being in the online course version of English 111, as opposed to the on campus version, is a work issue. I work full time at a software company as technical support and I am required to work, at minimum, forty hours per week or I will lose my full time status there. I cannot give up my full time status yet because I have three small children and a husband who retired from the Navy not long ago. Retired means unemployed in my book, but that is an argument for him and me. I was enrolled in the on-campus class but it conflicted with my work schedule so I requested to be moved to an online course instead. The purpose for actually taking an English class, of any type, is because it is required for my major. However, I love writing; any chance to tell a story that has not been told is exciting to me. I am a blogger for my paranormal research group and I blog for my family and friends on my personal site as well. The writing part of this class is not intimidating to me. I think what scares me is, I consider myself a halfway decent writer and hope to finish my novel one day, but I know I have so much to learn. I know I take criticism personally and I think it is an attack on me! I know that it is not but in my heart, I am scared to death for someone to tell me that I am a bad writer.

            This class will not be an easy one as I can see from the curriculum, but I will learn to write better and of course use appropriate grammar. I seem to have an issue with commas and run on sentences. They are not my friend. Every time I ask one of my journalist friends to edit my stories I get the same response, “Nichole, please watch your commas and run on sentences.” I am looking forward to showing them what I learned!

            I am completely prepared for a fully online course; I have a couple already with Southwestern Community College. I have taken many online courses from University of Phoenix and ECPI University as well. The style and procedures are a bit different from UOP online courses, which will take some time getting used to, but I am motivated and excited, yet nervous at the same time. UOP and ECPI, where I have attended before, have required APA formatting for all papers. I have never learned MLA style, and because of that, I have a lot to learn.

My First English Assignment

I have an English professor, who has a Master's degree in English and apparently cannot spell or figure out the function of the auto correct feature in Word. This is the man who is going to be grading my papers for the next semester. Thank God I only have one semester with him because I cannot handle disorganized nonsense when it comes to my online classes. I just don't have the patience for anything other than what is expected of ME. Just tell me what you want to see and what you want us to read and I will get it done, is that too much to ask? Whew...I'm done ranting now...so sorry!

My first assignment was a "getting to know you" type assignment. We had to pick a quote from a list that he had already given us and decide what it meant to Shakespeare and what it meant to us and our lives. So here it is. I tried to be funny, but that didn't work out as well as I had though because it seemed like I was just bitching about things again. I tried to be sad or moving and that didn't work either, so finally I just wrote about my kids. Funny how my kids are always my default to go to when I have nothing else I can do.

Here it is, exactly as it appears in MLA format, which I have NEVER learned since I learned in APA format for most of my college courses. With the exception of removing my professors name (to protect his privacy and anonymity) nothing else has been changed. Enjoy...or don't...whatever!

Nichole Hill

ENGL 111 WC3

(Bad speller name goes here)

22 August 2011

Getting to Know You: ENG 111, 114 Writing Diagnostic

I chose, "love looks not with the eyes but with the mind” as the quote I would write my interpretations about. I am pretty sure that Shakespeare was trying to explain the absurdity of love and why, when someone is being treated horribly or someone does an ugly and despicable thing, that there seems to always be someone else who still loves that person. That brief explanation is not why I chose the quote. It is the perfect explanation as to why I continue to love my children so unconditionally.

I have three daughters, all under the age of eight, who I think are possessed by some sort of hyperactive entity that refuses to let them sit quietly and be the little angels I used to have. While they can be annoying, loud, hyper, and just plain evil to each other and others, I still love them. It will never matter what sort of trouble they may get in or how much grey hair they force onto my head, I will always love them.

 I loved them when they lost my diamond earrings that their father gave me when he returned home safely from Iraq for the second time. I loved them when they broke my handmade porcelain doll my grandmother gave to me before she died. I loved them when they spilled so much paint on my brand new carpets that they had to be replaced, again. I loved them when they told on me to my sister-in-law about hating her meatloaf.  I especially love them now as they tell me goodnight and give me sweet kisses and toddle off to bed. I love my kids, all of them, no matter what evil may reside in their hearts or minds or bodies, they are still MY kids and I love them. When they finally put me in a nursing home I hope it was enough love for them to choose an expensive resort instead!