Future-Sydney Taylor

Junior year has absolutely flown by but so much has happened. My grades this year weren't as great as I hoped they would be but I survived with A's and B's so it's fine. I've learned a lot of important lessons this year that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life. The most vital being, you cannot be too careful who you trust. I tried to make new friends and experience new things this year and while a lot of it was mostly just a headache, I came out of it with some very close friends that I hope to keep through senior year and some very memorable inside jokes. This summer I'm going on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic in June, but other than that I'll probably just be working at my new job at Panera and going to the pool. What I want for senior year is to be able to do some of the things I've been putting off since freshman year, have some new experiences, and mostly just have fun. I really hope to dedicate more time to the Speech and Debate Team. I hope senior year doesn't go by as quickly as this year did. 

Help!-Sydney Taylor

Personally, I felt very prepared for the AP test so thank you for that. I'm going to say that I was definitely more a fan of grading essays in smaller groups, rather than as a whole class, because I felt like it gave more people the chance to talk and contribute their opinions without feeling the pressure of having to speak to a whole room. And it didn't take as much time to get through grading them. Socratic Seminars were my least favorite assignment from this year. I know you used them to remind us of the skills needed to do an analysis essay since we didn't do a whole lot of those in the few months before the AP test but I would have found it more effective to just do an analysis essay. The Socratic Seminars were tedious and I never knew if I was doing them right and it didn't feel like the same skills used in an analysis essay. Thanks for a good year Logsdon! 

Assignment 24- Skylar Mays

Junior year, like I was told it would, flew by. And I’m expecting next year to go by faster. And while there was significantly more work, I feel it was probably my best year that I’ve experienced so far. I think I was able to improve my life in every aspect that I look at it whether it is academically or athletically. I’m hoping that these improvements that I have made will continue on to the next few years to the extent that I need them to. For the most part, my failures have been limited to a few (all) AP chem tests and miscommunication amongst friends that have for the most part sorted themselves out. I have been extremely grateful to be given the opportunities I have been this year as well as just gotten to experience the “dreaded” junior year. Wouldn’t change a thing.

Assignment 26- Skylar Mays

I think when it comes down to it, most every test that involves an essay is the same and we call came into this year with some prior knowledge as to how to go about writing these. And while I think every lesson you taught was effective, (except for reading that printed out chapter- I didn’t retain any of that and I don’t think anyone else did either) I think you could start some lessons earlier. I think part of teaching the test is teaching all of it, and I think you could have started the year with explaining all parts of the test, we got to the last few months and I still had no idea how to write a synthesis or an argument. But on the other hand I did feel very prepared for the analysis essay which in some aspects carried over to the other two. I thought waiting until the second essay we wrote to teach us organic was effective.

Assignment 26 - Thomas Kenny

            Despite my own personal shortcomings in the second semester, overall I felt that the class was very effective at preparing me both for the AP exam as well as both the English and reading sections of the ACT exam. The practice multiple choice questions gave me a good idea of what I should expect and what I should study, and doing in-class timed writings really helped me with my pacing. For the majority of the year, I would pace poorly and have to rush to finish my pieces, often resulting in diminishing quality towards the end. On the AP exam itself however, I never felt pressured by time and even finished up my last piece with roughly 15 minutes to spare. I feel that as far as scoring the timed writings goes, the small group method we adopted later in the year was more effective than the previous class scoring we did. One idea I had that’s aside from test material/coursework was to maybe set aside part of a class period each week to talking about blog posts with the class, whether that is discussing the prompts themselves or going over responses you found particularly interesting.

Assignment 23 - Thomas Kenny

Perfect playlist to create nostalgia for 1980’s rock n’ roll:

1: Queen – Another One Bites the Dust

2: AC/DC – Thunderstruck

3: Survivor – Eye of the Tiger

4: Guns n’ Roses – Paradise City

5: Van Halen – Panama

As a work-around for not having been alive in the 1980’s, I consulted my father about this list, as he was a young man at the time and enjoyed the rock n’ roll genre. I structured this list based on the bands rather than the songs, seeing as how each had multiple smash hits in the decade, and picked the songs that (in my opinion) was the most definitive for each group. Anyone who was a fan of rock n’ roll during the 80’s will surely remember all of these songs, and hearing one song from a particular band will surely remind them of many of the band’s other songs as well as any experiences they had whilst listening to these songs back in the 80’s. Even as a 21^st century youth, I prefer this playlist over anything that’s come out in the last decade.

Assignment 22 - Thomas Kenny

            If I could be any fictional character, I would choose Dinkleberg from the Nickelodeon show Fairly OddParents. Dinkleberg, only referred to by his last name, is the neighbor to the protagonist in the show, and is characterized as a very successful upper-middle class family man. He has, for all intents and purposes, a very “normal” life. The protagonist’s father greatly despises Dinkleberg despite his very earnest and friendly attitude. If I had to guess, I would say that envy is the reason behind this hatred. I would love to live a life like Dinkleberg’s, as there appears to be little (if any) calamity in his household and most of everything that he does is met with resounding success and achievement. While he obviously inspires hatred in some, I doubt that it is a common occurrence, as other characters in the show never seem to be too concerned about him or what he is doing.

Assignment 20 - Thomas Kenny

How to Play Smite

Smite is a competitive third-person video game known as a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA). It is an incredibly complex experience that is very dynamic due to complex game mechanics, constantly-evolving strategies & tactics developed by players and coaches, and the multitude of play-styles allowed by this complexity. At its core, Smite is a game with a simple objective: destroy the enemy’s end boss (“Titan”). However, not only must a player and 4 human allies work together as a team to achieve this goal through various means, one must also combat 5 human enemies who are trying to accomplish the same thing. The skill involved with succeeding in this game comes from not only an individual’s prowess with a character, knowledge of the game and ability to utilize teamwork, but also from one’s ability to understand and plan for how their opponents play. For example, as a Hunter player, I know that while I have the ability to deal a lot of damage to enemy players, I should not engage in solo fights against Assassins, as they are designed for just those kinds of situations. I must work with my allied Guardian or Warrior players who have the ability to prevent Assassins from demolishing targets with low defenses.

Assignment 25 - Thomas Kenny

                Having been in accelerated academic programs since I was 8 years old, I am no stranger to extreme stress. Overwhelmed by the stark contrast between my normal 2^nd grade class and accelerated 3^rd grade class, I easily came to the realization that these programs were going to push me to perform no matter what the circumstance. I hate stress. I feel tense and agitated when I’m stressed and my diet often goes through drastic changes in these situations. For example, in lieu of the benefits of being properly fed before college entry exams, I did not eat for 30 straight hours before I took the ACT for the first time in 7^th grade. However, as much as I detest stressful environments, over the years I’ve developed the tenacity to thrive in stressful situations. The best application of this is that I can use the stress caused by performance anxiety to overcome it, and as a result I am able to perform well in sports, exams, etc. However, that doesn’t change the fact that I DESPISE stress, and the best way for me to relieve it is just to step back from whatever the stressful situation is and pay it no mind.

Assignment 18 - Thomas Kenny

Creating a “bucket list” can be both liberating and daunting.  I mean, this is the best of the best; the ultimate goal.  For high school, how can you not include graduation?  But, I’ll take it a step further and say graduation with honors. In addition, I must include the creation life-long friendships with my peers, and applying for colleges & universities. However, graduation with honors takes priority. Before my collegiate years come to an end, I hope to be involved in a serious relationship with a lovely young woman and lay the groundwork for an entry level position in whatever career I choose. Ultimately, the most important of the things I want to do before my life comes to its conclusion is to be able to finance my child’s (children’s?) education. I know it sounds sappy, but out of all of my bucket list ideas, this one is both the least selfish and most influential. As much as I would love to vacation in Europe every year after my retirement, that is nowhere near as important of a goal.

