The first challenges I ran into was how I viewed words. At the beginning of the semester, I thought of words as combinations of symbols that express ideas, objects, etc. But, by the end of the semester I have begun to realize that there are so many more levels to words. Words have their own rhythm, beauty, and music. Before this class I never really bothered much with word choice; I focused only on getting my ideas across, but now I've realized that word choice can be an effective tool in communicating my ideas. Word choice has also helped me to make my writing concise.
The second challenge to my thought process came when we were reading King Lear. Having no experience and or real interest in theater, other than being a spectator, made this unit especially difficult. It took all of my will power focus on artistic creativity. I really don't have any thought processes that could help me with theater other than a good memory, so I found myself exploring a part of my brain that doesn't get much use. Dealing with the fine arts can be overwhelming, especially in Academy where almost all the kids are involved in them. I wish that my thought process had something to help me through the arts, but it doesn't. This unit required me to break out of my comfort zone completely and try out some new ideas and perspectives.
Overall this semester in Academy has once again changes the way I think and how I see the world.
