Senior AP English overview

Hmmm how to summarize senior year English in one blog post, well it was memorable for sure. I can't say that I have ever been more frustrated with a class then this one. All I can hope for is that all the work I've done has prepared me for the test next week. In all honesty, I don't feel prepared for the AP exam and I'm kinda upset with the fact that four major assignment were given to the class the week and a half before the test. The poetry test, independent reading book number three, the poetry project, and the poetry essay all before the exam! I have not had the time nor energy to study the past lessons because of the work load of these past few weeks. Overall the class was made even more difficult because it is senior year. I know you've heard this a million times and its the same statement year after year, but it doesn't change the fact that senior year is known to be a year to breeze through. I'm thankful that this class prevented me from breezing through, but because of that this year has been even more stressful than the past. Maybe I'm just being dramatic, but this class was much more work than I thought it would be. Maybe at the beginning of next year you should warn your students as to what they are getting themselves into. You're a great teacher, it is the class that I do not like, not you. Thanks for dealing with the moans and laziness that seniors bring along!

Poetry Project

The poetry projects went better than I thought they would go. Just because I am in my group, I am subjective when I say this, but I really thought that Kim's song for the make it memorable part was the best in the class. It was really cool how she managed to make a Robert Frost poem modern and sing it to a tune that many people recognize. I also believe that it was the most entertaining and out of all the groups, ours was the most memorable. I did enjoy all the sweets that people brought in and there were also some really creative groups that thought if ideas that were unique. The make it memorable part was the only part of the project that really stood out to me. To be honest I couldn't tell you any group's except my own style of the time period or poets. It's not that I wasn't paying attention, it's because of the quantity of information that I was given. They were very informative and covered the information really well, it's just that they were kinda boring at times. To improve on the project if you were to do it next year, I would focus on a specific time period or movement and then break that up. It was just too much presented at one time and therefore the quality of attention was not given that was deserved. I surprisingly liked the make it memorable part the most, so I would definitely keep that. It was surprising to me that I liked it because I thought that it would be a pain to come up with an idea, but in actuality, it was pretty simple.

The Homestretch

For my group we got assigned the Modern American time period from 1890 to 1950. I am researching the historical events during the time period along with art, philosophical beliefs, and major events. It is like having a review from AP US History. I really enjoy recapping the past events. I think a difficult part of my section will be to connect it back to the the poets and their writing styles. The other Lauren in our class found a great book that covers many poets and their major works. At this point in the semester I am feeling extremely overwhelmed and rushed. I know where I am going to college (UK) and I would really like to just move on from this chapter in my life. I am very excited to start off with a fresh slate and meet many new people next year. I want to move on from Dunbar and enjoy these last few major events while I am still in high school. I want to finish his year already and enjoy my last summer by relaxing. I feel as if school is in the last "homestretch" and graduation could not come sooner.

Group Project

To be honest, I am really flustered with the idea of doing a group project at this time in the year. I know that I have little say and the project is already decided upon, but I figured that I will give my opinion anyways. This year has been jam packed with assignments, outside reading books, projects, presentations, and vocabulary quizzes. And I get it, I willingly signed up to take this class expecting a lot of work. This project frustrates me because of the topic and the timing. Senior year is meant to be enjoyable and fun. It is the last year to spend with friends and enjoy being young. I have found myself more times than not in my room doing English homework rather than spending time with friends and making memories. The timing is bad because prom is coming up, it is spring semester, and it is due close to the AP exam. I want to be spend time preparing for the AP test and I feel that this project takes away from that time. I guess it won't be too bad when we get started and figure out more details. I like the idea of adding a creative element to the project to make it more exciting and memorable.

The future

With the AP test quickly approaching, I think that I am fairly prepared for it. We have written so many essays and done so many multiple choice practices that I should be ready. I am really happy that I decided to take this class because it has given me a stronger work ethic and it has prepared me for the work load that I expect college to give me. I hope that the AP test won't be too difficult and that I go into it prepared. I would really like to get this credit out of the way because I don't plan on majoring in English and I would get the required English class credit. Along with this AP test, I am also taking the AP Calculus test. The two tests are back to back within two days. I'm happy hat I will get them over with, but I expect that week to be a little stressful. I am happy that school is almost over with and I can't wait to move on with my life. I feel like most people get to a point where they just feel ready to move on and I am defiantly at that point right now. I am excited for graduation and summer vacation. I plan on going back to a Young Life camp to serve on work crew again and I could not be more excited. High school has taught me a lot and I think that I have grown a lot. I am excited to start with a fresh slate next year and to meet many new people.

Toddlers and Technology

As I walked in to babysit a four year old tonight I noticed that her focus was completely off. She was glued to her mom's Kindle fire watching Barney episodes one after another. She didn't greet me as I came into the room and she kept her eyes fixed on the screen as her dad was saying goodbye. I don't know what it is with children/people and technology, but it is as if that is all they are focused on nowadays. When I was a kid I spent most of my time playing outside with hula hoops and sidewalk chalk. I grew up alongside the growth of technology. So as I lay in my bed typing on my phone, I realize how consumed the world is with pieces of glass and metal called technology. If you really think about it, humans today would not be able to function without their I Phones and Kindles. With everyone stuck taping away on their screens, face to face confrontation has gone down the drain. People rely on speaking to each other via social networking where conversation flows more quickly and easily. I don't like this downward slope society is headed towards and witnessing a four year old glued to a screen doesn't give me much hope. I don't want the aspect of face to face communication to disappear completely just because of how convenient talking on phones is becoming.

Poetry Blues

Whenever I think of poetry I think of long boring passages or poems about something really random. Poetry has never really struck a chord with me because I don't really understand most poetry. I like the romantic side of poetry, but the literary side sounds like a chore. Reading 6-8 poems a night seems very daunting. It takes a while for the meaning behind a poem to register, so hopefully I will get better at analyzing poems. Poetry seems like it is very broad because I think of it as either being old and long or short and blatantly obvious. I didn't realize that poetry could just be a few lines of anything you want it to be. I always thought that poems have to follow a strict pattern and rhyme scheme but apparently that is not the case. I like that poetry can be beautiful when it is written in a simple way. I think that my writing skills are even worse than my writing skills. I want to get better at analyzing why the author chose the words they chose an why that is important. I want to learn the different type of rhyme patterns and what purpose they accomplish.