Back home, our school routine is to wake up and go to every class at the same time and place everyday.

Back home, our school routine is to wake up and go to every class at the same time and place everyday. Here in Israel, our class changes on a day-to-day basis. We are in a “living classroom”. My living classroom here at Muss could be on rocks, mountains, in the middle of the dessert, near the sea or in a classroom. Our indoor classroom can get boring sitting taking notes and have to imagine where history takes place and what it looks like. It is hard for me to remember information without a clear diagram or seeing what I am learning about. While in the outdoor classroom, we get to see exactly where the story takes place and the beauty of Israel. Learning outside also gives us a new perspective of the world. Being a visual learner, helps me to see and imagine exactly what we are learning. In this setting, I am having an easier time learning and retaining information. While having a long class on the top of Masada, I was able to pay my full attention to what was happening because of the environment we were on. As each story was told, we walked to the spot in which it happened and we got to reenact it. We also had a similar experience on Tel Gezer. In Tel Gezer, we were very hands-on and got to touch and eat plants that played a role in stories. During our test, it was easy to remember things because of the pictures that impacted me. When I forgot something, I was able to think about what we did and remember these images allowing me to do better on tests and quizzes. Our living classroom isn’t just school and core class. It is also learning about the culture of Israel. While being on Alexander Muss, we have the freedom of going out on our own. While going out, I have picked up on the language and how people act compared to in America. This has helped strengthen my education of Israel. All in all, the “living classroom” has changed my perspective of the Jewish history by giving us opportunities to learn in new environments and not just in the classroom but also on the streets learning about culture.