Assignment 24 - Thomas Kenny

            I did not have a “junior year” as much as I did two “junior semesters”.  My first semester, while difficult, was successful for the most part. I ended with solid grades in every class, despite not completing a handful of assignments in some of them. I made it my goal for the next semester to avoid incomplete assignments as well as prepare properly for the AP tests near the end of the semester. For the first month or so of second semester, I was on the right track. However, due to struggles in my family/personal life, I lapsed into a sort of depression where I felt no initiative or drive to keep up with academics. The remainder of the year after this issue was addressed has consisted of home-schooling and preparing for AP testing, which I felt was a success. I am confident about my performance on all 3 of the exams. Upon completing the remainder of my assignments and enjoying my summer, I look forward to starting my senior year off on the right foot and finishing my high school career strong.

Assignment 21 - Thomas Kenny

            Right now, I am striving for redemption. After a catastrophic semester for both my academic and personal life, I sit here in my chair struggling to come up with ideas for blog posts that should’ve been completed months ago. I was negligent in the past, but now these assignments have my full, undivided attention. Even given my new home-schooling situation, I had to devote the majority of my time up until now to preparing for 3 AP tests and an orchestra performance, resulting in assignments piling up. Only through the generosity of my teachers have I been able to come this close to finishing off the year with triumphant success. And after completing all manners of history, physics, computer programming and pre-calculus, I’ve finally arrived at English. Creative writing has never been my forte; however I am prepared to pick my brain for anything that someone might find remotely interesting. I just hope it’s not problematic that I do these posts out of order.

Help!-- Raiffa S.

Okay real talk though English has never been my favorite class. And, no, I’m not about to be like “but because of you i love english now!!!*heart eyes*”.

I still really don’t like english but I really like how you were able to prepare us for the test without smothering us with essays and tests and practice. Cause most of us have the skill to pass the test, we just needed to know how to play to the graders. I also really like the alternative assignments you’ve given us throughout the year like these blog posts and the PSA final. If you actually did the blog posts they were an easy way to pad your grade without being just a useless worksheet.

The only thing I would’ve liked if we did is maybe more stuff to improve our writing in general and not just for the AP exam. Basically all of the english classes we’ve had up to this point have taught us how to write to a form and not how to improve our skill as writers so it would’ve been nice to have some assignments that were designed to help us study for the test but also teach us stuff that we can take with us in our writing in the future.

But yeah you’re the best logman thanks for letting us annoy you in your room 24/7 and i look forward to continuing that next year :D

Assignment 19 - Thomas Kenny

            The piece of advice that has stuck with me more than any other is to view each and every mistake as an opportunity to improve. Everyone makes mistakes, and some people (like me) more than others. By itself, a mistake is a negative occurrence, often harmful or embarrassing, that leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. However when viewed in a positive light as an opportunity to improve, not only does it become easier to bounce back, but one is less likely to repeat that mistake in the future. I often apply this advice in sports, particularly archery during my years in high school. Every shot that scores less than the maximum of 10 points is, in essence, a mistake, as the shot could’ve been placed more precisely. In addition, every shot that misses gives me more information on how to set my aim closer to perfection. Rather than get frustrated and quit when shooting poorly, I use these mistakes to guide myself to success.

Help! - Rachel Lush

So first things first I really appreciate how much time you dedicated towards the AP test. I felt so prepared for the AP test ( way more than other students who didn't have you) since basically our entire class was a glorified AP review session. What I think could've helped is if we could have had one day a week dedicated to blog posts. A majority of people forgot about these things and I think it would've been cool if like every Friday we would have just like 15 minutes to work on them so even is students didn't do it they were reminded so it's on them. Lastly I would either omit the socratic seminar or dedicate more time. We spent like an in between amount of time on them so it was kind of a waste of time. Otherwise you're the bomb.com LogDog.

Stress - Rachel Lush

The thought of this blog post stresses me out to be honest. I don't deal with stress well or at all actually. I let all of my stress build up and then I just explode because I have poor ways of coping with my stress. Also, it doesn't help that EVERYTHING and I mean everything stresses me out. From meeting new people, to going to the store  I'm just a stressed out person. I like to relieve stress by listening to really emotional music, crying a little about all the stress, then I'm good. Venting also seems to really help with stress. I love to call my friends and just word vomit because I just feel like after so much is lifted off of my shoulders. Stress is stressful and I hate it and I'm super bad at dealing with it so I don't really have a great entry for this blog post.

The Future - Rachel Lush

Successes: I have a solid job and have really excelled in the and am now a manager (even though all I do is work). I found a stable group of friends. I got a car. I got my license, thank god. I made it to my 17th year on earth that's a success amirite

Failures: Didn't do everything I should have done this year and kind of let it slip away. Made some bad decisions. Family issues.

Lessons Learned: You can't count on everybody who says they will be there for you. You can't be too quick to judge. Take things slow, especially in relationships. Some people don't change, some people stay exactly the same. Life can be crappy sometimes.

Risks taken: letting people in. paid and went to prom without my mothers permission. i have too many risks to list honestly.

Mistakes made: the people i've trusted. taking this year for granted. sneaking out. getting into a relationship.

Summer: I am working 7 days a week to pay for car insurance, payments, and gas.

Senior Year: who knows what will happen.

reaching my goals: by staying focused

Perfect Playlist - Rachel Lush

So many people are going to judge me for this but here we go.

*DISCLAIMER* these are not by any means my favorite songs, rather songs that I get down to.
(no particular order)

1. Goddess - Banks
 Basically a song about a super amazing girl who got pooped on by a stupid boy. Very empowering, makes me feel good and like a goddess. That's all.

2.Trap Queen, or My Way remix (feat. Drake) - Fetty Wap
 These are horrible songs but I really love to dance so these are songs that I can turn up really loud and dance to or drive really fast to.

3. House Party - Sam Hunt
 Again, a super upbeat fun song that you can scream the lyrics to.

4. Baby Blue - Chance the Rapper
 This song is a hilarious song where they just talk crap about their exes and chance has a verse where he literally just wrecks his ex and says all the bad things he wishes happens to her.

That's all I can think of!

Fictional Character, Fictional Life

I don't think it is my favorite show ever, but as of right now (and with all the media blow up on the death of McDreamy) I would say my favorite show is Grey's Anatomy. If I could combine characters I would be a mixture of Christina Yang and Meredith Grey, but since that isn't a thing I'll jus tbe Christina Yang. I would be her because she is the epitome of badass. She's a kick ass heart surgeon and she gives no craps what anyone thinks of her. She is strong, and smart, and self-sufficient - which is everything I aspire to be in life. The great thing about her is that she is all these things but she isn't cold. She has a heart and cares, but she doesn't let it get in the way of what she needs or work, which I think is super helpful.

Right Now - Rachel Lush

At this very moment, somewhere in the uni

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe there is an apple to be picked. He's just chilling on his apple tree yelling for someone to come up there and pick him, because he's never known life off of the tree and all of his apple friends have already been picked and carried away in really cool baskets and they never return. He feels left out. One day a dude comes upon this little apple dude and picks him! He is FINALLY ripened and ready to go. Little does this poor little apple know, he isn't going off into a life full of fun in a cool basket. They get home and the dude washes little apple dude. The little apple thinks "this is cool i guess i was dirty?" and then returns to thinking everything is alright. What happens next is the saddest part. The dude sinks his monster teeth into the apple and the apples juices pour out of him and he dies. He never saw it coming. Stop the cycle. Don't eat defenseless apples. :'-(
At this very moment, somewhere in At this very moment, somewhere in the universe..the universe...verse...

