Reflective Essay
Introduction
Over the course of my time at ACLC, I've learned a lot about myself, and about how to apply my knowledge (academic and otherwise) in a school environment. I've worked on bettering myself and my abilities, and in this essay I will go over some of the ways that I've applied what I've learned to my life and to school. Personal Qualities, Work Habits, And Attitudes Self-Esteem/Self Worth To be honest, I don’t have the best self esteem. I tend to ruminate on my mistakes, and I’ve struggled with my mental health for years. In spite of— or maybe because of— this, I’ve learned how to pull myself out of negativity and reevaluate logically. I know that I’m capable of a lot, and in spite of difficult circumstances, I try my best. Over time, I’ve gotten better at standing up for myself, and holding myself and others accountable. I’m certainly able to stand up for my beliefs (it might be more accurate to say I’m unable to shut up about them), and I’m always looking at the bigger picture. Throughout high school, my self worth has improved, and even though I still struggle with it, I know that it’ll get better. Integrity and Honesty Justice is very important to me, and I do my best to reflect that value in my own behavior. I do my best to be polite and respectful of others, and to not be insensitive. I’m definitely trustworthy, and in situations where others are depending on me (group projects, for example), I’m accountable for myself. Really, there’s no reason to be rude, so I try not to be. I’m as honest as possible, I mean, I’ve definitely lied and exaggerated things, but at least I can admit that. Of course I’m not perfect, and sometimes I’m overly snarky, but I’m trying to work on that— and really, I think that’s what counts. New Basics Reading I enjoy reading, and I’m good at interpreting all different types of writing. I find it important to read thoroughly; I do background research on texts so I can understand them in context, and I actively think about texts as I read. I mostly read nonfiction, but I love fiction as well, and I’m into a lot of different genres. I’ve learned a lot from reading, and there have been times when I’ve applied frameworks and values that I picked up from reading to real life. Civics I have a lot of interests, but politics is by far the most important to me. I spend most of my free time researching politics, and I have for a long time. Our society is deeply flawed, and I’m determined to find solutions. It’s the responsibility of every person to improve the world, and knowing that so many people are apathetic only motivates me more to seek change. I plan on spending my life in pursuit of change, and although I don’t yet know how I’ll go about that, I care about it more than anything else. Thinking and Reasoning Skills Visualizes I’m a visual learner, and I’m good at using visualizing to solve problems. For example, I did really well in Geometry, because I was able to picture shapes and numbers in my head in order to figure out how they would interact. I tend to think like this in general, and in less direct ways, such as being able to visualize how an essay will flow or how to structure a presentation. As a result, I’m good at making cohesive projects and paying attention to detail. Reasoning I’m a very logical person, and I think through every aspect of, well, pretty much everything. This can be a bit of an issue, because I can’t ever just do something without looking at it from every angle. I’m great at analysing problems though, and especially at figuring out the root causes of issues. Due to this, I’m very good at self-critiquing. I do everything with intent, and I know why I make the decisions that I do (even if they’re not the best ones). I’m good at subjects that follow certain rules or systems, like math and political/economic analysis, because I can take information and use it to figure out the underlying system. I’m also able to admit when I’m wrong- for me, it isn’t a negative thing, because if I learn that I’m wrong, I’ll be able to recognize my errors and improve upon my own logic. Reasoning is probably my greatest skill, and I’m grateful for that. Interpersonal Abilities Participates as a Team Member Since ACLC is a project-based school, we have a lot of group projects, which often take a lot of time and hard work. Communicating is absolutely essential in order to make sure everyone does their part. I’m pretty good at checking in with group members about their progress, organizing the group, and of course getting my own work done. Art is one of my main hobbies, so whenever projects require drawing or design, I’m up to the task. I’m also good at making suggestions for the project as a whole, and I do my best to make myself clear without taking over or bossing others around. Overall, I can work well with others. Teaches Others New Skills There’s been a lot of times that I’ve helped to teach others, both in school and out. In English, I usually help edit peers’ essays (most of us do this whether it’s required or not). In math, I finish early a lot of the time, so sometimes classmates ask me to help them. I’m not always great at explaining the concepts, but I try my best, and I hope I’ve been of some help. Outside of school, I’ve spent a lot of time assisting my art teacher at her studio (for community service hours and my internship). My main task was helping to teach the students, usually younger kids. I’m able to stay patient with them and explain instructions in a way they can understand, which can be a big task when some of the kids aren’t experienced or don’t behave. Generally, I’m pretty good at teaching others, and I try to be helpful when possible. Technology Shows Awareness of Technology Throughout high school, a lot of the required work has involved technology to some extent. For the most part, we’ve just used Google applications, but knowing how to use these programs has been an essential part of my academic success. For example, after doing a number of presentations using Google Slides, I’ve learned how to make my slides aesthetically pleasing, and how to make good use of formatting, animations, etc. Learning how to use various functions in Google Docs has helped me to take better notes, and to properly format my work. At this point, I’m much more proficient in these programs than I was when I started high school. Selects Technology A few projects I’ve worked on throughout high school have involved video editing. I learned how to edit videos in middle school, and I’m good at it, but I’ve always had limitations in terms of equipment. Decent editing software is expensive, so I’ve figured out how to make good use of the software available to me. Currently, I’m almost finished editing a video for Government, to be entered into C-SPAN’s documentary competition. For this project, I’m using iMovie and Cute CUT. These apps are relatively simple, but I’ve figured out how to work around their limitations to create professional-looking videos. Even though I already knew how to edit before high school, working on various projects has really improved my skills and ingenuity. Conclusion Now that I'm finishing high school, I've realized how much going to ACLC has helped me improve myself. It's been a great learning experience, and now that I know how to apply what I've learned to a school environment, I think I'm more prepared to use those skills throughout the rest of my life. |