My “Then” and “Now”

            I am proud to say that the year is finally over!  Well, at least after this assignment.  It has been a long journey in which I have grown tremendously in thinking, reading, and writing.  Coming from the 10H class with Ms. Loussedes, I thought writing was all about sticking to a strict guideline and nothing more.  I tried so hard to perfect my writing in that format that I missed the entire point of writing, aside from the education standpoint.  Writing is meant to express the authors, me in this occasion, point while the authors enjoy themselves. From the beginning of this class, starting with the summer work I tried so hard to stick to someone else’s form of writing, that I found no joy in writing.  Though the year was hard, I slowly started to let go of that strict guideline and began to write for myself, and of course my grade.  AP Language has reopened my mind to feel free to express myself through writing, just as I would express myself through physical/emotional activity.  Unfortunately, I always found reading to be a burden.  This was obvious throughout the entire year, for the reason that, I only finished reading one book out of the many we read in class. The one book that I finished, Crazy for the Storm by Norman Ollestad, opened my mind up to realize, once more, that writing is about what the author want to say from their heart and mind, not what the authors has to say.  Safe to say that this AP Language class has allowed me to evolve in my thinking, to not only think outside the box, but to tear it up!
           To be honest, I do not know where I would use all of these skills in the outside world.  One thing I do know is that I will keep all of the valuable information I learned within the class for next year in English 101/102 with Ms. FogartyJ.  Outside of reading, writing, and thinking skills, I learned a lot of vocabulary.  I will continue to use these vocabulary terms beyond this class to further improve my speech, as well as my train-of-thought.
            During the beginning of the year I was completely fixated on the fact that I had to write to impress, or in other words, I had to write to show how sagacious I was by getting a good grade, and nothing more.  I stuck to writing with a guideline, that when the time came to write without a guideline, I broke down and was unable to successfully complete the task.  An example of my early work is the summer work.  I wrote for a grade to show the world what I had; I got a hundred for the assignment and it was not until now that I actually looked at the comments due to the fact that I was satisfied.  Throughout the year, I have matured as well as grown in my writing to the point that I lost the self-consciousness of writing for others and began to write show myself how sagacious I was and to allow for a connection between my mind and the paper. The maturity difference can be seen from the “The Power of Eminent Domain” essay in which I took time to utilize the information given and write a fully supported argument.  This maturity came from the many different critical reading activities, such as annotating, outlining, and highlighting important points/appeals within the columnist activity.  The maturity also facilitated from the constant writing of high level essays, in and out of the class.
            I do not know how Ms. Fogarty instructed me to reach where I am now
            From the few AP Courses that I have taken I feel that I can challenge other high college level courses.  I do not know if I am prepared for more college courses from just this course, but this course has instilled great hope for my future.  This course has given me confidence because I started out knowing nothing about prompts, syntax, diction, and rhetoric, but throughout the year I learned.  So, if I do plan to take more college courses I know that I can learn and overcome any educational challenge through practice and hard work.  
            Through my struggles in AP Language, the best thing for me to do was simply to relax.  The amount of work given is intense, but the more I thought about it the more stressed out I got.  My advice for this class is to relax and always seek help from Ms. Fogarty because she is always willing to help, and she usually has the answer! 

Farwell AP Language!

The End of All Things AP English

It is hard to believe that it has already been a full school year since September. It still feels like March, except hotter. The entire year has gone by so fast. But in eighth period AP English the time moved slowly. Having it directly after gym was also a low point. However, I learned a lot in the class over all. My way of writing- what I now know is known as prose- has changed dramatically throughout the year. When I began the course I had little talent in writing. My first free response question was poor and I received a four. This inspired me to work harder towards getting higher grades and at the end of the third quarter I had gone up two levels. I received a six on my research paper. Over the year my prose has improved vastly along with my usage of vocabulary and phrases. I have learned how to double check my sentences in an attempt to become positive that they sound right and make sense. I enjoyed most of the course work. It was not as difficult as what I was expecting but it still had a high level of difficulty. Many of the essays I spent quite a bit of time on and some of the projects were time intensive. The class did not however load me up with so much work that all I could ever do was work on a project. The class’ course load is less intense than my expectation and was very focused on reading and writing. Much of what we read was nonfiction or essays. The projects that we did were interesting and I enjoyed many of the Socratic Seminars. However putting together our own was rather difficult, especially since mine was not on my topic. There is definitely a lot of work in the class but it is not unbearable. Also, I can almost guarantee that anyone taking Ms. Fogarty’s class has and will improve in their writing. I am very pleased with the way my writing improved over the year and I am grateful that I know how my writing compares to college expectations. I definitely feel like I am more prepared both for next year when I take AP Literature and for any future college courses. I feel like my writing has gone from a lower high school level to at least something written by a college student who doesn’t perform as well in the language arts. While I am glad the year is ending I am also in awe of how far I have come and I am thankful to Ms. Fogarty for helping me learn how to write well and sophisticatedly. To anyone taking this class I say good luck. As advice whatever you do make sure you do all of your work to the best of your ability and don’t feel too bad if you don’t succeed at first. The course is designed to help you improve and you will get better as the year goes on. Also, whatever you do, do not let yourself fall behind in the course. It is a very good idea to make sure all of your course work is balanced and that you don’t slack off when you have work to do. I am happy to finally say I have made through my junior year and that I have made through AP English. When I began it was my worst nightmare, but I am happy and proud that I have seen it through and it was for the better. I have found a certain confidence in my writing and I hope I continue to improve.

