Conflicting Feelings Over Essays

 
The word "essay" scares most students. They are long, detailed and every teacher has different expectations. You would assume you'd only get assigned an essay in English, however somehow teachers manage to find a need for them in most subjects. Perhaps they think that the more we write them the better we'll get, which makes sense, but only adds to the fact that we strongly dislike (hate) them.

I experience some mixed feelings when it comes to essays. In contrast to many of my peer's opinions, I don't always mind having to write them. Sometimes I would prefer writing an essay over having to write a big test. If the topic is interesting and allows for personal input they can be easy to write. Although many teachers find the best way to torture students; give them a formal essay with a boring topic, and see if the "creative process" can flow. When this happens I get stuck with writer's block, which makes the essay writing experience extra painful. Otherwise, if the topic is interesting this does not happen.  

 

In grade nine I wrote my very first essay on Romeo and Juliet. I found out then that essays aren't all they are hyped up to be. Last year I wrote an essay on a topic of my choice, the mistreatment of athletes in the NCAA. I had gotten the idea from a newspaper article that my mom was reading for work. A benefit of choosing this topic was that my teacher at the time, Mr. Spergeon, was really into sports, making him more interested in my topic of choice. The scary thing about essays are that they won't magically get any better. While they are confined to only five paragraphs at the moment, in grade twelve they will extend to seven paragraphs and later, in university, they need to be pages and pages long.

I realize that my personal experiences with essays aren't too bad, however that doesn't get rid of the feeling of dread that comes before every one I am assigned. The worst type are in-class essays. We are expected to write something amazing, in a classroom, under high pressure, with cramping hands and increasingly messy hand-writing. To write an in class essay well, I need to be prepared for what the topics may be. But even then, if I am not in a "writing mood" it is almost impossible to write something that I feel is well-written. Sometimes I just feel like Calvin: