In this essay, I did not use quotes as effectively as I wish I would have. I used outside sources more than the ones provided which worked for the essay, but I should have integrated the provided sources more into my argument. I still did, however, effectively use sources. Because this essay was about my projected career path, I was able to tie things from my education courses into the essay. I used the book we use in my curriculum class as evidence in the essay. In the book, I found a part that explained the importance of tying creativity to the lessons and used a quotation from it in my essay. After framing the quote, I analyzed the importance that the textbook discussed. One thing that I was always advised against that we have been told to do in this class is introduce an author and the subject before providing a quote. This concept still seems elementary to me, but I have began to use it and the flow of my paper is not usually disrupted by it. In this example, I did this and and then discussed why integrating art in the classroom is a beneficial concept.
Through this class, I have also changed the way that I choose my quotes. In the brainstorming portion of my writing process, I write out possible quotes for the essay and explain where/why I might use them. This allows me to be more intentional about what I am going to write about and creates a more concrete concept within the essay, and therefore allows my writing to have improved greatly.
