Jori Pace

English 2010

Professor Reece

December 8, 2014

Final Reflection

My Final Reflection

            In my English experience over the years that I have been in school, I never have felt like I was taught exactly how to write a structured paper. Personally I feel like my writing process has changed quite a bit. I don’t recall ever having to write a proposal to a paper that I have written in the past. This class was helpful by teaching us to write a proposal to get our ideas out there, and get us to basically format and outline what we are going to talk about. A proposal is very helpful to get you thinking about how you’re going to organize your paper. Learning to write a proposal was a huge help to my writing process I am really glad we were required to start every paper out with one.

With every paper my rough drafts were very rough trust me. The revising strategies that I learned and liked the most were first, the peer review by our classmates. It was quite helpful to get our classmates feedback, to give us new and fresh ideas of things we could add and take out of our paper. A lot of the time I would get stuck and that’s the first thing I would want was another point of view to critique and suggest things for me to fix. Another strategy I was taught in this class was to put myself into my audience’s shoes and ask myself, “Why does this subject need to be discussed.” I learned that we need to make sure that we are getting the point across as to why this topic we are writing about might be an issue, and really keep our audiences attention. Through our writing we need to make them care about the subject even more than they already do, and if they don’t then make them interested in it by what we have to say.

The biggest thing I learned about writing is that you need to make sure you are proving your point and that you can convince people to agree with what you have to say about the subject. I also learned that not everyone will have your same opinion but that’s ok, you just need to make sure your audience knows how you feel about the subject and that you are trying to appeal to them as much as possible. I also learned how to recognize ethos, pathos and logos in different pieces of writing, through the exercises and activities we did in class.  

Something that was really difficult for me this semester was taking one subject and writing about it in three different papers. I started to feel like I was repeating myself way too much, I feel like I struggled with finding new information. Another thing that was hard for me was to find articles that had similar subjects but different information at the same time. I thought writing came to me, but this semester I learned that I’m not the best at writing research papers. I guess the kind of writing I am best at is more of a free write. I like to give my opinion and go from there when I write a paper. It is a lot easier for me to write about what I think rather than what someone else thinks. This class challenged me, and now I know that I need to work on the wide varieties of writing and try to become a better writer in all areas.

Something that I would like to improve on for my future writing, is my organizational skills. I would like to learn more about how to organize my thoughts and how to make a paper flow more easily. That is something I feel like my papers lacked was a smooth transitioning flow throughout the whole paper. There are many things that I need to work on with my writing skills, but this class did a good job at pointing out the things that you would normally forget about when beginning to write a paper. In conclusion, I argue that this class did teach me to be a better writer by pointing out the things you would normally forget when revising and trying to get a final piece put together. The information taught in this class will help me in the future when I am writing a paper and hopefully will make me a better writer.

Jori Pace

English 2010

Professor Reece

November 18, 2014

Research Paper Rough Draft

Transitioning Students with Learning Disabilities

            The definition of Learning Disability: “A disorder found in children of normal intelligence who have difficulties in learning specific skills.” The topic I chose to research about is helping students with any kind of learning disability, transition more easily when it comes to moving on to higher education. I see this as something that should be majorly focused on. In this world and in our economy, there is a high demand for an education and a degree in something in order to get a job. School is not an easy thing and I think everyone would agree with that. Now think of the people who have learning disabilities such as A.D.D., A.D.H.D., Autism, and other types of Learning Disabilities. For them Learning is even more difficult their attention span can be very short, and no matter how hard they try to focus, things for them are still difficult. My argument is that everyone deserves a fair chance at an education, and all the resources should be available to all students, even the ones who struggle learning. The question is what is being done to help these students transition, and how can teacher administrators and counselors better help them?

            In my first article of research it talks about nine different strategies to help students transition into a college setting. It gives them step by step information on what they need to do right when they apply to a university, so they can get some extra help. My question is: What do Students with Learning Disabilities need to do in order to continue on with their education.

