Amariyah Yisrael

Global Seminar
12/15/14
00
10th grade year in AGS was my first year. I liked the huge transition from average curriculum to higher
standards. Instantly I was intrigued by the possibility to challenge myself on a global scale. To some
degree it was the same in the fact that you had students who cared for the class and you had students
who didnt give a crap about the curriculum. However I experienced and could relate to the students in
my class much better than traditional class. During my first year of high school I didnt care for school
much. The biggest change from traditional school to regular is recognizing others perspectives.
Before I was in the program I thought I understood different points of view very well however my eyes
were opened completely when I came to the program. It happened over time but when it did it wasnt
slow but rather a zap of relief from what is normally understood. Cultural differences were implied in
traditional schooling but not really in depth and therefore I didnt really get the implication. Culture is
one of the hardest subjects to discuss because it is a topic of believe and society. In my 10th grade
biology class we debated some of the touchiest topics in recent times for which there isnt a right or
wrong answer.
This prepared me immensely for the tough work that is headed my way in college. I will have to
understand others perspectives in order to gain knowledge on the subject matter. These perspectives
are what drive the most fundamental ideas and debates today. In the class we debated religion, cloning,
and stem cell research all which are touchy topics that can be argued both ways. The thing that helps to
justify who was right or wrong was how strong their position was backed by research. During that
project and in that year in general was learning that research is key in relating the background and
position of others into your views.