Is This My Beyoncé Moment?

    I started this year with high hopes, even though I believed I would do well I did not expect to grow so much as a person taking this class. And much to my surprise, I grew in many ways this year. It may be because I have grown older and “wiser” but I cannot help but think that AP English had something to do with it. There are so many components that have gone into how I feel about this class that I do not know if it was the books we read, the people I spent my time with, or the relationship I was able to have with you (Ms. Fogarty, for others reading this). 

    This class has helped me grow so much as a writer, it helped me create concrete ideas and thoughts in what I personally believe. I think what I enjoyed most about this class was that we did not just stick to the books we were reading and how that one character did that one thing that time, we got to explore how the books we read effected and related to our own lives. Hearing others opinions on something I thought I was so firm on but ended up changing my opinion on. And even realizing that if you don’t know enough about a topic, then it is best not say anything at all. Reading books in class has pushed me to read more books on my own. Reading has helped me come accustomed to the different styles of different authors, and I have come to find out the more you read the easier it is to pick up on the literary elements that the author uses to convey his message. These skills that this class has helped me develop will be very influential on my future. These skills will hopefully be put to use next year with English 101/102, but even the fact that I am using these skills so frequently has helped me better understand them so that I can put these skills to use in college.

    All of the class work aside this class has helped me decide things about my future and what path I want to take for my future. Originally when I came into this class I believed that I wanted to be a writer. And as I have come to find out, I actually really do not want to do that. At all. And that goes against the fact that I love this class, and writing. But this class made me realize that a writers work can never be perfect. You can never get a literary work to perfection because somebody will always find something wrong with it. And that stresses me out, because on top of that a writer is one of the hardest jobs to attain (when receiving a regular salary). This class helped me explore what other options I was really interested in, not just something that sounded fun.

    From first quarter I have developed so much as writer, and its so visible in the pieces I selected to put into my portfolio. From my first quarter choice I cant tell that my style was under developed and lacked any kind of synthesis in the evidence that I chose to support my thesis. Looking at my other student choice pieces I see a clear difference within weeks of my first quarter piece. I think I began to find my voice in my writing and started to understand what type of work I needed to put into the essays I wrote. When I began to get lower grades in the beginning of the year than I was used to from the prior year I understood that I could not just do my work, I had to invest my time in the pieces that I handed in to get grades that I deserved.

    I think Ms. Fogarty did a wonderful job. Her methods in teaching each had a purpose and were each helpful in their own way. My favorite parts, and what I found the most helpful this year, were the Socratic Seminars we had. The seminars helped me further establish my views on a piece and help create a counter claim for the works that we were writing about. Personally I think that the readings we did were helpful but I would have liked more of a focus on the multiple choice for our AP exam. I think the essays we did were extremely helpful in preparing us for exam but we should have spent more time understanding the multiple choice on the AP. I also found that if I was paired with the wrong people for group editing that I would end up talking and wasting valuable class time, which I take full responsibility for not completing my work. I think this class was very helpful in helping me prepare for college. It is a class that relies on the responsibility of the student rather than the teacher. Meaning that Ms. Fogarty is not going to chase a student down for their work, a student has to take the responsibility and ask Ms. Fogarty what work they owe her.

    If a student is struggling in this class, I want to tell them that that is expected and normal. I struggled when I first entered this year. It is not something to make you feel less intelligent, you just have to work harder. Ask Ms. Fogarty to help you with anything you don’t understand. Do not be afraid to Google anything you don’t know, as long as you are not plagiarizing. Take every note and constructive criticism into account when writing your next essay and every essay from then on. Use your class time wisely! And take your time doing your work. Do not rush to get it done because you have something to do in twenty minutes. This is one of those classes where what ever work you put into it, is the same you will get in your results. And if you find that this class in not suited for you don’t be against the idea of changing classes. But put great thought into that before you actually make a decision.

    This year has been one of the best learning experiences I have ever had and I would like to thank Ms. Fogarty for being so helpful in this process. I have really enjoyed you as a teacher and I am very excited to have you again next year!