            In the article it list nine different steps that could take place in a high school setting to help which are: 1. “Educate IEP Team members and Special Education Faculty.” Teachers and other faculty members need to be educated so they can know what to do and how to help the students prepare for their upcoming college applications. 2. “Reach out to families.” Parents too need to know what they should be doing to help prepare their child for their college experience. Many parents make assumptions and may think that there is no aid or help for their child but they need to be educated on what is out there that can help their child. 3. “Encourage Students’ Future Independence.” Colleges are not required to give students with learning disabilities every accommodation that they have received in the past. It is important to inform the students that things will be different and reassure them that they can still succeed in their education. 4. “Teach Students to Use Assistive Technology.” Coming into College myself I realized that most all my homework for my classes involves a computer or going online. Teachers need to make sure that they are teaching their students how to use a computer so they can easily figure out how to do their homework and assignments online. 5. “Give Students the Documentation They Need.” Students need to provide the correct information when they are applying for college. It is helpful if the students IEP team in high school is prepared and helps them get all the paperwork ready to go. It is a good idea for them to be prepared with as much information they can get, that way no matter what the College is requiring they have all the paperwork they need. 6. “Educate Students About their Disabilities and Strengths.” Colleges require the students themselves to apply for and ask for assistance with their school work. They need to know what their strengths and weaknesses are. Students with Learning Disabilities need to know about what they struggle with in order to know what they need to focus most on to succeed in their school work. 7. “Explicitly Teach Learning and Organizational Strategies.” People who have a Learning Disability such as A.D.D. have trouble focusing and organizing their thoughts. They need to be taught organizational skills and other skills as well like; Note taking, test preparation, and time management skills. Teaching them that will make their studies a lot easier. 8. “Ensure That Students Are Prepared to Apply for Accommodations at College.” Students are required to apply for help themselves, so they need to know what they need to do. When applying for help the students need to explain their disability and what they struggle with so they can ask for specific help and see if it is available. 9. “Create a Districtwide Transition Program.” This is where schools can help their students the most with their learning disability. If they have a good program that is organized to help the students efficiently then they will be prepared for their upcoming college experience and will have an easier time transitioning.

Hamblet, Elizabeth C. "Nine Strategies To Improve College Transition Planning For Students With Disabilities." Teaching Exceptional Children 46.3 (2014): 53-59. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

This entire article was very informative and I found it to be a very reliable source and an excellent idea for schools to keep these steps in mind. If schools would use these strategies for their students then they will most definitely be prepared to further their education. People might think that if someone has a hard time learning then they need to keep everything simple for them, but the opposite needs to happen. They need to be challenged so that they can improve and move on to higher education. These are all really good ideas that teachers can apply in their classrooms to help the students out. Also if a person with a learning disability uses these suggestions and tips, they can help learning come more easily to them.

            Like anyone else learning something new, it is easier If they have an example to follow. School counselors would be a good example of this. In the article “Assisting Students with Learning Disabilities Transitioning to College: What School Counselors Should Know” it says  “School counselors can play important roles as advocates, collaborators, and direct service providers.” School counselors can play a huge part in influencing and encouraging a good education. When I was in high school I really looked up to my school counselors and hoped for positive information and encouragement to move forward to better my education. They can be a huge help and influence on someone with a Learning Disability who thinks they wouldn’t be able to make it in college. The article also said, “that many students with learning disabilities do not consider postsecondary education options (2- and 4-year colleges and vocational schools) because they are not encouraged, assisted, or prepared to do so" (1994, p. 1). Hitchings et al. (2001) interviewed 97 college students with learning disabilities and found 20 reported being discouraged from pursuing college by teachers and/or school counselors.” That can be really discouraging and if I was ever told not to continue on with my education my confidence would go down and despite what I use to think about myself, my opinion would change because someone I looked up to said not to do it. People with Learning disabilities already struggle with self-confidence, they need to know the can do it and they can progress and that is where the encouragement of a school counselor comes in.

