Table of Contents

Cover Letter
Extended Definition “Our Technology”	November 18, 2011	88/100
Argumentative Essay “Does Gender Really Matter?”	December 2, 2011	85/100
Compare and Contrast “The King vs. The Black Mamba”	November 8, 2011	85/100
Cause and Effect “Special Effects”	November 8, 2011	26/30
Descriptive “A Comedy Movie a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away”	October 16, 2011	90/100

Cover Letter

Dear Professor,

            ENGLCOM has been one of the subjects where I have learned a lot since the first day. It had taught me reading and writing skills that I never knew and even my creativity improved as we go on. Also, thanks you for being such a patient and understanding teacher to us, I appreciate all the effort and the learning that I have acquired.

            As I go along with te subject, there a couple of things that I have achieved. First and for most, I have learned how to be more aware of my grammar and be able to edit my friends' work gramatically. Another is I have learned how utilize my skills in reading and writing in my essays. I have learned to improve my skills by being more creative and using advanced words in my papers. Lastly, I believe that my Lasallian values have grew. I developed honesty by learning to do things by myself and in my own idea. In terms of perseverance, I also believe that my responsibility toward my homework grew and have the initiative to do them. I also learned to respect my teacher and also my friends' work and just try to give advices if neccessary. In addition, I am most proud of my Lasallian values. It does not only teach me things to apply inside the campus but also outside. These values can be brought until I grow up and use them towards others. 

            On the other hand, I ha difficulty in achieving to do action plans towards errors in signages and campus publications. Even though I know that errors occur everywhere, I tend to just stay silent about it. I think that this is because my confidence in confronting people with their errors is low. I can't tell them what's right even though I know the right thing. I believe that it is right to tell them because it does not only help people improve their grammar but also
help the community to know what's right.

            As a writer, I have learned that I can be creative in writing essays. I express my ideas and stance in certain topics that can be interesting. I also learned the flaws of my grammar and that I should read more to improve my usage of words and also to learn new things and be inspired to write more. I learned how to cite sources that will be very useful to avoid plagiarism. 

            In conclusion, the essays that I've done are far from essays written by professional writers. In my argumentative essay, I had edited it carefully because it was a big part of my overall grade in ENGLCOM. So the revisions I made were in grammar. I applied the things that I have learned in class to revise my sentences. I also made revisions in the organization of the paragraphs and also its transition to make it better for readers to read.

Does Gender Really Matter?

            Parents nowadays are placed in a spot wherein they have to decide to what kind of school they should let their children study in. It is very important to choose from single gender schools or co-ed schools because their respective environments could determine the lifestyle of the students. Although single gender schools may be better for students for it will let them concentrate better on their studies, they may also have negative effects such as les exposure of children to the “real” world which may result in their inability to express their feelings freely.

            Single sex schools are most often compared to co-ed schools which of course both have their own benefits. According to Kate Ninnes (2007), the theory about girls maturing faster than boys takes place. Teaching in co-ed schools can be more difficult since the state of the maturity of both genders is different. As a result, students in single gender schools are easier to be taught and thus they could concentrate better on their studies. Less distractions are present in single gender schools since there is no competition on students gossiping on “who is more popular than whom”, and “who is going out with whom.” Based on an article by Julia Henry (2001), research says that single gender schooled students performed almost twice as better than students in co-ed schools. Although we cannot conclude than single gender schools are better than co-ed schools, this may be the basis of deciding which choice is better. Another advantage of single gender schools may be that they break down gender stereotypes. Students have more freedom in making educational choices, pursuing in taking the subjects of their own interest such as art, music and theatre. They seem to be not worrying of the threat of judgement which may sometimes be present in co-ed schools.

            Of course, as the saying goes, “you cannot have your cake and eat it, too.” Sometimes single gender schools can lead to children being hesitant in expressing their views in front of the opposite sex as stated by Kate Ninnes (2007). Also, there would be a possibility of the students having a hard time forming friendships as well. According to strictmachiine (2007), children should be around other gender because it is natural in life; they have to be exposed to the real world and grow up with a strong mid set. By having this kind of lifestyle, children will grow to be more open-minded to the real world and be able to understand thing the way they are. The way of life can be harder than what one studies in the book. Having to be street smart is very important because how one manages things can affect his/her whole life.

            In conclusion, single gender schools can be very positive towards education while co-ed schools lean towards the life outside school and how one should handle things related socially. In my opinion, I believe that having to study in co-ed schools is better because life outside school is harder and I think that when one studies in single gender schools, one is more timid and afraid to express his/her own feelings. It is important that the child grows up having the idea of how the world really goes and to slowly learn how to cope and live with it.

Ninnes (2007) “Single Sex Schools vs. Coed Schools” Retrieved December 1, 2011 from http://www.helium.com/items/346498-single-sex-schools-vs-coed-schools

Henry (2001) “Help for the Boys Helps the Girls” Retrieved December 1, 2011 from http://www.single sexschools.org/evidence.html/

(2007) “Single Sex Schools vs. Coed Schools” Retrieved December 1, 2011 from http://www.helium.com/items/436364-single-sex-schools-vs-coed-schools