Assignment 26: Help! I need somebody. Help! - Thomas Stokes

English is a class that I've always had trouble with. Classes tended to be convoluted or not conveyed very well it would seem. However, this year changed my mind about English class. This year I really feel like the amount of practice writing we did was a great help, as was the multiple choice we did with it. The way we would help grade each other's essays was also really helpful because I was getting more insight on my writing than just having teachers notes. One thing that I didn't feel was effective was blog posts. I found that they weren't constant enough so I was forgetting about them and turning them in late, and that they weren't being graded super intensely and was therefore not really helping my writing. I didn't get feedback on whatever blog posts I did end up doing on time. However, the blogs were a great way for me to express opinions and thoughts I was having, and were a great way to get more creativity involved in writing and my schooling in general.

Assignment 23: Perfect Playlist - Thomas Stokes

Many video games are trending towards an "open world" type of expansion. MMO's have been this way for a while and with the rise of fantasy titles like FFXIV and Skyrim, there's just so much to explore! Countless hours wasted journeying across vast landscapes in GW2 and you'd think you've seen it all. Then you see the button to zoom out on your map and BAM right back at square one. So here's the perfect playlist for exploring open worlds in fantasy games. They make good walking songs too.

1) TES V: Skyrim - Distant Horizons
This song lets you really feel how open your world really is. This track makes you look off to the side, or really stroll through forests to view landscapes. This track has a lot of subtle sound accentuates, and they give each footstep you take that extra emphasis to be meaningful. You'll really feel like you're wandering through a movie trailer with this tune in the background.

2) LoZ: Wind Waker - The Great Sea
A faster paced song. More fore riding across plains or sailing across the sea in games, this song adds to it to no end. With a quick snare beat and a pressing horn, it compels you to move forward, to push to the edges of the world and see where you end up. No stopping at towns or using teleport spells or scrolls when listening to it.

3) Guild Wars 2 - The Silverwastes
Another slow song, but this time it follows a more traditional "fantasy" game type style. Lots of flute-sounding and lute-sounding instrumentation in this one. This song is more suited for a calmer walk, or maybe discovering a new area, as the music tends to highlight taking things in rather than delving and finding what you can.

4) FFXIV: A Realm Reborn - La Noscea Field (On Westerly Winds)
This song starts with a grand opening and transitions into a soft-yet-driven string part. Perfect for starting a walk or leaving a town in a game. Really gives you that feeling of leaving something behind in order to find something new. It's a nice track to listen to when the day is partly cloudy, and not to hot, conditions ideal for being outside, as La Noscea is a port town.

5) Donkey Kong Country Returns - Title Screen
Another high-energy song. Very percussion driven. A constant drum beat throughout the entire song. Perfect for riding along the planar countryside on a chocobo, or taking a jog. This song is all about momentum. Once you start moving, there's not stopping. It would not only break immersion by stopping in the middle of the song, but would do the song an injustice because it carries so well.

How to...

I can't think of anything I'm seriously good at because I'm average but I can give you a "how to" on cleaning small animal cages since I do it every morning I work.
So here we go...
First you want to make a soap, bleach, and water solution in a small bucket and put a couple of washcloths in there. Make sure you have windex and a dry washcloth as well.
Step 1: remove any bowls, toys, or houses from the cage.
Step 2: take a small scoop and remove all the bedding in the bottom of the cage until you can see all of the bottom
Step 3: take a rag out of the cleaning solution and squeeze the excess liquid off until it doesn't drip and wipe down the bottom of the cage (especially the corners)
Step 4: Now you want to replace the old bedding with your new bedding, you don't want to use too much you just want the bottom to be just covered.
Step 5: Now windex the the glass (make sure you do this AFTER the bedding is in the cage, if you do it before then the bedding will stick to the front glass and that isn't cute.
Step 6: put all houses/toys/etc. back in the cage and make sure to put back in fresh food and water.

DER U GO (-:

Plastics - Rachel Lush

Advice comes from alot of different people and alot of different places. I find that I am super good at giving advice but super bad at following advice. But out of all the advice I have ever received, the piece that has stuck with me the most is this: Don't allow others actions or opinions effect yours and how you feel about yourself. This is so important because in our generation people place others opinions/actions above their self worth, and they let others define them. He doesn't text you back? Move on, you don't need him. Your best friend doesn't talk to you anymore? It doesn't mean you aren't amazing, some things just have to change. People forget to appreciate themselves. In life not all people are going to appreciate you for who you are and what you do for others, but you can't let that interfere with the appreciation you have for yourself and your life. LOVE YASELF BASICALLY!

Buckets and buckets - Rachel Lush

High school bucket list:
- find myself
- do a stellar senior class prank
- graduate
- get a tattoo
- advance in my job

College bucket list:
- get all my partying out
- find my dream job and get a degree in that field
- buy a crappy apartment that I can tell my children about
- travel abroad
- go to bonnaroo

Life bucket list:
- be happy (super cheesy i know but it is definitely important to live a happy life, okay!)
- get married to someone im comfortable with
- have kids, two or three
- go on roadtrips with the fam
- get lots and lots of animals/live on a farm

My priority for my high school bucket list is to find myself because i feel like that is essential to being able to find what you want to do in life. My priority on my college bucket list is to find my dream job and get a degree in that field because that will determine how the rest of my life works out.
Lastly, my life bucket list priority is to have a family, i think that family is so so important.

Assignment 22: Fictional Character, Fictional Life - Thomas Stokes

If I had to pick a fictional character to become it would probably be some random Hogwarts student. Think about it, you become a wizard/witch, get to perform magic, don't have a bunch of responsibility like Harry or any of the main cast, and get to experience the normal magical world. You'd still be going to school and learning like a normal student, just with magic. It'd be super rad to be able to cast spells or brew potions. You'd have your own messenger pet, wand, robes, and your very own Hogwarts friends and experience. I wouldn't want to be one of the main cast because of the constant stream of near-death experiences they have. You'd need hardcore therapy after all that. It's also super reckless and you could just cease at any moment being a main cast, whereas a background character you'd still exist in the wizarding world with your own unique experience and friends.

Assignment 20: How to... - Thomas Stokes

How to assemble a computer. It's quite simple really. It's like an expert-level-LEGO-kit that costs a bunch more money and is super easy to break.
I'm going to work under the assumption that if you're building a computer you know what the terms mean and have already gathered all the necessary parts.

A Precursor and constant step) Make sure you're grounded. This means making sure you have no static on you, and that you aren't wearing any conductive materials.

Phase 1) Assemble case
Step 1) Place power supply in the case, screw it in, and plug it in. DON'T TURN IT ON. Plugging it in helps with grounding issues and keeps it safer.
Step 2) Screw in any necessary spacers for the motherboard and remove any dust from inside the case

Phase 2) Assemble motherboard.
Step 1) Place processor in the motherboard and pull the arm to lock it in place
Step 2) Apply thermal paste to processor
Step 3) Attach heat sink to the processor + thermal paste
Step 4) attach motherboard to the case via the screw in points

Phase 3) Wiring + Cable management!
Step 1) Check motherboard manual for DC/AC attach points for front panel and motherboard connection points
Step 2) Plug everything into the correct slots
Step 3) close case

Phase 4) finishing touches
Step 1) Place computer into desired spot
Step 2) Plug it in, plug in all input devices.
Step 3) Install all proper drivers
Step 4) ???
Step 5) profit

Assignment 19: Plastics - Thomas Stokes

Sometimes your parents tell you some advice, but you've already picked it up. You know, its parent talk. Something a parent tells their kid no matter what kind of parent you are or what the kids are like. Things like saying please and thank you, treat others how you want to be treated, etc.. My dad is notorious for this, and then also notorious for turning any topic into a full blown speech or discussion. My father's never given me any specifically profound piece of advice, but that doesn't stop him from trying to teach me the how-to's and what-not's of many of "life's wonders." My father would attend Cotillion and was very stern in his usage of table manners and treatment of others. From this I've learned three essential things to have a more orderly life. One, when you're at a proper dinner, you use the proper table manners. Know your silverware, lefts and rights, appetizers - entree - desserts. Two, treat everyone with respect, no matter what your opinions of them are. You say ma'am and sir to elders unless they tell you otherwise, it's polite and shows you respect them. Three, try your hardest to not be a stubborn idiot. Always be open to experience. You can't better yourself if you refuse to admit that there are things you can do better. These three rules allow you to have a fuller experience and open many doors. They help build relations and show that you can be professional when it's called for.