            In order for anyone to help, they must first have transition plan. In the article, Assisting Students with Learning Disabilities Transitioning to College: What School Counselors Should Know, it talks about a transition program that was put into place, which 55 students participated in. the article states: “Aune (1991) described a program focusing on individualized psychoeducational training for 55 students with learning disabilities. Student needs were assessed based on a transition model, which provided guidelines for content areas (e.g., using accommodations), desirable timelines, and optional services (e.g., consultation with parents, individual counseling). Through grant funding, a transition specialist was hired to serve as a case manager, meeting bimonthly with students one-on-one and coordinating the provision of additional services. Optional group sessions were provided during the summer months, and students continued monthly communication (often by phone) with the case manager during their first year of college. Aune reported 71% of the students pursued postsecondary courses within a year of graduating from high school and the majority were more aware of their disabilities and able to self-advocate.” This transition program would be great for all students with learning disabilities. It talked about having a timeline and optional services like meeting with parents and having a case manager meet with them on a regular basis. A transitioning program would benefit all students and help them move forward in their education. Any student with a learning disability is able to get a good college education if they have the right support. That is why I feel so strongly about having a good support system in high school for these students to be able to gain the confidence and feel like they are equal and can get a college education.

            Universities also need to have programs that are ready to accept and help these students in any way possible. In the article, “Helping Students with Disabilities Transition to College: 21 Tips for Students with LD and/or ADD/ADHD” by: Connor, David J. he states: “Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (2006) ensured the civil rights of people with disabilities. As part of that legislation, all colleges that receive any type of federal funding are required by law to have disability services on campus for students with disabilities (see Table 1). A student's request for accommodations and support services is verified by this office, which then approves relevant support from a range of possibilities (e.g., alternative testing arrangements, priority registration, assistive technology services, readers, note takers, sign language interpreters). The campus disability services office also prepares a document notifying professors of accommodations required by the student (without disclosing the specific disability)--although it is often the student's responsibility to give the information to the professor.” (quoted from) Connor, David J. "Helping Students With Disabilities Transition To College: 21 Tips For Students With LD And/Or ADD/ADHD." TEACHING Exceptional Children 44.5 (2012): 16-25. ERIC. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

 If all Universities and even small Jr. Colleges would make sure that they are doing this to accommodate those students then it will make the beginning of starting their education a lot less stressful. This article also talks about success stories and letting other students hear them so that they know it is possible and they can graduate and obtain a college degree of their choosing.

            People with learning disabilities need to learn how to be independent as well. All though there is help for them, it isn’t going to just be handed to them. In the article it states: “With greater autonomy comes increased self-responsibility. Individuals with LD and/or ADD/ADHD intending to go to college should know about the federal regulations that affect them, including what kind of assistance they personally require (the more specific, the better)--and be able to provide documentation to substantiate their claim (Beale, 2005). The burden of proof is on the student to have his or her disability verified (Madaus & Shaw, 2006). Students should maintain information throughout high school on their school-based assessments and be prepared to share it with the campus disability services office. Once this information is shared, students will be notified of their status (i.e. "officially" recognized as having a disability), the accommodations they are entitled to, and possible optional services that exist at the college, such as access to a writing center, priority to quiet areas of the library, and so on.” (quoted from)  Connor, David J. "Helping Students With Disabilities Transition To College: 21 Tips For Students With LD And/Or ADD/ADHD." TEACHING Exceptional Children 44.5 (2012): 16-25. ERIC. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

 Students need a good support system but they also need to be keeping track of their information and what kind of learning disability they have so they can be prepared to apply and ask for they help when they are ready for it. Something that can help them with this is being educated early in life so they know what they need to work on to make learning come easier for themselves.

            I myself don’t have a learning disability but from my own experience in high school, the biggest thing that helped me learn was by example. When my teachers were more specific on what I needed to do to complete an assignment it seemed like I would have an easier time accomplishing the task. Obviously it is a lot easier to do something when you have a good example to follow by instead of just given the basics and told to go do it. People who have a learning disability aren’t too much different than the average student. They just have more obstacles and challenges to overcome. If what is expected of them is put plain and simple then of course they will be able to learn and accomplish what is expected of them.

