Participation: 12 Reasons Why

Participation is always an important part of any English class. In order for a class to discuss a topic, everyone must participate. I believe that throughout this first trimester, I have earned a high participation grade. I do not believe I have earned a perfect, 100 percent average for participation because no one is perfect, but I do think I should receive a generally high grade. In order for me to justify this belief, I have compiled a list, which I have entitled the “12 reasons why I should receive a high participation grade.”

1. I pay attention in class
2. I am always prepared, and have everything I need for a particular class day
3. I contribute to class discussions
4. I think about what is being said, and bring up new ideas or questions for discussion
5. I do not talk over my classmates
6. I do not talk over my teacher
7. I do not discuss anything that is off topic
8. I partake in games when reviewing for tests/quizzes
9. I do not act out of line when participating in above mentioned review games
10. I do not have side conversations with the people sitting next to me
11. I take notes during class discussions, powerpoints, etc.
12. I do not do anything that would be a distraction from what we are doing

In addition to this list, however, I know that there are factors that reduce my participation grade. I have not compiled these into a formal list because I do not feel there are enough of them to need a formal list. These factors are that sometimes I do not participate completely during a discussion or offer to read a passage in class. I can provide justification for these reducing factors, however.

Most of the time, I try to participate in class, but sometimes I feel that some of the other students in my class make it difficult to participate. My class has a tendency to get off topic. As a result, I feel like it is difficult to participate. This is one of the reasons why I sometimes do not fully participate in a discussion. When my class gets off topic, I usually do not have anything to say about the new topic, so I do not say anything. Another reason why I sometimes do not participate fully is that I like to think before I speak. When I want to contribute to a class discuss, I want my point to actually have a point, so I usually take a minute or so to think about what my point is, and what importance it has. This thought process can have a tendency to keep me quiet for portions of class discussions.

In conclusion, I believe that my participation grade should be somewhere between an 85 to a 95. I do not think my grade should be higher than a 95 because I do have factors that probably reduce my grade, and because no one is perfect. I think my grade should be higher than an 85 because I believe that I participate in class more than some of my classmates, and my list of 12 reasons justifies this.