What is a AHA moment? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_effect
What is a AHA moment? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_effect
Attached below:
The rubric, guidelines for the essay, and a sample essay
Requirements: 4 full pages
English 305 – Noreen Lace English 305 – The AHA Moment Task: Write an essay in which you explore and examine an AHA Moment. This is a moment of learning, but it leads to further understand of something which you previously have not understood. (This will help: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_effect) Purpose: (from our course goals and learning outcomes) • To enable students to continue to develop as writers; • To enable students to understand how effective texts involve an interaction among the writer, the text, the audience, and the context; • To enable students to develop an effective writing process and how writing and higher-level thinking are related; • To enable students to develop critical thinking skills; • To enable students to develop an awareness of voice and style, and awareness of both academic and professional genres of writing; Advice: ➢ This is a broad topic, feel free to narrow it using one of the invention techniques. Don’t list the characteristics, maybe pick a few that might be important to you or to your point. ➢ This essay is to be YOUR OPINION. You can use “I”. If you decide you must use the article or you find a statistic etc, then please cite it correctly. ➢ Use specific details and examples throughout your essay to illustrate your points. ➢ Feel free to visit the LRC either before or after peer review for more help. REQUIREMENTS: Basic Essay Structure • Introduction/Thesis • Background Information (what does the reader need to know before you launch into the essay) • Body – containing details, evidence (cited), explanations, personal experiences (each body paragraph should clearly relate to your thoughts, ideas and experience on this topic) • Conclusion MLA format – See the Owl at Purdue. ➢ typed, double spaced, 1-inch margins, Times New Roman 12 point (or similar) font. 4-5 pages – around 1500 words DATES: Check canvas for due dates
ESSAY RUBRIC For essay #1 ➢ Final essay Intro/thesis – this includes an interesting introduction which transitions into the thesis statement. The thesis statement is expressed in a single sentence or two at the end of the first paragraph and accurately describes the topic and communicates an opinion. Development – The essay contains adequate details throughout to convey ideas, and explanations to clarify abstractions. The author has used other methods of development such as examples, narratives, comparisons, etc. Structure – The author has employed the basic essay structure clearly and effectively. Each paragraph has topic sentence and proceeds in a logical manner. Grammar and Punctuation –The author has employed sentence variety and has a carefully polished the final draft. the essay has fewer than five errors in grammar and punctuation. ➢ 100 points 25 points 25 points 25 points 25 points
Example AHA Moment Essays. These are not perfect essays. In some cases, the students rewrote and submitted final drafts. But these are good examples as to the expectations of the assignment, topic, structure, and development. V.S. The Discovery of Sexuality The essence of one’s identity is built throughout their years. There is no right or wrong way to determine who we’re meant to be or even a specific moment where one discovers that this is their reality. The acceptance of my sexuality took years of hiding, pretending, and ignoring my reality. Surprisingly, AHA moments don’t come often. Growing up in a Hispanic, Catholic home meant there was no learning about the LGBT community, no acceptance of anything other than strict gender roles, no discussions about being whoever I wanted to be. Being a closeted Latina woman was challenging and I disregarded my sexuality more time than I can count, that is until I had my AHA moment as a teenager. Along my path to accepting myself, I’ve overcome confusion, and rejection, but ultimately found acceptance and pride in my identity. My upbringing was traditional in a Hispanic, Catholic home. My mother was strong-willed and commanding of a room when she walked in. She was keen to let her opinion, and judgment, be known. Growing up, my mother taught us to oppose and revolt against any behaviors that were outside of traditional gender and relationship norms. This didn’t stop me from exploring and searching for answers to fill the void I felt inside of me. Ever since I was a child, I felt different. In elementary school, all of my friends would play with dolls and find little boyfriends, while I would just want to play soccer or be with my big brothers. In elementary
school, my mom forced me into dresses, skirts in a range of pinks, purples, and reds. I tried to tell her I preferred pants and shirts, that I preferred darker colors. She told me it wasn’t “ladylike.” Then I started playing soccer and she started to let me wear more athletic, “masculine” clothing. I was still required to wear dresses for church and when we saw family, but she started to relax. In middle school, all of my friends played with high heels and makeup, while I just wanted to play sports. My female friends chatted, gossiped, and plotted on how to get boyfriends. They talked about what to wear, how to talk, and how to act around the boys they liked. In middle school, my mom gave me the freedom to pick out my own clothes and only made me wear dresses to church and special occasions. However, I still never knew what this feeling was or how I became so different from other girls. In 9th grade, all my friends had kissed boys beside me, and they told me I was just too shy. They planned a party and thought they could help me by playing spin the bottle. After several turns it spun and landed on Aiden. When we went into the kitchen pantry closet and kissed for the first time, I felt nothing but disgust, mostly for myself. I so badly wanted to feel something like my friends described. A few months later, there was another party and it was on this night that my AHA moment occurred. On Halloween night, my best friend hosted a big party for most of the kids in my grade. Word spread fast, and soon there were people from other grades and other schools. That night, I met Brittany. She wasn’t from our school; I still don’t know where she came from. I was sitting on the edge of an empty pool, while people were standing and dancing inside of it. I couldn’t stop thinking about how different I was from all of my friends who were dancing, carefree, full of life, and full of joy. I felt so out of sorts, that is until Brittany walked up to me and sat down.