            The overall thing that is going to help these students the most is the involvement of their leaders. Parents, teachers, counselors, and Principals will have the biggest influence on their education and whether or not they think they can attended and succeed in college. A good transitioning program should also be put into place at every high school so that the students are prepared the best they can be when getting ready to apply for college. There are a lot of hidden steps that they need to be aware of, everyone needs to be doing their part to help get the information gathered.

            In conclusion, my opinion is that all students deserve a chance at an education. Everyone involved in the school setting needs to be ready and able to provide help. I think there needs to be a detailed training for all teachers so they can learn how to help their students the best they can. Parents too need to be involved in their student’s education and they need to be aware of their student’s learning disability so they can help them at home. My goal would be to make sure everything possible is being done for a good transitioning program to be placed in high schools to better prepare students for their future and moving forward with their education.

                                   Works Cited

Hamblet, Elizabeth C. "Nine Strategies To Improve College Transition Planning For Students With Disabilities." Teaching Exceptional Children 46.3 (2014): 53-59. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Dec. 2014.

Assisting Students with Learning Disabilities Transitioning to College: What School Counselors Should Know By: Milsom, Amy, Hartley, Michael T., Professional School Counseling, 10962409, 20050601, Vol. 8, Issue 5

Connor, David J. "Helping Students With Disabilities Transition To College: 21 Tips For Students With LD And/Or ADD/ADHD." TEACHING Exceptional Children 44.5 (2012): 16-25. ERIC. Web. 

9 Dec. 2014.

this paper was a lot more difficult that i thought it was going to be. I wasn't aware when i chose this subject that we would be writing a 8-10 page paper on it. I had a really hard time finding articles that gave me enough information and I also had a hard time not repeating information. if i could do this assignment over again i would choose a new subject. 

IP Rough Draft

Jori Pace

English 2010

Professor Reece

November 18, 2014

Research Paper Rough Draft

Transitioning Students with Learning Disabilities

            The definition of Learning Disability: “A disorder found in children of normal intelligence who have difficulties in learning specific skills.” The topic I chose to research about is helping students with any kind of learning disability, transition more easily when it comes to moving on to higher education. I see this as something that should be majorly focused on. In this world and in our economy, there is a high demand for an education and a degree in something in order to get a job. School is not an easy thing and I think everyone would agree with that. Now think of the people who have learning disabilities such as A.D.D., A.D.H.D., Autism, and other types of Learning Disabilities. For them Learning is even more difficult their attention span can be very short, and no matter how hard they try to focus, things for them are still difficult. My argument is that everyone deserves a fair chance at an education, and all the resources should be available to all students, even the ones who struggle learning.

            In my first article of research it talks about nine different strategies to help students transition into a college setting. It gives them step by step information on what they need to do right when they apply to a university, so they can get some extra help. My question is: What do Students with Learning Disabilities need to do in order to continue on with their education.

            In the article it list nine different steps that could take place in a high school setting to help which are: 1. “Educate IEP Team members and Special Education Faculty.” Teachers and other faculty members need to be educated so they can know what to do and how to help the students prepare for their upcoming college applications. 2. “Reach out to families.” Parents too need to know what they should be doing to help prepare their child for their college experience. Many parents make assumptions and may think that there is no aid or help for their child but they need to be educated on what is out there that can help their child. 3. “Encourage Students’ Future Independence.” Colleges are not required to give students with learning disabilities every accommodation that they have received in the past. It is important to inform the students that things will be different and reassure them that they can still succeed in their education. 4. “Teach Students to Use Assistive Technology.” Coming into College myself I realized that most all my homework for my classes involves a computer or going online. Teachers need to make sure that they are teaching their students how to use a computer so they can easily figure out how to do their homework and assignments online. 5. “Give Students the Documentation They Need.” Students need to provide the correct information when they are applying for college. It is helpful if the students IEP team in high school is prepared and helps them get all the paperwork ready to go. It is a good idea for them to be prepared with as much information they can get, that way no matter what the College is requiring they have all the paperwork they need. 6. “Educate Students About their Disabilities and Strengths.” Colleges require the students themselves to apply for and ask for assistance with their school work. They need to know what their strengths and weaknesses are. Students with Learning Disabilities need to know about what they struggle with in order to know what they need to focus most on to succeed in their school work. 7. “Explicitly Teach Learning and Organizational Strategies.” People who have a Learning Disability such as A.D.D. have trouble focusing and organizing their thoughts. They need to be taught organizational skills and other skills as well like; Note taking, test preparation, and time management skills. Teaching them that will make their studies a lot easier. 8. “Ensure That Students Are Prepared to Apply for Accommodations at College.” Students are required to apply for help themselves, so they need to know what they need to do. When applying for help the students need to explain their disability and what they struggle with so they can ask for specific help and see if it is available. 9. “Create a Districtwide Transition Program.” This is where schools can help their students the most with their learning disability. If they have a good program that is organized to help the students efficiently then they will be prepared for their upcoming college experience and will have an easier time transitioning.

