​​​​Brandon Kimura 

ACLC Reflective Essay

Personal Qualities:

 

While I didn’t spend as much time as I wanted at ACLC, the time I did spend taught me many lessons and attributes from the ACLC community that are invaluable to lead a moral and successful life. Although I left ACLC in the middle of my immersion into its unique and rewarding lifestyle, much of what I learned have helped me become a better person. The amount of friendliness and openness showed to me on my first day at ACLC completely took me by surprise as no previous school had really tried to achieve that before. That experience has encouraged me to mingle with the less sociable and left out individuals when entering a new, and old, environment. With all the transitions I’ve experiences in the past several years, time management is essential and ACLC helped me to understand that. Unlike a normal school, the schedule of ACLC is less rigid and lends more to the responsibility of the learner to manage their own schedules. From this I’ve learned to be independent and assume greater feats of responsibility in order to grow as a student. The unique environment that ACLC offers has given me a heightened awareness to expect and accept different structures of learning and people and for this I want to give back. In the near future I hope to become a bigger part of ACLC and contribute to its benefit and the community it lives within through fundraisers and building relationships that will last far beyond when I’m gone.

 

New Basics:

 

Throughout my years of experience through different environments, locations, atmospheres, and schools I have amassed a multitude of different skills. Through my experiences at ACLC I have embraced a friendlier side of myself and seek to talk and converse with as many people as I can. Through my struggles at SJND I have advanced in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics to the point of honor classes and APs in all regards. With the ease of the internet I check daily news reports and incidents regarding the world so I’m never behind on news that may concern the well-being of our world. Recently I have pursued a new interest in the sciences and arts, and with time hope to become affluent in both. In this case particularly art since I had achieved a considerable amount of time pursuing it for over seven years. In the coming future I hope to apply the skills I have learned from these experiences for the betterment of others and myself.

 

Thinking and Reasoning Skills:

 

Over the course of many years I have been exposed to different forms of learning and different regulations concerning my school work. Having gone to four different schools, in recent years, and having just as many tutors during this transition has taught me to appreciate different teaching styles and apply them to my work. The amount of organization my tutors taught me, through the separation of home folders and school folders, has increased my awareness to keeping a tidy and simple system to retrieve my complete and incomplete assignments. Daily studying of proportional amounts instead of cramming or memorizing in single collaborations has increased my test grades tremendously in the past four years. Although the constant changes are difficult, I fully appreciate the lessons they have taught me.

 

Interpersonal Abilities: `

 

Being away from ACLC for two years has allowed me to fully appreciate the amount leadership positions that are open to me every day. The desire to become closer to the community and to help others motivated me to find similar organizations that hold similar values to the ACLC community. The first leadership board I found that I wanted to contribute to was the BVCI (Buena Vista Methodist Church) board for Alameda Point Collaborative, which focuses on teaching life skills to those that don’t have any and giving people the tools they need for the working world. I also hope to engage in ACLC’s financial issues and hopefully I can achieve this through a position on the CCEF board concerning monetary funding. Although I missed out on many opportunities to take up roles of leadership and participation I hope to make the most of what I have, now, at ACLC.

 

Technology:

 

The amount of technology I’ve been exposed to has been a self-fulfilling period of time in my life, and a moment of relief in my hectic life. Over the course of my adolescence I’ve been exposed to four different kinds of computers and after several simple editing programs, I’ve finally updated my arsenal to the Toshiba, HP, and Sony Vegas programs I have today. This fascination has also led me to make a Youtube channel in order to keep in touch with friends over gaming and recount the good times once we all reach college. Although I would like to know more about the cyberspace and technology I’m so fond of, I appreciate the knowledge I do have and hope to learn far more in the future.

 

Conclusion: 

 

ACLC has provided me with a multitude of skills and experience that has prepared me for the rough path that lies ahead. The different environments and people I’ve been exposed to has increased my awareness of the world and my adaptation to take on different challenges; even if they aren’t of my preference. Leadership has become an important part of my life and, despite my late introduction, I hope to exemplify the lessons they have taught me. Technology is a growing part of the my life, which I hope to balance with moderation. Altogether, I’m not sorry for the mistakes or mishaps that have happened in my life. I can only look forward and appreciate the lessons they have taught me.

 

 

Artifacts:

English: 

Although my time away from ACLC was anything but pleasant I have one artifact from the school I went to during my sophmore and junior years. It wasn't for the grade to which I received a measly B+, but I want to put it up because it was technically the last major assignment I did for that other school before I finally came back to my senses and went back to ACLC.

 

Brandon Kimura

3/6/13

English 3, Period 6

 

Little Women

Little Women by Transcendentalist author Louisa May Alcott is a novel written during a period in American history that challenged many of the guidelines firmly embedded in American society. Born and raised in Germantown Pennsylvania in 1832, Alcott was directly influenced by many well-known Transcendentalist thinkers, such as Margaret Fuller, and her own father. Despite the magnitude of her teachers, Louisa remained a free-thinker and firmly challenged abolition and society’s roles of women. Louisa May Alcott firmly challenged a women’s role in society but stressed one simple rule over all, the greatest of virtues is modesty. Reflected after her own family, Little Women shows how young women should behave in the face of American society and also shows that women are just as capable of taking leadership and making moral decisions. Representing her own sisters, as well as her own decisions in life, Little Women tells of four sisters in poverty but take pride in what they have, work hard, and make conscious, moral decisions to make their lives successful. Embracing her Transcendentalist background, Alcott presents with an inspiring story that epitomizes her vision of women leadership their role in American society.

