Course Evaluation

Well I'm pretty sure my self evaluation touched on how I feel about this class and how important it has been for me. I was very surprised at how easy this course was for me considering my apprehensions about it.
I thought it would be tough to write so many papers, but I'm unhappy it is almost over.

I feel as though knowledge is never wasted with that said I feel this class was well worth my time and money. This class has boosted my self-confidence and helped me put some demons to bed.

I don't have anything bad to say about this class other then I would like more options to write about. I'm glad that I had Goldfine as my instructor for this class and have told other EMCC students to take this class with him.

I would not change anything about of with this class. I also have no advice for Goldfine as he is the instructor and I am the student. He taught and I learned.

During this class I wrote several pieces that I liked and non that I hated. I don't think I have ever been able to say that before. My second favorite piece was the one I wrote about my wife Amy and the day we were married. She is my everything and writing that piece reaffirmed how much I love her. She read it and gave me a big old kiss. I also got a nice complement from another student on that one.

reaction to my essays and grafs. Graft #20

When I started this class I was not very happy because I had previously taken an essay writing class at Keene State College and I thought that credit should transfer. I was not a big fan of writing and always had a rough time with English classes. I was totally overwhelmed at first with the thought of writing over 25 papers for this class.

 The writing assignments started off small and were all about us and our backgrounds. I liked these assignments a lot and found it to be a great way to ease into writing papers. We moved on into more in depth grafs and then into full 5 paragraph essays. These were a little harder, took more time, and needed preparation. I was very happy with all of my Essays. I feel that all of my papers were a direct reflection of myself and my views. I really liked taking my personal experiences and putting them down on paper for me to relive and for others to enjoy. I think during this class I found a since of peace with my writing, and was able to better develop my writing as well.

The piece I am most proud of was the object paper where I wrote about my PEPE. I still have in my possession his last drivers licence. With this item in hand I wrote all about him and my memories of him. It was the piece I'm most attached to and spent the most time on. This is mostly because I spent as much time crying my eyes out as I did writing.

The other piece that I'm in love with is the place paper I wrote about my wife and the day we wed. This piece is important to me because other than my children she is the most important person in my life and I'm so happy that God chose to bless me with her as my wife.

The only paper I have left to submit is my final draft of my I-search which I am very happy with. I find myself here in the last week or so of classes and for the first time in my college career actually looking forward to our final paper. I have found joy in what I once despised (writing) and I have Mr. Goldfine to thank for that. It may sound corny or like I'm kissing ass, but unlike most people I know I find extreme joy in overcoming my fears, and short comings. So all I have left to say is Thank You!  

Division Essay

I'm Going Home

I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire and often go back to visit friends, attend events, and to remember the old days. It is a long drive to Keene and for this reason I don’t go back there very often, but when I do find a reason to make the trip I Divide my trip into three parts. Each part is marked by a change in the road and a change in emotion. The first section is I-95 accompanied by anxiety. Section two is the N.H highways and a peaceful feeling. Section three brings on the back roads and a nostalgic feeling.

I've got my bags packed and can’t wait to take my wife Amy to my old stomping grounds where I grew up. Naturally I've been sitting in the truck for twenty minutes waiting for Amy to finish her final inspection of the house and her tenth review of the instructions to be left for our parents who will be watching the house while we are gone.  Finally we hit the road only twenty minutes behind schedule. I turn onto I-95 South and put the hammer down in a macho attempt to make up for lost time. The road is smooth and straight for the next 2.5 hours as we make our way down the boring Maine Turnpike. I can’t drive fast enough at this point to suit my soul so I turn on the I-pod. Instantly a continuous medially of rock n roll and heavy metal music floods the truck.  I look over at Amy and see her singing along and decide to join in as well. “Highway to the danger zone, I’m gonna take you right into the danger zone”. Without even knowing it we are hauling ass and making up time. “Jeremy stop at the Gardiner rest stop so I can pee.” The warden demands. One pee break down and a fresh cup of coffee later and we are back on the road listening to Billy Joel remind us that he didn’t start the fire. Soon we blow through Portland and though the coast. At this point I’m so anxious to get to Keene I’m physically shaking, on second thought it could be the four cups of coffee or the three lanes of traffic going 90 MPH. Soon we come to the big green bridge as I called it as a kid and finish up our first leg of the trip.

Once over the N.H state line I strip my seat belt off and sit up straight in my seat. Amy looks over at me and says “Why did you take off your seatbelt?” “In N.H we live free or die” I reply. She laughs at me and states “well you’re a Mainer now dumbass.”  We pull up, pay the toll and head into the heart of N.H. Here the road changes, you can tell that much more care is put into every mile. The tar is a dark black color and the yellow lines are bright. The foliage is beautiful and the mountains are breath taking. All along I-93 and I-89 are big beautiful boulders that were blasted many years ago to make way for the roads we travel today. I love the big pieces of granite that have been carved out. These roads are much more peaceful and fun to travel then I-95. At this point in the trip I start spouting off old stories about hunting and fishing in N.H. I tell my wife of all the fun I’ve had in this wonderful state. Soon we hit exit #5 off of I-89 and make our way towards Keene.

Once off of I-89 we continue the trip on the back roads of N.H. This is my favorite part of the trip driving through all of the little towns and looking at all the shops. I don’t even need to look at the road to know where I’m going, I’ve been over these roads hundreds of times and it seems like my truck knows exactly where to go. We pass Granite Lake and make our way through Hillsboro and all of a sudden I can see myself jumping of that old wooden dock right into the lake. I pass the old ice cream stand and instantly taste a hint of chocolate chip. Now the road starts to get bumpy and very curvy as we follow the river closer and closer to Keene. All I can think about are my days at KHS working in shop class, the texture of the football field, the late night parties and mud runs. Now my I-pod starts to play my country selections and it is quite fitting as I’m about to enter the city limits of Keene. I play my welcome home song “ I’m going home” as we pull onto West street and head toward my best friend Seth’s house on Main street. I've got my arm hanging out of my window singing "I'm going home to a place were I belong". We make our way around the common in the center of town and pull into the drive way. Now my cell starts to ring of the hook with countless friends from school wanting to know “hey was that you I just saw on Main Street?” Now I know I’m home and the journey is over.

It doesn't matter how many times I make this trip or who I bring to town I always feel the same way when I reach my destination. Who says you can’t go home?