Sarah Martinez

05/17/14
SINQ
Synthesis Essay
The reason I decided to take Senior Inquiry was ecause I heard it was the est c!ass to "re"are
#e $or co!!e%e and i$ I "assed the c!ass I wou!d e a!e to recei&e co!!e%e credit' (hen I !earned that
Senior Inquiry consisted o$ socia! sciences) !an%ua%e arts) and science I was rea!!y ea%er to start the
c!ass ecause I en*oy each o$ those su*ects) "!us it is easier to take a!! three su*ects in *ust one c!ass'
+!on% with ha&in% a %ood acade#ic cha!!en%e I knew a !ot o$ #y $riends were takin% that c!ass as we!!
so I thou%ht it wou!d #ake the who!e e,"erience that #uch #ore $un'
Throu%hout the year Senior Inquiry has he!"ed #e etter #y &ocau!ary) sty!e o$ writin%) and
word choice' The #ost in$!uentia! o$ those thin%s was !earnin% how to write a research "a"er- e$ore
the c!ass I ne&er e&en knew what a research "a"er consisted o$' In "re&ious !an%ua%e arts c!asses I
e,ce!!ed at writin% di$$erent ty"es o$ essays) ut this c!ass #ade #e rea!ize the $iner detai!s that were
i#"ortant when writin% "a"ers' Not on!y did the research "a"ers he!") ut so did the short re$!ections
we did durin% c!ass aout so#e o$ the ooks we read- with each re$!ection there was so#ethin% new
that I needed to work on) and that he!"ed #e to etter "re"are #yse!$ $or the ne,t essay'
Senior Inquiry a!so he!"ed #e understand that there is no ri%ht or wron% e,"erience o$ hu#an
nature- e$ore this c!ass I ne&er %a&e a sin%!e thou%ht into what hu#an nature was) or #eant' I had to
actua!!y think dee"er into what ein% hu#an actua!!y #eant) and to e honest I sti!! do not co#"!ete!y
understand what it #eans) ut I think that is a %ood thin%' This c!ass has tau%ht #e that there is
so#ethin% new to !earn e&ery ti#e I ste" into the c!assroo#) so#ethin% that I ne&er thou%ht to think
aout e$ore'
Ish#ae! is a rea!!y %ood e,a#"!e o$ this) ecause it cha!!en%ed the way I thou%ht aout
ci&i!ization and it o"ened #y eyes to new "ers"ecti&es' Quinn rou%ht u" theories) such as the air"!ane
$a!!in% ut the "i!ot ne&er rea!izin% he was %oin% to die unti! it was too !ate) that #ade co#"!e,
"ro!e#s easy to re!ate to $or #odern day' I rea!ized "atterns with hu#anity that I ne&er e&en knew
e,isted which I.# sure #any "eo"!e do not know e,ist either) and that is the "ro!e#- "eo"!e sy#o!ize
the "i!ot and the air"!ane sy#o!izes ci&i!ization) and we are $a!!in% $ast without e&en knowin%'
I a!so rea!!y !earned a !ot durin% the $irst two days o$ schoo! when we did that o"en circ!e where
"eo"!e stood u" when so#ethin% a""!ied to the# or their !i&es' It a!!owed #e to %et to know "eo"!e
without s"eakin% to the#- it e&en a!!owed #e to reak down *ud%#ents I had towards "eo"!e' That
acti&ity #ade #e rea!ize that e&eryone has a stru%%!e they dea! with in their !i&es) and that I re!ate to a
!ot #ore "eo"!e than I knew aout' I !earned that as di&erse as the schoo! is a !ot o$ the students) e&en
the teachers) ha&e a !ot in co##on' It #ade #e start thinkin% that i$ there are that #any "eo"!e I can
re!ate to in *ust Senior Inquiry) there #ust e a !ot o$ "eo"!e I can re!ate to throu%hout the schoo!) e&en