The Due Date Gets Me Everytime

        When I was first introduced to AP Language I was excited for two main reasons: first because I would be in a more challenging class with my friends and second because someone my cousin went to high school with would be my teacher. And Ms. Fogarty you have certainly turned out to be an excellent teacher. Although as I reflect on my work from this year the effort that I put into some assignments might not show how much I actually enjoyed this class, I would like to reassure you that this class has actually helped me a great deal. Procrastination has always been a problem for me and not handing things in on time is the major consequence. I expected to buckle down this year, get all my work in and impress everyone. However I missed the mark. I found the work overwhelming at times and time management to be nothing even close to my friend. But their is a bright side to all this: I've learned from it. Reality hit me that I can not wait until the last minute and expect an essay worthy of a 7 to come out. If it wasn't for your challenging work I believe that I would go into my senior year expecting I could slack off, but now I'm certain I have to try harder than I ever have.

         My first semester work was not bad. I handed more in on time and even though I was not getting exceptional writing scores, I could see my writing improving. The more work I would put in the farther I would get. I enjoyed in class essays the most because they pushed me to get the work done right then and there in class as the ideas came to me when I was sitting there instead of never looking at an assignment until the night before it was due and not knowing what to put. The second in class essays we did was the Florence Kelley assignment and I remember being proud of what I wrote. On my first essay I had received a score of 4 and was pleased to find that my Kelley essay went up to a score of 5. A small achievement but I went with it. I was hoping for more improvement for that point on but most of my essays received 5s. The incentives argument we had done in class I was able to get a 6 on once we revised and typed them. I was rather happy at that point with my second achievement and my first 6.

         Second semester is where I fell off. I had promised in my quarter reflections that I would stay on track and hand I work and get higher scores. But I did quite the opposite. Unfortunately I was unable to keep my goals and I ended up handing in assignments late and not having much growth. Not all was lost however, I still preferred the in class essays to outside assignments and on the last essay we had done in class I received a score of 6. After receiving 5s on all my in class essays I finally stepped it up on my last one with, as the scoring guidelines would say, an adequate score. Falling behind in my other work was probably more disappointing to myself than anyone else though. I didn't manage to go as far as I wanted and with my friends all striding in front of me as proud, shining examples of what an AP Language student should be I began to feel even worse about my work. I ultimately gave up. Especially on the research essay that I had originally been exciting about, but never did. As I mentioned however, I've learned from this. I know I can not go into senior year procrastinating and I need to be able to suck it up and ask for help.

          Ms. Fogarty you have been an very challenging but wonderful teacher and I actually can not wait for next year. My lack of effort towards the end of the year does not reflect on your teaching but rather my own inabilities to meet the standards that I could have met if I just did the work. The skills and lessons I've learned through this year will certainly help me in my future work and I will remember all my mistakes. With this I feel prepared to take on more courses like this one. I just hope I remember: due dates do exist.

Better Luck In The 5th Quarter!

Through out my year in AP English my writings have made a tremendous change from the beginning of the year, till now. I came into this class not knowing what the expectations were for an AP English class. As I continued in the class my understanding for what was needed became clearer. My essay scores first started low and gradually started getting higher. My Information Technologies essay and Thomas Paine Argument essay were two essays that show growth from the 1^st quarter.

            My Information Technologies essay and my Thomas Paine Argument are two essays from the middle of the year that showed improvement from quarter 1. My Florence Kelly essay from the beginning of the year compared to the two from the middle of the year gives great evidence. In my Florence Kelly essay my thoughts are not as complete as they should be. I did not give dept enough examples to back up my point. As the year went on I began to expand more through those areas. I learned hat you can receive a higher mark if you elaborate on the point you are trying to get across and expand on your train of thought. It is also good to expand on your vocabulary. If you include all this and more in your essays, you should be excelling in the class.

            Throughout the year many, a lot of what Ms. Fogarty was doing worked for me but some did not. We would receive vocabulary quiz a few times a month that helped to build our vocabulary. If you studied for these test, it was an easy grade to increase your over all average. Out of class essays that were assigned also worked for me more then in class essays. I was able to take my time and expand my thought more while writing out of class essays. With the pressure of a time limit it was not always easy to develop all that you have to say. When you have more time it is easier to get it done. I also enjoyed the ten minutes writing sessions where we had to keep writing with out stopping. That exercise helped the brain to keep thinking even though you were not sure what else too write.

            I feel as though this course did prepare me for my college classes. Before taking this class I was not sure what to expect going in to this class, but now I am more aware of what college classes will be like. I advice other students to manage their time well while writing out or in class essays. Also it will be better if students practice writing in class essays more so they get comfortable with the time limit.

            Taking this class really prepared me for what college classes will be like and I know now what to expect. I am going to use all of the skills I learned from this year in my future classes.

Farewell AP LANGUAGE !