            This entire article was very informative and I found it to be a very reliable source and an excellent idea for schools to keep these steps in mind. If schools would use these strategies for their students then they will most definitely be prepared to further their education. People might think that if someone has a hard time learning then they need to keep everything simple for them, but the opposite needs to happen. They need to be challenged so that they can improve and move on to higher education. 

This rough draft needs a lot of work, it has been a struggle writing it. Hopefully i can get some more information to make it better and when i post my final draft it looks much better!

Rough Draft Reflection:

Well, I don't know if I did this assignment right, I am still trying to figure this class out. I wasn't really sure what the requirements for this paper were or exactly how to write this paper, so i just guessed. The weaknesses of my rough draft is that i don't think it is long enough but im going to try to add to it for the final draft. also i dont think i compared enough in my draft. I just started to realize that my two articles dont really have any similarities so i was struggling with finding things to compare because it didnt have much in common. I wouldnt say this assignment was easy or difficult but i didnt really know how i was suppose to be writing it. all i knew is that we were suppose to compare the two and i found it hard to write a four page paper on just that. 

Jori Pace

English 1020

Professor Reece

October 5, 2014

Proposal

            Introduction: The topic of my two peer reviewed articles are, Transitioning students in the Educational atmosphere. I plan on comparing the articles and determining what are the similarities between the two authors writing.

The problem is that both authors feel like students with disabilities aren’t getting the correct help that they need in order to smoothly move forward with their education. Both authors have the same goal, which is to find a way to help teachers, administrators, and parents learn how to help their student further on with their education more easily.

I am going to thoroughly read both of the articles, high light and pull out the similarities between them and then analyze and explain how and why the content of the articles are the same, and how the authors both have the same motive and ideas to fix the problem.

Also in my synthesis paper I am going to point out how both the articles differ from each other and how the author’s ideas are different from each other. After reading the two articles I have decided that I agree with what both have to say.

In conclusion what I hope to accomplish by writing this paper is to show how the two articles are similar but also different as well. I also expect to learn how to better write a synthesis paper and prepare to write my research paper by learning more about the topic that I have chosen to write about.o

 Reflection:

this assignment was a little difficult for me. I know I am lacking length in my proposal, but I just had a hard time getting this to be a full page. I didn't know what else to write about because I feel like what I was proposing was able to be explained in a short amount. The strategies i used to complete this assignment were just the one we talked about in class. Questions and concerns that I have in this unit is just how do you write a synthesis paper without repeating yourself a lot? and I don't really know how to start it or determine the order of things when I write. 

