The final assignment for my students is the creation of a final portfolio that shows evidence of their learning throughout the year. The portfolios are presented in the form of blog posts that contain actual quotes from students’ work throughout the year. Here is the complete assignment as I present it to the students.

Below are quotes from a selection of portfolios that were recently submitted. I appreciate the ways that students personalize their portfolios and summarize their learning in unique and individualized ways. To see all completed portfolios click here or here.

“When challenging yourself, you are bettering yourself.” – Jules

“Creativity is cathartic.” – Bryanna

“It was with my struggles that I began to understand more of what I was struggling about in the first place.” – Brycen

“Throughout the year, I’ve been able to see parts of myself that I haven’t seen before.” – Symone

“This class has really made me think about where I fit into the world, and how I can use my position in the world to incite change.” – Ruby

“You must strive to outsmart the society you are brought up in.” – Marlyn

“One journal to write a poem can be one journal to write out everything that’s killing you inside. One year of this class changes lives. One year of this class changed my life.” – Klarissa

“The way we learned throughout the year was just as important as the material itself.” – Lisa

“I have learned to create humane art, through words, my voice, and movement.” – Gabby

“At first I never knew stepping out of my comfort zone would make me feel like  a new person.” – Monisha

“Working in groups brings out the best in individuals.” – Kenny

“Standing up for what is right takes a strong, dedicated person.” – Jasir

“Journal writing was something I really enjoyed this year and I feel they [journals] were the training wheels to the rest of my writing.” – Darya

“The best part of it [is that] I didn’t write for a grade I wrote to express what I was feeling.” – Alisha

“Thinking about people struggling with their identity and revealing it to the world is so hard and heart wrenching sometimes.” – Audrey