Attending a rigid school in California, I, Alyssa, am left with minimal time for extracurricular activities. Yet, when the time comes around, my free time spans from sports to the arts. More than anything I enjoy entertaining. I thrive off of acting and performing for others. Dance, drama, and improvisation are all included in things I love to do in front of an audience. As well, I actively debate for my school. A couple weeks ago I attended a tournament and achieved second place. The rush and excitement of argumentative competition contribute great pleasure to my participation in the club. To add, this semester I joined the water polo team and play the position of goalie. Although difficult, the aggressiveness and hard work within water polo attract me to the sport.
In terms of writing, the newly formed fear that has resulted form the stress of school leaves me with timidity towards writing. This factor contributes to one of the things I dislike most about writing. At a younger age, writing became a way to escape and free my thoughts.
However, now I see it as a grade more than anything else. This creates a daunting layer around my idea of writing. Yet, the ability to express my opinions through writing still presents itself at school on occasion. Having the opportunity to speak through my writing gives me a chance to think how I honestly feel on different topics and express that. Therefore, the chance to voice opinions holds the place of my favorite aspect in writing.
I find, that in whatever topic I am studying, having something that inspires me and something that burns a passion for me affects my learning process. Overall I would describe myself as a passionate learner. If the topic of discussion doesn’t interest me then the work that comes out of it will lack. The things that I am passionate about interest me most. The reasons behind this, I think, come from my inability to find interest in subjects. Only a few things in life I find amusing. Due to this, when I am in a learning situation, I tend to only truly concentrate on the topics I am passionate about. This becomes both a weakness and strength throughout my learning process.
Over the years, I realized that I learn best when the subject at hand has been repeated over and over again. Many times, I find that when first learning a new subject, I don’t understand it. Yet, after repeatedly reviewing the material it clicks. Once I truly understand something I rarely forget it. Therefore, when learning a new topic this repetitiveness is what makes up the best learning environment for me. Although this process rarely occurs in the classroom, I have grown to realize that the time I spend outside of class becomes most beneficial during one on one time with teachers and constant reviewing.
Image Credit: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/arts/la-ca-the-method22-2009nov22,0,3365480.story
