Exercise 2: Page 11

In my previous education, I was always taught that research papers should primarily be fact based, and that I should only add my opinion or commentary in appropiate places. It should sound very professional.  Earlier on I was taught that research papers should always be in a three or five paragraph format. This way I could state my thesis in the introduction paragraph and then support it in the body, and then re-state my thesis in the final paragraph. Teachers always told me to only get information from reliable resources and the information should be as up to date as possible. I was also taught to never hide behind big words, that I should be able to explain the topics, not just use a big word in its place, and to always imagine I was writing to an audience that knew nothing about the topic. This way I would ensure that I would fully explain every topic.
From the very narrow definition of "research paper" that I was taught prior to this year, this paper would not fall under the category. But through this essay, a topic was researched and presented. It just contains more commentary than most research papers. Since the first person was used and there is much more personal commentary, it feels must more personable and because of this, and I felt like I could relate to the presented topic much more easily. Although Professor Ballenger  could have simply wrote a paper on, "Feeling Dumb", he decided to put himself into the paper and because of this, it made me think of my personal experiences while I read the paper. This also keep the paper from being dry and boring, as research papers are many times. Instead of feeling like I was reading a research paper, I felt that I was reading a personal story that I was able to relate to. In addition to being able to relate to the paper, I was also able to learn something new. Which is not always clearly stated my the teacher, but should be the main purpose of a research paper.