"Frankly, I'm not sure how far I would get if I attended public school today. It's not just that public schools aren't producing the results we want - it's that we're not giving them what they need to help students achieve at high levels. " I quote Eli Broad as a start to my essay. He, like I, agree that there needs to be something done differently in classrooms to enhance the thought processes and abilities of students. If near every class on Righetti campus were run with an Open Source Learning mindset, I believe that it would lead to more success.
I feel like I have definitely espoused learning this year. Before coming into this class all high school was to me was "BS" your way through all your classes just to get the points and just to get the letter grade. It doesn't matter if you don't remember the material a couple years from now, as long as you get the points now, then that's all that matters. That mindset completely changed once i set foot in Dr. Preston's class. At first, I guess you can say that I was completely lost. We didn't need a text book, we could use our phones whenever we want, and do all your work on a blog. Baffled and still attempting to take it all in, I didn't know what to expect. I always thought learning was just memorizing, or math. Although, this class taught me furthermore. I really didn't think it was possible to grow and expand my mind this much in just one short year. I honestly think that it's a shame that we have to wait to take this class until our senior year. This class, to me, is more like a privilege. I believe if students were to take this class Freshmen or even Sophomore year, then they would go through the rest of high school with a completely different mindset. Maybe they would even actually want to learn.
I love this class because you expand your own mind. The learning is totally up to you, leaving room for more and more material to be taught. Although, not all of it is taught by Dr. Preston. Some of it is, but a majority is taught by your classmates. I feel like we learn it so much better this way. Instead of a teacher's monotonous voice going over a verse of Hamlet or Macbeth, we are allowed to have discussions on what we think, or why a character committed to a certain action. It's easier to remember lessons and occurrences by collaborating.
Throughout the year, I did see some students not putting in the effort they should have. At one very short point, that included my self. Although, I quickly turned that around and started posting more and more on my blog. It got really easy to get off track because you don't have a person at your side constantly nagging you for your work. With the blogs, you finish your own work at your pace and stress free. It's a really convenient way of working because, for example, if you're not sure about a story you just read or need clarification, you can check someone else's blog and gather their interpretations. You quickly understand it, and you learn from your peers.
A piece of literature that really stood out to me this year was Hamlet. He went through a lot of situations that were very relatable to us as teenagers. This story can really be described as "the lie that tells the truth." The same goes for Macbeth. He goes through the same things teenagers collide with. For example, peer pressure, sticky situations, and friends. Also, Brave New World open my eyes to a different mindset. It was sort of a freaky story that reminds you that there is a cost to happiness.
I feel like I had a lot of laughing moments in this class. Maybe it's because a lot of my close friends were in the class with me. Not being able to think of them all, I'll list a few. One of my favorite non-literature 'laughs' is when we were writing our name on the Kudos board. Bridgit was doing Val a favor and writing his name for him. The class was dead silent watching Bridgit write Val's name when Val says, "Bridgit, my name has a 'T' at the end. The 'T' is silent though." So Bridgit goes on to writing 'Valt' on the board. I'm pretty sure the whole class was in tears because we laughed so hard. I
When listening to masterpieces, I got the same thing out of nearly all of them: passion. It's a very cliché theme, but just watching everyone present so fluently, it's all i could think of. Whether it was Laike with her beautiful art, Edgar with his Warhol Experience, or Haley K with interior designing. Everyone was so passionate about their topic that it did nothing but intrigued the entire class. It was almost like a relief watching everyone talk about what the love because it seems like everything is perfect at that time. You're just so happy for that person because they're doing exactly what they love and you feel like nothing else matters at that moment.
I don't think I'm a hero... yet. I think that one day I'll be one, just not quite yet. I'm still young so that leaves lots of time for me to be a hero. I plan to be a physical therapist and help people get back to where they used to be. Whether it be simply walking, or playing the sport they love once again. In this way, I hope to be someone's hero.
In ending this essay, I'm happy and so relieved, yet sad at the same time. This is my last assignment of high school EVER. I'm super excited to go off and experience a completely different world where I finally conquer my dreams, but I'm sad to let this all go. Four short years, and I have loved everything about them. Both the good and the bad, I've learned to embrace it all, and I've grown so much doing that. As I ready myself to graduate on Thursday, I keep this class in mind. Not just for graduation, but for the rest of my life as well. This is the class the changed my life.
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