Assignment 18: Buckets and Buckets - Thomas Stokes

I didn't think I'd be writing a bucket list in high school. I always figured it was one of those things you did in your middle ages when you had disposable income and were able to actually do a lot of different things.

The number one thing on my High School bucket list would be to take a road trip to who knows where with my friends.
I feel like this is something that a lot of people will or have done, and I don't want to miss out on the experience. I imagine going to see maybe a nearby tourist attraction or just going to like a theme park or something. It could be a trip of any magnitude, I would just be glad to get out with my buddies and have a good time!

The number one thing on my college bucket list would be to attend a major Magic: the Gathering tournament.
I've been an avid MtG player since 8th grade, and it's been a goal of mine to become a pretty decent player. I'd love to sign up for a tournament and get out, see whatever town it's in, and play against some skilled competitors! It's a challenge I'd love to live up to, and test my skill.

The number one thing on my life bucket list would have to be to travel.
I know many other people can be more eloquent in their descriptions of it, or may have a better reason for it, but I just really want to travel. Travelling is a wonderful experience and being able to expose yourself to as much culture as possible is always a good thing, and it's crazy fun to just go see whatever you can, and to eat new foods and meet new people.

Assignment 26: Help! I need somebody. Help! Tora Sellers

Being in the English class this year, I learned what the term, “teaching the test” truly means.  None of this represents any personal resentment towards Mr. Logsdon because I understand that he has little to no choice about what he teaches, since his class is specifically designed to end with a big test at the end of the year that literally measures student and teacher success.  Even though we did many things other than take practice tests and write essays this year, that was what stuck in my memory the most. I think back to the meticulous grading of essays every couple of weeks and notice that I spent the entire year simply learning the format of a test I didn’t even take. I suppose it would’ve seemed more productive to someone that actually took the AP test, but to someone for whom the AP test meant nothing, the (seemingly) endless cycle of essay writing and test-teaching was a chore.

Assignment 24: The Future Tora Sellers

                This year has been the year that I have grown the most in high school. I’ve made more new friends than I have any previous year at Henry Clay. Just ignoring my own inhibitions and talking to interesting new people that I’ve never met before, or finally talking to those people that I’ve been meaning to talk to have been the most successful decision of my high school career. Because of this, I go out more, have more fun, stress less, and while doing this, I meet even more people! This has given me new confidence that I never had before, and even translates to my improved style. I still don’t have much money to buy new, brand named clothes on the regular, but I have learned to make the cheap and sometimes old garments I already have into semi-fashionable outfits. Hopefully next year, I will have a regular income from a job to be able to buy clothes and to go out more often. I want to meet even more cool people and expand my personal network as much as possible.

Help!- Mikaela Gatewood

I've really enjoyed your class this year, which I expected. However, what I was not expecting was how much I would grow as a writer. Past middle school, I wasn't taught how to write an essay in detail. And even then, what I was taught in middle school was how to write a rigidly structured 5 paragraph essay, something that ended up hurting me once I got to junior year. Going over our essays in class, while sometimes embarrassing, was extremely helpful. It's true that only a handful of people talked or gave comments, but that was much more feedback than I had ever received on my essay before. Not only that, but editing several throughout the year allowed for me to pick out and hone in on my weaknesses much easier. I also enjoyed that you taught to the test. The variety of essays that were taught made me much more comfortable writing different types of pieces, as well as thoroughly prepared for the test. All in all, thanks for a great year and being the best English teach I've had in a while, Mr. Logsdon.

Help!

Mr. Logsdon!! I have absolutely loved your class. I know that this isn't the place to gush or kiss ass but I mean it with all sincerity that it is in my top three classes that I've taken in high school. I really appreciate so many things about it. I really felt prepared for the AP test and I feel as though my writing and composition have improved so much. I also really enjoyed the casual atmosphere in which we had discussions and lessons. It didn't feel like boring traditional learning but it felt like a really good eye opening conversation.  I really enjoy how you bring in elements of rhetoric and communications other than the traditional writing. The final projects were both really fun and interesting and they taught me some really inportant skills. I have very few complaints. One of them is that you seem to pick favorites and are obvious about who they are. You can also be a bit blunt at times which isn't necessarily a bad thing but can make some people uncomfortable. I'm really having a hard time coming up with any other suggestions for improvements.

Assignment 26- Jessica Nelson

     The biggest suggestion I have is to switch the order you teach the essays in. The analysis is at least to me the hardest and most technical on the test so I wouldn’t teach it first. It needs to be a little closer to the test so it is fresher in the minds of students when they get to test time and so they aren’t intimidated or discouraged when they are starting out the year. I would teach it second. That way it wouldn’t be first and it wouldn’t be last when kids are panicked, busy, and not really focused. Also it would split the teaching of that essay into both semesters. Since it is typically the lowest scoring essay splitting it between both semesters would even out the grades for both semesters and let it compete with higher scoring essays in the test category. Ideally students would score well on all three essays but this is not the reality and one type of essay that may not be a strong suit for a student should not be the sole type of essay determining their grade for the semester.

     Another thing I would change is the projects you use for finals both semesters. I don’t understand any connection they have to anything you’ve taught this year. Sure they are kind of fun, but for people who have no experience in speech or film they aren’t really a fair assessment because you don’t  teach anything about them and students are left guessing on how to do it. For the most part we are just walked through the rubric and we may have one class period telling us how to do one small part of these projects but I don’t think it’s right to base 20% of a student’s grade on that when it isn’t really assessing what they’ve learned that semester. The PSA seems more like an assignment meant for your film class. Students not into film likely don’t know the terms you are throwing out in class or how to use editing software or other equipment. Students in that situation don’t have much time to learn how and aren’t being giving much instruction on how to do those things so it’s a little harsh to base 20% of the semester grade on that in my opinion.


   Finally I don't find Socratic seminars helpful at all, honestly I think the whole premise of Socratic seminar is kind of flawed and frustrating. I really enjoyed doing blog posts though, especially the first semester prompts!

Assignment 26 - Jacob Faulkner

To make any student more attentive in class, involve all your lessons somehow involve food. Not like, "Here's an apple for you, a piece of celery for you," unless you are teaching how to be good vegans. Give them popcorn (butter free of course) or granola bars. While both are healthy, or more not unhealthy, the latter taste better and are more seen as something that tastes good. The idea of this is proven like that one guy who taught dogs with food and stuff, I think his name was like Pevloc or something. Another example is how, earlier this semester, I met some new people, and I was hesitant to get to know them, not out of like disinterest, like out of shyness and self consciousness. Then one day, they gave me one cookie out of these big thing of cookies they had, and then I was like, "Oh my god this cookie is great, This is dope." I am now good friends with the said people. Food is a good tie to whatever goal you are trying to accomplish, except maybe dieting. I only wish this kind of thing was practiced in every scenario.

