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For our final reflection letters to Ms. Fogarty regarding our time in AP English Language this year, we were asked to summarize our journeys as thinkers, writers and readers. This is a task that is more easily said then done, I can assure you. As I sit in front of my computer screen on a Saturday night (because yes, I love English that much and I have nothing else to do), I am finding it difficult to do my feelings towards this class justice. I fear that anything I write or express will seem diluted or bound with clichés and that is not how I want to remember this class and most definitely not the way I want future students to approach the class.  However, I am duty-bound, and my objective for the evening is to summarize my time spent in second period English over the past one hundred and eighty days. Fair warning; I previously mentioned a fear of clichés, and believe me they are swiftly approaching and are in large quantities.

To start off, I will describe my journey, as I previously mentioned, as a reader, writer and thinker. As Ms. Fogarty already knows from reading my writing samples all year, I have the tendency to be a bit long-winded when I write. Now that you have been fairly warned, I can continue to recollect on what I believe was the year I grew the most as a writer, reader and thinker. At the beginning of my junior year, I approached this class with a confident ease that usually accompanies too much self-assurance. This is not to say I thought of myself as anything more than an adequate writer. However, I did have the impression this class would present no extreme challenge to me. I thought, “How hard could this class be? It’s only reading and writing.”  For those of you who are reading this and have yet to take Ms. Fogarty’s English class, I would not suggest entering her room with the idea that you know everything there is to know about writing. Do you want to know why? Here’s the reason: you do not know everything. It is a hard truth to face, but it is the truth. No one knows everything about English.

Throughout my time as a student of Ms. Fogarty’s, I went from thinking that reading and writing was something simple, to coming the harsh realization that all aspects of English are everything except easy. Case in point, the first substantial reading assignment we were given this year was the non-fiction novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. I had some previous knowledge of the story surrounding the piece and was somewhat familiar with Capote’s writing style. However, when I picked up this book, I found myself reading and re-reading chapters in order to wrap my mind around what was written on the pages. We were given time to think (and I really mean think) about what we read. We were able to discuss out ideas with others, and make ourselves think deeper and deeper not only about the words Capote wrote, but what his words meant. While uncovering layers and layers, we were also able to freely write about our own opinions on Capote’s work and style. Therefore, to summarize my journey as a reader, writer and thinker, I have to say that I believe this class had made me wiser and exponentially better at seeing the multiple dimensions of literature, and how better to write about those dimensions.

If one were to read my writing samples from both the first and last quarters this year, one would see a vast improvement. I went from scoring fours and fives, to scoring sevens and eights (and one almost nine, I was so close!). I can attribute this to the fact that I no longer assume that what I write is the one and only way to think about or approach a topic. I grew so much as a writer in this sense because I can now appreciate that others can and will have opinions different than my own. I will never assume that only I am right nor do I assume that my opinions are wrong. Everyone has opinions, biases and personal ideologies, and as soon as I realized that, I became a better writer.

As we near the final days of AP English Language, I can plainly see that I will be able to apply the skills I have acquired in this class to both other classes and in other parts of my life. The word “collaboration” comes to mind when I ponder how I will carry my new skills out into the world with me. To explain, I should say that after a year of Ms. Fogarty’s class, that I can safely say this: I have learned to appreciate the value of others peoples opinions, criticisms and habits. I am a bit of a loner, both by habit and choice. I enjoy working alone, surrounded by my own thoughts. However, in the future where often times jobs require people to work in groups or partners, my solitary comfort zone will not always be an option. This class has taught me to value what others have to say, and also given me the skill of modifying my ideas in order to work with others. Another aspect of this class that I am grateful for was the strict curriculum. Being an Advanced Placement class, not only was the work different, but also the style of the class. The pace at which Ms. Fogarty ran her class was much faster than I had anticipated. This I know will benefit me when I move on to college level English classes as well as collegiate classes in other areas of study.

Finally, I feel it is important to take a moment to discuss the woman who made all this growth and maturation possible. Ms. Fogarty, in all her infinite wisdom (and patience), has made this past year seem equally challenging, laid-back and fun (at least for me). I personally wish to thank her for all of the hard word and endurance I know she put into each and every person this year in order to prepare us for the AP test we had in May. Though she stuck to the curriculum, Ms. Fogarty would often accommodate class time to revisit any areas we needed help in, took time out to conference with individual students, and allowed us all to think and explore freely all while fighting the urge to strangle certain students, who shall remain nameless (Alright, it was me and Aphrodite. We were pretty irritating). All in all, I would say that Ms. Fogarty did a fantastic job instructing us in how to be better writers and thinkers than we thought we could ever be. Please, Ms. Fogarty, do not change a thing!

To wrap up what I am sure is a frustratingly long reflection (I warned you I was long winded), I will just make a few simple statements. First being this: if you think you are a bad writer, think again. If you really try and put in an effort, anyone can pull out an eight or nine on an AP essay. Second: if you need help, ask for it. Honestly, if you retain anything from what I have written, let it be that help is always around when you need it, whether in a fellow student or Ms. Fogarty. Third: if you find yourself truly struggling, just remember that every successful writer has gotten frustrated and tore up pages or given up on a story/idea. You will always have the option to start over with a new idea. Lastly: I know English classes may all seem the same to some people. They are not, however. I know it was a shock to me too. Just know that this class, if taken seriously, has the ability to expand a person’s minds to think outside of what one simply reads on a page and connect it to one’s own life and experiences.

Are there enough cheesy clichés for you? Well, it’s an English reflection essay, I am allowed to make some sweeping statements if I like. All in all, it has been one interesting year, and I hope everyone the best on his or her AP scores and for a great senior year this fall!