please help me in revising my assignment.

Hello all,
The first question in my assignment is :How do you feel about starting this course? What are your greatest worries or fears? What specific positive actions can you take to deal with these concerns? What do you think you'll enjoy most about this course?

Here is my reponse, please help me make the neccessary corrections.

Assignment 1 (Section 1)

Upon starting this course, English 30-1, I have feelings of excitement and confidence. English is part of everyday life and follows us almost everywhere we go. It is crucial that we know how to properly use English so that we can communicate and express what were feeling at a certain time. However, in starting any new course, a sense of uncertainty as to what to expect is also present within me. My mixed emotions are due in large part to speaking with past English 30-1 students, as well as my past experience with this subject area.
In past English courses I have taken in high school, I have been exposed to some of Shakespeare’s work. In grade ten, I believe we studied “Romeo and Juliet”, and continuing into grade eleven the focus shifted to “Macbeth”. I have found that William Shakespeare’s work requires its audience to be patient in understanding the clear meaning behind the old English that these plays are written in. However, my experience and previous studies I believe will give me an edge when the Hamlet portion of this course arrives.

Earlier I used the term “excitement” as one of the feelings I would use to describe based on first impressions to this course. I am really looking forward to improving my writing technique and being able to see me develop as the course progresses. Major goals I have set for myself include improving such areas as diction and matters of correctness, as well as enhancing my vocabulary, and being able to effectively use a writer’s handbook. These skills were briefly touched on in reading the first lesson of this course. In addition to these, perhaps my main focus in this course deals with expressing my own voice. Leading up to high school I always had teachers tell me my writing lacked personality. In grade ten, my English teacher suggested I start a journal and write in it every night before going to bed, my thoughts on the events that occurred during the day. This helped my writing enormously and my grades in turn. Progressing through English, I have tried to continue building on this concept as much as possible and this year I expect nothing less. I feel that the writing folder, discussed in the second lesson, will go hand in hand with strengthening my voice and writing techniques. With this folder, I can collect all my unfinished pieces and refer back to different styles I may be experimenting with, as well as take note to common mistakes in punctuation or structure I may be making.

Along with improving my writing, I am also eager to begin the novel portion of this course. I believe this will be my best module as I do read quite often. This offers me an advantage over most students as my reading comprehension is perhaps a little more developed then average. I have chosen to read “The Stone Angel” a novel written by Margaret Laurence, which I have been told is a very good read from past students I have spoken with.

My greatest fear this year deals with the poetry aspect of this course. I feel I have little experience with poetry with the exception of the traditional “roses are red, violets are blue” rhyming verses. However, I have a plan of action. My strategy begins with reading as much poetry as I can. I want to develop a basic understanding of the different styles that writers may use to convey a mood or message they are trying to portray to the reader. In addition, through the use of the internet, I plan on researching the different structures within poetry such as limericks, haikus, free verse, etc…Finally, as with all of the modules in this course, I plan to take advantage of my study partners to acquire feedback that will ensure my success.

English 30-1 is the final piece in completing a puzzle I have created for myself. It is the final subject I must complete to my path of becoming an Engineer. As could be expected, enrolment into this field requires a high overall average to be ensured acceptance. I have done very well in my other courses thus far and intend English to be no different this year. In past years, I have found goal setting to be an effective method for a student to strive for something and accept nothing less. This year my goal for English 30-1 is 85%. I have all the tools to achieve this goal and with anything else that you want to be good at in life, hard work will be essential. My dedication to this course will allow me to be not only successful in regards to a grade, but also as an English student in life.

Thankyou,
Shane