Last year when I was offered the chance to take AP language , I was undecided if I should take the course. The reason I was unsure to try this college class was for several different reasons. One of them being that I was not great at writing essays in a short time span. Although I was not the best writer I thought that taking this course will look well on my transcript. So I decided to try the course and find out what I will learn from it. As I look back at my work from the summer to now I notice improvement . I see changes in my writing prose style , vocabulary and more. It is clear that me encouraging myself to succeed and not slack off contributed to my passing grades in the class.
Although I was not use to doing homework over the summer for my next years class. I still enjoyed having the opportunity to accomplish the assignment that we were assigned to do. Since it was only having to write a rhetorical précis , it still gave me a little practice of what I would have to do the upcoming year. The first week of AP language was different compared to my honor English class. I had to be more independent and on top of my work. Since I wanted to make myself proud I did everything in my power to stay focus and not slack off. Honestly majority of the writing assignments we did I enjoyed. As well as all the different types of literature we were assigned to read.
As an AP student I was not only responsible for reading complex texts and writing lengthy essays. I had to balance out my time to either study for a vocabulary test or write on a columnist. I really enjoyed the vocabulary test because it strengthened my word choice verbally and in my writing. As for the columnist , I enjoyed researching a person who I can relate to. Since both assignments were not that difficult it made it less stressful to finish. As well as balancing my grade out with other difficult assignments.
When I look back at my Florence Kelley FRQ from first quarter, I notice quite a number of careless errors. The first error I notice is how I started writing numerous examples in my first paragraph. As I continued reading my paper I also came across things that I did correctly. An example of one is how I made sure to quote the author and the line number after a line from the text. It is clear that from the beginning of the year to now my writing has matured. It went from struggling to understand the prompt, to reading the prompt twice and knowing what the essay should consist of. Although I got a “3” on this essay I can still say that this “3” just made me want to strive higher. Allowing me to earn higher scores than I did earlier in the school year.
As my time as an AP student comes to an end , I can say that I am satisfied with all the new information I learned. Even though I never scored a perfect score on any of my assigned essays. I am still proud that I got to witness my growth from a honors student to a AP student over the course of the year. The course was a little challenging at times, but I still managed to balance out my time in order to get my work done. Also I made it my priority to go to Ms. Fogarty when ever I was in need of assistance on any assignment. Lastly I would recommend to anyone that is trying to take this course to not procrastinate. It will only make you frustrated and want to drop out the class. When you know that would be a bad idea , since you have the potential to succeed.

Shoot for the Stars!

Shoot for the Stars!

         Mrs. Fogarty’s AP English class was the first advanced placement course I have ever taken. I was in a new school and can admit to initially being intimidated by my fellow peers and what appeared to me as a higher academic level that they stood on opposed to the unfamiliar status I withheld on the classes overall setting.  My previous teachers, as well as my current teacher, saw the potential in me to excel in these advanced classes, but I did not. That is until I could see for myself the overall journey I've had as a reader, writer and thinker in AP language from the beginning of the year until now. To many teachers who may have known me prior to this year would have classified the work I've done thus far as a tremendous progression.

In the beginning of this year I was unable to identify writing purposes mainly because of my lack of knowledge on literary elements and techniques.  One of our classes earliest prompts were based on a speech written by Florence Kelly. This speeches main purpose was to advocate Kelly’s fight for child labor laws and improved conditions for working women to the National American Women Suffrage Association. The purpose of the prompt though was to identify rhetorical strategies she used in order to exemplify her purpose and message. In this essay I was not able to adequately synthesize the quote I used to support the reasons Kelly used the specific rhetorical strategies she did. For example I identified repetition as a literary element and as the supporting quote cited, “and as we sleep tonight”. My initial synthesized explanation was a very generally put response; “Kelly used the quote “and as we sleep tonight”, to illustrate how while America slept there were many children unprotected by child labor laws working the mills for long hours and low pay.” , this diminished the clarity in my writing. I did not richly support any claims I made leaving a very vague and incomplete explanation to the prompt. Looking back on the prompt now, I see I could have answered the, “how did she do this?” and increased the clarity and overall grade of my writing. The lack of supportive information in my essay though was great practice for more successful essays to come.

A few areas in which I have become more professional at due to this AP course are at understanding complex writings in their correct meanings and accurately understanding literary elements and techniques in their entirety. I now have the ability to break down pieces of literature, analyzing their use of literary elements and techniques, in order to clearly and efficiently synthesize the author’s message and purpose. For example, one of my best writings were on the contemporary scientist, Edward O. Wilson’s,  two passages satirizing the language of two groups that held opposing attitudes about environmentalism.  My first accomplishment was being able to identify satire. Coming into this year’s AP course I was unaware of its true meaning, then from there I was able to explain how, through the use of satire, Wilson portrayed the unproductive nature of such discussions (also known as the purpose).  I was able to explain the unproductive nature of this never ending battle between critics and environmentalist by citing quotes from Wilson’s writing and from the point of view of the critics, “Their conception of the public trust is a strong military establishment and subsidies for loggers and ranchers”, is an example of this. Citing the quote and identifying the rhetorical strategy was not the hard part, it was supporting the quote with supporting evidence all while keeping my argument central with clarity and brevity.  

