The Difference Between Learning and Being Taught.
High school is about learning. Sure, you have a few good teachers and a few bad teachers, but no matter what kind of person they are, you can always learn something from them. If a person tries to teach you something, it usually makes you understand how that individual does whatever they're teaching you. However, even though you may understand that that is how they do it, that might not be the way that works for you. Learning is when you not only understand how to do something, but you can apply at nearly any time in my life. This post consists of what I have learned throughout high school, and plan on applying throughout my life.
Freshman year, I learned how to write and recite poetry from Mr. Baird. Although I still don't share the love for Billy Collins, he sure can get you into Poetry Out Loud. MLA style bibliographies never go out of style. And sleeping dogs don't lie, they lay. Freshman year I also learned how to make a Google Doc in Computer Tech class. At the time, it seems irrelevant, but now I know how many group projects would be failed without Google Docs. I also learned how to take a screenshot in Computer Tech; a very handy tool for both educational and comical purposes.
Sophomore year, I learned how to write an essay, again from Mr. Baird. Proper formatting goes a long way, but an emotional connection to your readers go even further. I also learned something about how a parabola helped make a Pink Floyd video in Algebra II, but I can't really remember or apply that, so it might have just been taught to me. I also took my first art class with Bettin sophomore year. I learned a lot in there, like that a doorway in an architecture floor plan is supposed to be exactly 3/4". I also learned that once a kneaded eraser goes black, it doesn't go back.
Junior year, I learned why Moby Dick is so famous. It really is a magical story, and if you haven't read it I highly recommend that you do, along with learning about it. I learned how to take a photo that means something from Mr. Sloan. The Rule of Thirds does not always apply. I learned that Mr. Van Orden's middle name is Lee last year. Other than that, I unfortunately didn't learn much about U.S. History. I also learned how to experiment with different mediums in art. There isn't always a right way to do something, and there are always new techniques to try.
Although I took perhaps the least challenging courses senior year, I feel like I have learned the most. I learned that rhetorical strategies are everywhere from Mr. Sloan. Seriously, I see them in everything I read now. I also learned from Mr. Sloan that if you want to take a good picture, you have to find something that you feel good around. Deer, for example. I learned that I am a good person with a good character from Mrs. Horton, and that I need to keep recognizing that. I finally learned how the stock market works from Dr. Savage. Maybe now I can actually understand what my dad talks about at dinner. I learned that my mom probably has Borderline Personality Disorder and that Acetylcholine is involved in Alzheimer's Disease from Mrs. Rowland. I learned from Mrs. Pasley that your white blood cells are called leukocytes and they pretty much kick butt all over your body. And of course, I would have to say that I learned the most in art. I learned how to paint the way my grandmother used to. I learned how to use polymer to turn a regular photo into art. But most of all, I learned that your past is not something to run away from. Without a past, you cannot have a present, and without a present, there is no future. No matter what it may consist of, the past is something we all can learn from.
