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REFLECTIVE ESSAY

              When I walked through the doors of the ACLC campus it was really something different. It was so loud, crowded, and overwhelming, so I stuck next to my sister who was currently a freshmen. Having that extra help from my sister is what really helped me survive in this new environment. Since ACLC was a mix of middle and high schoolers it encouraged me to socialize with older people. This gave me the ability to maintain conversations with anyone who I crossed paths with! I soon realized that people were really accepting and we were all friends with each other, none of us judged each other and that's what I loved!

              Throughout my years as a learner at ACLC I have experienced many things that have led to gaining skills that I will be able to use in college and out of school activities. Some of the most important things that I have learned to do is efficiently use my time to do work, complete group assignments, and ask for help when needed. Despite my resentment for mathematics I decided to take pre-calculus during my junior year which was pretty big for me since it has always been a subject that I struggled in. I went through many ups and downs and feelings that made me ask myself what was I thinking when signed up for this class. But In the end I passed the class with a grade that I was happy with, which showed me that if I really put my mind and focus on something I am able to complete it! I come from a mixed background where my mother is Mexican and my father was Afghan. Growing up I spoke Spanish with my mother but was not able to read nor write efficiently, so when I saw that ACLC offered a Spanish class I was excited. My classmates thought that since I already spoke the language that the class was easy, which it was to a certain extent but I also learned along with them improving my grammar etc which had been very weak. Though I wish I was able to advance to higher level spanish courses I am glad that I went as far as I did and hopefully in college I will be able to fulfill more and maybe even learn a new language.

              Looking back to my middle school years at ACLC I had trouble completing homework because I would say to myself “Oh this can wait until later” or “I still have time”. This lead to missing assignments, zeros, and overall stress in order to complete them and on top of that my current work. I learned the hard way that the best thing to do is to get my work out of the way as early as possible in order to avoid unnecessary problems later on. I am the type of person who isn't the most creative but instead I need a little push to start my imagination. Before working on groups projects I would feel bad that I did not have much to contribute but later realized that I am able to build off of others. I also noticed that when I shared my ideas with others out loud it simulates more ideas rather than when I personally think of them in my mind.

              ACLC is a school that tries to make learners independent in their education in multiple ways such as group projects and presentations. These assignments would make us work together and really make sure that it is completed with the whole team rather than use one or two individuals. They also helped me to get out of my group of friends and work with fellow learners that I don’t talk to on a day to day basis. This really expanded the way I thought and how to respect people with different viewpoints. I remember my first few years at ACLC I dreaded presentations and would get SUPER nervous to stand up in front of the class, but I learned not to worry about negativity from others but rather look at the positive things people had to say. On top of that with the innumerable diverse personalities I have learned to be open minded to new ideas and that each and every thought has value. For example when participating in socratic seminars in English I would contribute by sharing an opinion and if I noticed that others learners had not yet shared anything I would ask a question to the entire group hoping to get a response and bring more people into the discussion.

              Technology has always been apart of my education here at ACLC because a majority of our homework assignments revolve around it. Our access to technology often goes underappreciated. I remember when Google Docs was not widely used as it is now and I had to use Microsoft Word, which was not nearly as convenient. There were countless numbers of assignments which would be accidentally deleted due to my computer shutting off and unlike Google Docs it did not save automatically. Or when I would forget to send a copy of my assignment to my email in order to print it at school which was one of the worst feelings ever because it could only be accessed with my computer, whereas on Google Docs it can be reached on any computer. And who can forget about our infamous printers that tend to not work when you're printing your essay that is due in ten minutes! Sometimes the problem would be as simple as to filling the printer up with paper but other times a facilitator's help would be needed. With either situation I learner to have the curiosity to look for myself and try and figure it out if it was a simple solution and if not to seek help from others. Though it took me a while to realize that I am lucky to go to a school where I was given the ability to complete work at school during free periods I can now say thank you for all the times I used the school computers and printers.

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