"eulogy" - a speech or piece of writing in praise of a person or thing
Essays
I attended English Martyrs R. C. high school in Leicester, England, and was blessed with a great English teacher, Ms. Fones. She is the one who fostered in me a real love of writing, in particular, essay writing, which we did a lot of at high school. I vividly remember writing essays about 'Pride and Prejudice', 'To Kill A Mockingbird' and 'The Merchant of Venice' for starters, all classic masterpieces in the literary sphere. That was particularly challenging as a teenager; now I write essays with my English students once a month about issues in Kuantan or in general, but they still find it just as difficult!
I make sure to actually write an essay of my own with my class, so that they can see that I too, am interested in the work I'm requiring of them. And once I've completed the task, I write it as a blog post. And I've been rather surprised to see that a lot of my essays have been quite popular on my blog in terms of pages visited.
So I invite you to peruse a collection of my essays which have been the topic of numerous English tuition classes in the recent past. I've totally enjoyed composing them. Writing gives me a way to express myself, and it is my biggest passion.
Thank you Ms. Fones for instilling this passion in me!
And finally, seeing as my word of the day is "eulogy", here is my eulogy of my terrific wife who last year graduated from Universiti Malaysia Pahang in the field of Chemical Engineering:
(I know I've provided you with a lot of material to read in today's post - but I believe it's worth reading!)
Writing is how I feel I can most clearly and best express myself. How do you express yourself?
I see your not only an expert essayist, but also an avid Dan Brown fan. :D
ReplyDeleteI think I share your point of view here... I'm more a writing person, I see things through words... even if I see a picture I want to describe it!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading some of your essays - I really enjoyed it, you really have a way with words :)
I absolutely looove the post about your wife - Congratulations!! Thank you for sharing your life right here!
Angela, I wouldn't say I'm expert, but you're right about me being a Dan Brown fan - love his writing!
ReplyDeletemac-and-me, thanks
Bz, I'm so glad that you like my writing, I've always loved words and putting them into sentences :)
Yay yay YAY! Big congrats to your wife! :)
ReplyDeleteEnglish Martyrs is still going strong in Leicester. It's a good idea for you to write alongside your class and it's great that you're able to. My memories of teaching involved a lot of policing of the less enthusiastic pupils. If I'd sat down to write I suspect there would have been trouble.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow English teacher I loved this post. I love teaching students the art of essay writing. The persuasive essay is going as strong as ever. I also teach TKAM and Pride and Prejudice and a lot of Shakespeare. Yumeeee.
ReplyDeleteDenise<3
L'Aussie Travel A - Z Challenge Posts E for Eire, F for ?
Essays are more enjoyable when not required!
ReplyDeleteAnd I espress myself through writing, music, and art.
essay writing in school was never my thing until I learnt the formula. It was only after school I discovered the true joys of non-fiction writing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog Duncan. Hope you don't mind new followers :P Most of my favorite teachers were English teachers. There's something about them that make them memorable, isn't there? I would know, I used to be one myself. :P
ReplyDeleteNutschell
www.thewritingnut.com
As a former teacher myself, it was nice to read about someone such positive memories. They would be delighted to know you are still writing.
ReplyDeleteAs a student, I loved writing essays and papers far more than taking tests - unless they were essay tests. It was my thing. Like you, I completed several on Pride & Prejudice.
The root of my writing passion comes from my sixth grade teacher. We wrote "mini-novels" and I still have mine today. It's about fifty handwritten pages and I remember loving every second of the process. The best, however, is reading the feedback from my teacher. Her comments were encouraging, and she advised me to pursue the craft. Years later, I'm actually doing just that!
Thanks Talli!
ReplyDeleteRosalind, I can imagine!
Thanks for coming over Denise
Alex, you must be very talented :)
Lynda, I too never appreciated school and learning while I was there. It's only now when I'm out of school that I wish I paid more close attention. Now I love learning as much as possible!
nutschell, I have no problems at all with new followers! Yes English teachers are a special breed.
Paul Joseph, thanks for taking the time to share your passion with me. I also vividly remember stories I'd written when I was still in primary school -they may still be somewhere at home in England. I've just always loved to write from as young as I can remember!