How does the author feel about her writing abilities?
The author feels as though she is stuck in a conundrum, wether she puts in more effort or takes the exams less serious, the more hopeless she gets about her writing capabilities. Shannon knows she’s an excellent writer, having straight A’s and being in an honors class, one can make the assumption that she is truly a wordsmith. However with the test scores being an abysmal comparison to her actual skills, she is left with a constant self-doubt.
quote:”I felt like a failure. I had disappointed my family and seriously let myself down. Worst of all, I still couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong”
How does the author feel about standardized tests?
Shannon feels indifferent about the standardized state exams. As many of us once did, we held these exams at a high standard because this is seen as the determining factor of our skillset. In many ways it is the ultimate form of self validation. Shannon holds these same values as she lets it impact the way she perceives herself as a writer, while knowing what she is capable of. She resents the exams but still lets it define her as a writer.
quote: “A poem I wrote was put on television once. I must have been a pretty good writer. Unfortunately the graders of the ninth- grade proficiency test didn’t feel the same, and when students fail the test, the state of Ohio doesn’t offer any explanation.”
Retell the author’s journey as a writer.
Shannon Nichols is a well rounded student that is proficient in all subjects. She takes an exam in the 8th grade that changes her whole view on her abilities and makes her question herself as a writer, pondering what she did wrong. Shannon decides to overlook this experience and work harder for a positive outcome, only to fail once more. She turns to her teachers, classmates and friends for an answer, but no one could provide one. This new disappointment brings her to constant cycle of self doubt, questioning everything she could have done wrong. Despite these shortcomings, Shannon was able to reflect and put everything aside. Her new lack of enthusiasm for writing, allowed her to take these exams less serious and finally be able to pass a test.
quote: “Perhaps because of that lack of seriousness, I earned a 2 on the Advanced Placement English Exam, barely passed the twelfth-grade proficiency test…”
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 all my English classes but fail the writing part of the proficiency test twice?”
If I was Mr. Brown I’d console the student and remind her that there is no accurate way of testing someone’s intelligence. The inventor of the IQ test even said himself “intelligence is complex and could not be fully captured by a single quantitative measure”. I’d also advise her to focus more on the test portion of the exam, since test taking is a skill that most people aren’t born with but gradually gain with more practice.
How do you feel about your writing abilities?
I feel very strongly about my writing abilities, from school, exams, to writing my friends final exam paper about Plato’s ideology versus Augustines’, I have always been able to write. In high school when I would skip classes, I would still continue to read on my own because even though I hated the curriculum, I still wanted to learn things I was interested in. Being a student who came late or who wouldn’t show up at all, I would still have teachers tell me that they enjoyed my writing. These words of reassurance convinced me to take an AP literature class my senior year, and the teacher was kind enough to allow creative writing. She showed me that there was a fun side to structure, by incorporating books that talked about POC struggle, using music lyrics as poetry, and reading in small groups. This new unorthodox way of teaching made me appreciate literature and want to become a better writer.
