Summary
1.How does the author feel about her writing abilities ?
The author states in the seventh paragraph that "I doubted my abilities and the idea I wrote about".This all means that the writer doubts her writing abilities after two failed attempts in taking the writing part of the proficiency test.
2. How does the author feel about standardized tests?
The author dislikes standardized tests due to the experience she had with it and how it affected her self confidence and love for writing .
3. Retell the author's journey as a writer .
The author ,Shannon was a good student with good grades and high self confidence .She couldn’t tell if she loved writing more than math or vice vera . Shannon believed in the ideas she wrote about and had her grades telling the stories of how excellent she was .Shannon continued to do well in school but she didn’t know all that was about to change with the forth coming proficiency test . The test was based on writing , math and citizenship and the author knew she would ace it .Little did she know that things had taken a turn . The results were out and she just couldn’t believe it .She had failed english ; how was that even possible ? In the mist of all that confusion ,the author decided to pick herself up and get back on the road .She was sure that the next time she took the test , she would nail it so she prepared as much as she could and took it again but reality hit her hard. At this point ,she had many questions running through her mind .She turned to her teacher for answers but found none .It was at this point she decided that she wasn’t going to put in any effort anymore and that’s how she slowly lost both her skill and passion for writing ,resulting to her being placed in developmental writing in college. If I had gotten answers to the questions I had ,maybe I would have improved that part , passed the test and kept my passion for writing ,she thought to herself .
4. If you were Mrs. Brown ,the author's english teacher , what would you say when the author asked : How can I get A's in my english classes ? but fail the writing part ?
I would say this is because of the different learning style .A student may excel in a classroom environment where they can engage in various materials in different ways , but the proficiency test is rigid and not accepting of other learning styles as effective and this could be the reason . I would then tell her if you can’t beat them , join them and ask her to practice past proficiency tests and familiarize herself with their learning style since hers maybe different .
5. Has there been a time in your life where you doubted your abilities as a writer or in general ? Explain.
I was a good writer in high school or at least that’s what everyone thought until it was time to write "mock" , a final exam preparatory test . I had high hopes and was very expectant of good results but things turned out as the complete opposite . I didn’t know what to think because I felt that exam was too easy .Maybe I underestimated it? Worst part , my parents were called in to view the results .I tried to tell myself it was fine but I just didn’t feel good especially since people who usually don’t do well in writing passed that exam . Just Like Shannon from proficiency , I began to doubt the ideas I wrote about .Even though I picked myself up , things weren’t the same anymore because at this point , I just wasn’t as concerned as I was before .
6. How do you feel about your writing abilities ?
I think they aren’t entirely bad , but I know they need a lot of work , especially since the writing standards in Ghana may vary from the ones in US.
“Proficiency”
3 thoughts on “Patricia Okrah conversation 1”
Sika, I really enjoyed reading your post. You did a great job retelling Shannon’s journey as a writer, highlighting her initial confidence and the impact of the test failures on her self-belief. Your point about standardized tests being rigid and not accommodating different learning styles is spot on. The personal experience you shared about doubting your writing abilities after the “mock” exam added depth to your response, showing how academic setbacks can affect confidence and motivation.
Hi Patricia! I liked what you said on the question about if you were the teacher, because you made me think about things I didn’t thought about it before. Especially when you said that the environment on the test it’s different from the class. And I think that practice could be a good idea to do it better the next time, because the more you practice, the better you get. Also I think that because she was always a strong student with good results, she got anxious and put a lot of pressure on herself, and on the case of take a test, the more you get comfortable with the situation, it can lead you to a better result.
Hey Patricia, yes failing a test is devastating and can really make you doubt the confidence you have in yourself. I had a similar experience with my English regents last school year, and it was a revelation for me to take testing more seriously. I agree with your response to question 4 the profiency test does not determine how smart you are. The test is rigid and with the right practice work, she would mostly be able to succeed.