Get Ready to Rumble!

I have learned a lot about myself and my writing throughout my junior year. I think that I have actually improved more this year in writing than any other year in the past. AP Language and Composition was definitely a challenging class but it was a challenge that I felt I needed in order to start getting a sense of a college level course. Throughout this year, I was able to develop new, valuable skills and capabilities that I will use further into my academic future.  I was also able to identify my strengths and weaknesses as a writer; pinpointing my weaknesses by improving them throughout the year. With the several amounts of thought-provoking pieces of literature such as In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I was able to immerse myself into captivating pieces of literary work. By engaging myself into these novels, I was able to increase my reading comprehension and had the opportunity to learn the new ways of writing adopted by each author. As a student, I believe that I have developed even more since English 10H. My progress in this course has made me create this confidence I now have to continue into my academic studies. 

Throughout the year in AP Language, I have learned so much. I remember being taught the different types of logical fallacies and how they are used in an argument to support the writer’s view of a certain topic.  Analyzing arguments was another significant lesson I learned. I can also remember that there are three different approaches when it comes to making an argument effective; those approaches include the Classical approach, the Rogerian approach, and the Toulmin approach. All of which helped the class when it came to organizing our own argument. With this, we were able to construct our argument research paper. By creating my argument research paper, I was able to incorporate everything I knew about an effective argument and include it within my argument research paper. 

            Over the course of the year, I saw a growth in my writing when it came to assignments such as the Incentive essay and the Technology Information argument. With the Incentive essay, I saw where I needed improvement. Thanks to Ms. Fogarty’s helpful comments, I saw why I got a five. As I reviewed her comments, I learned that my thesis was not as strong as it should have been and that my introduction need more evidence. In my Technology Information argument, I realized that I had grown since the Incentive essay. The grade point was higher considering that I had made an effective argument and had synthesized the sources efficiently. The argument practice I did previously was probably the main facilitator that helped me achieved that higher grade. Overall, I was satisfied that I had increased my grade and had received great feedback from Ms. Fogarty. 

For my junior year, I was grateful for having a resourceful and informative teacher. From my perspective, I believed that Ms. Fogarty did a remarkable job in instructing the class. She was very patient with the class and instructed the class efficiently. I appreciate a teacher like that; makes me, as a student, more comfortable on doing my assignments. I also appreciate that she gave us worthy criticism on our work. It helped me a lot on improving all my assignments. Overall, Ms. Fogarty was a great teacher. Her instruction, constructive criticism, and her overall enthusiasm made her an ideal English teacher. 

I can honestly say that I am much better and more comfortable with writing than I was last year. I am not saying this because I have to; I actually appreciate all the things Ms. Fogarty has taught me this year because I am so much more comfortable with my writing skills than I have ever been before. One piece of advice I would give to a student who is struggling with this AP class is that he or she must find the source of his or her struggle. If the problem is within the classroom, the student should seek help from the teacher and clear the issue so that that student gets back on track. If it’s outside the classroom, the student should relieve the issue as soon as possible, that way the student has a clear road to perform efficiently. Every student taking an AP course must know that dedication is key. Students considering on taking an AP course must know that he or she must commit their time to homework and pay much attention to the teacher. Once the student is informed, he or she will then decide whether or not an AP course is the right thing to do. If taking an AP is the right thing to do, then he or she will then have to get ready... to Rumble!