PERSONAL QUALITIES, WORK HABITS, AND ATTITUDES
Like any other teenage girl subjected to the socially acceptable form of torture known as ‘high school’, I’ve struggled with low self esteem. However, what I always found most notable is that my self esteem issues were always, undoubtedly, at their worst during ninth and the beginning of tenth grade--in other words, the time I was not attending ACLC. Having left after eighth grade for a different high school, I found upon returning in November of my sophomore year that I had been taking for granted ACLC’s environment, which, more than any school I’ve previously attended (and there’s ten), is conducive to personal growth. Because ACLC places the responsibility of success on the learner rather than the facilitator, I’ve learned that I cannot rely on the adults in my life to take care of and motivate me; I have to do that myself, and take responsibility for my own education. ACLC’s democratic model encourages learners like myself to participate in the governance of the school, and emphasizes the importance of community involvement, of helping to collectively improve the school for ourselves and each other.
NEW BASICS
I've always had a thing for languages above all else, and I've been reading (and writing) for as long as I can remember. I speak English and Dutch fluently, and with all due modesty, write rather well in both. I also speak proficient Spanish thanks to my education at ACLC, though I have pursued it in classes outside of ACLC and plan to improve that much more in years to come. My communication skills have also improved vastly, in part thanks to the frequent class discussions and Socratic seminars in my English classes, which have helped a lot in both improving public speaking and listening skills.
Before ACLC, I can honestly say I hated math -- now, I only mildly dislike it. (Ha.) While I could have stopped taking math classes this year, having finished Calculus the year before, I have begun to occasionally enjoy math, and because of this decided to take a Calculus class at College of Alameda. I've also become interested in something I never before thought I would: science. I particularly enjoyed Sarah's Chemistry class, despite the fact that it was first period every day, and my interest helped me maintain the highest grade of all my classmates that entire year.
Most importantly, however, I've learned to be socially aware at ACLC. Jake's US History class taught a side of our country's history I'd never been taught before, and this year's Government class has been a source of some of the most enlightening conversations I've had recently. ACLC has made it possible for me to co-lead our Queer Straight Alliance, and help improve our school's awareness of issues surrounding the queer community. Though both the classes and the community at ACLC, I've become more aware than ever of the systematic inequality that exist in today's society, and more determined than ever to dismantle them.
THINKING AND REASONING SKILLS
Throughout my time at ACLC, I've considered and tried out many different ways of learning, drawing on various sources both taught in the classroom and discovered outside of it, learning which ways work most effectively for me and under which circumstances certain schools of thought work better than others. For example, the analysis of a poem in English class requires an analytical yet creative approach, while making decisions for events planned in Leadership requires one to consider many different possible outcomes and make the best decision, anticipating different possible problems and making choices to avoid them. Leadership events such as Constitutional Convention require both a lot of planning, and an ability to analyze the data and feedback that is received over the course of the day, and present these back coherently to the class. Meanwhile, projects such as the physics roller coaster project require you to apply learned concepts in a creative way.
INTERPERSONAL ABILITIES
While at many traditional high schools, it's possible to spend all four years totally isolated, ACLC makes that impossible; with group projects, cross-grade activities like CCC, and a true collaborative environment, it's impossible not to work with a huge portion of the school. Something that especially illustrates this is this year's Hannah Camp, at which I was a counselor. Due to an overall decrease in free periods, it's been difficult to get to know a lot of the younger learners, but thanks to Hannah Camp, almost the entire senior class got to spend time getting to know all the new learners. This is also a valuable skill in Leadership and especially in CCC small groups, because participation requires the ability to effectively collaborate and lead a small group of learners from all different grades and social circles, which can be challenging at times.
TECHNOLOGY
ACLC is notorious for having very limited technological resources, and yet they're a huge part of our education. In English and History classes, essays must be typed and printed, while classes like Visual Communications require knowledge of Photoshop. In all my math classes, both at ACLC and at College of Alameda, we've had to do homework online, and certain classes use online textbooks or other online resources, like citation guides. Technology is integrated into everything that happens at ACLC, and so I've become well-versed in using it. Because of my knowledge of Photoshop, I assisted in VisComm classes during tenth grade, and for a final project in English last year, I made an online playlist about our book and wrote analysis about the songs. All of these are only a few examples of how I as an ACLC learner use technology every day -- like in the creation if this website!
