Writing in High School

The biggest fear of every student in Cherokee High School was the annual research paper. Every spring the rumors would begin to circulate about the potential topic of the research paper their teacher will assign. However, the teachers dreaded the research paper just as much as, if not more than the students. Despite four years of writing the same style and format, many seniors would still write theses such as "Do you want to know what George Orwell thinks about socialism? Read my analysis of Animal Farm to find out." Teachers would spend weeks attempting to show proper argument structure. They would give hints to writing a good opening paragraph. They would spend hours aiding students with thesis development. In the end, however, nothing got through to about half of the class, who would wait until the night before to write the entire paper, and turn in a poorly written paper.
However, I always enjoyed writing research papers. The teachers got through to me, and in my opinion the papers had interesting topics, and thought provoking research. My freshman year, I wrote a criticism of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. Sophomore year, I wrote an analysis of Hemingway's Snows of Kilimanjaro. Both my junior and senior I compared aspects of George Orwell's 1984 to contemporary America. In all cases, I found copious amounts of informative research, much of which I never used in a paper but held onto in memory. Perhaps it was my open mind and eagerness to learn that guided me to successful writing in high school, or perhaps it was great teachers, albeit grammar was hardly teached (sic) in any English class.

Alright! Let the blogging begin! I'm going to start off by saying I love OSU! I came all the way out here from South Jersey (yes, there is a difference between North and South) to experience the Midwest, and so far I think I've disappointed people because I don't have an accent, but it's been quite enjoyable. I hope these next four years treat me as well as these first two weeks!

--Ryan Van Fossen