Introduction
When I first came to ACLC for my sophomore year, I did not want to be there and I knew no one. I've always been a very sociable person, so I thought it would be easy to make friends quickly enough. Boy I was wrong; for my first year at ACLC I only talked to some people in my classes, but I spent most of my free time alone in the center. It wasn't until the second semester when I came across a group of friends in the grade above me that I finally felt like I fit in. Coming from a big public high school previously, I felt that I related to no one at this smaller community-based school. I eventually began to meet more and more people, as my first group of friends made me feel more secure about branching out. It is now my senior year at ACLC and I have a best friend and a great group of people who make me feel more inclined to stay.
Personal Qualities, Work Habits, And Attitudes
The way ACLC runs with its project-based learning and college class-like schedule has given me opportunities to improve my time management and self-discipline/management. The new concept of project periods gave me choices with what I wanted to do during my free time at school. I saw this as a chance to get my homework done at school rather than at home. I soon found out that I preferred to socialize during that time, which meant homework was mostly done at home. I did try to fit in homework during the time I wasn't socializing; I really liked the idea of having that free time to get stuff done. Over the years I’ve gotten better at managing that free time and using it wisely. I feel more ready for a college schedule now that I'm more comfortable with a similar system. As for work outside of school, I got a job the summer after my first year and developed some unique and beneficial skills. I learned how to interact with customers and learned proper food handling. It was a great first job, a small, privately owned business located right near my house. All in all, I feel that over the past two and a half years, I have grown not only in my time management but also in my outside work ethics.
New Basics
I've always been the type of student who was eager to learn new things about the world. However, I was never a fan of math or science. I usually struggled in these areas and never quite got why I needed it. I became more drawn to English and Visual Arts. After doing photography for some time, I started veering towards experimenting with film and the camera. I had an opportunity to work on a real movie set for the famous company Marvel Studios. This boosted my passion for film even more, leading me to take a video production class at Berkeley City College. Of course, this only expanded my infatuation with the production of film. By the second film class I took at the college, I knew what I wanted to do in my Career. I want to be an art director. I love the way I can express feelings or thoughts through the lens of the camera, and I want to be able to produce something people will appreciate and love.
Thinking and Reasoning Skills
At ACLC, the diversity of learning techniques that teachers use in the classroom has granted me several different ways to approach my thinking and reasoning skills. The school really pushes students to explore self-directed learning in order to help them with future assignments and projects. Over the years I have gotten better at finding information on my own on a subject that I know nothing about. One thing I've come to realize more as the months go on is how much it takes to actually learn something. In order to successfully learn and remember something long term, you must take notes, ask questions, and actively participate in class discussions. I have found that when I am quiet and do nothing but listen, I can never usually recall what was being taught after a few days or weeks. I'm told that I am a visual learner, which means I learn best when it is shown rather than verbally given. Knowing this, I try to incorporate visuals the best I can when it comes to any project or presentation. Referencing back to my passion for film, I also tend to think creatively more so than theoretically. So when it comes to any work that I need to do in order to learn more about the subject, I try to make it as creative as possible rather than just some text on paper. I have a wide imagination, which has been a useful tool in my English classes, especially when it comes to creative writing. I've found that the more passionate I am about the subject the better I am able to think and write about it.
Interpersonal Abilities
One thing I have taken the most out my jobs from the past couple of years is the ability to serve clients, customers, and colleagues. My two jobs have included working constantly with customers and working the cash register. This has allowed me to learn and use skills in order to satisfy customers expectations. I use these skills not only at my job but also at ACLC. Learning how to interact with strangers has enabled me to get along with my peers in a professional and academic manner. Not only have I exercised this attitude, but I have also exercised superb leadership skills. When doing group projects in my classes, I diligently divide up tasks according to individual people’s abilities. Taking the leadership class at my school has gotten me more involved in the community and given me opportunities to motivate others to be a leader as well.
Technology
I've always considered myself to be a very tech-savvy person. At this day and age, most school assignments and projects are based online and presented online. This requires an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the technology ACLC provides. When a printer at our school stops working and won't print, I immediately try to solve the problem through investigation of the technology inside the printer. When writing in class, I often find myself choosing to type on a laptop rather than handwrite, simply because the tools that come with the laptop significantly help in ways pen and paper can’t. If I have to make a presentation such as in my history class, I use tools on the internet such as Prezi and google slides and am able to productively apply it to my topic.
Conclusion
All in all, my time at ACLC has helped shape me into the person I am today. I would not be the same If I attended the same large high school as I did freshman year, as ACLC has taught me things I never would've learned from high school before. I have developed many important life skills including (but not limited to): work habits, attitudes, basics, thinking and reasoning skills, interpersonal abilities, and technology skills. These are the kind of skills that will stick with me throughout the rest of my education and continue on through my career. I can only imagine how much more I will learn in the years to come, and I am always grateful for the new and interesting ideas I have learned from ACLC’s unique teaching styles.