Assignment 25 - Jacob Faulkner

What keeps me going through the AP tests weeks are the AP tests themselves. I like taking AP tests. It gets you a day out of classes, and then afterwards you just hang out with your friends after the exams. It's super dope. The best time ever is when you take one on a Friday, and it's in the morning, and you just chill for the entire weekend afterward. If you are not like that, if you are ever in stress, just play with any dog. It doesn't have to be yours, it just has to be a dog. Dogs are the number one stress reliever in the United States. They're always so happy. It's contagious. Another stress reliever is to watch the entire Spy Kids series. Not the new one with the new cast and stuff, that isn't really a part of the Spy Kids Universe. If you think so, you also probably think Scooby Doo gets a clue and Scooby Doo's Ghoul School were also canon in the Scooby Doo Universe, and probably don't need to be watching these types of films.

Assignment 24: The Future- Mia Alexander

Successes? I worked two jobs all throughout Junior year. Simultaneously, I took five AP classes and all the AP tests that go with the classes. Solid friend group was established. Took a lot of risks. Got a car.
 Failures? My first C. Didn't take all the opportunities given to me(i.e. NHS, EAP, GSP) Too many regrets.
Lessons Learned? Almost nobody will like decisions for myself. Don't think about it too much. Time is nothing
Risks taken? Asked someone out. Took all my AP tests. Actually finished my speech. Quit my first job.
Mistakes made? Caring too much about everyone elses feelings. Waiting until the last minute FOR EVERYTHING
What will you do in the Summer?  Work! I am also going to some college summer programs.
What do you want for your Senior year? all A's and atleast 10 scholarships.
 How do you plan to reach your goals? Keeping working harder and not be lazy.

Assignment 23-perfect playlist-MIa Alexander

The  perfect playlist when you're chilling, (maybe lonely or missing someone),  and in a reminiscent mood:
1. Favorite- Nicki Minaj ft. Jeremih
It's one of my FAVORITE songs haha. Also, it adds a bit of R&B with Rap which I tend to gravitate towards. It's the first song because it's a great intro into the playlist, it starts off slow but then picks up pace. The song pretty much encompasses the entire pace of the playlist. It's got the lovey dovey vibe to it as well.
2. Fantasy- Alina Baraz &Galimatias
Seriously one of my top songs ever. I have listened to it so much that it actually annoys me a little when it comes on. It has an angelic melody reminding me of love. It's the second song because it just couldn't be first for some reason. Like all  of the other songs in this playlist, it's all about relationships and a significant other. It's a very chill song, calming at the least.
3. Lost- Chance the Rapper ft. Noname Gypsy
Definitely a different song from Chance with the typical church-like harmony throughout. The metaphors capture love. The jazz background is serenity. It's in the middle of the playlist because it returns back to the R&B I really love, like in the first song and I can never wait until the end of a playlist to hear his music.
4. Make You Feel- Alina Baraz & Galimatias
You know you love a group when their music is on your short playlist more than once. :). I realized Alina's songs are all similar. Angelic, calm, romantic. The lyrics can be a bit racy, the essence of the playlist to be frank. But it always reminds me of whatever I was doing the first time I heard this song, I forget.
5. You Know You Like It(DJ Snake Remix)- Aluna George
Ahhhhh! Love this song, probably why it's on here. But anyways. the best part of this song is the beat. A mix of dubstep and R&B, I haven't heard anything like this (until Lean On came out). It gives the angsty mood because it isn't too lovey dovey which is why I chose it to complete the playlist- whether I'm missing someone or just bored, this song for some reason, reminds me that I gotta get up and get motivated because there's more to life. Me and my bestfriend, Daija both love this song so of course we jam out a lot to it.

Assignment 26: Help!--Amir Abou-Jaoude

I have enjoyed your class immensely this year. I felt that your strategy of "teaching towards the test" was quite effective because the exam assesses many of the skills that are essential to survival in the "real world." Informative prose is a key genre of writing. The aim of any writing, whether it be a lab report, a doctoral thesis, a newspaper article, or a novel, is to communicate thoughts and ideas. The Sumerians, the first writers, invented cuneiform as a shorthand for recording and communicating business transactions, official matters, and stories. Although I enjoy fiction writing more than nonfiction writing, it is important to remember that some of the world's literary giants, like Ernest Hemingway, served as journalists before writing novels. I feel that the class has provided a thorough overview of nonfiction writing and helped me to express my ideas in an essay.

I enjoyed the frequent timed writings that we did in class. Doing these writings on a monthly basis helped me to refresh and develop my skills. I believe that I became a more adept writer as the year went on, and I benefitted from your feedback. I also feel that, while time-consuming, the class discussion of these essays was worthwhile. However, next year, I would put some restrictions on this discussion. I would make sure that there is at least one positive comment made about each essay. While not every essay is stellar, it is disparaging to hear ten minutes of criticism about your work. All criticism should be constructive and provide a suggestions how the author can revise his work.  In addition, perhaps you should refocus the criticism from insignificant details (I didn't like how he started his introduction...)  to big picture ideas (I wish that he had tied back his conclusion to his introduction...). I would also make sure that three or four people do not dominate the discussion. Oftentimes, I wanted to contribute something to the discussion but could not because a few individuals refused to give control of the room to someone else. I felt that these discussions got better as the year progressed, and I enjoyed the seminars. However, it might be beneficial to do one more rhetorical analysis essay before the test just so each student feels confident in his skills.

I felt that the multiple choice tests were helpful, and I felt we discussed them enough. The vocabulary quizzes were also beneficial because they expanded my vocabulary and gave me a reservoir of words that I could use on the AP exam and in other forms of writing. Some of the TED Talks and the IDEA Channel videos we watched did not help me prepare for the test, but I found them interesting. The blog posts provided an outlet for writing and addressed some interesting topics. I learned more about myself and my classmates when we wrote about our feelings on war or our plans for the future. I feel that we did enough writing in the class, and I would not add on any more requirements to the class. The speech and the PSA are two good ways to administer a final because they both address the main focus of the class--communication. After the AP exam, the "life lessons with Logsdon" was a fun way to unwind.

Thank you for all your hard work and dedication throughout this year. I felt prepared for the AP test. I appreciate all your efforts to help me. I have become a better writer because of this class.

Blog Post 26- Kayla Beebout

First of all, I felt like I was very well prepared for the AP test this year, so good job with that!  With specific feedback, I think I’ll start with the negatives and move to the positives so I begin and end with positive notes.  Okay, so the whole-class grading sessions for our timed writings weren’t my favorite.  Every class will have a different dynamic, and with our class dynamic, I feel like the group grading sessions turned into the same three or four people giving lots of feedback, and a few others sitting there doing nothing (sometimes not even writing scores).  Also, I feel like the requirements for the Socratic seminar write-ups were a bit too strict.  In timed writings, we have time to write a sentence, maybe two about each rhetorical choice we pick, not 150 words.

That being said, I thought that the Socratic seminar discussions were very interesting, even if they got a bit heated sometimes.  It was cool to get to delve so deep into a text with the rest of the class.  Also, I thought that the small group grading sessions were more effective because people were more inclined to participate and share their thoughts.  I also think it was good that we did timed writings in class to prepare, because I learned how to budget my time more effectively and what the graders were going to be looking for.  The multiple choice tests were good as well, because I was able to anticipate what kinds of questions were going to be on the actual test. 

So, overall, I think this year was a very good one, and I am very confident that I did well on the AP exam.

