Digital Portfolio
By: Madi Bostow, Sonoma Mountian High School
Philosophy of Education
Throughout my Elementary, Jr. High, and High School experience, my grades had always been inconsistent and I had never been amused with learning or anything to do with school in general. I never had any motivation to do my work unless my parents were scolding me for having such bad grades. Before I attended Sonoma Mountain, I went to Casa Grande High School but still greatly struggled with finishing my work and attending school on a regular basis. It was a daily struggle for me to juggle my hectic life on top of piles of homework. My attitude was terrible because I began thinking that there was no way to recover from the mistakes I had made and that those mistakes could very well affect the future I wished to have one day. Once I was accepted to Sonoma Mountain, I had a new found attitude towards school and a motivation to graduate high school. I promised I would never let myself fall that low with my grades in school again no matter what the circumstances were.
I strongly disagree with the state’s and society's general idea of the school system to have course guidelines, graduation requirements and of what “being educated” really is because I think everyone has their own idea of what their career goal is and what they study should be adjusted to that specifically. Some affective skills that I believe are important for success are responsibility, organization, and the perseverance to never give up. These skills are important to me because I want to have a well-paying job to support my future family and these specific traits would assist me in reaching them.
I have made numerous changes since Ive moved to Sonoma Mountain. My whole mood and attitude have improved and changed because all of the stress and pressure that I had at Casa was lifted off of my shoulders and I could finally focus on work and myself. Throughout this whole process my relationships with family members have been way less stressful and definitely more enjoyable. I has many goals and accomplishments I want to achieve and before I went here I didn't think it could be possible, I lost all will to try but Sonoma Mountain has helped me get back on track to get there and I couldn't be more thankful for that.
English
My experiences in Ms. DeLeon class have been very enjoyable. I particularly don't like to read books or passages but in this class it's more bearable for me and I'm able to focus better. I also enjoy the energy in her room, it's always a calm work environment that I can finish the tasks I need to get done. Some of the things I find challenging or hard are staying focused during sessions when we are reading and comprehending what I have read after. Ms. DeLeon has an upbeat but realistic attitude that motivates you to stay on task and do your work like you’re supposed to. Things I could do differently as a student would be to read along when we are reading with the class and always ask questions when I'm lost or confused with anything.
The assignment I enjoyed working on the most was the black-out pages on the novel” All Quiet on the Western Front” because it has broadened my imagination and poetry skills. The instructions on this assignment was to choose two of the pages out of the book and black out some of the passages to make a full and completed poem, this also challenged me by making me think out of the box to create a poem and follow many directions. Even Though I haven't finished this assignment, I chose it because it's was the most challenging assignment that Ms. D has assigned and I chose to share it because it's the most interesting and creative assignment we've done this semester.
History
From the minimal time I have spent in Mr. Anderson’s class, it’s been one of the most engaging and interesting history classes I've ever been in. I personally enjoy the positive energy that flows throughout the room as we absorb the facts about the history of the nation. Also the atmosphere of the room is a focused and individualized study space where students can work on the assignments given at hand but always free to ask any questions to Mr. Anderson we might have, no matter how ridiculous they are. I actually haven't particularly found anything challenging in this class since I just moved to Sonoma Mountain but I'm sure that will change in the near future. Mr. Anderson has done a really great job of helping me transition to here and still be able to teach me interesting events that have happened in nation.
One of my favorite digital assignments to complete was the propaganda poster we did in class because I really enjoyed being able to use the knowledge of what Mr. Anderson had taught me in the previous days before the project was presented, to make my own propaganda poster to draw and write out my own design on Paper 53 the way I wanted to and with the message I wanted to convey. The purpose of this assignment was to help me understand the importance and dynamic of how the United States government pushed their citizens to go to war. I specifically used this assignment to share because I worked really hard on it and it helped me better comprehend how it was back then. I was genuinely pleased with the end product of my project because it ended up looking neat and realistic but still portrayed the message I wanted it to.
