If starting the first line feels impossible, that’s honestly normal - the opening sentence always feels like it has to carry the whole essay on its back. Instead of forcing a “perfect” transition, try easing into the idea with something small that points the reader in a direction. A few that usually feel smooth without sounding robotic are things like: “To begin exploring this idea…” or “One way to approach this question is…” They don’t box you into a rigid structure, and they let your thoughts settle before moving into the heavier points. If you want more examples written in context, I found some really clear ones when I was reading this breakdown about HelpWithEssay - seeing transitions used inside full paragraphs helped more than those long generic lists. More on reddit.com

White’s “Elements of Style” is a great book on writing style. Additionally, you might benefit from reading “They Say, I Say”, which is a good overview of how to structure academic writing. This is the main problem with undergraduate writing, in my experience. More on reddit.com

It sounds more informal to me, but it is not wrong either. But also that depending on writing style, first person perspective is usually avoided in academic writing unless for specific clarity. For English class this is maybe not relevant though 😌 You could also start sentence with "Personally,", "In my view", etc. More on reddit.com

Check out this sub https://www.reddit.com/r/Homewrkdomain/ they have incredible tips for essays.

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