I have had to write many papers throughout this English 103 class, but this paper is a little different because it is a reflection of the entire class that I took this semester.  I have many different opinions about this course and I will explain each one of them to you.  First, when I first started at NIU I was not very thrilled to take an English class because English was one of my most difficult subjects.  Second, my dad had always told me I was a good writer, but in my opinion I did not think I was and this class helped me realize that.  Third, this class and professor, Troy Fuchs, have made me look English from a different view and realize that English is part of more everyday things than I thought.  Now in greater detail I will expand on each one of these ways this English 103 class has affected me.

            First, when I started at Northern I was not looking forward to taking an English class, because of the experiences I had from my past English classes.  Throughout my life I had always had those English classes that you dreaded of going to and that were so boring they would put you to sleep.  We always learned about things such as where commas go and about Shakespeare.  Now I know all these things were important to get to where I am today but part of me thinks that we could have learned about these subjects no one likes in a different way.  They way Troy taught us was in my opinion the best way to learn English.  Troy did not make English seem boring and he did not make me think to myself, why are we learning this, it’s a waste of time.  They way Troy taught us about English made me want to learn more and kept me interested.  I actually liked going to Troy’s class because it was the best class I had this semester. I wish I looked forward to every class like I did to Troy’s English 103 class.

            Second, my dad had always told me that I was a good writer and that I should be a journalist when I grow up.  He actually wanted me to minor in Journalism and write for a fashion magazine because my major is fashion merchandising. I had always said to my dad how much I hated writing and especially long papers.  I would have never thought that my freshman year in college my thoughts would be totally turned around and now I would be excited to write.  Troy has taught me so many news techniques to improve the style of my writing.  He has taught me how to enjoy what I am writing about and to become a better writer.  Because of Troy I now have the reassurance that I am a good writer and that I can receive better grades because my writing has improved tremendously.

            Third, the subject of this English 103 class and my professor Troy, have made me look at English in a whole new way, a way that has helped me better understand how we use English every day.  The subject of this English 103 class was to learn about pop culture and genre and when I first started this class I thought, what does this have to do with English.  I quickly realized that pop culture has a great deal to do with English.  Pop culture is around us everywhere and we are affected by it almost every day.  When people normally think of English they think of Shakespeare or Macbeth, but Troy has taught me to look at English in a whole different way.  I understand now more than ever English and its many different aspects.