By Skyler ’24
One of my favorite subjects has always been English. This has been for several reasons. Ever since I was little, I have loved to talk so my parents decided public speaking would be a great way to channel that energy. I fell in love with writing and storytelling and have been doing it ever since.
When I came to Harvard-Westlake, I had already heard about how outstanding their English classes were. The literature they choose never failed to fascinate me. The essays and assignments I was given forced me to look deeper into texts to better understand the reasoning of an author’s decisions. They opened up the lives of others and allowed me to see and experience all the things I might never get to in real life. At Harvard-Westlake I was able to expand my creative horizons and express my thoughts and ideas in a more structured and organized way.
Not only did my teachers go above and beyond to both teach and entertain the class, but they encouraged me to continue to pursue my aspirations outside of class. I spent countless hours in the library reading books of all genres that allowed me to see things through different perspectives. I have always loved the way a book can transport you to a new place with the flip of a page but I didn’t have all the amazing resources that are now available to me on campus. All of my teachers have tried and successfully created a safe environment in their classrooms so that all their students feel comfortable expressing themselves. We have lively debates about what goes on in the classroom as well as what we are hearing on the news so we are all properly informed. We also have several projects throughout the year so we get to learn through different types of assignments.
Overall, I have enjoyed every part of my Harvard-Westlake experience and I am so fortunate to have gotten it which is why I feel obligated to highlight some of the reasons it was so great. Although I have always loved English, it was not an easy class during most of 7th and 8th. But I stayed motivated and worked hard to improve and it is now one of my best classes. One of the hardest things for me was finding evidence for my essays to portray my claim. But once I met with my teachers and learned how to properly analyze a piece of the text, I was able to show how it proved an argument. This is just a small example of how I was able to improve my skills. Harvard-Westlake makes it a priority that each student feels heard and has the help they need if they seek it.