When I first came to ACLC for my sophomore year, I did not want to be there and I knew no one. I've always been a very sociable person, so I thought it would be easy to make friends quickly enough. Boy I was wrong; for my first year at ACLC I only talked to some people in my classes, but I spent most of my free time alone in the center. It wasn't until the second semester when I came across a group of friends in the grade above me that I finally felt like I fit in. Coming from a big public high school previously, I felt that I related to no one at this smaller community-based school. I eventually began to meet more and more people, as my first group of friends made me feel more secure about branching out. It is now my senior year at ACLC and I have a best friend and a great group of people who make me feel more inclined to stay.
Personal Qualities, Work Habits, And Attitudes
The way ACLC runs with its project-based learning and college class-like schedule has given me opportunities to improve my time management and self-discipline/management. The new concept of project periods gave me choices with what I wanted to do during my free time at school. I saw this as a chance to get my homework done at school rather than at home. I soon found out that I preferred to socialize during that time, which meant homework was mostly done at home. I did try to fit in homework during the time I wasn't socializing; I really liked the idea of having that free time to get stuff done. Over the years I’ve gotten better at managing that free time and using it wisely. I feel more ready for a college schedule now that I'm more comfortable with a similar system. As for work outside of school, I got a job the summer after my first year and developed some unique and beneficial skills. I learned how to interact with customers and learned proper food handling. It was a great first job, a small, privately owned business located right near my house. All in all, I feel that over the past two and a half years, I have grown not only in my time management but also in my outside work ethics.
New Basics
I've always been the type of student who was eager to learn new things about the world. However, I was never a fan of math or science. I usually struggled in these areas and never quite got why I needed it. I became more drawn to English and Visual Arts. After doing photography for some time, I started veering towards experimenting with film and the camera. I had an opportunity to work on a real movie set for the famous company Marvel Studios. This boosted my passion for film even more, leading me to take a video production class at Berkeley City College. Of course, this only expanded my infatuation with the production of film. By the second film class I took at the college, I knew what I wanted to do in my Career. I want to be an art director. I love the way I can express feelings or thoughts through the lens of the camera, and I want to be able to produce something people will appreciate and love.
Thinking and Reasoning Skills
At ACLC, the diversity of learning techniques that teachers use in the classroom has granted me several different ways to approach my thinking and reasoning skills. The school really pushes students to explore self-directed learning in order to help them with future assignments and projects. Over the years I have gotten better at finding information on my own on a subject that I know nothing about. One thing I've come to realize more as the months go on is how much it takes to actually learn something. In order to successfully learn and remember something long term, you must take notes, ask questions, and actively participate in class discussions. I have found that when I am quiet and do nothing but listen, I can never usually recall what was being taught after a few days or weeks. I'm told that I am a visual learner, which means I learn best when it is shown rather than verbally given. Knowing this, I try to incorporate visuals the best I can when it comes to any project or presentation. Referencing back to my passion for film, I also tend to think creatively more so than theoretically. So when it comes to any work that I need to do in order to learn more about the subject, I try to make it as creative as possible rather than just some text on paper. I have a wide imagination, which has been a useful tool in my English classes, especially when it comes to creative writing. I've found that the more passionate I am about the subject the better I am able to think and write about it.
Interpersonal Abilities
One thing I have taken the most out my jobs from the past couple of years is the ability to serve clients, customers, and colleagues. My two jobs have included working constantly with customers and working the cash register. This has allowed me to learn and use skills in order to satisfy customers expectations. I use these skills not only at my job but also at ACLC. Learning how to interact with strangers has enabled me to get along with my peers in a professional and academic manner. Not only have I exercised this attitude, but I have also exercised superb leadership skills. When doing group projects in my classes, I diligently divide up tasks according to individual people’s abilities. Taking the leadership class at my school has gotten me more involved in the community and given me opportunities to motivate others to be a leader as well.
Technology
I've always considered myself to be a very tech-savvy person. At this day and age, most school assignments and projects are based online and presented online. This requires an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the technology ACLC provides. When a printer at our school stops working and won't print, I immediately try to solve the problem through investigation of the technology inside the printer. When writing in class, I often find myself choosing to type on a laptop rather than handwrite, simply because the tools that come with the laptop significantly help in ways pen and paper can’t. If I have to make a presentation such as in my history class, I use tools on the internet such as Prezi and google slides and am able to productively apply it to my topic.
Conclusion
All in all, my time at ACLC has helped shape me into the person I am today. I would not be the same If I attended the same large high school as I did freshman year, as ACLC has taught me things I never would've learned from high school before. I have developed many important life skills including (but not limited to): work habits, attitudes, basics, thinking and reasoning skills, interpersonal abilities, and technology skills. These are the kind of skills that will stick with me throughout the rest of my education and continue on through my career. I can only imagine how much more I will learn in the years to come, and I am always grateful for the new and interesting ideas I have learned from ACLC’s unique teaching styles.