Assignment 26 - Haley Drake

Things in this class I was a fan of:

• Writing. Essays!! Getting familiar with the AP prompts and learning how to respond to them with multiple examples of Synthesis, Argument, and Analysis prompts was an essential part of the learning experience. To prepare for an exam that was almost entirely skill-based, practicing was the best thing we could have done!
• Essay scoring in class. This helped me to have a better understanding of the AP scoring scale and gain confidence in my writing. Although hearing my essay read in class first semester was incredibly daunting and caused a lot of anxiety, by second semester I learned to appreciate it more. I reveled in the anonymity of the essay scoring and took more chances with my writing, which honestly revolutionized my writing style and ended up being the most visible improvement I made in this class.

Things I was not so much a fan of:

• Visual Literacy... I'm sorry but with every single one of these projects I struggled to see how it could possibly prepare us for the AP Exam. I just didn't understand their relevance. I understand that learning to analyze/create visual works and speak publicly are necessary skills in life, but felt that they did not contribute to my confidence during the AP exam at all. Writing essays or taking a test for finals would have ultimately been less stressful for me (and all the other kids who aren't inherently gifted/practiced in speech or video making).
• Socratic Seminars. I'm pretty sure everyone in this class knows I hated socratic seminars, but I'll say it again for those who maybe didn't witness my relentless anxiety: I. Abhor. Socratic. Seminars! Not just because they're personally my worst nightmare, but because I again fail to see their relevance to the AP exam. (It's very possible that I'm prejudiced against them because of my hatred toward them. Some people seem to have seen their relevance, and some did not.)

Some thoughts:

Although there were parts of this class that I didn't adore, I really am grateful for the opportunity this class gave me to focus on improving my writing, (especially considering the mountain of college essay writing ahead of me). Thank you for putting in the effort it takes to teach this class, and for putting up with all of us; I really appreciate it!