REFLECTION
Proudest Assignment
In AP Lang sophomore year, we did a twist on the typical current event assignment. We had to pick a topic that was relevant in the news,and give a speech on it to the class using the argumentative essay structure that we had studied throughout the year. I picked the topic of curbingsexual assault on college campuses. This topic was very important to me because I had just dealt with a similar encounter and I was struggling with the repercussions that. I struggled for a year and didn't tell anyone, but Mrs. Lane Had encouraged me to pick something that really mattered to try and make a difference. I crafted my speech by presenting the plan that President Obama Had Set into motion. It involved establishing a stronger justice system on college campuses to deal with cases of sexual assault and offering support to victims. I also added a call to action, urging the audience to not only offer victim support, but to help stop the problem in the first place. I persuaded my peers to simply change the way they see sexual assault. I argued that small steps can help make a bigger impact, and if more people are aware and speak up, then larger plans can be put to work. I got a 9 in context and assertion, but an 8 in rationale because I was very nervous and jumped around in my speech. This was my proudest assignment, because I had people come up to me after and tell me that it really meant something to them, and I felt like I had put myself out there.
Reflections
Score Sheets
Throughout my four years of high school, my grades didn’t fluctuate much. I maintained over a 4.0 grade average with either an A or B in English. My hardest year in English was sophomore year since I missed most of second semester. I still managed to maintain a B in AP Lang sophomore year, but I’m[ convinced that Mrs. Lane gave me a pity B because I almost died. Looking back, I see that even though I maintained a high grade, I did get lower in “language” categories because I missed most of my vocabulary tests sophomore year.
Portfolio Reflection
Portfolio Maintenance
I mainly have things in my portfolio from freshman and sophomore year. I have all my scoresheets and most of my essays from those two years, but not much from junior year. In AP Lit, we stopped filling out the scoresheets and we didn’t organize anything in our portfolios. The tabs became irrelevant and we just stuffed everything on the front pocket. This hindered my senior exit project because it didn’t allow me to see how I grew from last year this year. It was interesting to read my past essays, especially from freshman year, and cringe over how terrible my writing was.
The Next Step
Great Oak has shown me what I wanted to do later in life. I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but it wasn’t until I took AP Lit that I realized I wanted to teach English. I plan on attending UC Santa Cruz and majoring in comparative literature and I’m considering minoring in either linguistics or creative writing. From there, I wish to start off as a high school teacher and later move on to becoming a professor. Going to school at GOHS has also prepared me in other ways besides scholastics. Along with organizational skills, I also learned how to better communicate with others. From my interactions in and out of the classroom, I feel somewhat prepared for what lies ahead.
