CAROLINE HARLOW

               I came to ACLC at the beginning of my sophomore year and being here has helped me develop good personal qualities and work habits. In my experience, succeeding at ACLC requires being responsible and self-aware. Having free periods throughout the school day gives me the option to do homework or socialize. At first I didn’t really get a lot of work done during my free periods, but I quickly learned that having time during the school day to do my work is really helpful. I have also learned to be proactive, not procrastinate, and be responsible for my own learning. Also, because there are students who are younger than me at school made me think about what kind of example I was setting for the younger kids.

               At ACLC I have not only grown personally, but academically as well. I think that I have exceeded the expectation of the new basics concepts because I have always tried my hardest and done my best in all my classes. I also challenged myself all through high school by taking the hardest classes available to me here at ACLC, such as Calculus, as well as every honors course offered, and taking four classes through the College of Alameda. I think that through all of my academic pursuits, the two most important things I learned were the importance of listening and how to be a critical thinker in the classroom and outside of the classroom, and I think that being at ACLC has taught be how to be a successful and effective listener and critical thinker.

               Two of the important skills that I have developed over the past four years is figuring out how I learn best, and how to solve problems. Through the math classes that I have taken I have become a more creative thinker and problem solver. In my geometry class and pre-calculus class we used a textbook called CPM. I think that those textbooks really helped me to think on my own and solve problems when the answer isn’t obvious because it would lead me to the way to find the solution instead of just telling me how to solve it. In class sometimes we would be working through a problem in order to find an equation or formula. For example, we didn’t just learn the quadratic formula but we learned how the quadratic formula was derived and why it works. In Spanish class, there are quite a few tests and a lot of vocabulary to learn. Through that class I have come to know that I learn best by writing down the information and listening to it.

               I have demonstrated that I am able to work in groups by participating in the many group projects that I have completed here. One example of this is in my geometry and precalculus classes again. Our tables were set up in groups of four, and we would switch groups every six weeks or so. In class we would work with our team members to solve problems, and most of the time the questions were set up so that we had to collaborate with our team members in order to succeed and complete the problem. Another example of working successfully in groups is when I did a group presentation in my Calculus class during the first semester of this school year. For the project we assigned to be in groups of three and were to research and analyze data about the use of the use of coal in the United States. My group and I used our class time effectively, split the work evenly, and prepared thoroughly. We ended up getting full credit on our presentation.

               Since coming to ACLC I have come to know how important and useful technology is. In every class that I have taken here, technology has been a vital part of doing well in the class. One skill that I have developed is how to make a good presentation. I have used various platforms such as Powerpoint, Keynote, Prezi, and Google Slides. Also, computers have been helpful for collaborating with other learners.