Learning Autobiography (LAB #1):
Formal and Informal Experiences
Alexander J. Polewczynski
24 January 2016

LAS 20010 College Seminar I: Exploring Ottawa University

Formal and Informal Educational Experiences
To describe my education, I need to take you back to my early childhood years. The community of Dousman produced Olympic Athletes, must have been the outstanding educational system there. I had first attended school in Dousman at the Elementary school. Frank Lloyd Wright was an architect that designed many magnificent structures. He even designed the Jr High I attended. A very unique experience. High School was a turbulent ride as I attended three different schools. My father was living in another state so the main support for a young boy in school was not there. As a result, the learning environment was somewhat diminished and many questions went unanswered.
Formal Educational Experiences
Dousman Elementary School is located in Waukesha County twenty minutes from Milwaukee, in Wisconsin. The school was walking distance from my residence but as a child it felt like miles. I received an education that produced grades a bit higher than average. The curriculum was considered to be accelerated, which I found was difficult to keep pace with. The theory of learning faster was a pretty fresh idea at Dousman Elementary and I think the students were lagging behind, as I was, at least some of the time.
My friends in elementary school were true friends but there were not that many. To be honest, I think there were far more enemies than there were allies. The threat of bullies was a real concern for me because I was often the target of their frustrations and there was no real way to retaliate back then. Most of the teachers were helpful but sometimes they made it worse by not knowing how to deal with these situations.
There was a gigantic playground at