WP4: Same Person, Two Different Writers
As a Peruvian student who attended a Peruvian-British high school in Lima, my teachers encouraged me to take the IB Diploma. Characterized for its academic rigor and prestige, this program consisted of giving countless amounts of content material to students. In my IB writing class, also known as English Language and Literature at Higher Level, I was taught to write academically-accepted pieces. Every time there was a writing assignment due in the following weeks, the teacher would go through the rubric and encourage students to stick to what the rubric said. Those who failed to comply with the all-mighty rubric were punished through bad grades as well as calls of attention by the teacher. At first, I saw no problem with this method of teaching. After all, my teacher was successful at making their students reach top marks as well as making them capable of writing idea-driven arguments and essays. On the inside, however, my essay’s reflected nothing but anonymity- those essays could have been written by anyone. They weren’t specific to me nor could my personality/voice shine through them. Being exposed to WRIT 150, I have discovered that writing is a vital tool in helping one go through the never-ending process of self-exploration.
Transitioning between high school and college wasn’t a simple, straightforward process. At the start of my journey as a college-level writer and learner, I was shocked by the amount of work and commitment required to thrive at WRIT 150. Professor Dissinger made it clear that this course has been designed so that every single student can find their voice and, respectively, express said voice freely. As a student who was taught to solely write academically, I failed multiple times to express my voice in writing assignments. Most of the time, I would unconsciously redirect my writing into an academic-based framework. Instead of summarizing the ideas from others into eloquently, idea-driven paragraphs, I was asked to examine and explore my own. I was highly motivated to make my deepest feelings and emotions go tangible. Compared to my high school writing class, I was empowered to talk about any topic of choice- be it taboos, personal feelings, or controversial topics. I didn’t need to look back on what society believes to be right or acceptable.
Another aspect of WRIT 150 which allowed me to become more confident with my writing is that of Conferences and Peer-review sessions. At first, I was skeptical about sharing my work with people other than myself. I didn’t want my professor nor classmates to explore other layers of my personality. At that time, my thought process was that if people were to know more about my deepest feelings and personality traits, the more vulnerable I would become. During my first peer-review session, I deliberately got rid of some writing sections in which my vulnerable side would be revealed. I didn’t want my peers to know what my “weaknesses” are as well as being uncomfortable during said review session. However, as time went on, I was glad that some of my classmates were starting to loosen up in terms of sharing more about their lives and overall experiences. This, eventually, motivated me to follow in their footsteps and share with them what they don´t know about me.
One of the biggest challenges I have faced during this semester was that of answering the short, yet powerful questions of “How” and “Why”. When writing my WP1 proposal, I remembered the struggle of not being able to answer any of the prompts suggested by my professor. One of my problems was that I was still under what Paulo Freire calls “The Banking Education System”. In fact, for the longest time, I have subjected myself to the oppressive lifestyle of this system. During my years in high school, all I wanted to do was get top-notch grades and so was willing to turn myself into “receptacles” to be filled by the teacher. What this means is that, when approaching writing, I just allowed my past self to take the wheel. When writing for this class, therefore, I was still filtering my ideas as they came out to me, thinking that some ideas would be more acceptable than others.
On the other side of the spectrum, one of my biggest writing moments took place in my WP2. In this project, I decided to explore the extent to which living by phrases/sayings can be beneficial in making me a more well-rounded citizen. As a person who struggled to show their true self to the world, I decided to approach writing the way my professor would: by embracing raw honesty. Part of my WP2 consisted of exploring the split-pot analogy. This analogy unraveled the struggles of having two different, yet unique sides of my family. While my mother’s side of my family is Amazonian, my father’s of my family is Limeño. I argued that being stuck in the middle could be beneficial to the development of my identity:
“I pointed out to my parents that my identity can be expressed through this “ying-yang” pot, with my Amazonian and Limeño dad living in perfect harmony all while maintaining their unique cultural traits”.
At the end of this course, a stream of emotions and ideas struck my mind. One of those emotions was that of nostalgia. Despite the fast-paced, challenging curricula of the course, I managed to develop a growth mindset in which unkindled sides of my personality are now revealed and embraced. Knowing that I´m no longer going to be able to explore my identity in class, I hope to apply my acquired growth mindset to other fields of study and real-life scenarios. Not only have I become more receptive to constructive criticism but also taught myself to understand what is meant by loving myself. One of the most common topics I have covered in my writing posts is about my identity as a Peruvian citizen and student. As someone who left home to pursue a higher education degree in the United States of America, I concluded that I have always taken my nationality for granted. In Peru, I didn´t get to discuss the implications of what being a Peruvian is, other than talking about Machu Picchu and our national soccer team. Now that I have been a semester abroad at USC, I have fully embraced my nationality as a key part of my identity. Thanks to WRIT 150, I managed to stay true to my culture and heritage even when I´m 4176 miles away from home. Now more than ever, I strive to become a servant leader; to not just be an echo but a voice.
