Saying Good-Bye
I have had a relatively positive learning experience at Alameda Community Learning Center. Like any other high school it has thoroughly prepared me for post secondary education, the only difference say from Encinal High School is that because I attend ACLC I am able to sit here and write this on a Wednesday afternoon in the comfort of my bed, while everyone is at school. My absence, completely un noticed.
Free periods or “project time” as some newer facilitators like to call it, has allowed me to pursue certain interests such as history and religious studies. Thanks to free periods I am able to take a college course at College of Alameda and further advance my knowledge.
Its odd to think back to my first day of school in grade nine, that day seems both like it happened yesterday and like it happened years ago. I have vivid memories of that day yet I think about what I was wearing, how I was speaking, acting etc it makes me wonder if I’ve matured. I have a whole host of experiences that have happened through these passed four years that make me think I have matured. But still I compare myself to seniors before me, and somehow I just feel younger, I feel as though I am not ready like there is more to learn. But I do know that I must let go, I must stop trying to fix this school, that if my predictions come true, will soon grow so large that the inevitable will happen. ACLC will turn into just another high school. I have reason to believe that I was able to sort of catch the tail end of ACLC’s glory years, which ended when I was in grade ten. I’m glad that I will be able to leave the party while I am still having fun, when I leave will be the right time, I’ll be ready.
Ready in many ways. I’ll have exceeded both ACLC and AUSD graduation requirements and will hopefully, come next fall, be enrolled in a four year educational institution. In the classical sense I have done what is right, I took a challenging course load for the first three years of high school, not once receiving less than a B in a class, so that I could have a very open and flexible schedule my senior year.
At ACLC I have had to learn a number of things in order to achieve the grades that I wanted. Yes, most of the time, I didn’t find the work overly challenging or strenuous, however I did have to learn to uses certain technological mediums and work with people who’s work ethic differs from mine completely. Compromise has been my best friend when it’s come to group or partner projects. I have a certain way of doing things but I’ve had to let go of certain things. I’ve always tried to avoid being the person who takes control of the project and does the entire thing alone. I do usually take a leadership role, but allow my group members to put in equal amounts of effort and work. Each teacher expects something different when it comes to homework or projects, part of being successful, is learning what each teacher expects or likes. Once you’ve figured this out, its hard not to do well!
Also as a member of the ACLC community I have become well versed in different types of technology offered at our school. Fixing simple paper jams in the ancient printers, making photo copies, using every program in Microsoft Office and inputing grades into snapgrades, our online gradebook. Whenever I describe our school to friends or family I simply say, we’re a technology centered charter school. When the teachers decided to take away the computers for a day in grade ten, we all suffered. We thrive on technology and access to it.
Friends of mine who did not attend ACLC always complained that my school was just too easy, that it wasn’t possible to have that many free periods, (I have never had less than ten a week) and maybe they’re right. I mean I don’t know that in my entire high school career that I have ever really done that much home work at home. My weekends and after school hours were/are always free. It was a rude awakening to have to study for the SAT constantly for hours on the weekends and after school. That made me realize that I could’t do what many of my friends have done through out high school, which is actually work really hard all the time.
ACLC has allowed me to pre maturely experience what many don’t get to experience until college. This ability to attend a class, do the homework for the next class, take a break, eat, go to another class, take a break and then go home.
I don’t think that this relaxed and seemingly non challenging environment has been bad for me, hell I’m some how managing to graduate with more credits than most of my friends will at their “regular” high schools. Who wouldn’t want that?
It is with that that I say farewell, farewell to ACLC and relaxation!
Free periods or “project time” as some newer facilitators like to call it, has allowed me to pursue certain interests such as history and religious studies. Thanks to free periods I am able to take a college course at College of Alameda and further advance my knowledge.
Its odd to think back to my first day of school in grade nine, that day seems both like it happened yesterday and like it happened years ago. I have vivid memories of that day yet I think about what I was wearing, how I was speaking, acting etc it makes me wonder if I’ve matured. I have a whole host of experiences that have happened through these passed four years that make me think I have matured. But still I compare myself to seniors before me, and somehow I just feel younger, I feel as though I am not ready like there is more to learn. But I do know that I must let go, I must stop trying to fix this school, that if my predictions come true, will soon grow so large that the inevitable will happen. ACLC will turn into just another high school. I have reason to believe that I was able to sort of catch the tail end of ACLC’s glory years, which ended when I was in grade ten. I’m glad that I will be able to leave the party while I am still having fun, when I leave will be the right time, I’ll be ready.
Ready in many ways. I’ll have exceeded both ACLC and AUSD graduation requirements and will hopefully, come next fall, be enrolled in a four year educational institution. In the classical sense I have done what is right, I took a challenging course load for the first three years of high school, not once receiving less than a B in a class, so that I could have a very open and flexible schedule my senior year.
At ACLC I have had to learn a number of things in order to achieve the grades that I wanted. Yes, most of the time, I didn’t find the work overly challenging or strenuous, however I did have to learn to uses certain technological mediums and work with people who’s work ethic differs from mine completely. Compromise has been my best friend when it’s come to group or partner projects. I have a certain way of doing things but I’ve had to let go of certain things. I’ve always tried to avoid being the person who takes control of the project and does the entire thing alone. I do usually take a leadership role, but allow my group members to put in equal amounts of effort and work. Each teacher expects something different when it comes to homework or projects, part of being successful, is learning what each teacher expects or likes. Once you’ve figured this out, its hard not to do well!
Also as a member of the ACLC community I have become well versed in different types of technology offered at our school. Fixing simple paper jams in the ancient printers, making photo copies, using every program in Microsoft Office and inputing grades into snapgrades, our online gradebook. Whenever I describe our school to friends or family I simply say, we’re a technology centered charter school. When the teachers decided to take away the computers for a day in grade ten, we all suffered. We thrive on technology and access to it.
Friends of mine who did not attend ACLC always complained that my school was just too easy, that it wasn’t possible to have that many free periods, (I have never had less than ten a week) and maybe they’re right. I mean I don’t know that in my entire high school career that I have ever really done that much home work at home. My weekends and after school hours were/are always free. It was a rude awakening to have to study for the SAT constantly for hours on the weekends and after school. That made me realize that I could’t do what many of my friends have done through out high school, which is actually work really hard all the time.
ACLC has allowed me to pre maturely experience what many don’t get to experience until college. This ability to attend a class, do the homework for the next class, take a break, eat, go to another class, take a break and then go home.
I don’t think that this relaxed and seemingly non challenging environment has been bad for me, hell I’m some how managing to graduate with more credits than most of my friends will at their “regular” high schools. Who wouldn’t want that?
It is with that that I say farewell, farewell to ACLC and relaxation!