 What worked for me most in this class were the Socratic seminars and In-class essays.  I would say the Socratic seminars were most effective in my personal growth because I learned how to speak in a more mature and professional etiquette, especially when it came to a topic that could be controversial and personal to my peers. This was very beneficial to me because I can use these skills in my life now and definitely in my journey to further my education and later pursue a career.  The In-class essays were helpful because, after learning the literary elements and techniques, the essays put a limit on the amount of time I had to comprehend the author’s message and further explain what the prompt asked of me (or the task). This was great practice and the more we did these essays, the better and faster I was able to successfully carry out these requirements.

I feel Mrs. Fogarty instructed this class very well. Even when I felt like I wasn't learning anything, I was truly absorbing all utensils needed to progress in the class, like the literary elements and techniques which ultimately made me a better reader in every aspect. The work load was a challenge, but very well prepared me for more challenging courses in which I aspire to attend in my future.  I've learned to discipline myself academically by using the deadlines to schedule the amount of time I would have to dedicate to my work, in order to finish my writing in a more efficient manner. I do not feel I was as successful as i could be in this class, but I definitely feel prepared to be successful in the future. 

            Some advice I would give to future students struggling in any AP class is to be attentive and punctual at all times. One of my greatest mistakes this year, as a result of being overwhelmed in all my classes, was not attending them or attending them late. You do not want to miss the experience and valuable information. Try to avoid missing classes altogether, you want your absences to be limited and your mind to stay “educationally fit”. Do your best even if it does not compare to the student next to you. Compare your work only to your previous work and you will always be satisfied with your progress.  Never doubt your potential, you must always shoot for the stars!

I Made It!

When I started this class I was afraid that I would not be ready for the work and the time it took to be in this class. I was wrong, I was ready and I completed the class and test with confidence. During this school year I learned a lot about my writing strengths and weaknesses. I learned that I need help on making my essay’s exhibit a mature prose style. I learned I needed more analysis for quotes and to make my thesis statements more central in argument essays. Performing these methods in every essay was quite a challenge, but I managed to do it.

My journey as a reader was similar to that of my writing. I learned that procrastination is the pitfall to be avoided during the reading assignments. The literary books this school year was different from that of my past classes. These books were more challenging and took more time than in the past. Reading these literary books helped me to get rid of my habit of procrastination. Waiting until the last minute to read one of the books assigned put a lot more stress on one and sometimes did not get finished. But reading these books helped to expose me to the different genres of literature and different interpretations on certain issues.

I can apply the skills I learned this year for future classes and courses. Now I know how and what to put forth in any essay and how to approach it.

It can be seen in my writing samples that I have grown as a writer since 1^st quarter. I would say practice helped me to make my essays better. Learning from my mistakes and using it to put in my newest essay helped to improve my score. Essays from 1^st quarter revealed my writing skills from 10^th grade, but as I received criticism and examples of how my essays should be, my scores increased as did my knowledge on certain issues. Changing from a high school English course to a college English course took adjustment and hard work.

Ms.Fograty’s instruction this year was different from my past English teachers because hers was more in depth and critical. Ms.Fograty is one of the best English teacher I have ever had; she helped me to grow as a reader and writer this school year and also help me prepare for future courses. The assignments were not hard, they just it took more time than past assignments. I learned that during this class you shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions on what you don’t understand. I feel like I am 80% ready for more college courses because I believe that this class prepared for what frture college english corses are going to be like.

To any future AP Language students who like to procrastinate, don’t. This course is only difficult if you make it. You have to do all work and make deadlines. Procrastinating is only going to set you back and make this course dreadful and hard. Trust me I know. Procrastination is like my middle name but as I look back it could’ve been better if I didn’t procrastinate. Also don’t be afraid to ask questions, its only going to help you for the future and pay attention. This class goes by fast before you know it is time for the AP exam, so pay attention.

A Journey That Changed Me

           My Journey began in the summer when I first received my summer work. When I first glanced at the summer work for the class I thought it was a lot, but as I started doing the work I gained more confidence in myself. AP English Language and Composition has helped me developed my reading and writing skills as well as comprehension skills.

           My experience in the first quarter of AP English was difficult at first because I had to learn how to write rhetorical precis and manage my time on essays. Whenever we had to write an in class essay I would never finish the essay because I would usually run out of time, yet throughout the year I improved and was able to finish an essay in time and even have a few minutes left to go over the essay. The first in class essay I wrote was the Didion and Swift Compare and Contrast essay however I did not get a good grade. I received a three on this essay and it was because I did not understand the essay and what the essayist was trying to convey. Although, my first essay did not receive a good score I did not lose faith in myself and improve throughout the year and I was able to obtain one of my goals which was to get a six on an essay.

           Then soon the first quarter had ended and the second quarter approached. During the second quarter I got to read different genres of literature such as In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. I really enjoyed reading these two pieces of literature they were both so different and yet alike. Although I enjoyed this quarter I did have some difficulties in the Incentives for Charity essay because I could not write a good claim or rewrite my claim in my conclusion paragraph. As the year progressed I improved and I learned how to write a well developed claim and it not only helped me in this class, but in other classes as well; just like that the second quarter ended and the third quarter was here.

           Third quarter came and it had brought a new challenge that I had to overcome. Writing the research paper and managing my time to hand it in on time. The research paper was fun to do yet it required a lot of time to research one's topic and if one procrastinated they would not finish on time. While doing the research paper I learned a lot of facts that I had never known about nature (my topic). In the third quarter we also read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne which had been a book I've wanted to read for a long time. I had a bit of trouble coming up with good socratic seminar questions that connected with the world, but I got better at making up the questions.

