Liseli Luna

December 18, 2013

AP US History and AP Language and Composition/ A New Definition of "Global Citizen" Just like last year I have taken an AP class this year, the only difference is that Ive taken two AP classes: AP U.S. History and AP Language and Composition. Both classes are supposed to be modeled after college classes but each one prepares me for a different aspect of college. In AP U.S. our main assignment is to take our own notes for each chapter, which is different from last years AP European History where taking notes was optional. This prepares me for college readiness by forcing me to adapt and learn how to write and use the notes I take every week (especially since there is a test on a chapter ever week) Note taking was not an easy task for me since in the beginning I wrote too much information, but slowly over time I learned what was important to write and what was not important. In AP Language it really forces me to learn how to properly write sentences and develop my arguments/evidence. Ive hardly been good at writing and using punctuation properly, but in AP Language Im slowly learning how to apply it in my writing with each lesson. Not only that Im learning other types of essay writing, other than the normal five paragraph essay (which can be the least effective of all the different types). Both of these classes overall help me with college readiness by slowly getting me ready with the work load and the style the classes are taught. Most of it makes me more self-reliant on learning the material and at a fast pace as well. I could have taken normal classes and gotten straight As a bit easier but by challenging myself it will help me transfer to college a bit more smoothly. This year I have gotten a new understanding of the term "global citizen". In the past this term to me meant understanding how the world was at the moment, such as new disasters or learning about the success of foreign countries. This year I've learned that being a global citizen depends on not just standards we set upon ourselves but what others also expect out of us in terms of being global. Being a global citizen was no longer just understanding the world but also having to take action of some sort, because just being "idle" was no longer enough for the standards set out for me. What made me realize this was writing these reflections throughout the years for school to show my progress. Sometimes just stating that you gained a new perception of the world is not enough but also having to analyze how it help us "grow" a global citizen and what we would do or change because of this new perception. As I realize how idle I have been and the expectations that have been made for me were very far apart I decided that I needed to take an action and have considered forming a new club at school based on a project I did in my 10th grade year about helping clean the community clean. And now as I take in this new form of "global citizen" I will shape my school days to come to make as much as a difference I can and reach my goals and expectations of this term set out before me by my school.