The past seven years of my life will undoubtedly shape they way I choose to live my life. Alameda Community Learning Center is such a unique school which has provided countless valuable lessons any other institution would neglect to teach.
As a learner at ACLC, my mental growth was exponential. Most high school seniors claim that they entered sixth grade as a shy and quiet small person and evolved into the flawless priceless piece of artwork they are today. This is not quite true for me. I was not the timid girl in class, in fact I raised my hand more times than necessary in class when I was in sixth grade. This being said, I did continue to bloom throughout my schooling, but this piece of art is just learning now that true flawlessness is riddled with imperfections. All through middle school and most of high school, I had the “Real Sophia” inside of me, but I did not know it. I spent too many years working to become someone I was not. Once I figured out that the best parts of my world were within my own mind, I was able to change my expectations to suit myself and not other people. By making this switch, I learned I could achieve so much more.
One of my all time favorite parts of learning in and outside of school is when concepts and theories which I have only read about in books show up in the world around me. This phenomenon is not only exciting and interesting, but it also helps to reinforce concepts in my mind. In addition, it proves to me that school teaches ideas which are applicable to the real world. One concept which I have personally applied to my life is poetry. ACLC got me very interested in poetry and by following this path, I wound up with the poet laureate crown on my head in the January of 2015. Poetry opened up endless galaxies to me which I plan on exploring for the rest of my life.
Not many teenage students will say this, but I absolutely love finding evidence in texts and materials and using it to form conclusions. My magnificent English teachers have made this activity a constant priority in their classes and as a result I have strengthened my skill with it. I use this method of proving claims and statements constantly, whether I am writing an essay about Frankenstein or arguing in favor of an option in Leadership class. I believe that these skills will take me very far in my life and I will continue to work these particular thinking muscles. However, evidence based claims are not the end of my reasoning skills. Basic problem solving directs the course of my life on a daily basis. For instance, when choosing my classes at the beginning of each semester, I have to decide how different classes fit into my schedule and weigh which courses will benefit me most.
ACLC prides itself in the amount of group projects which learners take part in while they are in class. I can confirm that there are a multitude of group projects which learners must complete and every single one of them is an adventure. Of all the activities I have improved upon during my time at this school, group projects is definitely towards the top of that list. In the beginning of middle school, I did not understand how to fairly distribute work among members of a group. I always ended up doing loads more work than necessary since I could not get other group members to participate. Over the years, I learned how to engage other learners and instill the same commitment to projects which I strived for.
Back when I was attending good old Franklin Elementary School, twice a week we walked over to the media center and had an hour of class learning about technology. Similarly to the way the computer science freshmen in college learn is obsolete by senior year, the information we learned about PowerPoint, floppy disks, and Paint meant nothing once I made it to middle school. The most important lesson I learned about technology in the “Age of Technology” was how to ride with the changes and learn to adapt as quickly as possible. As a senior, I can maneuver the internet with incredible ease, explain programs to other people, and figure out the basics of new devices without much knowledge. For instance, I have learned to make websites on unknown programs, leared to code with Python without much previous experience. To be frank, I love being a part of this generation which was practically born understanding computers and typing with their eyes closed. With my experience, I am able to easily solve technological problems my family has at home so that our programs and equipment run smoothly.I feel that I will be able to give back significantly to my community and my world because of my knowledge of technology.