           The year is almost over and this is the last quarter. This quarter I had to prepare for the AP exam which was tiring and long, but over all I think I did a good job and in my essays it reflected all that I have done throughout the year. It has been a lot of fun this year in AP English Language and Composition and throughout the year I have become a better writer and reader.

           The skills that I have acquired this year will be put to good use in classes that I will next year. Ms. Fogarty has been a great instructor and thanks to her I was able to fix my mistakes on my essays and improve. As I recollect this year in AP English Language and Composition I can see how much I have improved and I know that this experience will help me in the future.

Obstacles Of Education

The AP English Language and Composition course is not one that can be considered an easy grade. Approaching the course with the expectations that you will not have to work hard is one of the worst things you can do. The writing style and critical thinking essential to your success in the course may seem unorthodox at first. I warn any of next year’s students to be prepared to receive grades that they may not be accustom to. The requirements and guide lines for the rhetorical précis and analysis essays are a bit different from what is taught in English 10H. Accepting criticism is a huge part of becoming a better writer and critical thinker in the class. I urge students to see grades that may seem unsettling as pieces of advice to better their writing in the future.

            Despite my prior beliefs this class has taught me that your writing can always be improved. No matter how many drafts are written improvements are possible. It is always better to go into great detail with as many examples as possible. My writing improved in connecting my examples to my thesis in a more specific way. I have learned when developing a thesis to attempt to connect it to the world. The broader it is the easier it becomes to connect it to a text. I have improved greatly from the first quarter to now. My biggest improvement stems from making better connections when it comes to referring to a literary device an author chose to use. I struggled with recognizing literary devices as well as wording how it improved the authors writing. After reading multiple essays that Ms. Forgarty corrected and graded, I began to get a feel for how it is suppose to be done. My improvement stems from being able to accept criticism as a way to improve myself rather then take it as an insult to my writing.

            The course definitely prepared me for more intense writing classes. I feel I am more mentally prepared because I have learned to take my downfalls and turn them into guidelines for what not to do and what to continue to do. I have learned to push my limits when it comes to writing. Getting to comfortable with one particular type of essay or just one subject allows me to get to content with what I am doing and never try anything new. When it comes to writing there is a thin line between following the guidelines and thinking outside of the box. When writing and trying to appear to have a different incite from others it is important to remember to stay on task and continue to have a professional tone. It is okay to try new things when writing or addressing tasks differently as long as the task is completed and a more mature pros style is continuous throughout your writing.

            Ms. Fogarty was extremely helpful throughout the year. She definitely made me feel more comfortable in the beginning of the year assuring all of the class that improvements would come in due time. I struggled to understand some of the writing tasks that we were expected to reach but she did her best to explain. What I like most is that throughout the class she offers constant practice in different aspects of what will be on the AP exam. I do not have many complaints about Ms. Fogarty’s teaching style. I was afforded multiple opportunities to learn different techniques on how to approach tasks and times to practice them. I enjoyed the class and feel as if I gained a lot from it. I am definitely more prepared for college courses although I hope that next years English course prepares me even more.

My Experience

I have my flaws as a writer, but I also have improved as a writer this year. This course has definitely challenged me. This course required me to stay determined and to be a hard working. I definitely still have many things I need to work on as a writer. In the class we read various books. Some difficult readings and some entertaining. This class pushed me to try and think more complex and to push myself.

Taking this AP course was not easy for me. Asking questions and practice helped me a lot. I learned how to write various types of essays. At the beginning of the year my writing grades were not very good. I was always receiving the same grade on my writing assignments. Then later on in the year I started improving. I was improving because I was asking questions. Also the past assignments we did in previous quarters helped me to practice my writing techniques. When I had to write any paper I used an outline or a rough copy because it helped a lot. The rough copy helped me finish the assignment quicker and come up with new ideas. The argument paper was a little more harder than our past writing assignments. Trying to come up different things to add to make the paper longer and the works cited page was the most difficult part for me. The different diction we learned also helped me to write the different writing assignments we had to do. The support form our teacher helped a lot also. All the books given to us to read were enjoyable in my opinion. I especially enjoyed In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. The books we were given to read opened me up to different vocabulary.

In AP Language we were given various types of assignments. One assignment that I did like was the columnist because it was not difficult to do so it helped to boost my average in the class. I learned something new every time I had to find a columnist. The vocabulary test were also very helpful in teaching me new words and also helped to boost my average in the class because it was not difficult.

A Moment to Reflect

The school year is finally over and I have learned so many things. I learned how to write effective essays, I have improved by ability to analyze texts, and I have learned about rhetorical strategies. AP Laguage was a new experience for me and different than past English classes. I was no longer just completing assignments, but actually working to improve myself.

The work has been more demanding that previous English classes, with more assignments and higher expectations for my work. The pace was faster, no longer having a week to complete an essay, but a night or even one class period. Managing my time for assignments was a bigger issue for me this year than in previous years. With AP classes, other classes, sports...., it was a real challenge to get my work done. In addition to that, another challenge for me, and many others, was procrastination and focusing on assignments. This has led to careless errors, difficulty in understanding the task, and unprofessionlal work. Although I have not kicked the habit, I have done better in setting more time aside for my assignments. Scheduling has become an important way in which I have managed my time.