Assignment 22: Fictional Character, Fictional Life- Mia Alxander

I have never been the most avid cartoon watcher but I do have my favorites. As lame as this sounds, if I could pick to be any one of my favorites, I would want to be SpongeBob.
Bet no one expected that of me but it's true. He lives underwater, to me that's so cool. Beyond stereotypes, I really do like the water. Also, Bikini bottom is the cutest little home to me, it's such an aesthetic vibe. The colors are pretty. I guess that is all that matters to me. It doesn't take much.
Actually, now that I can think about it more purposefully, I love the whole concept of SpongeBob. He makes mistakes, he doesn't quite understand the way society works; he's practically a perpetual child. Part of me is really going to miss my childhood. It isn't always sunshine and rainbows but the freedom, innocence, and lack of much responsibility suit me. Like most Saggitarius', I hate being controlled. That's part of life but I haven't quite accepted that part of growing up yet. SpongeBob typically looks at the bright side. Most days, I can identify with his positivity. I want to be SpongeBob for a day.

Assignment 21: Right now...-Mia Alexander

At this very moment, I am stressing over finals. I'm trying to understand why we are taking finals in the first place because all they do is worsen your grade. Think about it, most finals (in the form of assessment) mean a drop in a letter grade unless you score a 100%, over a 100% if you want to improve your letter grade. The entire concept of finals is gratuitous is annoying. I don't understand how me stressing AGAIN is really gonna help me understand content any better.
At this very moment, I am in class,  there are four days of school left and I can think about nothing but myself and my grades. See, I could have written this blogpost about anyone or anything and I decided to write about myself. Conceit or just perpetual self-pity? I'll leave the answer in the air. But honestly, I am writing this blog post because I blew them off until the second to last week of junior year. I appreciate these posts so I am still trying to understand why I didn't post early, rather on time. Call it laziness, I call it stupidity. Anyhow, at this very moment, I have many school-related regrets.

Assignment 26 Michael Dickson

Umm... I've found all of your teaching strategies to be very effective. My only problems this year have been with focus, but that's entirely my fault. I know you're not looking for "you're perfect" but I honestly don't have any critiques. Sorry.

Assignment 24 Michael Dickson

          My junior year has been... well... not what I expected. I've never really had to work hard in a class but then suddenly this year I realize I've missed three homework assignments because I'm so used to not having them. So that's been a major cause of stress. Other than that... well... I don't know. My life kinda fell apart, but I'm managing so I guess that's an achievement. I'd rather just leave failures at the homework thing and not go into the five page list. Over the summer I plan on working at a summer camp that I've been going to for almost twelve years now, so I'm really excited about that. For my senior year... I guess I just want everything to work. I don't mind little bumps or curves in the road, in fact, I think they are good teaching opportunities. But, I'd rather not have the complete road closure with no detour that I had this year. But I'm hopeful. As Pumbaa said in one of the greatest film achievements ever: "You gotta put your behind, in the past!"

...wow... I sound really pathetic. Sorry if you had to read this. XD

Assignment 26, Jesse Konopka

Honestly, I felt that everything that was done this year was very effective. The only thing that could've been done better is more hands-on assignments. A lot of the time was spent explaining and reviewing essays and essay strategy, and very little was spent with hands-on assignments, at least for the second semester. Now, I'm not complaining. I mean, its hard to plan hands-on assignments to the extent I'm suggesting here. I just felt that there was a lot of unused time that could've been spent with more varied teaching methods. Now, on a more personal level, I don't believe I got much better at writing this year, I really don't. This, however, is more my fault. I simply don't have the drive for that sort of improvement to my skills, and it's something I have to work on. Overall, you did a fantastic job as an instructor and I believe that many students benefited greatly from being in your class.

the future- maddie wheeler

so junior year was kinda crazy. a lot of procrastination and me not doing my work just because when i get stressed out i just start forgetting things. there hasnt been one assignment i havent done because i didnt want to. its all been because i actually just forgot that assignment existed. so yeah. oops? ACT was kinda horrible and really stressful and makes me hate the American education system so much but that happened. marching band was amazing as usual, and so was lacrosse. towards the end of the year you start planning a little bit for the next year so we picked the marching band drum majors for next year and you have no idea how excited i am to be one of them. so that was a success, among a decent amount of failures on my memory's end. so lessons learned include try to remember things better maybe?? i write everything down but i still manage to do that. again, oops? junior year is supposed to be the year you figure out your future and stuff but my ideas for the future havent really changed much. still wanna go to ohio state for polysci and communications/ journalism. this post is really really scattered around and thats pretty representative of how this school year was for me and how this summer will be. gotta go to drum major academy, then got leadership training conference, then gotta go down to new orleans to eat a lot of cajun food and get really tan and listen to a lot of jazz, then gotta go on a service trip, then gotta go do marching bandy things. should be fun, should be busy, should be scary. a lot like how junior year was. fun, busy, scary. ehh, win some lose some i guess?

playlist- maddie wheeler

1. luna by bombay bicycle club
so you gotta have a feel good song, and thats exactly what luna is. it makes you get up and dance like no other and who doesnt want to dance all the time? crazy people.
2. matilda by alt j
this song is actually really slow but amazing and wonderful and i love every second of it. it doesnt work totally well with luna except for the fact that im a very scatterbrained person so im always tryna mix it up.
3. any song from the album rumors by fleetwood mac
dude. its fleetwood mac. it goes perfectly with anything anytime.
4.casanova by hoodie allen
gotta have a song by a white jewish rapper becuase im pretty sure thats written in the constitution of these fine united states
5. 7/11 by beyonce
again, feel good song. makes you ready to dance and love yourself and arent those two things you should always wanna do?

this might not be incredibly cohesive, but these are actually all songs that i shuffle in the morning when i get ready just because they start you off pretty freakin well. not gonna lie, i dance so hard while i get ready. and all of these songs/albums/artists are so perfect for getting you hyped up when the sun shouldnt even be shining yet.

fictional character- maddie wheeler

if i could be any fictional character i would definitley want to be Cher from Clueless.
because really... who wouldnt want to be cher from clueless? shes so completely teenage rich blonde girl and its actually the best thing ive ever seen. so oblivious to problems around the world except for when she donates things to disaster relief just so her teachers will start to hookup allowing her to get better grades. and i know that might be a sad life, an uneducated one. but if you dont know any better... how bad could it be? ignorance is bliss and what you dont know cant hurt you. it kinda sucks that she didnt have a mom to raise her because of that fluke accident in the routine liposuction, but she turned out just fine. right? also just the fact that cher is super adorable and has really nice hair and the best wardrobe ive ever seen anywhere. the 90s are coming back and im so into it. so yeah, cher.

at this moment- maddie wheeler

at this moment, somewhere in the universe, someone is having kids.
that makes me really happy, because thats the #1 thing i want in life. ive always wanted to be a mom. in 2nd grade i was dating the cutest boy in our class but he told me he never wanted to have kids so i broke up with him in front of everyone in my class. kids are so freakin cute and i love them so much and i would just like to have the ability to raise a human into someone that will make another humans life better. id really like to have identical twins, one boy and one girl. because then you could do the super cute thing and dress them up in coordinating outfits and it would be the cutest freakin thing and it makes me smile just thinking about it. who wouldnt want to have kids? i dont get that at all. of course im not crazy, i dont want kids now, and not really until im like 32. gotta let yourself have a 20s and a successful marriage first, to set those cute little nuggets of joy up for a really nice home life. but yeah, i really want kids.

how to- maddie wheeler

so, im kinda confident on this post, just saying.
how to: be happy.

you need to try a lot of things. you need to try a ton of things. you have to ween through an insane amount of experiences in your life and decide what was the most fuffiling to you. also, you have to be really open mminded. my parents forced me to do marching band and honestly its my pride and joy. which is kinda dumb considering what marching band actually is. but to those who do it, they totally get me. you learn so much and you develop so much as a human being.

summary:
open your mind to anyone's suggestions
try anything they suggested many things
determine which made you smile the most
do that thing a lot
bish bash bosh, you got happiness! or at least kinda.

