You want to be a scholar? I congratulate you, and feel
pretty bad for you at the same time. Sorry, I’m being honest. Please carefully
read the following 10 steps. Let me help you receive a decent grade and make it
out of there alive.
1.
Listen to everything Ms. Serensky tells you. She
will remind you of this statement numerous times throughout your English
career, but actually do it. If you follow her lead, you will reach success.
2.
Make sure you possess self-confidence. You will
spend almost every single day of AP English discussing the events that
transpired in your reading the previous night. And yes, you have to talk.
3.
Annotate your reading. Yes, I understand it
sucks. I understand it kind of ruins the pleasure of reading. But you want to
survive, don’t you?
4.
Learn how to perform under pressure. There’s
never a dull moment in the ice cold classroom. (Bring a sweatshirt) It spans
from writing essays, to speed dating worksheets, to stressful data sheets. Everything
you do in AP English will bring you stress. You will just have to get used to
it.
5.
Actually memorize every last detail of the literary
devices you will receive. Do not think you can get away with doing the bare
minimum with anything you do in English. You will use those particular literary
devices and terms for the next two years of your life. And you will sound
smarter if you use a bunch of different ones in your essay examples! Winner!
6.
Just do not ask questions. Wait and ask one of
your smarter friends.
7.
Do not forget anything. Pens, pencils, books, binder,
notes, and your brain. Also, do not forget to use the restroom before class. You
cannot escape the room once you have entered.
8.
Do not miss school. Just go through the torture
with everyone else instead of receiving a larger work load to do by yourself
out of class.
9.
No matter who your writing partner is, make sure
you keep them in your best interest. You will be getting rather close with them
and enduring the pain right along with them. Remember, you have a 642034 point
data sheet to do with them.
10.
Try to possess a positive attitude. I will be
the first one to tell you that AP English is not the best part of your day. But
it not only made me a stronger writer, but it made me a stronger person. Stick
with it till the end. Never give up. Good luck.
Becky, I really enjoy your juxtaposition of motivated and bothered tones. I do believe that both of these play an instrumental role in AP English class. Some days one feels the driving power to succeed but other days the difficult work just seems annoying. I particularity like your advice to avoid asking questions, that seems to save me a lot of embarrassment.
ReplyDeleteBecky, you really hit the nail on the head here. I would definitely take your advice. I couldn't agree with you more, especially when you stressed the importance of confidence and positivity. I sometimes feel intimidated and overwhelmed by the workload and intensity of this class, and have to remind myself to stay optimistic. A positive attitude and self-confidence can turn AP English from an emotionally taxing burden to an enriching and extremely rewarding experience.
ReplyDelete