I chose to include my plaster sculpture in my portfolio because it is one of my best works in media from both years that I have been in high school. I was not very confident in freshman year about my artwork in media. I thought it was terrible and didn't want to show it to anyone. This year is different because I worked very hard on this. Although it did not come out the way I wanted it to and it broke the very day it was due, I am still proud of it. Even though it was good, there is always room for improvement. Next year I want to take photography because taking pictures is something I excel in and I always have. Next year I know I can get even better grades than I did this year in an art class if I do get the class.
Lord of the Flies Comparison Essay
The Lord of the Flies Comparison Essay was done near the beginning of the year. We were learning about Europeans while reading the book Lord of the Flies. The essay we wrote consisted of comparing a character from the book a leader, either Ralph or Jack and compare their leadership skills to Mao Zedong. I chose this piece because it helps me show the comparison from this essay to the essay that was written after this, Heart of Darkness. I did not do too well on this essay, although it was one of the best introductions to an essay that I've ever written. I chose to put this first in order to show how I've grown in essays from a weak essay that I wrote at the beginning of the 10th grade to a strong essay at the end of the 10th grade. Even with the grade that I got on this, I still did better on this essay than I did on the essays I wrote in 9th grade, and that is an improvement and achievement on its own.
Heart of Darkness Humanities Essay
The Heart of Darkness Essay was written when we worked on our unit based around Africa. I learned a lot throughout this unit and it helped me write this. I chose this essay because I did a really good job on it. I don't specifically remember the exact grade I got on it because I lost the paper, but I know it was one of the best grade that I got on a humanities essay. I want to say that I got an 8 on it which is the best grade I've ever gotten on an essay. I worked very hard on this essay and felt very accomplished when I saw the grade that I got on it. I have never been more proud of anything that I have written before and I felt that it needed to be shown.
Year End Reflection
I chose these samples to be in my portfolio because they show how much I've grown since last year. In media last year I didn't want to include any of my work because I thought it wasn't good enough. This year I thought that I did a really good job in media and I am very proud of this work. I chose my essays because they definitely show growth between last year and even the beginning of this year. I have grown in my writing and I am very proud about that fact. Next year hopefully I will be able to write even better than I can this year and get even better grades to show in my portfolio for next year. Throughout the year, I was not doing too well and my grades did drop but I am proud to say that they went back up for the end of the year and I have made a promise to myself that I was never going to let my grades get so low again. Next year I will apply myself more than ever because it is the most important year. Now all I have to do is force myself to try.