Even though it isn't completed yet, the World War I Technology assignment has been one of the most challenging assignments in this class for me because I know very little about machine guns so I have had to do a lot of information gathering and comparing of websites to make sure all the facts I am reading and recording are valid. For the presentation, we compared the guns from WW1 and WW2 to now and the differences, impacts and how they were used. The purpose of this assignment was to show the impact of the different guns on the battlefield and war tactics throughout WW1 to present day. This assignment to me expressed how the changing in weapons can change the whole outcome of war and that's the reason why I felt it was significant enough to use as an example.Math
Mrs. McDonald’s class is a positive learning environment where I can focus on the assignments I'm given by her but also have fun and enjoy it at the same time. I admire April’s laid back and cheery attitude towards the students no matter what their attitudes might be that day. She always starts the day fresh no matter what happen prior to it. My experiences with her when I'm having trouble like word problems or long equations, she is nothing but supportive and helpful tips to assist me in understanding math better which I greatly appreciate. A mathematician is someone who breaks down different problems and equations with the strategies they have been taught over time to have the correct product. One of the strategies they use is to attend to precision meaning when solving problems, they pay close attention to detail and usually go back to check and make sure the answer they got is correct. This reflects my behavior and skills in math class because I'm naturally not the best with equations so I lose track easily during problems when they are difficult but I need to start using these practices and work harder even when I get frustrated with not understanding the problem.
Science
Since I'm fairly new to Sonoma Mountain , I haven't had many experiences at this school yet, but the ones I have experienced have been nothing but positive lessons I always can take something away from. Most of our activities and assignments are in the classroom and interactively on the laptops or ipads given to us, but I really enjoy going on the field trips and mini excursions off campus that Mrs. Dennen and the other teachers plan for us like the trip to the creek by Casa Grande High School, The Petaluma Watershed and The Academy of Science because I can get a more hands-on learning experience on the topic that we are studying. What I have found the most difficult in Science class are the projects that Mrs.Dennen assigns, even though they ended up being the assignments I learn the most from and like the most. This draws the ultimate conclusion that hard work does pay off by being able to absorb new information. I always feel free to ask any questions that I might have in class and have never felt judged for asking them by the teacher or my peers like I did in the past, I admire Mrs. Dennons teaching style because she gives you the responsibility and freedom to be a success or failure in her class depending on your own actions and behaviors.
This particular assignment I found very enjoyable to do because it also challenged me to learn new information and complete it to my best ability. It was the Ellis Creek Water Recycling Reservation partner presentation because I had to make sure I took really good pictures and videos of the facility for my presentation while we we\\re there and had to pay attention to what the instructors were saying and what was around me, then once we get back we took notes and researched on the facilities procedures which we then organized the notes to put them on the presentation. I worked really hard on this presentation and hoped to and an A on it because I followed all the directions and put the extra effort in. I chose this assignment because I’m a genuinely proud with the end product of it and had fun making it.
Another assignment that I found challenging but also enjoyable ended up being my current events in Mrs. Dennen’s class. My instructions for the current event was to find an interesting article that is science related and write a summary and vocabulary word that I didn't know and look up the definition. I really like doing these because reading about the events that are happening all over the world and make you more aware of what’s happening . My first current event was about the Zika virus affecting citizens in the United States and the harm it is causing to the people and unborn children. I picked this specifically because i was curious about the virus and the article name intrigued me. I worked hard on this assignment because I was really interested in my topic and learning about this virus, I thought I would get a decent grade on this because I followed the little directions there were for the particular assignment.
Your Choice ( elective, fieid trip, ect)
Out of all of my elective courses I have taken, Art is definitely my favorite because I am able to express my emotions and feelings through the colors I choose and things I decide to draw. I really like drawing and painting in Mrs. Dennen’s room because it's a calm environment and she plays soothing music that relaxes you and motivates you to be creative. What i have found the most difficult in this class is the practice of being precise with painting and taking my time. I also appreciate the artistic freedom Ms. Dennen allows because it helps me to be more artificially creative. The assignment I enjoyed the most was the clay animation and painting of it because I got to sculpt and paint.