ABOUT
ME
AN ESSAY ABOUT ME
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Introduction
Throughout most of my life, I have grown into the habit of things constantly changing. One moment I am living in a nice neighbourhood where I have come to know awesome people, and made some amazing friends, and overall life being great. But the second I get comfortable with everything, it changes.I never had a place to call home. Until suddenly the moving stopped, and I found myself stranded on an island called, Alameda, California.
Living in Alameda was a little unusual at first, because I never stayed in one place for so long. But as soon as I arrived at my new school ACLC, I knew that it was different than any other school I have been at my whole life. I was so amazed by the atmosphere and chaos that was happening in the center. It was something truly beautiful that I knew that I wanted be a part of. As soon as I found out that my family would not be moving anymore and we were gonna be stuck on the island of Alameda for a while, I couldn’t wait to be apart of the chaotic center and to finally have a place that I can call home.
Personal Qualities, Work Habits, and Attitudes
When I first came to ACLC I was not very fond of school work. I always did the work but, at the time it was something that was truly intimidating and overwhelming, however, being at ACLC has taught me valuable time management skills that would be essential to my success. Unlike other schools, ACLC provides their learners with free periods where the learner decides how they can spend their time. At first with this much free time it can be very easy to just mess around and hang out with friends, but with these free periods I have been able to take advantage of my time and get done with my academic work and have lots of free time in the afternoon. With my newfound time management skills I was able to realize my passions and hobbies for other things outside of school.
I am also very thankful that I found a love for filmmaking and art during my time at ACLC. My love for art is something that really helped me get throughout the school year. When it comes to creative work, I have so much drive and passion for the process. Any chance I have to make a video in an assignment, I will take that opportunity in a heartbeat. When it comes to crafting movies and films I have always loved just the whole process of planning, shooting, and long nights of editing. I would give my all and then some for these opportunities to express myself. I would stay up until 3AM for some video assignments making sure that everything is perfect. Some people may think of these projects as just another school assignment that I don’t need to try as hard on, but I see this as an opportunity to truly express myself. Those moments were chances for me to grow as an artist, while also challenging myself to be the best that I can be. And after all the work when the final product is done, all of those all-nighters, just to see the reactions on peoples faces. It is truly something to appreciate to have that kind of motivation
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New Basics
Reading and writing has always been a skill that I struggled with. Every essay assignment I struggled to barely hang on to a passing grade because I never knew how to read and write properly. However, when I got to eleventh grade suddenly everything took a shift. I no longer was a struggling first grader trying to form a basic sentence, but rather an author who is getting ready to write their next best-selling novel (not literally but that's what it felt like). Thanks to the amazing faculty at ACLC, my new English teacher, Molly Fenn, has helped me improve my English skills drastically. In her class, I’ve learnt how to read analytically and effectively through the use of annotations, write more persuasive essays and make them have flow, and to question everything and always ask questions to become a better learner.
Thinking and Reasoning Skills
There have been many times that I have been in a tight spot and needed to figure my way out of a situation here at ACLC. Whenever it came to big assignments I’ve always viewed it as a struggle and never knew how to approach it, especially film assignments. However, over the time I’ve been at ACLC, I have learned how to conquer these big assignments and not fear them anymore. I’ve learned how to divide these assignments into small manageable chunks, very clear spend my time effectively, and put deadlines for when how much of the assignment should be done each week. Now, these assignments are no longer hurdles that I fear, instead, they are tasks that I know I can overcome with hard work and dedication, and the end product will always end up amazing. Looking good!
Interpersonal Abilities
At the start of high school, I never was the type of person to be the leader or head of a group. I would always just be a follower, kind of like a sheep that follows the herd. However, I realized during my sophomore year of high school that if I wanted to get anywhere in life, I would need to stop being a sheep that is hidden in the herd and start being the shepherd that leads these sheep to greatness. In order to gain leadership skills that I did not have, I decided to join student leadership despite my lack of ability to lead. I was scared at first and felt out of place but I knew that I was there to learn and gain those leadership skills to be a better leader. After being in leadership for two years it has taught me a lot about myself and how to engage with a group, how to get people to listen to what you have to say, and it has helped me tremendously with my public speaking skills. Even though I was scared to be involved in a crowd that I thought I would never fit in with, I am glad I made the decision to better myself for a better future. From a person that once was a follower of the crowd, I am now the revolution starter that is ready to shake things up.
Technology
Living in the 21st century it is more important now than ever to be fluent in the use of technology for as it is the future. The use of technology in the educational space can be very beneficial to the students to help advance their learning even further. ACLC helps their students become more fluent with the use of technology by facilitators incorporating the use of a laptop computer to accomplish an assignment. During my time at ACLC, I have become skilled in the use of the Google office system, creating powerpoint presentations with google slides, using google docs to type many different essays and assignments, and learning how to work a spreadsheet to help better organize data and information.
Conclusion
ACLC will always hold a special place in my heart. The school and the community itself has played an important part in my growth and development as a person. Without it I don’t think I would be the person I am today without the help of the amazing facilitators who are passionate about what they do, and the different types of people that I have come to know over these past seven years. As I am closing out my final year of high school and I say adieu to this place. I will never forget the connections I have made and will always be grateful for everything that this school has done for me.
