Acknowledgements by Sydney

  I never understood the point of acknowledgements that are drawn out for pages and pages. If some individuals are important to the writer, why doesn't the writer just express their gratitude directly to them? As I am writing my own acknowledgements that I was forced to write against my will for a grade (if Mrs.Valentino is reading this I am joking), I have come to the conclusion that there is an alternative reason writers take the time to write acknowledgements: reflection. Writing books is a long process, and so is writing all the time in English AP. We have improved so much over the course of just two semesters that it is important to reflect on the journey we’ve had. Like many authors have done, I am writing my acknowledgements to reflect upon all the reading and writing I have done as well as the people who have helped me along the way.

     Mrs.Valentino is like a drill sergeant that orders us to read and reflect on countless pieces like we are in a boot camp (this is also a joke Mrs.Valentino), but I have grown as a writer and a person because of it. A lot of pieces I have read have offered me insight on how to add style to my writing like the humor and satire in Nacirema, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Consider the Lobster. Other writings, however, have opened my eyes to systemic issues in society like The Indebted and Our Barbies, Ourselves. Through these pieces I have learned something important about language: it is a powerful tool.  A writer is able to convey their anger and invoke emotion about imperialism and systemic racism through an emotional memoir like in The Indebted. A writer may also use humor or satire to critique the ignorance or faulty morals of Americans like in Consider the Lobster and Nacirema. However a writer may choose to write, their voice is still heard. To conclude this portion, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the infinite number of short stories Mrs.Valentino made us read because they played a decisive role in exposing me to powerful language. 

   Furthermore, Mrs.Valentino is like a drill sergeant that orders us to write essays every week like we are in a boot camp (this is still a joke Mrs.Valentino), but I’ve grown as a writer and a person because of it. The first time I wrote an in class essay in this class I didn't even finish it; however, now I am consistently getting a score of five on every essay I write. In fact, the first time I got a six I was ecstatic since I wrote it while I couldn’t concentrate in a noisy library – ironic since libraries should be quiet. I always found the phrase “consistency is key” annoying, but there is truth in it. Mrs.Valentino’s writing boot camp has made me write so many essays that I could probably write one with my eyes closed at this point. However, I am grateful for the improvement I’ve seen in my writing. In class essays are super annoying (still joking), but I’m deeply indebted to them for helping me improve as a writer. 

Finally, I would like to take a moment to express my gratitude to all the people who have impacted me in this class. I will start with the most important person: myself. I cannot begin to express my thanks to myself who extended a great amount of assistance in making sure I get an A in this class as evidenced with my effort to submit assignments right before they are due. Thanks me. Now I will thank other people. Special thanks to Kaitlin Calle who extended a great amount of assistance contributing to the creativity of my blogs as evidenced with our text conversations in my blog about polite speech( I know I embarrassed you but I got an A so…). I’d also like to acknowledge the assistance of Amritha for always posting her blog early in the week allowing me to submit my comments on time – thanks for not being a procrastinator. Thanks to autocorrect for always knowing what word I’m trying to say;  you are not sentient, but your work makes my blogs sound more prestigious. Finally, thank you to whoever is reading this.