As a result of taking AP Language, my writing has greatly improved. I have gone from recieving a four to receiving a few, more respectable, sevens and even one eight. In the past years, I did not put much effort or deep thought into my essays. My essays were vague, analyzed very little, and involved a little too much summaring. When introduced to this class, I learned that the main goal was to improve writing and I wanted to make a real attempt. After recieving back my first few essays, I saw that a problem that I needed to worked on was analyzing more, so that was what I worked on throughout the year. I have seen my efforts pay off when comparing my writing samples from Quarter one to Quarter four. I have seen that my writing has gone from vague and simple to more straigtfoward and more anayzed and I have learned to address the task more effectively. My improved writing will definetly help me in the future. Writing is an important skill to have today and is needed for many classes (now, even gym), for college admission, and for job resumes.

In this class, I have been given more freedom in my writing. There was no longer outlined format for writing assignments and there was little preparation for the assignment, only addressing the task the most effective way that I could. There was no straightfoward way of addressing the task, but millions of possibilities, which was new and at first intimidating for me. I was also required to form a position on a task and express my opinions on it, which was also fairly new to me. In this class I have practiced backing up my opinions, either through literary examples, wordly examples, or through personal experience. The loose requirements have allowed me to write how I felt comfortable and has allowed me to develop my own voice and my own style of writing. They have also challenged me. I have become responsible for improving my writing. I feel that my writing has improved the most in this English class than any other and I will continue to work on improving my writing.

The reading assignments given this year have made it easier for me to figure out and understand the purpose of the writer and to find the literary and rhetorical techniques that are used. The Socratic seminars for In Cold Blood and The Scarlett Letter, have allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the purpose of the books and to see how the problems in those stories relate to our lives today, which I found interesting. By answeing the questions on essays and short stories, I was able to learn how to analyze a text. This has helped me not only in reading comprehension, but also in my own writing. By understanding how that author acheived his task, I better understood the ways in which I could sucessfully address the tasks that I was given. Reading too is a very important skill, one that I will use in the future from school, to work, to everyday life.

I am extremely glad that I have taken this class. I am proud of my personnal imporovement throughout the year and greatful for the challenges that I have been presented and have overcome. Because of this class, I now take reading and writing more seriously and find them more enjoyable. I have also gained confidence in my writing. I now feel more prepared for the future and the challenges that it presents.

Procrastination At Its Finest

This AP language class has been a struggle for me through this whole year. If I was more determined throughout the course, my grade would have increased more over the time period. The truth is, this class was not my favorite, because I did not understand some of the material that was taught. I enjoyed some of the assignments in this class, such as; the Socratic seminars, and a couple of the in class essays that were timed. Having essays that were timed in class were helpful to me because it gave me an idea of how the AP test was. I wish we read more of a variety of books and do assignments on them, instead of just the books we were forced to read.

            I have realized over the year, my weaknesses and strengths when it comes to English. Writing has not been my easiest subject because I run out of ideas to talk about in an essay or I repeat stuff. I wish I would have put more effort into my work instead of slacking off as the year was ending. My strengths of this class was creating Socratic Seminar questions and adding detailed information to back up my topics when writing an essay.

            This class was challenging, and stressful to keep up with. I am not happy with my grade this quarter; it has decreased since all the other quarter grades, because I slacked off and stopped trying. I know I could’ve achieved more in this class if I did not talk as much in class and if I paid attention more. I know now as my junior year comes to a conclusion that taking an AP course is not as easy as some make it seem. I admit that I am lazy when it comes to writing 4-6 page papers because I do not want to write anymore or I cannot think of anything else to say.

            Ms. Fogarty, you are a wonderful teacher and your teaching has definitely created a better writer out of me. I would love to be able to have you as a teacher again next year because I feel like I learned more in your English class than in my past English classes. My writing capabilities have matured and I use more advanced vocabulary, thanks to your class. It was a definite challenge adjusting from a tenth grade honors class with a push over teacher, into a more mature class with a teacher that is dedicated to her students.

            Even though this class was hard for me, I enjoyed having a hands-on, educated, sweet, teacher that taught me ways to improve each and every day on my writing skills. I procrastinated in this class, but I managed to keep decent grades for this class, except for the last quarter where I just stopped trying as much as I should have. In this AP class I was expecting more interesting material, than some of the assignments we received. The exam that took place in May was stressful and LONG, I could not wait to be out of that test. It was hard to come up with three essay outlines and over 50 multiple choice questions in a short amount of time.

            Ms. Fogarty, it was a pleasure to have you as a teacher this year. I can go into my class senior year with so much knowledge that you introduced me to, and feel wonderful about it. This was not an easy year, but I do not regret taking this class whatsoever even though my grades were up and down like a rollercoaster. My goal for senior year English, is to focus even more and to improve using the all the information I learned this year and use it.

A Heavy Load of Laziness...