She introduced herself and sat there, just smiling. At first, I didn’t even say anything. I just sat there trying not to make it obvious that I was staring. She looked away from me, up into the night sky. I finally gained the courage to introduce myself but, she continued looking up and away from me. I studied her face, her body language. I could feel the tension in the air. She was incredibly breath-taking, with her green eyes, light skin, beach wavy hair and soft features. I watched her hands fold in her lap, her ankles crossing and uncrossing, her blonde hair fall over her shoulders. I reached out and brushed a stray hair away from her cheek. She finally looked at me and like the movies, I couldn’t talk. She smiled, her eyes turning up at the sides and her nose crinkling, ever so slightly. I blushed and looked away. She asked me if I was single and I nodded. I didn’t look at her, I kept looking around at the people around me. They were dancing, grinding, holding red solo cups. At that moment, I want nothing more than to be carefree like everyone else my age. I wanted to be dancing with my friends. I wanted to want to kiss boys. I wanted to be normal. I looked back at this girl and my stomach dropped when I realized she was still staring at me. She reached out and put her hand on mine. I couldn’t feel anything but, my heart was beating out of my chest and my stomach swelling with butterflies. She kept her eyes on me as she leaned in. I closed my eyes and felt her lips touch mine. At that moment, it felt like everything made sense, everything fell into place and I understood. I awkwardly broke away from her and immediately ran to the bathroom. I looked at myself and tears streamed down my face. While I finally felt like I found something that made sense, I could only imagine what this was going to do to my mom. After the Halloween party, a part of me felt so free because I finally knew what had felt so wrong all these years but, a part of me felt so much worse. I couldn’t
imagine a scenario where my mother would knowingly accept me. This short moment solved a huge puzzle piece of my identity. That night, I stayed awake all night thinking of every possible solution. I thought about how everything in my childhood could be explained by my sexuality. When my friends played with Barbies, I played with trucks. When my friends learned how to use makeup, I sat on the side and watched. When my friends gossiped about boys, my mind wandered, wondering when I would finally find a boy I liked. Of course, these characteristics don’t have to mean a person is gay, but for me, it did. I grew up with four older brothers and all I’d ever wanted was to be one of the boys. And when Brittany kissed me, everything made sense. When she kissed me, my AHA moment stood right in front of me with deep green eyes and a gorgeous smile that could light a room. I didn’t say it that night, but my AHA moment taught me I was gay. A few weeks later, it was a random Tuesday morning in November which meant I wouldn’t have to take the bus to school, and I was excited. There was a piece of paper I wrote several weeks before in my hands and I had been waiting for an opportunity alone with my mom. It was a letter explaining that I’d had discovered my sexuality, that I was gay. I had been researching ways to tell her and none of them felt right, but this felt easiest. I got in the car sweating profusely even though it was cold. I looked down at the letter, my palms sweating in anticipation. I didn’t get out of the car when we arrived at school. I turn to my mom and tell her I need her to read something. I handed her the letter and folded my hands into my lap, my head hanging down instantly in regret. She reads it and says, “I’ll see you after school.” I said nothing as I got out of the car. When I got home, my mother told me that I wasn’t gay, that I was confused. Much like any “good” Catholic she told me I would go to hell and threatened to tell my father. Needless to say, I was fearful of him. I cried while profusely apologizing. We didn’t
talk about it for years after this. I hid my sexuality from her and slowly learned to accept myself on my own. Discovering a major piece of who I am is the ultimate AHA moment. The journey comes with acceptance, grief, joy, and excitement for what’s to come, but I am now able to relate to students who may feel out of place and need guidance. Growing up, I never knew what being gay entailed or even what it meant. I was shown that it isn’t acceptable to be anything other than a heterosexual and religious being. For the longest time, I hated myself. The answer may have been simple but the path to get there isn’t. The biggest learning lesson is that any AHA moment comes with a hefty price of not being accepted for your self-understanding. While I still am in hopes of being loved by my family again, I am more grateful for this moment of clarity than anything else. To any kid out there who struggles, or may not understand yet, their time will come just like mine.