the advice one- maddie wheeler

i have a really weird thing for inspirational quotes. i think its a Gemini thing, not really sure, but i love them. so, on one of my very common Pinterest quote raids i found this quote from Kurt Vonnegut that involves the line "don't let the bitterness steal your sweetness" and there hasn't been a day since i read that that it hasn't crossed my mind. yeah, the world might suck, and yeah, there might be really really bad people in the world, but you gotta keep dealing with yourself. maybe that could be perceived as selfish? but id like to think its just smart. positivity is something that i love when people radiate. i try to do it myself, but im naturally really mean and sarcastic so it usually doesn't come off that im very positive. you have to stay enthusiastic and positive about whats to come because otherwise... whats the freakin point? so kids, don't let the bitterness steal your sweetness.

buckets and buckets and buckets and buckets- maddie wheeler

high school
~gotta go to prom, because its high school and prom is prom. i did this this year and probably will opt for a hiking trip next year just because i had absolutley no fun and i spent a lot of my parents money.
~gotta go to a high school party, because i still havent been to one thrown by non-college kids. (im really really cool)
~gotta spend way too much money on food and then give it to random people because everyone loves those kids. one day freshman year this guy just offered me a donut and ive wanted to change someones day like that since when. who doesnt love free food????

college
~gotta cut class to go hiking or something because its college and learning is cool but nature is probably cooler
~gotta rush a sorority because im a sucker for the college experience thats depicted on really bad tv thats all about parties and greek life and tailgating
~gotta graduate because in todays society if you dont have a degree you might as well just live in a cardboard box

life
~gotta have kids because they are really cute and ive always wanted to be a mom
~gotta live in seattle for at least a year because its my favorite place on earth
~gotta find a really cute husband to have those really cute kids with because i don't know if i could live my entire life sleeping alone at night (not very girl power-y, but its true. who doesn't love cuddling?)

Movie Thingy- Maddie Wheeler

So i really like Alfred Hitchcock... pretentious, i know. Also just really justified. Im tryna compare Pschyo with Vertgo... beacause why not?
The first time i watched Pschyo i was actually crying because of how scared i was and that was only like 2 years ago. Hitchcock's approach to horror is pretty different than now, as it is mostly suspense. Now its kinda like ahhh!!!! blood!!!! ahhhh!!!!! some stupid teenage girl in the woods!!!!! ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!
If someone asks me what my favorite movie is I'm always torn between Vertigo and Clueless. I say different anwsers for different people because they give off a very different vibe. Vertigo probably triumphs though just because of the intricate and outstanding plot. It isnt just about some scared guy. The plot intertwines like crazy.
So comparing them to each other, they are both really awesome. (im really really really good at being descriptive) The films are very similar in their approach, due to the directors own personal style. They are both very well involved and thought through, soemthing that cant be said about all films today.
So basically alfred hitchcock is the best, and thats what i have to say.

Help! - Keanu Gomez

As an AP English class, your class turned out to be way different than what I expected. I envisioned your class to be spent memorizing and learning the technical terms associated with the rhetoric of English. However, it’s kind of funny because my Latin teacher taught me more technical terms and actual English content than you did. Every day he elaborates on the presence and usage of terms like: metonymy, synecdoche, asyndeton, hysteron-proteron, etc. as we analyze the Aeneid. But your class really proves that success is possible on the AP exam without knowing this intellectual-sounding verbiage. Being a student who never really struggled with writing before but was never really amazing at it, the timed nature of the writing proved to be a challenge for me. Since your class was built around the AP exam itself, I thought that your methods along with the countless number of practice we did was very good preparation for the test.

With that said, even after spending a lot of time learning how to write “organically”, I still found it difficult to use this approach to the analysis essay. I thought this approach was more accessible depending on the prompt and the piece to be analyzed. I found it challenging to use the “organic” approach to every analysis essay. However, after reading so many of the standard five-paragraph essays, I really liked the “organic” style and I thought that it inevitably made the writing more engaging, thus leading to a higher score. So, I think you should definitely introduce this approach sooner and should spend more time getting your students accustomed to using it. Try to maybe go through an analysis essay together with the class and write a live class essay to more effectively teach them how to write in this style. I think that nurturing the “organic” approach will yield better results on the analysis essay than the tedious Socratic seminars. 

Yes, like most other students, I will now also talk about the finals. First of all, you making the finals a project instead of a written exam gave me very mixed emotions. In some ways, I appreciated the fact that the finals were indeed more “artistically” engaging, but they were nevertheless still stressful, and in some moments they produced more stress than a written exam. Personally, I thought the speech project was a great experience. It may be weird to say, but I kind of “liked” writing my speech in that it was not that difficult to share my thoughts on a topic I chose. Although the actual speech delivery was indeed nerve-wracking, it proved to be a valuable experience. On the other hand, I really dislike the 2^nd semester final. I think that it requires too much prior video production experience/knowledge that most students don’t (or don’t need to) have. I guess that it will also be a nice experience, but as of now it is generating too much stress that I don’t need after just taking a bunch of AP exams and preparing for finals.

The Future - Keanu Gomez

There is no doubt that this year has been one of the most stressful years of my life. It seemed like everything I have done in high school up to this point has been building up and has reached the climax of junior year. Walking into it, I knew it wouldn’t be easy and I fully expected much more needed effort for success. But for many reasons which I will not mention, it has proved to very difficult to find a balance between my life in and outside of school. So far academically, I have had few successes and instead much failure.  I tried to get into GSP and GSA this year, but I didn’t and I blame myself for not really putting as much effort into them as I could have. But I mean, I really tried to choose between being miserable as I stressed through those rigorous application processes or being happy as I focused my energies on something more entertaining. As for successes, I just hope that I passed all of my AP exams with at least a 3. In the summer, I hope to get a job and continue advancing my driver’s license since I’m currently still stuck in the permit phase. I hope that senior year will be much less stressful and I will strive to get accepted into a college that I like.

Assignment 26: Help!-Keionna Bailey

I love how you taught to the test. That was very effective and it made us prepared for the test because we were so familiar with the test format. The individual groups grading essays was not very effective in my mind because most people never really read the essays and so there wasn't any constructive feedback. To me although the class discussion takes longer it's great because there is chance to really understand myself as a writer and lets me know what I need to work on. Also your advice on how to approach certain prompts was useful as well.
The one thing that I felt like i never really had a chance to develop was my analysis skills. I needed more than just essay writing and socratic seminar. I think that you should try to incorporate the 50 essays book into the analysis section, but instead of making it formalized  just have the students read it overnight or in class and discuss it and give tips on how to approach analyzing the material. The socratic seminars also weren't that effective for me because I was more concentrated on the length requirement than actually analyzing the text.
It was good how you didn't rely on textbooks as much as other teachers. Textbooks only cause students to lose interest and i think you did a good job of keeping a balance between the use of the textbook and outside resources. If you incorporated current events within the curriculum i think that would be a valuable asset to the class because it will give students the chance to create an argument and there's also room for analysis.
The PSA final project is very interesting and you should definitely keep it but I think you should also allow us to do mini PSAs throughout the year so we can familiarize ourselves with video production and skills.

Help - Charlie Payne

I've enjoyed every English class I've taken in my high school career so far. Despite my lack of faith in the staying power and influence of nonfiction writing, I think it's definitely a solid skill to have because it forces students to analyze and deconstruct the information they are consuming, which can be useful for not only various career paths but also general enjoyment and fulfillment in life. I think this English class was my favorite one though, simply because I felt like I learned the most about my own writing in it. The timed writings were very helpful practice for the AP exam, and the critiques we did of each other's were helpful for me personally in improving my essays. The Socratic seminars I felt were also a fun and fresh exercise, despite the overly-constructed writing parts, which became somewhat intrusive when trying to develop my thoughts, but I can understand why they're necessary. Another reason I enjoyed the class so much was because I felt more connected to you as the instructor, as well as a person. I always get more out of teacher-student relationships that are more mutually respectful as opposed to  master-underling things.

