I have recorded my answers to the prompted questions below.
Writing
1. What is your earliest memory of writing?
My earliest memory of writing is from the 1st grade. I won a Gwinnett County Public Schools award for a narrative I wrote. I do not remember the plot of the story, only that I used the word “nonsense” (I thought that would be impressive for a 6-year-old to incorporate that newly learned word into my writing).
2. What is your earliest memory of being taught to write?
Unfortunately, I do not have a clear memory from when I was a young child of being taught to write. I have more memories from my AP Language and AP Literature courses in high school–writing and receiving feedback from my teachers.
3. Did your parents read to you?
Yes.
4. Did they have books lying around the house?
Not necessarily lying around the house, but I had many books in my room and was always reading.
5. Did you have an influential school teacher and if so, what do you remember of them?
Yes, my mom is a special education (autism) teacher. I was taught to speak, read, and write at an early age and education was always a large part of everyday life.
6. What part did reading play in your development as a writer?
Reading played a large role in my development as a writer. My early love of reading inspired my writing style as I got older, giving me a more mature sound in elementary and middle school.
7. Did you ever read a precis or watch a movie instead of reading the book?
When I was younger, I would usually make it a priority to read the book before watching the movie. As I’ve gotten older, it is not much of a requirement before watching the movie.
8. Did you have an influential professor and if so, what do you remember of them?
My 12th grade AP Literature professor sparked my love of poetry and inspired me to write my own. She was a vibrant and outgoing personality with a passion for English. I always gravitated toward language arts in my studies, but I did not realize how much I loved it until that class with her.
9. Describe your writing processes and behaviors.
I do not think I have much of a solid process when it comes to writing. I usually free-write whatever comes to my head and then go back and edit afterward.
10. How do you teach writing?
I have never had the opportunity to teach writing before.
Reading
1. What is your earliest memory of reading?
I do not remember a specific age, but I vividly remember Dick and Jane books as one of the earliest things I was taught to read.
2. What part does reading play in your writing?
I feel that reading does not have the same influence on my writing that it did when I was younger in helping me develop a writing style and voice.
3. Have you ever read a summary or watched a movie instead of reading an assigned book?
I have read summaries of a chapter or two, never an entire book, as some details are often missing. I have never watched a movie instead of reading an assigned book. Once again, many important details/scenes may get skipped over in the movie version of a book.
4. Does listening to someone read a book provide you with the same experience as reading it yourself? Elaborate.
No, sometimes it is difficult for me to internalize information by listening to someone speak. I find it better to read information on my own. I also consider my imagination to be quite vivid, so reading on my own allows me to envision what is on the page.
Opinioning
1. Do you have an opinion about the present state of the economy?
Yes.
2. Do you have an opinion about NATO?
No, the last time I remember hearing the term was in high school.
3. Do you have an opinion about the relationship between sacrifice and faith?
No.
4. Do you ever use words you can’t define?
Yes, I know what they mean in my head, but sometimes I cannot articulate what they mean to someone else.
5. How comfortable are you with saying, “I don’t know.”?
I think my comfort depends on the setting. Within the classroom, I think it is a bit daunting to utter the words, but outside of this space, I do not have a problem admitting this.
Thinking
1. Do you have an internal monologue?
Yes.
2. Do you ever edit as you narrate to yourself?
I do not think I do. When I am listening to my internal monologue, I feel I do not have the hiccups or stuttering I may experience when I speak out loud.
3. What is it like to think wordlessly?
I do not think I have ever taken the time to truly think about how I think. I suppose it is like my brain speaking directly to me, rather than thinking to myself.
4. Is there a difference between rationalizing and thinking?
From my understanding of the words, rationalizing requires using fact and logic to conclude something, while thinking could be any thought, image, notion, etc. that comes to your head.
AIing
1. Have you used AI?
Yes, primarily ChatGPT.
2. How many times?
I have lost count, but I probably use it at least 2 to 3 times weekly.
3. Toward what ends?
I usually consult it to help me create outlines as a starting point for my writing and to summarize key points after I finish reading.
4. Current thoughts about it?
I am not as opposed to AI as I was when I was first introduced to it–I think it is generally beneficial. However, as it advances, I worry about losing the human aspect of things, particularly in the English field, which is a little concerning as someone hoping to become a copyeditor.
