We’re using @oakmeadowschool curriculum this year and it’s great. Except the experiments in science are not as detailed as I need them to be. In this cultivation experiment, should I water the onion and potato? Should the veggies be in the sun? Plants need air, sun, and water to grow. If I hadn’t known before, the curriculum taught us that! But maybe they don’t for this experiment? 🤷♀️ We’re supposed to observe over 4-5 days. I would love some clarification, @oakmeadowschool. So far I’ve done two other plant experiments that were missing details and turned out wonky. I’d like this one to work! Much appreciated! #homeschool #oakmeadow #science #cultivation #plants #growing #reproduction #mold #notascientist #notabotanist (at Oakland, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZASagzPF_F/?utm_medium=tumblr
Composition: The Art of Expression Semester 1 Final Portfolio
This first semester, I have learned many new things about myself. I have learned that I have very good writing skills, I have learned that I enjoy U.S history very much, that math is a subject that I need more practice in, and that having gone to Oak Meadow for the ninth grade was the best decision I have made.
This semester, there have been many hurdles I have had to overcome due to COVID-19, and the transition from in-person learning to online learning. The transition from middle school to high school was a very startling experience that made me realize just how close I am to become an adult. COVID-19 striking the U.S was a very shocking experience for me, and its waves of destruction have changed my plans for this year.
In 2020 I was hoping to be at an in-person high school and hang out with other students my age who have similar interests as me. COVID-19 made it so that dream was changed. The transition from in-person to digital school was also challenging for me. The in-person school was easier for me because I had a teacher present teaching me the whole time instead of me having to do mostly independent work. I also miss the experience of working with classmates on assignments. This year I think I would not have done anything differently. While the pandemic brought so much pain and sadness, it has given me more time to spend with my family, and for that I am thankful.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Below you will find a summary of each of the areas of focus in my first semester. Each section will contain a brief overview of the writing assignment and links to read the full essay. At the end of the post, I will include what I am calling my scratch pad. This is the draft version of my essays, showing my writing process and the progression of each piece of writing. Let’s begin.
READING PROFILE & NARRATIVE
Starting this course, I was required to read five essays each with a different theme, but a common thread that weave them all together. Before I started my journey in writing, I read books -- hundreds of books because of deep love fore reading. It is a place for me to relax and drift into my imagination. I started writing when I was in middle school. Writing just comes naturally to me, and that is why I have written a short story, and I am currently writing a Dark Fantasy story. This inspiration is what made me the writer I am today. For each of these essays, I have broken them down and compared their similarities and differences. These essays explored themes of nostalgia, perspective, passion, longing, obsession, mental illness, and desire.
LEARNING PROFILE: HIGH SCHOOL IN A PANDEMIC
2020 and 2021 have been rough years for my learning and social life. Before this pandemic hit, I was in my last year of middle school. That year had started well, but when the pandemic struck, my whole life changed. The switch was very sudden, and the change at first was hard for me to deal with. However, the pandemic has its ups and downs, but you should enjoy the good things that come from it such as more time to spend with your family or go across the country. However, we should also think about those negative outcomes of the pandemic and understand why they have happened. 2021 has been great for me so far, and I hope that it will stay great.
REFLECTIVE ESSAY: A TIME WHEN I HAD TO THINK FOR MYSELF
Before this, thinking for myself was a skill I had but I needed to develop it. The Reflective Essay was an assignment where I had to write about a time I had to think for myself. Writing this essay took a bit of practice and work but I eventually got the idea of what I had to do. The moment I chose to write about was applying to Edmund Burke. In the essay I talk in depth about why I chose this event and how I had to think for myself.
ARTIST STATEMENT: THE BOOK OF SELF
The Book of Self is one of my latest projects where I had to answer the questions, WHO AM I & WHAT DO I KNOW. This short essay talks about the inspiration behind the Book Of Self and why I chose to create it the way that I did.
SELF UNDERSTANDING ESSAY
This essay is part of the last semester project, where I had to write about what I enjoyed and learned this semester, and how I think my next semester will be. I enjoyed the semester very much, but I go into much more details in the essay.