in the entire co##unity'
I !earned that I shou!d not assu#e that "eo"!e !i&e a certain !i$esty!e or ha&e %one throu%h
certain thin%s) I shou!d *ust %et to know "eo"!e and their story e$ore I #ake *ud%#ents aout the#'
/ust throu%h that acti&ity I was a!e to #ake $riendshi"s I had not thou%ht I wou!d e$ore) it a!!owed $or
con&ersation on "ersona! su*ects which created a rea!!y unique ond etween so#e o$ the c!ass#ates
and I' I think it rou%ht the c!ass to%ether as a who!e and #ade us $ee! #ore !ike unit #ore than *ust a
unch o$ "eo"!e in a !ar%e c!ass'
Senior Inquiry has a!so tau%ht #e aout ethics) without ethics "eo"!e are on!y creatin% #ore
disaster $or $uture %enerations' 0hasin% Ice was a a rea!!y %ood docu#entary) ecause it showed how
#uch "eo"!e i#"act the earth and how #uch chan%e is %oin% to co#e around to i#"act "eo"!e' I$
"eo"!e do not take res"onsii!ity $or their actions today then the "eo"!e o$ to#orrow are the ones who
rea" the consequences- not on!y does this a""!y to the ecosyste# ut a!so to the econo#y'
Senior Inquiry is the $irst c!ass I ha&e e&er taken that dea!t with econo#ics) and I ne&er rea!ized
how co#"!e, the econo#y is' It was rea!!y interestin% to $i%ure out how thin%s !oo"ed to%ether) and
what ty"es o$ thin%s needed to e in "!ace $or other thin%s to work' There are a !ot o$ !itt!e thin%s that
in"ut into the econo#ic cyc!e that ha&e a i% out"ut on society' This c!ass has tau%ht #e the i#"ortance
o$ ein% know!ed%ea!e aout econo#ic decisions) and decisions #ade $or the short ter# are not
a!ways est $or !on% ter#'
1ro# what I had heard and e,"ected $ro# this c!ass) I thou%ht it was a &ery %ood e,"erience
o&er a!!' This c!ass cha!!en%ed #e to etter #yse!$ as a student) and to etter #y work' 2ay to day I did
not think too #uch aout the #ateria! that was ein% tau%ht and the si%ni$icance it had) ut writin% this
re$!ection rea!!y #ade #e !ook into what was tau%ht and I rea!ized how #uch I !earned' I de$inite!y
think this c!ass has tau%ht #e #ore than other c!asses wou!d ha&e i$ I had not chosen Senior Inquiry-
the c!ass rea!!y !ooks at to"ics $ro# di$$erent "ers"ecti&es'
In other c!asses on!y one teacher wou!d ha&e tau%ht ut it was a rea!!y aweso#e ad&anta%e to
ha&e two to three teachers ecause they each ha&e di$$erent know!ed%e aout thin%s) and it is
interestin% to see how they !earn $ro# each other' I !iked how each teacher had a s"eci$ic $ie!d that they
tau%ht) ut e&ery c!ass each o$ the# rou%ht in i#"ortant in$or#ation to think aout or to e&en
cha!!en%e what another teacher rou%ht u"'
(hat I ha&e %ained $ro# the c!ass has e,ceeded #y e,"ectations) and I a# ha""y that I decided
to take Senior Inquiry' I ha&e %ained a""!ica!e !i$e ski!!s $ro# #y "eers) teachers) and the #ateria! we
ha&e een !earnin% $ro#' The c!ass has "re"ared #e $or co!!e%e !e&e! work) and it was rea!!y he!"$u!
understand how #uch the c!ass he!"s when we went to &isit 3ort!and State 4ni&ersity and ta!ked to the
$or#er students who took Senior Inquiry' I wou!d de$inite!y reco##end the c!ass to students who "!an
on takin% it in the $uture) it is worth the in&est#ent'