Starting in elementary school, elementary school students are taught a basic curriculum for English, some of which are: five sentences equivalent to one paragraph and five paragraphs equivalent to an essay. The beginning of the English learning phase is a time to engage in reading and writing. Honestly, most kids start out loving reading and writing when they're younger, but do they stay that way throughout middle school, high school, or even college? No, nine times out of ten children who start out loving reading and writing end up fearing it. But why? Each student has their own personal reason. Some may have never fully understood how to read or write and were too embarrassed to speak, others may have disorders such as dyslexia that make reading and writing difficult. In my case I had a passion for reading and writing when I was younger. Growing up I didn't like reading material or writing documents; but because I knew that the work had to be done accurately in order to pass the course, I learned to tolerate the material. During high school, English courses were time-consuming and overwhelming, resulting in me hating the subject even more. The homework and reading that were usually assigned took up most of my time; this resulted in my other course work remaining unfinished. My last two years of school consisted of research papers and in-class compositions. But nothing compared to the tedious work I faced during my junior and senior years when I decided to challenge myself by taking AP English courses. Many people said it was just like any other English course with a little more writing; my vision was completely different. The AP English course…half the paper…contains only the best papers. Everything learned, taught, and understood in English 1101 has now become a vital part of my educational journey. This English department has given me new knowledge about reading and writing that I couldn't get in high school; this English department has created a stronger, more confident writer in me; this English department has taught me lifelong lessons that I will cherish now until I get through that graduation phase. The girl who once detested reading and writing has now blossomed into a woman who has learned to embrace and accept this powerful tool and incorporate it into her daily life. Works Cited Alexie, Sherman. "The Joy of Reading: Superman and I." Los Angeles Times. April 19th. 1998. PDF file. December 5th. 2013. Lamott, Anne. “Shitty first draft.” New York: Andover Books. 1994. PDF file. December 5th. 2013.