Remember when your sister used to write in her diary and how curious you were to find out what she wrote in it? If you didn't have a sister, do you remember keeping your diary hoping that your mother wouldn't find it and read it one day? At a young age we all learn to keep a diary or diary. In elementary school, we may have been asked to write in a classroom journal by answering a question posed by the teacher such as "How was your weekend?" or “How was break?” Simple questions were asked to help generate ideas in our young minds and help us write our own story. But now that we're older, do we still have the opportunity to write our own story like we did before? Are we still able to release our emotions and reflect on the events of our lives? Although many people feel that journaling is childish or a waste of time, the effects of recording your thoughts are beneficial. Most people question the purpose of journaling. People who write journals keep them to satisfy a basic human need: “self-expression and reflection” (Sagan 1). Writing is known as one of the easiest ways to express your personality and who you truly are. You can write in a journal without anyone judging you, unless you choose to have someone else read it, of course. You may want to reflect on your writing as you write journal/diary entries. So, once you have expressed your thoughts, you can also go back to previous entries to reflect on what you said before. Reflecting on your writing can help you grow as a person. It helps you think about a situation and possibly resolve it. Reflections help generate ideas on how to improve as an individual. But really, it's fun to reread memories from the past and see how much...half of paper...better." Scholastic Choices October 2010: 4+. Academic OneFile. Web. February 22, 2010. 2011. Jacobson, Joy. "Dealing PTSD patients and intensive care patients: Studies suggest approaches to preventing PTSD" 110.12 (December 2010): 18(1). 2011Jones, Jill and Jill East. "Empower primary writers through daily journal writing." Journal of Research in Childhood Education 24.2 (2010): 112+ General Web muscle; practice these journaling techniques and improve your skills." The Writer July 2002: 38+. General OneFile. Web. 10 February 2011. Sesta, Jenny. “Enhancing reflection and questioning through mutual journal writing: Making student voice visible.” Practically Primary 13.2 (2008): 32+. Reference web for the educator. 2011.