Reflective Essay
ACLC
is a chaotic environment; there is no doubt about that. Most of the
time, people tend to get a different account of who we really are than
how we see ourselves. The smell and clutter are the first things that
one sees and smells when they walk in the door and it can sometimes be
hard to shake a bad first impression. However, if one digs deeper, they
can find some amazing things. I myself have grown both as a learner and
as a person. When I first came to ACLC, I had been homeschooled for the
first eight years of my schooling. I honestly did not know what to
expect. I was the shy quite girl sitting by herself doing her work; I
did not want to talk to anyone. However, ACLC has helped me become who I
am today and I, like so many others, am a different person than who I
was four years ago.
I have grown a lot as a learner and a leader since coming to ACLC. I have a very unconventional background; I was homeschooled until I came to the Center in ninth grade. I was a little hesitant about coming to the Center, who would not be? In the end, it was not so much a conscious decision to come here than a decision that grew on me over time. ACLC looked like a disorganized mess, not a school that is so good at teaching learners what skills they need to succeed. Needless to say, because I was homeschooled, I had already developed some of the skills that important at ACLC. However, I can always improve and that is what I did. I refined my work habits, improved my attitudes towards things that I did not like, and improved my social skills. If I had not come to ACLC, I would have never been able to do these things.
The classes here at ACLC are not your normal classes, they are taught in a very strange, yet effective way. Instead of only writing essays and reports, projects and plays were used for a deeper understanding of the material that we were trying to learn. This helped me not only understand the material; but, it also helped me with my public speaking skills. I was a shy kid; homeschooling is not the most social of environments. I would not have talked to anyone else unless forced. By making me interact with other learners on projects and other things, ACLC helped me “break” out of the shy shell that I had adopted and helped me become a more social person.
Despite the chaotic atmosphere that I experience daily in the Center, I am able to focus on what I am learning. ACLC enabled me and many other people to discover my true learning potential. It has inspired our creative thinking and allowed me to visualize my future in more solid terms. ACLC also allows me to think in terms that most high schools do not. The problems that are posed to me are different from the problem in other schools; this makes me think of creative solutions that I might not have come up with otherwise. This way of thinking has also allowed me to realize my goals and impact in my community.
One of the greatest things that I did for my leadership abilities was becoming co-chair of Leadership. Becoming co-chair of Leadership has helped me realize that leadership is not just ordering people around; but rather motivating people to want to do the task that they need to do. It was important for me to realize that I needed to work well with other people in order to be a good leader, not just tell people what to do.
Another thing that ACLC is good at teaching is technology. Technology is something that I think our entire generation has grown up around, so it is a totally foreign concept to very few people. So, unsurprisingly, I could work a computer before I came to ACLC, however, just the basics of Microsoft Office and basic computer know-how. Since coming to ACLC, I have learned so much more about computers. I am now quite advanced at all of the Microsoft Office programs and have a much more detailed knowledge span about not only computers, but printers, copiers, and fax machines as well.
ACLC has really prepared for college and my life beyond. The skills and qualities that I have learned over the years will become invaluable in the future. ACLC is amazing at teaching the learners, who want to learn, abilities that they will actually use; not just random, useless text from a book. ACLC prepares its learners to function in society and be successful in the future.
I have grown a lot as a learner and a leader since coming to ACLC. I have a very unconventional background; I was homeschooled until I came to the Center in ninth grade. I was a little hesitant about coming to the Center, who would not be? In the end, it was not so much a conscious decision to come here than a decision that grew on me over time. ACLC looked like a disorganized mess, not a school that is so good at teaching learners what skills they need to succeed. Needless to say, because I was homeschooled, I had already developed some of the skills that important at ACLC. However, I can always improve and that is what I did. I refined my work habits, improved my attitudes towards things that I did not like, and improved my social skills. If I had not come to ACLC, I would have never been able to do these things.
The classes here at ACLC are not your normal classes, they are taught in a very strange, yet effective way. Instead of only writing essays and reports, projects and plays were used for a deeper understanding of the material that we were trying to learn. This helped me not only understand the material; but, it also helped me with my public speaking skills. I was a shy kid; homeschooling is not the most social of environments. I would not have talked to anyone else unless forced. By making me interact with other learners on projects and other things, ACLC helped me “break” out of the shy shell that I had adopted and helped me become a more social person.
Despite the chaotic atmosphere that I experience daily in the Center, I am able to focus on what I am learning. ACLC enabled me and many other people to discover my true learning potential. It has inspired our creative thinking and allowed me to visualize my future in more solid terms. ACLC also allows me to think in terms that most high schools do not. The problems that are posed to me are different from the problem in other schools; this makes me think of creative solutions that I might not have come up with otherwise. This way of thinking has also allowed me to realize my goals and impact in my community.
One of the greatest things that I did for my leadership abilities was becoming co-chair of Leadership. Becoming co-chair of Leadership has helped me realize that leadership is not just ordering people around; but rather motivating people to want to do the task that they need to do. It was important for me to realize that I needed to work well with other people in order to be a good leader, not just tell people what to do.
Another thing that ACLC is good at teaching is technology. Technology is something that I think our entire generation has grown up around, so it is a totally foreign concept to very few people. So, unsurprisingly, I could work a computer before I came to ACLC, however, just the basics of Microsoft Office and basic computer know-how. Since coming to ACLC, I have learned so much more about computers. I am now quite advanced at all of the Microsoft Office programs and have a much more detailed knowledge span about not only computers, but printers, copiers, and fax machines as well.
ACLC has really prepared for college and my life beyond. The skills and qualities that I have learned over the years will become invaluable in the future. ACLC is amazing at teaching the learners, who want to learn, abilities that they will actually use; not just random, useless text from a book. ACLC prepares its learners to function in society and be successful in the future.