Growth occurs differently depending on the person. Throughout the year my reading and writing skills have grown at a slow pace. From quarter one to quarter four; I have gained some insight regarding English. I have learned how to decipher the meaning and underlining causes to complex reading and writings. These specific techniques will allow me to locate the complex thesis statements in intricate readings when I get to college. My writing has also improved slowly; I gradually went from receiving three’s on A.P. essay prompts in the first quarter to receiving fives in the last quarter. Though my skills have improved slowly this year, I have grown a lot. I have learned a lot of things that I can carry with me to college.

            My junior year is finally coming to an end and I can not wait for the school year to be over. In September I assumed that A.P English would acquire a heavy work load that would take up most of my time, and I was right. What I did not realize was that throughout the year the assignments would become more and more gruesome. As the assignments grew more and more intense, the end of the year came near laziness overpowered me, procrastination became a serious problem and I started to hand in less work in on time. This damaged my potential as a writer, reader and thinker because it limited the things I could do.  My lateness for handing in work also hindered my abilities. This laziness leads to a serious procrastination problem that not only affected me in English but in other classes as well.

 Aside from the lessons and techniques I have learned this year, not becoming a lazy coach potato was the most important lesson I learned this year. Learning that laziness doesn’t just effect one class or one aspect of life, I would recommend to future A.P English students that in order to be successful in this class; a happy medium between school work and relaxation time is needed. Finding that medium is difficult because one can easily outweigh the other. Finding this medium will allow your achedemic life as well as your personal life, to be a bit easier. After learning this very important lesson I feel that I will be a little bit more prepared for more college level courses because I have experienced a small amount of insight toward college classes. Ms. Fogarty also aided in preparing me for college through her teaching techniques. Although I prefer not to work alone, her excessive use of independent work allowed me to realize that college will not include group work but individualism. The numerous reading assignments in the beginning of the year also opened my eyes to the college life and helped me to see that I can not afford to get lazy. It proved to me that once you get lazy you are constantly playing catch up and that in college sometimes you cannot catch up or edit work that was incomplete or late. I thank Ms.Fogarty for teaching me new techniques and opening my eyes to the college life however the duration she took to give back assignments makes me skeptical about how long teachers in college will take to give back work. Overall I commend Ms.Fogarty for putting up with us as well as providing me with new learning techniques. I have grown a lot and I will try to inform everyone that laziness only leads to bigger problems lead to longer lasting issues. Finding a balance in your life will be beneficial to you academically and in your personal life.

 

A Little Push

I can admit that I may have played around a little too much. My junior year in AP English Language was not the best but I have prevailed and completed it. There have been some assignments that I did not complete and some that I have handed in late but I have improved and progressed in my writing. There were many times that I felt ashamed because if I had handed in my work on time I would have received the grade I really deserved but instead I lost points because I decided to be lazy. In the beginning of the year I started off receiving threes but by the end of the year I was able to acquire sixes and sevens. Being able to receive a seven in the class gave me so much pride and I can say that it was my greatest joy to accomplish this.

You have required me to read many different pieces of literature, including over the SUMMER, in which I have only read a few but the few I have read I enjoyed. I thank you for opening up my mind to different types of writing. Thank you for being able to explain each kind of writing to me, making sure that I actually understand what I have read. Each book I will be able to use on the regents that I am obligated to take at the end of the year. There are also many principles, morals and lessons that were conveyed in each story, allowing me to be able to use it in my life to make me a better person. I can HONESTLY say that this class alone has helped me grow, not only as a student, but as a young lady.

In the beginning of the year I was not sure on how to write a strong introduction, let alone a rhetorical précis. I did not even know what a rhetorical précis was. Over the summer you gave out a packet the guided me through this rhetorical précis and allowed me to understand what it was and how to write one. Though I learned to write a rhetorical précis I had a really bad problem of not using prose style. My tone that I applied in my writing was not academic enough. With your help of vocabulary quizzes I was able to utilize vocabulary words to the fullest in an educated manor. Your terms also allowed me to prepare better for my SAT that I had to take. My SAT can play a large role in determining which college I could be accepted into and you helped me to raise my score from my practice test.

Your curriculum for the year was very helpful. It all flowed in sync with the next topic to learn. You helped me learn how to write an effective argument essay. I loved the way you broke things down. I do not believe there was a time I felt as if you went to fast besides due dates. Sometimes you required many things to be due around the same time. Sometimes I did feel a sense of overload but most of the times it would be because I did not hand in things when I was suppose to so everything got backed up and I had much to write at one time. The fact that you allowed me to rewrite many of my essays permitted me to se what I did wrong, what I could do to improve. It made me mature as a writer and obtain a grade that you knew I could get.

As this year comes to an end I see myself being able to write many more complicated essays for college in the future. With the assistance of you Ms. Fogarty I feel as if I can learn to write anything I need to. You opened my eyes to see that I can write and read difficult pieces even when I may not want to or think that I can because all I need is a little push sometimes. A little push can go far sometimes depending on how much force you put into this push. My only critique for you Ms. Fogarty is to get work back a liiiiitttttlllleeeeeee bit faster because sometimes you do not allow students to revise a piece that they could fix to be so much better then what it was. I am not speaking for myself because I hand in work late.

As for the next student who will have Ms. Fogarty, all I have to say is If you are a student struggling with AP English Language I advise you that it can only be because you are not pacing yourself correctly. I mean I'm just going by what I struggled with which was timing. I became too lazy. The material was not hard, once it was explained that is. You can do anything you set your mind to as long as you fully put yourself and dedicate your time and effort to your true desires, including this class. Maybe you need a little push to proceed but once you get that push I promise you you can do it.