Rough Draft

Jori Pace         
Professor Reece
English 1020
September 7, 2014
Rough Draft Rhetorical Analysis
I feel as though this author did an awesome job at reaching their audience through this article. Her audience is anyone with a learning disability that is trying to get a college education, and searching for help. Also she is trying to reach out to teachers, parents, and the peers of these students which are struggling with a learning disability. In general this article can benefit and reach out to many audiences as she is trying to educate people on how to give people with LD a fair chance at an education. She is effectively reaching her audience by being clear and stating the steps in order for them to get help in the transition from High School to college, and also coming up with ideas to help their early educators to help them prepare for the next stage in their career in general education. At the beginning of the article in paragraph two it states: “  the number of students with disabilities who enroll each year in college has increased (Wolanin &Steele, 2004). Data from a longitudinal study in 2011 examining students with disabilities' post-high-school outcomes indicated that 15.5% of those who enrolled at 4-year institutions were identified as having LD. ADHD was not listed as a disability category, but it may have been included in the 19.5% of students who were identified as having “other health impairments” (Stanford et al., 2011). Despite enrolling, once they start to attend, students with disabilities do not keep pace with their peers without disabilities in relation to earning their degrees. Sanford and colleagues found that within 6 years of completing high school, only 29.4% of students with disabilities had complete college, as compared to 42.2% of students in the general population. Within 8 years, the percentage rises to 34.2% for students with disabilities (with no specific information about differences by disability category), and 51.2% for students without disabilities (Newman et al., 2011).”
            Another main point that the author talks about is educating the students about their own LD. She brings up a good point in the fact that students need to know why they are asking for help and they need to know what their weaknesses are in order to focus on what they should be doing to strengthen the areas that they are struggling in. In step #8 of the article it states: “Students with LD and ADHD need to know how to apply for accommodations when they get to college. So that students are effectively prepared to self-advocate, any transition program must ensure that students are aware of and understand the tests and diagnosing their learning challenges, help students develop a list of helpful accommodations, and teach students how to apply for accommodations.” There are very good strategies and ideas stated in the article to help teachers and other administrators in high school to help the students figure out what they need to be focusing on.
It takes a number of people to help out in the transitioning process but if there are enough people dedicated to helping these students, they can have the same opportunity as their peers without learning disabilities. Some information I found helpful and something I didn’t think about was that one way to really help them transition is to not make every think a piece of cake. Toward their senior year of high school it actually talked about taking away some of the help and to challenge the student more. That is the main struggle with LD, when they get into college everything is much harder and that’s where they start to struggle. They need to start to be treated like a college student toward the end of their high school education.
 Elizabeth C. Hamblet, the author of this article has a very big interest in this subject, and she seems genuinely concerned for the population of students with learning disabilities that are trying to attend college. Her article is all about giving the step by step information to help people with LD and ADHD find and apply for assistance at the University which they have chosen to attend. This author was very persuasive with the information she gave, there is very clear instructions for students to go seek for the help and guidance for their college education. Not only was she persuasive in her writing but I feel that she was also motivating. For any student who has a LD that is discouraged and think they can’t attend college, needs to read this article and the information she has clearly provided. A statement that I think sums up the purpose of this article pretty well is in paragraph number four, and it reads: “Students with ADHD have reported that they struggle because of deficits in their organizational skills, academic coping strategies, executive functions, and focusing and sustaining attention (Norvilists, Sun, & Zhang, 2010). Although most students (with and without disabilities) have to make adjustments when they get to college, these new challenges may affect students with LD and ADHD more than others because their disabilities affect learning, and planning – all of which are critical to success in this new academic environment.” This statement to me, in the article is the main focus of what she is trying to get across. Their brains work differently therefor they struggle more than the average college student. It is pretty clear from this statement what she is trying to get across here and who she is trying to reach.
The tone used in this article is a very concerned one. You can tell she really cares about this subject and has listed so many different helpful things. I feel like this article is very well put together and that all the information in it is relevant and very educating. I am interested in the Special Education field and I found this article to be very helpful. It broadened my mind to the different things we can be doing to help disabled students to attend college. There is so much more that we could be doing to make things easier for their transition. 

Reflection:

This assignment was a little easier for me than the analysis was. The strengths of my paper are that I know quite a bit about special needs and so I feel like I can relate to the author and I know what she is talking about. My weaknesses are that I still think that I am not fully understanding the assignment and including all the requirements in my paper. What I learned about writing a rhetorical analysis is that you are just kind of picking apart the article and looking and it's strengths and weaknesses. I also learned that you can just pick a side and write about it, I was thinking too deep when we were assigned this and I thought it was going to be a lot harder than it was, but once it was explained I understood it and was able to easily analyze and write this paper.  

