Kalea McDaniel

Mrs.Wold

ERWC

2023 February 9

Reflection Essay

I have had the opportunity to experience many unique styles of learning, especially

throughout my English career. I have been the tester for advanced English classes, have learned

almost two years of English through my computer screen, have been taught by student teachers;

this all a span of unstable surroundings, the bumps in my my road. Though to be plain-spoken,

the skill of writing has been one that I have most improved on, and no longer a task that is

prolonged due to my resent to compile my thoughts. These struggles have shown through my

writing, a representation of myself, and in this academic journey I have found the essay that best

represents my experience, written in tenth grade, an essay about adversity. In this, I found the

best of my writing skills, in the truth itself, knowing thst I can relate to a speech written by

Aimee Mullins to my personal life made it easier to write freely. More specifically, I related my

own adversities to people such as Anne Frank, and though my problems weren’t to the extremity

of hers, the idea of words of people such as Horace in which he states that, “ in the face of

adversity you can discover talents that would have otherwise been hidden”, relates us, a figure

with high public recognition and a highschool student, so different, but similar all the same.

Though my English career in the end has proved a steady path on paper, this does not

align behind closed doors. The papers that are supposed to represent my progression, really dont

represent me at all, and though my English grade has stayed at a steady A or B since freshman
year my personal imporvenment in which only I can see would describe much more than that. I

have been able to better articulate my thoughts in a more time efficient manner, and this is my

improvement. Though English has stayed steady on paper it does not apple to all subjects,

leaving less room for mistakes, and more room for improvement. Subjects such as history, or

math went from subjects I was able to listen to lectures and test out easily, to five hour study

sdays that did not guarantee my passing grade. With this, I improved on my perception of these

subjects, studied harder, and made it a part of my routine rather than a natural talent. In

extracurriculars, such as WSB, is a subject that separates from being defined by just my

education alone, the class that has motivated my self-imporvement. From going to a shy student,

to speaking in front of more than three hundred parents and students with a risk of criticism is the

definition of my growth. Something that I wouldn’t have thought I would be able to achieve and

a progression that started during highschool but one that I had struggled with many times before.

Though contradicting this growth is subjects such as math. At some points, I find myself

to be most interested in math, as it was something that always came easy, with no studying

required, with these adopted habits and inevitable advancements came the downfall of my

mathematics grade. It’s where I first experienced a repaptitive cycle of failing, and a new type of

commitment, one that required me to study to study at least for one to two hours everyday.

Overall, this is where I have seen the least amount of improvement on paper, in advandcing in

AP Calculus classes I begun to struggle to stay at a B, rather than overachieving at an A like I

had done in previous years, a humbling experience. Though since this digression throughout

junior year I have tried my best to stay at passing grades, get the help I need, and although the

grade might not be my desired finale, my work ethic and care in math has drastically increased.
Today, I am in AP Calculus BC, I have been more open to communicating with my teacher,

receiving extra help with tutors, and asking students around, the best way to receive

comprehensive help. In this, I still see opportunities in which I lack effort in my relationship

with school, when going gets hard I procrastinate, and this is where I need to improve. When

effort is not mutual a relationship will fail, having knowledge of my problems is the first step to

fixing them, this carrying on to my college career.

Great Oak has been both my nemesis and my hero. A devil’s advocate for my education,

friendships, and commitments. I have stayed fully committed to schooling for more than just my

highschool career, but matured at Great Oak Highschol. In these final months, I have found a

glimpse of the reality of my future, my true friends, passions, and commitment to my family.

These are the stepping stools of my new life, one that contains my past, but does not define me

as a person. Though I do not know the definites of my future, here I have learned a level of

education with higher competence than some colleges, in this I am neither intimidated nor fear

the unknowns of my future. With my growth, Great Oak will leave me tied to Temecula, my

biggest helper when times get tough, a letter of appreciation.