Laurie Oberg

Academy for Math, Engineering, and Science

5715 South 1300 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84121

Laurie:
So it’s third quarter and I’m ninety-nine percent sure a breakdown a day isn’t going to
prevent anything but I’m not sure how to stop it from happening. I keep panicking about how
everything is due and I haven’t been taught very good coping mechanisms. My mind is so
worried about failing I can’t sleep, but I don’t have the motivation to get home and sit down to all
of my homework because I am so exhausted. It’s a vicious cycle that I don’t know how to fix, I
just really need a good 3 months of nothing but destressing and love. I really enjoy being in this
class. We don’t get overwhelmed like we do every other class but we still retain knowledge.
More than anything this class teaches me life skills. I’ve learned how to respectfully disagree
with others and that our differences shouldn’t matter.
“AMES can guarantee you a diploma, but not an education,” is something I have a hard
time interpreting. I do agree that AMES can give you a diploma but the education you receive is
not very beneficial overall. It’s not AMES’ fault the country does not have great stepping stones
on teaching us how to be an adult. The kind of education we receive isn’t one that prepares us
greatly for the real world, but it’s an education nonetheless. Reading happens outside of school
whenever I have the time. Writing in this class is something that is very clarifying and nice to
think about. Whether it’s something that has any sort of relation to what’s happening in my life or
anything that I am remotely interested in writing is just clarifying. I also enjoy the discussions we
have because I get real life knowledge out of them. Sure it’s nice to know what a contraction is
and how to use it, but this class offers real world issues and talking about it like mature people.
This is the one class that I feel actually allows me to express myself as a seventeen year old. I
am one year away from adulthood but for some reason I still have to ask to use the bathroom.
For some reason I have to depend on my parents for ninety percent of things I could do by
myself. So sure, AMES offers education, but probably not the right kind for where the world is
headed today.
The reading we currently do in class is a little boring to be completely honest. It takes a
little bit of a shove for something to be really interesting to me, so that’s no one’s fault but my
own. It’s educational and that’s what matters i suppose. The language used in the classroom is
pretty good as well, I enjoy the conversations and discussions we have in class. The amount of
time we have to complete assignments in class is a good length and thoroughly enjoyable.

Yours Truly,

Kaysie Polad
kaysiepolad@gmail.com