Reflection on Chapter 8 Ethos, Pathos, Logos

In the reading it say that ethos, appeals from character; Pathos, appeals to emotion; and logos, appeals to reason. The relationship between all of these is that it is to be included in your writing. They all are connected like in the rhetorical triangle from the book:"Word/Logos, Audience/Pathos, Author/ Ethos." (see page 200 of Inquiry to Academic Writing)  It is important to use this in your writing because you need all three for a reader to connect to, character, emotion, and reason are all a big part of presenting something to someone.

Jori Pace

Professor Reece

English 1020

September 5, 2014

Research Paper Proposal:

Nine Strategies to Improve College Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities

Thesis: Does the nine different strategies at the district level help students with learning disabilities, transition smoothly into college?

This article talks about nine different strategies to help students with disabilities transition into a college environment, and the different things they can do to learn how to access the help when they get to a college level. It talks about how students feel like their college courses are much too hard and that it isn’t what they were expecting because they weren’t prepared enough in high school. They talk about their different struggles and things they are having difficulties with entering into the college level. The research from this article shows that when enrolling into college courses the accommodations and services aren’t offered up front. The student is responsible to ask for, and look into getting help. It gives ideas and ways to educate families about the help that is offered to more easily transition their student. The family is required to provide and prove documentation for their student’s disability in order for them to get the special accommodations from the University. The purpose of this article is to offer different strategies to help students with disabilities accelerate and improve and the same rate as other students and to help them better understand their class requirements and what is expected from them.

To get further information about this topic, I will search more articles on this subject, look up books on this subject, and interview a Special Education teacher and ask what she is doing to help her students move on and transition onto the next level.  

The counterarguments I anticipate are those who have tried these nine methods to help their students graduate and move onto the college level, and haven’t worked. I have not seen these methods put into action myself so theoretically these might work but I myself wouldn’t know without seeing them in action. People also might argue and say that it isn’t fair that these students are expected to seek out the help themselves and that this article might be contradicting because it is listing nine different ways to help them, but then saying they are on their own to actually get the help. Those who have already missed out on this opportunity might not think it is fair that they can’t do anything about their past grades because the school didn’t inform them enough on how to get the student help from the beginning.

I will be honest, this assignment was a little confusing to me. I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing or if I was doing it right. After reading the article that I chose I wasn't positive on what I was suppose to be taking from it and I was confused on what information I needed to be using in my paper. Also I don't have a declared major yet so it was a struggle for me to find an article that I was interested enough in to write about. I don't know how effective this assignment was in helping me prepare for the final goal of writing a rhetorical analysis.

A Little About Me...

I am Jori Pace, I'm technically a sophomore in college but here at UVU I'm considered a Freshman. I went to Snow College for my first year and had a pretty good experience down there. My senior year of High School I took an English 1010 class through UVU that I really enjoyed. I wasn't able to sign up for English 1020 at Snow since the classes were too full, so here I am.
I have never hated English, the subject was never dreaded to me. I love to read books, and writing papers doesn't really bother me either. Whether I am good at writing papers? I don't know. I would like to think that I have a pretty good idea of what I am doing, but in the back of my head I am always curious to know what other peoples opinions are and what they think of my writing. One thing I am glad I came to learn in classes and about writing, is that it can be my own and that I can come up with my own ideas and that there is no right or wrong in stating my opinion about something. Like this blog, I have never blogged before so this is something new to me. It is something personal, comparable to a journal where I can say what I want to say and if somebody doesn't like it, well I guess they just don't read my blog right?
My experience with writing isn't a lot since I have basically just started out. I have obviously taken the required English classes through out my Junior High and High School career, that have allowed me to practice writing papers and other things. This past year of College I took a Marriage and Courtship class that assigned a lot of research papers. Now having to actually think about my writing experience, I am noticing and remembering that I have had a lot of free write and opinion papers assigned to me. That is what I am finding I like to write about most is just my opinion, doing research on that subject, and then stating what I think and feel. There is so much to learn about writing, and so many different ways to write. I am excited to get further into this class and see what it has to teach me so I can become better at reaching my audience and getting my point across about what I have to say. I am also looking forward to using this blog more through out the semester and trying something new.