This has to end!

Throughout the school year AP Language was an eye opening experience. The challenges of this class have allowed me to learn more about the English language and myself. Throughout the year there were many lessons that I learned that will help me in and out of the classroom. There are thing I learned in AP Language that helped me to become a better student.

            This year in AP Language was a learning experience. I learned what I should and shouldn’t do when taking an AP course. My main problem in this class was procrastination. Throughout all of my years in school I procrastinated, but I believe that this year was the worse. I believe the reason I procrastinate so much is because at the last minute I am forced to complete my work and that is how I usually get my work done. For example, I started this paper with only two hours left until the deadline. I had every opportunity to complete this reflection last week or over the weekend, but I waited to the last minute and I have to rush and complete my work before twelve. I adapted the bad habit of procrastination many years ago and it is very hard to get rid of. I know that procrastination is a bad habit and I need to fix it before next year and definitely before college. I also know that I cannot go through life procrastination so I need to stop this bad habit while I can.

            This year my writing and thinking have changed. My writing has improved since the first quarter. In the beginning of the year writing free response questions (FRQ’s) was challenging. In the beginning of the year the essays I wrote did not answer the prompt, but towards the end of the year I began to read the prompt more and actually answer the prompt. My thinking reading and have gotten better. I learned that when reading a book, text, essay, etc. there are a few questions I am must ask my self, such as, what is the author’s purpose of writing this text, who is the intended audience, is this fiction or nonfiction and by asking myself these questions I will be able to get a better understanding of the text. Also by asking myself these questions I was able to become a better thinker because I could just read the words of the text, but I actually had to think beyond the words in order to grasp and understand what the author is really trying to say. These skills can be applied and used in our daily lives and in our future English classes. For instance, in an argument we need to take one side and give our viewpoints and an opposing view on a certain topic. That also can be applied in real life when you get in a disagreement with someone, you need to take your side and use situations to prove the other person wrong.  Therefore AP Language has allowed me to become a better thinker, writer, and reader and allowed me to use the lessons to everyday life.

            The lesson Ms. Fogarty taught us over the school year can really go with us in our educational and personal lives. The way Ms. Fogarty taught was clear and I was able to understand it. Many things in the class worked for me such as peer editing because it allowed me to take criticism of my work from another student in class. I also enjoyed free writing and writing on specific topics. By doing this I was forced to continuously write and think about thing related to a specific topic.

            Overall this year in AP Language has prepared me for future English classes and writing.  I am determined to change my procrastination habits for next year in English 101 and 102. I will used the skills I learned in AP Language and build on them to become a better writer, thinker, and reader. I am happy that I took this class because it gave me a glimpse of how a college level class will and how to prepare for it.