Like any other teenage girl subjected to the socially acceptable form of torture known as ‘high school’, I’ve struggled with low self esteem. However, what I always found most notable is that my self esteem issues were always, undoubtedly, at their worst during ninth and the beginning of tenth grade--in other words, the time I was not attending ACLC. Having left after eighth grade for a different high school, I found upon returning in November of my sophomore year that I had been taking for granted ACLC’s environment, which, more than any school I’ve previously attended (and there’s ten), is conducive to personal growth. Because ACLC places the responsibility of success on the learner rather than the facilitator, I’ve learned that I cannot rely on the adults in my life to take care of and motivate me; I have to do that myself, and take responsibility for my own education. ACLC’s democratic model encourages learners like myself to participate in the governance of the school, and emphasizes the importance of community involvement, of helping to collectively improve the school for ourselves and each other.
NEW BASICS
I've always had a thing for languages above all else, and I've been reading (and writing) for as long as I can remember. I speak English and Dutch fluently, and with all due modesty, write rather well in both. I also speak proficient Spanish thanks to my education at ACLC, though I have pursued it in classes outside of ACLC and plan to improve that much more in years to come. My communication skills have also improved vastly, in part thanks to the frequent class discussions and Socratic seminars in my English classes, which have helped a lot in both improving public speaking and listening skills.
Before ACLC, I can honestly say I hated math -- now, I only mildly dislike it. (Ha.) While I could have stopped taking math classes this year, having finished Calculus the year before, I have begun to occasionally enjoy math, and because of this decided to take a Calculus class at College of Alameda. I've also become interested in something I never before thought I would: science. I particularly enjoyed Sarah's Chemistry class, despite the fact that it was first period every day, and my interest helped me maintain the highest grade of all my classmates that entire year.
Most importantly, however, I've learned to be socially aware at ACLC. Jake's US History class taught a side of our country's history I'd never been taught before, and this year's Government class has been a source of some of the most enlightening conversations I've had recently. ACLC has made it possible for me to co-lead our Queer Straight Alliance, and help improve our school's awareness of issues surrounding the queer community. Though both the classes and the community at ACLC, I've become more aware than ever of the systematic inequality that exist in today's society, and more determined than ever to dismantle them.
THINKING AND REASONING SKILLS
Throughout my time at ACLC, I've considered and tried out many different ways of learning, drawing on various sources both taught in the classroom and discovered outside of it, learning which ways work most effectively for me and under which circumstances certain schools of thought work better than others. For example, the analysis of a poem in English class requires an analytical yet creative approach, while making decisions for events planned in Leadership requires one to consider many different possible outcomes and make the best decision, anticipating different possible problems and making choices to avoid them. Leadership events such as Constitutional Convention require both a lot of planning, and an ability to analyze the data and feedback that is received over the course of the day, and present these back coherently to the class. Meanwhile, projects such as the physics roller coaster project require you to apply learned concepts in a creative way.
INTERPERSONAL ABILITIES
While at many traditional high schools, it's possible to spend all four years totally isolated, ACLC makes that impossible; with group projects, cross-grade activities like CCC, and a true collaborative environment, it's impossible not to work with a huge portion of the school. Something that especially illustrates this is this year's Hannah Camp, at which I was a counselor. Due to an overall decrease in free periods, it's been difficult to get to know a lot of the younger learners, but thanks to Hannah Camp, almost the entire senior class got to spend time getting to know all the new learners. This is also a valuable skill in Leadership and especially in CCC small groups, because participation requires the ability to effectively collaborate and lead a small group of learners from all different grades and social circles, which can be challenging at times.
TECHNOLOGY
ACLC is notorious for having very limited technological resources, and yet they're a huge part of our education. In English and History classes, essays must be typed and printed, while classes like Visual Communications require knowledge of Photoshop. In all my math classes, both at ACLC and at College of Alameda, we've had to do homework online, and certain classes use online textbooks or other online resources, like citation guides. Technology is integrated into everything that happens at ACLC, and so I've become well-versed in using it. Because of my knowledge of Photoshop, I assisted in VisComm classes during tenth grade, and for a final project in English last year, I made an online playlist about our book and wrote analysis about the songs. All of these are only a few examples of how I as an ACLC learner use technology every day -- like in the creation if this website!