B.B. Essay #1: My Aha! Moment Growing up I attended the Wranglers’ horseback riding program at Cali Camp. The wrangler’s program was made up of kids who wanted to spend their days working with, learning about, and, of course, riding horses. I was one of those enthusiastic kids who wanted to know everything and anything there was to know about these majestic animals. I spent eight years at camp doing what I love while also learning a valuable lesson. During the summer I cared for horses and loved that I was given the responsibilities of caring for them. I was assigned to two horses in particular that both taught me patience. Pocahontas and Chester were both my primary responsibility and though they had very different temperaments they were both vital to learning the value of patience. Towards the end of my time at summer camp I experienced my most cherished Aha! moment. My experiences with Pocahontas and Chester provided a worthy lesson in learning the value of patience through working with horses who have suffered from trauma or just have a difficult temperament. I began attending camp at the age of six and would go on to ride several incredible horses as well as one horse who was a challenge. When I first started camp, the first lesson we learned from our counselors was that horses, like humans, respond best to calmness and compassion. As a camper I was reminded daily to approach any horse in this manner, for if I didn’t I might spook and startle them and get injured. My first few years working with these horses taught me a lot about responsibility as well, but when I turned eight my whole experience and my responsibilities changed. Me, now being eight, meant that I was now old enough to get assigned
my very own horse that would be only mine, with the supervision of my counselors of course. The magnificent horse they paired me with was named Pocahontas. Pocahontas was an elegant and graceful horse, with a shiny caramel coat and a glistening onyx mane. Being assigned my own horse was the most exciting moment. In all my excitement I forgot the importance of staying calm and being patient. I wanted to ride her so badly that when I approached her she got spooked and bucked. She landed with a thud and knocked me off my feet. I was stunned and scraped up, but I got up, wiped off the dirt and now started to understand why I was always told to remain calm and patient. Many times throughout my camp years I had been thrown off horses and bucked around, but still I pushed myself and used these incidents as catalysts on the path to my understanding of patience. Pocahontas taught me most of what I know about caring for horses as well as taught me more about patience. All the time spent with her was special and together we formed a deep bond that I will never forget. However, Pocahontas was not always an elegant and graceful horse. Like many of us she had her moments where she could be restless and irritable. One day I saw her like this and didn’t understand why she was acting this way. Seeing her like this made me sad so I tried acting my usual way by going about our daily routine and with an added bonus, a red juicy apple. I clearly did not understand that my approach with her would have to be different because of her temperament today. My whole body was shaking, and she reared once again as I approached her and this time I knew to move out of the way. With this experience I was so sure that I had done something to upset her. Immediately after this fright my counselor approached me to make sure I was ok, which I assured her I was, that I was just confused. I didn’t understand why the horse that I took such great care of would buck and almost hurt me once again. My counselor explained that even animals have off days and that he may have been spooked by
something that we have not perceived ourselves. She reminded me to look for the warning signs of an animal under duress including, but not limited to, having their ears pinned back, acting antsy, and rearing upon approach. After hearing this I knew that I had to change my approach and move slower and make the animal aware of the lack of threat in the situation. My years with Pocahontas were some of my most memorable. I remained patient with her and always made her feel safe. In our four years together we had ridden most of the trails in the Santa Monica Mountains and we had competed in numerous summer camp competitions like barrel racing. We had a bond like no other and all my friends and counselors knew it. Sadly in 2006 Pocahontas passed away. I was devastated and refused to work with another horse. For weeks I didn’t get on a horse until one day when I arrived at the stables I saw the most beautiful horse, aside from Pocahontas, I had ever seen. I knew in my heart that this horse was meant to be mine. This big, muscular horse had an espresso colored coat with a mane that was perfect for braiding. Upon staring at the horse I locked eyes with him and in that moment looking into this horses’ eyes I momentarily forgot the sadness in my heart for Pocahontas. I was so excited by his beauty that I shouted out that I would do anything to ride him. Before even asking my counselors if I was allowed to pet him I once again forgot my patience and calmness. I ran up to the horse and of course I startled him. He bucked around to try to break free from his lead rope. Experiencing this once again like I did with Pocahontas frightened me and of course caught me off guard but, my fight or flight response kicked in and since I now knew these horses were powerful I quickly backed away. Once again I understood why my counselors were telling me to always remain patient and calm. After a few days of allowing Chester to get settled into his new surroundings my counselors sat us all down to fully introduce Chester to us. My counselor, Daisy, shared
