AJ SMITH

FAP

During my last semester here at model high school, I have taken 4 classes at the school.  Those classes are Independent art study, Film and Comp, imaging and Biology.  Through these classes I have grown in new ways and learned new things that I did not know before this semester at model.    Each one of my classes was a different experience than I have ever had before.  That is one of the reasons I love model, the unpredictability of the classes and their ability to morph to my own personal needs.  In my courses, especially my art classes, I could go in basically any direction I wanted to with no restrictions. 

My first class this semester at model was my independent art study with Andrea.  This class was very important for me this semester because it gave me a slot of time in the day to just sit down and work.  In my art classes I have taken, sometime sit can be very difficult to just find time to make art.  There is always a teacher giving talks, registration that needs to be done for something whether it be the AP test, scholastics or something else.  Once all that is taken care of, all the time to actually create art has passed.  That is why I love my art study.  Creating art is something I love to do, so being able to come to model for the first hour of my day and just zone in for the whole block really puts me in a great focused mood for the rest of the day.  I am very grateful to be able to have had Andrea as my teacher for this class.  Her being an art teacher as well as working in psychology was a great resource to have when working on things such as traub and the AP test.  I think that the model environment was perfect for me and this class I really took advantage of the time given to me to pursue interests in art.

My next class I've had this semester at model is Film and Comp with Geoff.  I found that this was one of my favorite classes this semester because it allowed me to dive deep into the world of film, an area I have been really interested in.  We watched many different films from different times such as the 70’s 80’s and 90’s and compared each decade of film which each other.  I found it very interesting to pinpoint the difference between each decade of film and how what was going on in the world had an influence on the movies.  I think discussing each movie and the details within them was also a great part of the class.  I got to hear how others interpreted what they saw and their opinions on things.  I was exposed to movies that I otherwise would not have watched.  A good example of that would be many of Spike Lee’s films.  I know about him as a filmmaker, but I never had known that he was such a controversial and influential film artist during his time.  I am very grateful I could be exposed to his work and learn about how he affected the African American movement through his art.  This class helped me grow by exposing me to films that commented on Society and showing me how controversial and influential film can be.  Core competencies that I worked on in this class would definitely be communication and human interaction.  After watching every movie, we discussed, as a class, parts of the movies and our opinions/thoughts on what happened.  I think this definitely helped me strengthen my communication skills by being able to express my views to people clearly who interpreted what we had all viewed in their own way.

Another class at model I had this semester is imaging with Peg.  Imaging is always one of my favorite classes to go to in the day and is always productive.  I have learned many things from peg during my time at model and she has been an invaluable resource for my throughout my creative endeavors.  In the class, I have learned many different things about the art of photography.  Even though I do consider myself an artist, I have never been much of a photographer.  I think that being in imaging really has helped me round myself out as an artist by exposing myself to all new types of creative processes that I did not know before.  Also from being in the class, I learned other things that deal with photography but mesh with my other artistic interests.  For example, Peg taught me how to photograph my artwork and edit so it would look very good digitally.  Those skills are something I will use for the rest of my life because in the art world, how you present yourself is very important.  Core competencies that I improved most on in this class were creativity and aesthetic awareness.  I think this because I came into the class not knowing much about photography, being kind of unaware of it.  I left the class having a much deeper understanding of the power of photography and what it means to be a photographer.

My last class at model was Microbiology with Matt.  I really enjoyed this class and thought it was definitely a nice change of pace from a regular science class.  In this semester, we really delved deep into diseases and how they are caused/ produced and relate to humans.  Having taken a biology class previously in high school, I was very intrigued by the approach to this class.  I t was very hands on, suing telescopes and actual samples of diseases.  This made feel much closer to what I was learning than just reading or looking at pictures in a text book.  I think I grew in this class by really taking charge more in school.  In class during the hand son experiments you had to be focused and follow directions and I think this class helped me strengthen those skills through that.  I think of the core competencies I built on inquiry and investigation the most in this class through hands on labs and the type of work that we did in class.

After my three semesters at model, I think I definitely am a different learner and person.  Being able to be treated as more of a human and equal in school really helped me excel and is leaving me with happier memories of my high school experience.  I am so grateful I got to be given the opportunity of being a model and getting to approach learning from different angles.  I think the classes I took and the teachers I had the pleasure to meet were definitely great assets to me towards the end of my high school run.  Being at model I have definitely strengthened all of my core competencies uniquely through each of the classes that I have taken.