Dianna's experience with ACLC
I truly believe i proved that i am more then capable of being a senior maybe even in some ways ready to be in college. I’ve seen my older cousins all barely graduate from high school and after that its just nothing with the continued cycle of sitting around and doing nothing. But senior year is my year, and i know it is because in the past years i wouldn't do so good then id tell my self "Well maybe ill do better next year". But when that year came around i would fall back into my old habits. I really went down hill when i attended EHS, my mom had told me i could possible still graduate by making up all my credits and so i asked the student councilor and he told me it cant be done. After having the hope to do so then being told you cant i gave up. So being at ACLC really gave me hope and actually pushed me to be a better student so that i can actually be out of high school in only 3 years. I feel extremely excited to continue my journey in life, but I’m also nervous because i know that in a way i am currently holding my self back. I feel as if i have been molded into a totally different person but still have some of my old habits leaking out of the seams. So i still have room to grow, do better, and learn.
ACLC, in spite of it not being like other high schools with that lovable high school spirit, has been good for me. I’ve formed new friendships, and lost them, readdress old ones, and have been through more than 4 mental break downs this year than someone should have. ACLC has played a major part in shaping the kind of person I am and has helped me establish my better work habits, and attitude towards school. My time at ACLC has allowed me to have exposure to the college life and allowed me to be more independent. The focus that ACLC has on its community and on the individual learner has influenced my development into a person who believes in her self and knows now that with a little drive I can do basically anything. While I face the parts of the world i am unfamiliar with i know i am capable to do whatever needs to be done so that i get whatever needs to be done finished. My experiences at ACLC have kept that fire in me bright and burning. I’ve learned to have more responsibility and some better time management.
This school helped me grow as a person and grow as a learner. ACLC ensures that their students feel equal as superior and important as the facilitators. I’ve had a wide array of classes teaching new basics, with many different and unique facilitators. I've had thoughtful Socratic discussions with my peers about the deeper meaning of literature in Molly and Lynn's classes. I’ve explored the language of Spanish and the different cultures that share it in Amy and Terry’s Spanish classes. Ive dived head-first into the study of the sciences of chemistry, and biology with Marina and Patricia, and studied the history of the world we inhabit in Priscillas class. This knowledge facilitators at ACLC, have helped me learn what was necessary to move on to the next level and get a little closer to my goals in life.
Without knowledge you don’t know how to interpret the things you learn, and that means you’re not going to go very far. ACLC has helped me learn how to want to want to learn, and develop good thinking and reasoning skills. ACLC’s style of independent learning using project periods and the Center which gives access to computers, allows learners to develop ways to learn and complete their work in different ways. For me, project periods helped me with making the decision of deciding what would be best for me to do with the provided time. Somedays they allowed me to relax after a class, but other times i was able to finish my homework early, or work on other assignments and projects that I have had.
ACLC is a school that is centered around technology, learners use technology in many different ways. I myself had no prior experience, but fortunately for me, I got the opportunity to possess some skills while in classes doing projects based on tech. They made the students learn on their own how to figure out how to start and complete the project. By doing this ACLC has helped improve and exercise my tech skills. Throughout my time at ACLC, I have done an increasing amount of work on the computer, to the point where in my junior year i can type 2 times faster than i did when i first came to the school.