Chester’s survival story, this time with information about his behavior and how to best approach him. Daisy shared with us that Chester has been abandoned on a ranch nearby and was not treated kindly. She explained that he was traumatized from his last home and that was why he had a rough temperament. No one is sure how long he was left alone for, but what I did know from personal experience, is that abandonment causes trauma and trust issues and like Pocahontas he required lots of patience. After hearing Chester’s story I saw in his eyes the way my heart felt, sad, lonely, and scared. I wanted to make him better and make him a happier horse. Seeing him look healthy but knowing he was not made it difficult to remain patient because I didn’t know how to help or approach him. Hearing this story broke my heart and at the end of the story Daisy answered any questions we had and I remember vividly asking, “who is going to work with him?” As soon as I answered that Daisy announced that if I wanted to work with Chester I was more than welcome to because they trusted my abilities and knew that I was going to be gentle. My counselors over the years have seen my calm and compassionate demeanor always seemed to ease the horses. With this new responsibility I was ecstatic. As excited as I was, I was unaware of the challenges that lay ahead with Chester. Over the next few weeks until my summer ended I spent all my time working with Chester. I saw improvement in his temperament and handling. When I initially began working with Chester I approached him with caution and always made sure he saw me coming. In addition to approaching with caution I started to bring him treats to gain his trust. These steps seemed to help improve his trust in me. Just like with Pocahontas I worked with Chester according to a routine. Daily I would brush him, which also led to me gaining his trust, I would feed him, and I would walk him. I really wanted to ride him but knew that with his temperament
he was not ready for that. With three weeks left of my summer I had seen a huge shift in Chesters personality and now saw that he was a goofy horse and caused a lot of mischief. Chester was now approachable by not only me and Daisy but also some of my friends. After some more time he finally let me climb on his back and ride him. This was my proudest moment. I used my patience and my compassion to help Chester feel safe and loved. Learning this lesson from my counselors to be patient is something I always keep with me. I realized while working with these horses that you never know what someone is going through and what they might need. Throughout my life I was able to apply this lesson to other aspects of my life. The story of me learning about patience is one I tell in my classroom and use it as an example with my students to show that patience can produce some incredible results and that patience really is a virtue.
F C ENGL 305 Professor Lace October 8, 2020 Finding Freedom in my Diagnosis Every 1 in 4 American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder each year (“Mental Health Disorder Statistics”). That is a large number, realistically in a typical family of four it is possible for at least one family member to suffer from a mental disorder. Considering mental disorders are so prevalent we should be able to expect doctors to diagnose them easily. However, that is not always the case. I grew up going to many doctors trying to figure out what was wrong with me, yet I was not diagnosed until I was 18 years old. After years of struggling, I was finally diagnosed with generalized anxiety and panic disorder. It was at the moment of the diagnosis all the pieces of my life had begun to start falling together, the struggles I couldn’t explain began to make sense. The diagnosis of my anxiety and panic disorders finally allowed me to understand myself and others, while beginning to take control of my life. Ever since I was born, I had been showing signs of an anxiety disorder, yet it took an exceptional amount of time to ever be able to get the help I needed. Since I was an infant, I had anxiety ticks and coping mechanisms that I still cannot break as a 20 year old. These ticks and coping mechanisms include rubbing my thumb nail and sucking my tongue. Since anyone can remember there has never been a time, I did not do these two things. When I was in elementary school, I began having panic attacks which were not identified as such until recently. Oftentimes,
when I would have a panic attack as a child, I would envision all the clothes in my closet flying around me and I would just hear my mom yelling at me; as well as developing excessive worry. It was very frightening, but no one thought anything of it, they just thought I was tapping into my imagination. Then as I entered middle school and high school, I began having trouble sitting still, since then I have always had to bounce my leg or sway back and forth when sitting. Lastly, in high school I began to have full on panic attacks as a result of bullying. I began to have intense daily anxiety about going to school and it would cause me to throw up every morning before I went to school. Since I was young, I did not feel safe leaving my house because of my panic attacks, I felt enslaved to something that I couldn’t understand or explain. All of those years of developing new symptoms of anxiety and panic disorders, I was in and out of doctors’ offices but since my parents did not take it seriously neither did my doctors. Consequently, I spent 18 years being told that I was crazy by my family, doctors, and friends