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Essay

Gavin Maxwell

Senior Seminar

Lynn Kameny

September 23rd, 2015

Reflective Senior Essay

 

Personal Qualities, Work Habits and Attitudes

Ultimate is the window through which you can see me personify all of the adjectives listed on the graduation requirements paper, including responsibility, self-esteem, self-management, integrity, and honesty. Ultimate at ACLC is an establishment held up by the thinnest of supports, so I have to take much of the responsibility on in the absence of a fully dedicated coach. This responsibility leads me to manage much more than just myself. But like any official I have to maintain my integrity and honesty, because if I lie to the team, chances are they would not be very happy.

 

New Basics

New Basics is a complex topic. Essentially it encompasses the entirety of school under its wings, if I understand correctly. New Basics wants every student to have an appreciation and general understanding for any subject under the sun. I think that any learner, if they have an appreciation for learning, will by default have an appreciation for any subject presented to them, and I pride myself as a learner.

 

Thinking and Reasoning Skills

This feels as though it is an extension of New Basics as it is essentially asking the learner, do you like to learn and do you enjoy a challenge presented to you. Though this is very similar to New Basics this approaches learning from a less abstract perspective and instead uses more of an engineering perspective. Through PiE Robotics I have gained a growing understanding of what problem solving takes and how to approach a conundrum.

 

Interpersonal and Collaborative Ability

Like Thinking and Reasoning Skills I have gained something invaluable from PiE Robotics in my Interpersonal and Collaborative abilities as well. I have learned that just contributing ideas is not really contributing anything, you have to help build the thing you have suggested if you really want to make a solid contribution to a project. Also, teaching to others is the most important addition you can make to any project. Another point I’d like to make is that working with people from different backgrounds is no different from working with someone from the same background as you and should be treated shut.

 

Technology

Technology has been a huge part of my ACLC experience. Everything from my Current Life Issues class (aka Sexual Education) in ninth grade to my senior website has integrated technology in some form or another. Knowing how to use more advanced technology has been idispensible in my outside life and to some extent I owe my technical competence to ACLC.

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