REFLECTIVE ESSAY
I first came to ACLC as a shy sixth grader, and over my time here, I have grown in so many ways. I have learned new skills and ways of thinking, and I have also become aware of the areas in which I need to improve. ACLC’s focus on leadership has helped me to become a more assertive person, and my curiosity has flourished in the many academic opportunities that I have been able to take advantage of here.
Personal Qualities, Work Habits, and Attitudes
Over my years at ACLC, I have developed my sense of responsibility. I spent three years in Leadership, and it forced me to grow in so many ways. As a small group leader, I had to put aside nervousness and be an enthusiastic, knowledgeable leader for my group. I had to know the schedule for CCC well, and on special event days, I helped out in various capacities, from leading discussions to serving at feasts. I also showcased my responsibility in the many group projects that I participated in at ACLC. I had to complete my part in projects and be responsible for my own work. I am still working on my time management. I have a very busy schedule, so planning out the best use of my time can be difficult.
New Basics
ACLC’s academic program has helped me develop a wide variety of skills. My high grades in English through all my years at ACLC and in honors English 3 demonstrate that I am adept at reading and writing, but my English classes have also given me something more. They have not only taught me how to read closely and write coherently, they have also taught me to love literature and language, an appreciation that will stay with me for the rest of my life. ACLC’s focus on projects and presentation has allowed me to hone my speaking skills and to learn to feel more comfortable sharing my ideas. I have also been able to pursue my passion for the art of dance through my years at ACLC. This was in part due to the project periods and close relationships with facilitators, which allowed me to effectively manage my schoolwork and dance.
Thinking and Reasoning Skills
The most important thinking and reasoning skill that I have developed during my time at ACLC is the knowledge of how to learn. I have been able to discover my own best learning methods and find out what I need to do to fully understand a concept or pass an assignment. I think that this self sufficiency will be very valuable in college, when classes are more fast paced. I have also developed my reasoning skills through the Science Fair Project, which I have completed every year since 6th grade. I learned how to collect data and draw logical, meaningful conclusions from it. It taught me a new way of thinking that I know I will be able to apply in many different situations in the future. The science fair project also taught me the valuable skill of problem solving. In my most recent science fair project, I studied the effect of garlic on fungus growth in grey water. My original plan for measuring the fungus growth was to drain the solids out of the water and weigh them. However, I found that the fungus weighed so little that a weight measure was not effective. I had to use my problem solving skills to come up with a new method, counting fungus growths.
Interpersonal Abilities
ACLC has provided many opportunities for me to develop my teamwork skills. I have learned a lot about communication and compromise through the many group projects that I have participated in. As part of an Honors English final project, my group and I created a dance video adaptation of a poem. We needed to have people from outside our group help us, and this required a great deal of coordination in order to make sure that we had a time that worked for everyone, and that we could get the project done in time. I also learned that flexibility is a big part of teamwork. Our original plan for getting the project done didn’t quite work out, but we found new solutions. I was a part of the ACLC Leadership class from 9th to 11th grade. I lead a small group each of these years. I believe that my leadership skills grew each year, and I became more confident in a leadership position. Last year, I also took Calculus. In this class, I was often able to help my friends and classmates understand concepts. I found that teaching others also helped me understand the material better.
Technology
ACLC has required me to use technology in many ways. Google Drive has been a huge tool that I learned to use. It has helped me throughout my time at ACLC, from providing a way to work on homework no matter where I am to getting friends to edit essays. I know it will continue to help me through college and beyond. I am a co-editor of Speakeasy, our school’s newspaper. In order to prepare the newspaper for printing, the other co-editor and I had to select the program that would meet our needs best, in this case, it was Publisher. I am also able to apply technology to a given task. In Calculus, we analyzed data using Excel. My group and I had to apply the program to the problem we were being asked to solve.
Over my time at ACLC, I have developed a variety of skills in many different areas, both academic and social. I know that many of the academic skills and tools will serve me well in college. I will also benefit from the ability to talk to groups of people and to manage my time effectively far beyond college.