and since I had no idea what was wrong with me, I believed them. When I received the diagnosis, I no longer felt crazy because the symptoms and feelings began to make sense. Healing was the first part of understanding that came from a diagnosis. This healing encompasses healing from the past to learn to accept myself and learning to heal in the present from the chains of my anxiety and panic disorder. After years of being told and feeling like I was crazy it was extremely freeing to understand why I am the way that I am. However, there was a lot of healing to be done of those previous years. I would not have been able to heal emotionally without having had my diagnosis to give me explanations. I leaned on my explanations as my healing agents. Since I knew why I was the way I am I was able to accept myself and build up my self-confidence. For the first time in my life I feel accepted by myself and by others as I open up about my disorder. Sometimes it is hard to have compassion for something you don’t
understand. While I never use my disorder as an excuse, having that explanation has helped others to accept me as well. However, more importantly I am able to learn from my diagnosis by learning to manage and heal from my anxiety and panic disorder. After the diagnosis I was able to go to therapy and get medication that helped me manage it. These tools my doctor has provided me have begun to break the chains of anxiety and panic that wrapped around me so tightly. It has been a long road since the diagnosis, but it has opened so many doors for me to get help. It has only been two years and I am already healing from those disorders through the resources I was provided. I no longer have many panic attacks. I used to have multiple panic attacks a day and fast forward to today I only experience them at most, once a month. The diagnosis and answers that were provided have allowed me freedom from the heavy chains that weighed me down and started healing my wounds and difficulties. Since the diagnosis I have been getting better and beginning to live a normal life that I never thought was possible. Moving forward from the diagnosis I am beginning to take control of my life which gives me hope. An anxiety and panic disorder puts you at its mercy. It is similar to the tobacco commercials that paint a picture of a substance taking control of your life and decisions. My anxiety and panic disorder did just that, they controlled my life. I was constantly at the mercy of them, I would try to go to the movies with friends, but it would make me leave by giving me a panic attack in the theater. I felt trapped because I was not able to do much without my anxiety or panic disorder taking over the situation. Since I got the diagnosis my doctor has provided me with tools to help control them instead of letting them control me. I am finally learning how to take control of my life and walk in my freedom. Without my diagnosis I would still be at the mercy of my disorder and that is no way to live. It has allowed me to get to the place where I am able to leave my house without worry, I no longer have to say no to invitations to go out. My
diagnosis has allowed me to begin learning to live a life I want. I am learning to make my own choices without fear and ultimately, I am learning the beautiful experiences I once missed out on. I am so grateful for all of the amazing things I have begun to learn and do since my new found understanding of myself. However, my diagnosis has not only helped me learn about myself and my life but also about others. Receiving a diagnosis so late in life really allowed me to understand others better, whether it meant connecting with people who also struggled with anxiety or just understanding compassion. Through this experience I have learned that everyone is fighting their own battle so we have to have compassion. Sometimes we may not have answers and we may not understand the battle we are facing. However, we must extend compassion to ourselves and others. I have learned that I shouldn’t need an explanation or diagnosis to have compassion or for others to have compassion with me. This experience has helped me to open my heart to all the invisible or unexplainable battles that we face. Those battles are not any less important than struggles that we can understand. We are all humans and we all struggle so we need to learn how to meet people where they are. We can’t expect anyone to be a certain way, we must just accept people for who they are, quirks and all. My diagnosis has opened doors for me to learn how to better accept myself and others. I found a breakthrough in my diagnosis of generalized anxiety and panic disorder because I was able to learn how to accept people but mainly myself and begin taking control of my life. While my story may look a bit messy and rough around the edges but I wouldn’t change it because I eventually was able to finally understand. The understanding of my diagnosis propelled me into deeper learning in many areas of my life. It is very valuable to be able to learn more about yourself, others, and the world around us. Through my diagnosis I was able to learn
how to accept myself for who I am, as well as taking it a step further to understand and accept others for who they are. I have also learned, through the tools provided in my diagnosis, how to take control of my life. I am no longer captive to the physical and mental chains of my disorder. I found freedom and deeper understanding through it. Works Cited “Mental Health Disorder Statistics”. John Hopkins Medicine, 2020, https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/mental-health-disorder-statistics.
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