 

The state of poverty of the March family is revealed fairly early in the book’s story. Despite their shortcomings in their finances, the March sisters more than compensate in their spirit. Every sister has expectations and goals set by them or those they know and strive to achieve them in every possible way. However, each sister has a weakness in their own unique way. Meg March is the oldest and while gentle and loving, desires the wealth the family had once owned. Josephine is the second-oldest and takes great care for her family but has a quick temper and resembles something of a tomboy. Beth is the third of the sisters, known for her undying forgiveness and compassion these gifts may also be her greatest weakness. Amy is the youngest and most artistic, despite her emotional fits of jealousy and complaints. No matter how their individual traits affect their daily lives, they always heed the advice of their mother whose infinite wisdom portrays the perfect life they envision: ‘Have regular hours for work and play; make each day both useful and pleasant, and prove that you understand the worth of time by employing it well. Then youth will be delightful, old age will bring few regrets, and life become a beautiful success, in spite of poverty.’ (Alcott 118). In light of their faults, the March Sisters always come to appreciate what they do have and are thankful for the family they have.

 

 

While thankfulness for their family pushes them onward, the responsibilities expected of them does little to inspire the sisters. Most young girls of 19th century America would be unaccustomed to the hardships the March Sisters have to endure, yet each sister does their best to compensate for their own nightmares in spite of a couple complaints: ‘I know I do—teaching those tiresome children nearly all day, when I’m longing to enjoy myself at home,’ began Meg, in the complaining tone again.‘You don’t have half such a hard time as I do,’ said Jo.‘How would you like to be shut up for hours with a nervous, fussy old lady, who keeps you trotting, is never satisfied, and worries you till you you’re ready to fly out the window or cry?’‘It’s naughty to fret, but I do think washing dishes and keeping things tidy is the worst work in the world. It makes me cross, and my hands get so stiff, I can’t practice well at all.’ And Beth looked at her rough hands with a sigh that any one could hear that time.‘I don’t believe any of you suffer as I do,’ cried Amy, ‘for you don’t have to go to school with impertinent girls, who plague you if you don’t know your lessons, and laugh at your dresses, and label your father if he isn’t rich, and insult you when your nose isn’t nice.’ (Alcott 5-6). The very nature of some of their jobs surrounded them by girls bathed in leisure and extravagance, leaving the March sisters much to be jealous of. Whether through Meg’s regulation over the wealthy King family, Josephine’s watchful eye over the Aunt March’s estate, or Amy’s entire student body, the March family appear to be nothing more than poor and yearning for riches. However, in the face of wealth and laxity, the March sisters choose the appreciation forged from their hard work and responsibility as sufficient payment for their efforts.

 

While their lifestyle had always troubled each March Sister in their own unique way, it did not stop them from making the right decisions. Inspired by their mother and motivated by their father’s untimely departure for the war, each girl upholds themselves to the expectations they set for themselves: ‘…….My girls, will you give them your breakfast as a Christmas present?’They were all unusually hungry, having waited nearly an hour, and for a minute no one spoke, only a minute, for Jo exclaimed impetuously, ‘I’m so glad you came before we began!’‘May I go and help carry the things to the poor little children?’ asked Beth eagerly.‘I shall take the cream and the muffings,’ added Amy, heroically giving up the article she most liked. Meg was already covering the buckwheats, and piling the bread into one big plate. (Alcott 24-25). As time goes on, and the challenges continue to grow, the right decision becomes harder for the sisters to distinguish. Decisions such as Amy’s reluctance to share her picked limes with rude Jenny, or Josephine’s decline of Laurie’s proposal for the sake of her sisters. As each lesson is learned, every challenge overcome, the March sisters begin to understand the morality in the decisions they make and aspire to keep their lives pure of repercussions spawned from misguided judgment.

 

Born and raised in a Transcendentalist background, Louisa May Alcott was fully exposed to the radical thinking of well-known rights advocates, like Margaret Fuller, and this is reflected in her writing. A supporter of women’s rights, Alcott defined women as more than the limitations placed on them by male leaders. Little Women embraces this idea, describing four young sisters struggling through their difficult lives through hard work and perseverance. Through making the right decisions, and encompassing the morals and modesty given to them by their parents, each sister becomes an American success in their own way.

 

Science: 

So like my other example I would expect you'd want an example. Unfortunately it appears I recycled my science fair project from 8th grade. I didn't enjoy my classes at the other school and I didn't do very well in any of the sciences I did so ...... I'll tell you about my project. Essentially I was experimenting between a laser's intensity depending on its intensity alone and through refective objects such as glass, metal, etc. The laser listed below is the one I used. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately like the last one I only got a measley B as well, but I was proud of the work I put into it and considering it was my first science fair project I was proud of how I did. 

 

Math: 

 

I couldn't find many commendable artifacts for my mathematics, but I believe that getting a 630 on mathematics isn't too bad. Considering all the time I spent on studying I guess it was worth it. Here are the scores below:

 

 

October 5,2013

SAT Test

Reading

630

Math

630

Writing

540