A long way to go

A Long Way To Go

            My year in Ms.Fogarty’s AP English class, was such a challenge for me, I was so used to just not doing all my work before going to her class and just getting by. Ms. Your class opened my eyes to the fact that I actually do have to put in work in order for me to succeed, not only in your class but all of my classes for the rest of my school career. I really was not putting my best foot forward in the beginning of the class and nobody to blame but myself.

            Although I didn’t do what I should have done in the class ms.Fogarty is a very good teacher, she is so serious about deadlines. I remember I received a paper back that I handed in like a good four days late and I lost twenty points and that made me end up with a failing grade for that paper. There was another time I lost fifteen points on a paper for it being late, but I am glad she allowed me to hand the paper in instead of leaving it a zero and not accepting my paper at all.

            This class made me a better writer and critical thinker, it challenged me to do more than what I had been used to doing. I began to set a higher standard for myself, and saw that I could not just sit back in everything and do the bare minimum. I thought that when she was giving us vocabulary quizzes that it would be easy and I wouldn’t have to study, but I was in for a rude awakening. Those words to me looked like a completely different language, I sat down for the test and I was so confused. That’s when I realized this class was something critical and I needed to do my work and actually study.

             I know that if I had asked for help or attended the help that she offered I would have done a lot better in that class. I started to do better with handing my assignments in on time, but I would actually start writing and planning my assignments with only a day left which is absolutely no good. As we entered into the third quarter I started to break away from my procrastinating ways and an improvement began to show in my work.

            I was constantly late to class, I had no first period and this is my second period class still very late or I missed the period. In the beginning of class would normally be when due dates were announced and new assignments were introduced, and when my mom asked about the assignments and why they were missing I would have no idea what she was talking about. “There is no time like on time!”I hear a student say all the time through the hall way, my mom constantly was on me about getting to class and I still hadn’t got it together.

            The second semester, I am not sure what it was that made me get it together but I am just going to say that I began to see the light. I really started to wake up at seven forty in the morning and rushing to get to class. I was bribed a little bit by caffeine, if I didn’t get up early enough my dad wouldn’t take me to Dunkin donuts and I really wanted that large coffee light and sweet.

            I really enjoyed the Socratic seminars that we had throughout the year, it was a great way for the whole class to interact with each other and discuss the books that we were reading together. It made us think a lot deeper beyond just the traditional English class settings by allowing us to express our own view points of politics and religion.

With the advice that Ms.Fogarty gave me for the essays that we had to write was a very good way for me to identify what it was that I needed to work on in my writing.  By using that I was able to grow as a better writer.

            I know that everything that we learned in this class can and will be applied outside of this class. The strategies that we learned for organizing our writing, reading and critical thinking will be necessary when we start preparing for college. When we start writing essays for college scholarships and for applications it must be well organized and show that you are a well educated and thoughtful writer and person. Nobody is going to want to accept a person that writes an essay and it has a ton of grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and capitalization malfunctions.

            I will continue to apply the things that I learned from this class to any other class I need to take throughout the rest of high school and college. I am going to take my work a lot more seriously from this point on. Thanks Ms.Fogarty for the time that you put in and for giving me the chance to improve and assisting me in that process.

             

Doesn't Matter, I'm Going to be A Star Anyways!!

With AP Language being one of the first AP classes I have taken, I found it difficult to adjust. However, after being in the class and adapting to the new level of difficulty I began to get very comfortable. I got along well with my peers and had the privilege of being in the presence of a well-mannered and caring instructor.
My writing skills over the past four quarters have both matured and expanded. I was exposed to new methods of writing that will help throughout my future in education. With English being one of my stronger subjects, I will continue to study it and hone my skills throughout my college career. My ability to read and truly comprehend a text have excelled this year. I now have a true understanding of the many passages and or books/novels I have read. By bettering my reading and comprehension, my strength to persevere through difficult multiple choice questions was brought to the surface. I am not the best at the multiple choice, but I am no longer afraid when I come across it.

Aside from the basic skills needed in an English class, I learned how to work well with fellow classmates. Assignments that incorporated group work helped to bring me closer to classmates in an academic setting. I appreciated being able to divide work amongst one another; not only did it take a load off of our shoulders but it allowed room for error. It was always pleasant knowing that a kind peer would always help steer you back in the right direction if you fell short.

With you having such a personal interest in the development of your students helped me develop all the skills previously mentioned. Without your guidance and leadership in the classroom it would have been extremely difficult. I always believed that an instructor should be hands on and interact with his/her students in order for them to get the full effect of the course. And you did just that. I appreciate you.

I feel that you are very fair in all you do, and that next year's class is a lucky bunch. My advice to a student struggling in this class is; take it seriously. This course is not one of the subjects you want to look back on and say, “ I wish I did better”. Which is something I've come face to face with now.

My preparation for other college courses is evident. I now have an idea of what to expect, and with taking heed to that I will be able to perform at my best. This course was a great experience for me and it is a mile stone compared to other courses I have decided to take on. I will always struggle will deadlines, I've convinced myself I will forever fall short when it comes to that. But I will continue to work on it.