Well, it’s been approximately one whole year of pretty consistent blog posts (minus a few weeks here and there when I forgot to post something or was too busy). So, I’ve decided to summarize everything I think I’ve improved on in 2014 and need to improve in for 2015.
First, my study habits have improved dramatically; although, I still have issues with motivation to follow through with those habits. Despite the fact that my grades have improved, I think that my study habits are still less-than desirable and I plan on working on those more.
I think my writing has improved as well, as I am less likely to write an essay about everything and nothing at all, and my stories have definitely improved. Story-wise, I think I’m starting to figure out the right balance of description and plot to keep the ball rolling, so to speak.
My drawing has improved as well, I am happy to say. Even though I still haven’t fully developed my “style” (both for writing and drawing), I feel like this year I have made extensive progress in both fields. My digital art has improved (although, my dad has said that digital artwork is worthless) and I am working on my very first tutorial that I will put on my other blog (which has been neglected as of late).
I have become more consistent in several things, including (but not limited to): posting regularly, drawing and redrawing characters, remembering stories (the never-ending task), working-out daily (… maybe something you didn’t need to know), convincing myself to keep on studying, also convincing myself that running sprints are fun (yeah, right), and writing better material (for both assignments and my own stories).
Some of this may be stuff I’ve already mentioned before, but this post is meant to be a summary of what I’ve done over the course of this school year that I feel is worth mentioning and/or important enough that it should be put somewhere.
Moving on… my prowess in speaking certain languages has improved (a bit) and I’ve also acquired an urge to learn several more on my own (influenced by attempting to figure out the purpose of several sites that are only in other languages that I don’t speak).I have also become more learned in the ways of the world (get this, “adults lie” and (shocker) “everyone lies at some point”). Okay, I guess those were already givens, but I have found that I like physics (specifically circuits), but I don’t think that is a career choice I 
would like to pursue…. Maybe just as a hobby.
Concerning books…. I’ve had less time to read this past year than I have had… ever. Despite this, I’ve still been reading quite a lot and my plethora of knowledge about books (especially fiction) has expanded greatly.
By the way… Maus is awesome! Although, I don’t recommend letting children under 12 years old read it (even though it’s a graphic novel, it is about the Holocaust and lots of horrible things happen in it). I think later I will do a blog post about it… maybe next week.
Concerning the class of AP English III, I thought there were several extremely valuable things that could be gained from taking the class, the least of which is preparation to take the AP English Language and Culture exam.
One of these things is knowledge. This includes literary, persuasive, and educational knowledge, which can be applied to many different fields.
Literary knowledge concerns books. Through reading various works on the AP Reading List, like Invisible Man, Grapes of Wrath, and The Scarlet Letter. After reading, extensive discussions about each of the books builds one’s literary knowledge and experience with “more advanced” literature.
Many important life lessons can be learned from studying this literature. What is also good to note is how the author promoted these lessons. This is a part of the extension of persuasive knowledge. Writing essays is not the only way that you can develop your knowledge of persuasion; reading also helps quite a lot.
Educational knowledge is knowledge that can actually applied to school, or knowledge that has an educational purpose. I guess you could say that this applies to literary and persuasive knowledge as well, but I feel that there are important points for each that distinguish them.
Educational knowledge tends to concern things you learn in school, but can’t necessarily apply to everyday life. There are several special cases in which this isn’t true, but in most cases it follows this description.
Another valuable thing that I have gained from this class is an improved ability to express myself in writing and in words. I still have trouble saying exactly what I want to say, but I have found that it is easier for me to find the right words now then it was in the past.
Well, there are many more valuable things that can be gained from AP English III, but I must admit I’m pretty tired of discussing this topic and am going to move on.
I think my attention span has increased this year. I can more easily focus on doing and finishing one thing without getting distracted or moving on to something else. I know that on this blog this might not necessarily seem true, but in real life I can.
A
nyway, blogs are for putting down your thoughts, right? Well, my mind does not necessarily stick with one thought for very long, but jumps from one to another to another and then back to the first. Like loops.
I think I’m done for today… or maybe this week. I’ll try to finish another post next week, but I might not be able to (it’s going to be busy!).
Well, until next time! See you guys later! and finally… Have a Great Summer!
Temporarily Thoughtful 