To start with my FPE, I believe the organization to my work is key to seeing my own

progression as a writer. The home page gives you a short summary as to what this portfolio will

be showing and also some slight information as to who I am and what interests me. On each

individual page there are written artifacts that I can examine to see exactly how I have been

growing as a writer and where my mistakes have turned to strengths. In each piece of writing I

try to appeal to an audience that is different in the sense of a view on a subject. Through each

piece of writing I could see how I was learning different techniques and ways of approaching

different audiences.

In my midterm paper, I examined the key concepts of this course which were critical

reflection, making connections, independent inquiry and curiosity, getting out of one’s comfort

zone, and taking responsibility for your own learning. Discussing these concepts to the core of

their meaning allowed me to openly examine my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to

my writing. Through this piece, I realized that my inability to get out of my comfort zone can

affect every area of my life right down to my writing skills. Recognizing this flaw allowed me to

work to move past it, so that I can venture out and take necessary risks. For example, in my

traditional research paper, instead of focusing solely on information that supports my original

beliefs, I chose to view the issue from both sides. Even though my paper was written in support

of changing the classification of marijuana, I did discuss how people could lean towards the

other side of the argument:“It is easily understandable that Marijuana would be placed in this

schedule when no studies were possible and the war on drugs was more prominent than ever.”

Another key concept that helped benefit my learning was the concept of taking responsibility for

my own learning. In high school, I wasn’t pressed to take much responsibility because the

classes were relatively easy and the teachers were very lenient. Beginning college has taught

me to view school less as a place to be taught things and more as a place to learn whether that

be by a professor or of my own making. This concept has helped better my experience in this

course as my desire to learn grows.

My annotated bibliography helped better my research methods. Being forced to organize

clearly my sources and what they are doing for the paper allowed me to evaluate what sources

are actually useful rather than which ones are just readily available. It taught me to examine

how reliable the source is before using it because previously I would just grasp onto any useful

information I found in the piece regardless of how reliable or effective it was. For example, when

viewing the source “Working to Reform Marijuana Laws”,