Help - Taylor Stewart

     This year has been a new experience for me in that it's the first AP English class I've taken. Before, it was research essays we wrote, ones that we had a ton of time to mull over and edit. I mean, we did short on-demand type writings before, but they were never as closely looked at or critiqued. So this year, I learned how to write a pretty okay essay in a pretty short amount of time. And I think it's been beneficial to teach to that time, as we do occasionally, where people aren't allowed to take the essay home and edit some more. That's nice, of course, but unrealistic in that we won't have an entire night to write an AP essay.
     In the realm of grading essays, I think what we've done has been fairly effective. Small groups seem to be less beneficial - even though it takes less time and is more efficient, many people just don't read the essays so the other students don't end up getting very good discussion or feedback. And in my experience, the small group environment has contributed to the whole overly negative thing, which has its benefits, but can be very disheartening when all you hear about your essay is "their intro was dumb lol k let's move on."
     So I hated socratic seminars. So much. That's not exactly helpful feedback, though, so let me elaborate. They achieve their purpose in reminding us that analysis is still something we should keep in mind, and help us maintain the mindset of finding the argument in a passage. However, the format is incredibly formal - usually not the discussion itself, but the typed out outline. Not that our essays should be super informal, but we just spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out what the difference between an opening and core question is. And in my opinion, the introduction and body paragraphs are largely up to the individual and shouldn't really be boxed in like how we tried to style the seminars. Things overlap, and the seminars made it difficult to retain that fluidity. A more beneficial activity, I think, would be to just look at analysis passage examples throughout the year (or the essays from 50 essays) and really just discuss them, get into them, without all the formal write-ups.
     The finals were either someone's favorite or absolute least favorite part of the class. It is an assignment in which one has the opportunity to showcase hidden talents of oration and filmmaking, but a giant embarrassment for those who lack those (or confidence). And for some people, it's a way to discover new talents - maybe someone is better with cameras than they thought, and decides to take a class. Overall, I enjoyed the experience - my topic is something I feel very passionately about and will continue to look into throughout my life. Even if people absolutely hate the project itself, it is a chance to talk about something they honestly care about.

26 "Help"- Andrew Hardy

It's strange to be writing a blog post that's directed towards another person, since they've been pretty self-centred, but here goes.
I'm (old habits die hard) skeptical of high school English classes. I don't enjoy non-fiction writing. I don't think the government imposed trend towards informative prose is healthy, and I don't think it's helpful for students in the long term. That said I think this class had done an incredible job of preparing me for expository prose. The essay writings throughout the year, and the manner in which we grade them, has been one of the first times we've had time in high school to examine our own writing. I appreciate that while we've had an opportunity to deal with the multiple choice and rhetorical analysis they assess, we don't dwell on it. A teacher reducing critical thought processes to a textbook equation destroys any enjoyment or excitement in the activity. My only suggestion or criticism would be to do more of what makes the class good. Starting off a year by putting yourself, and the rigor of the class, down feels to me like a sure-fire way to lower the engagement of kids. You've had a lot more experience in this, and I'm impressed you found a system that worked, but I think if you're worried about being respected,  more regular writing in class and legitimate assignments would be more productive than self-deprecation. In a similar vein, 150 words a week is a paltry amount of writing for a "gifted class". These blog posts are interesting, but I know my responses end up overwrought and ridiculous, and while I'd thought of them as tongue-in-cheek, I'm sure I've been judged for them. On the reverse, I've witnessed a lot of people writing stilted responses that come off more as subtly-veiled bragging than a creative output. I think daily personal writing assignments in addition to the blogposts would be a powerful addition to the class. 

Assignment 26: Help! I need somebody. Help!

I wanna be better in all things.  It's easy for teachers to get stuck and comfortable in patterns and activities that are completely legitimate but perhaps have become stale and even ineffective.  Throughout the semester I've asked that you work hard to prepare for the AP Language and Composition test.  I taught to the test.  I'm sorta fine with that.  As I've said, I believe that the skills the test assesses are important and some of the most important skills you will develop in your lifetime - the ability to think, process, synthesize, and argue.

To that end I've tried to develop every assignment to focus on one element of the test and hone those skills required for success.  Now that you've taken the test - multiple tests (ACT, PSAT, AP) what suggestions do you have?

I'm not asking for what you "liked" or what was "fun" but rather what was effective.  I know not everything connected with everyone and with 97 students I will get a plethora of responses.  Though I am asking for honesty I'm not asking for a tongue-lashing nor do I expect "all sunshines and rainbows." I know I'm flawed but I also know that I am effective.  I want to minimize my flaws and increase my effectiveness.  I need your help to do that.

 


Minimum of 150 words - due on Sunday, May 25th at 11:59 pm

(Last day to turn in make up assignments 24-25)

Assignment 25: Stress - Thomas Stokes

Stress is a big deal to bearly every student around this time of the school year. You're finishing the year and the giant wall of finals shows up and is your last hurdle. Unless you have one of those math teachers that'll keep teaching even though the test is over and there's nothing to truly cover. This last giant leap tends to freak people out, undersrandably. AP tests mean more than the end, they're permanent scores on how you did, and can help you accelerate yourself through certain classes in college. This opportunity is immense and not everyone is the greatest at bearing that kind of weight on their shoulders. As far as dissipating this stress goes, I do three things. Firstly, I study what I dont really remember from the year, or anything in general. It helps to be in the comfort of learning when these tests are coming up. Secondly, when the tests are closer, like one or two days out, I just accept that I know what I know and just have to, at that point, try my best at the test. Thirdly, I like to just spend time with friends and relax. The worst thing you can do is walk into the test a nervous wreck. It's okay to be nervous going into the test, everyone will be. But don't lose your focus and get all tense over these tests. When you take them, have faith in your own ability, and give it your all, at that point, its all you can do anyway.

Stress - Charlie Payne

I'm not a stressed person at all. Unfortunately this usually leads to scrambling at the end of the year to make sure I really have everything under control, but other than that I experience none of the normal effects of stress, physiological or otherwise. I do tend to lose my cool in a high stress situation, like when somebody almost hits me with their car or something, but I'm working on that. In serious situations that are high stress I handle myself fairly well, I'm usually the most level-headed person at the scene. To manage stress about finals, AP tests, and the like, I usually just try to enjoy myself in the days leading up to them and before that I calmly and gradually prepare myself (or don't, it's whatever). I make sure I get enough sleep and do all my favorite low-stress activities before the test. I follow a healthy diet and exercise regularly, and I think this may contribute to my general low stress attitude.

STRESS- Raiffa S

I honestly don’t know how i deal with stress. But i am not one who is usually “stressed”. I get anxious and nervous and overwhelmed but it’s often I am just stressed. That’s probably because whenever I spy the beginning of stress i completely ignore that thing that is causing it. And then I just do a lot of nothing like putting together outfits. So that was fantastic when I should’ve been studying for AP tests. The week before AP hell I had the greatest idea to watch something on Netflix which I usually refrain from because I will then get caught in a Netflix vortex and proceed to binge watch absolutely everything. I probably need to deal with that before going into college because that tactic is a great way to feed procrastination. Maybe I’ll take up yoga or become a compulsive scheduler so I can stay on top of things. That stuff is usually good for stress relieving, right? But now that AP test are over and most of my classes aren't (shouldn't be??) giving incredibly hard finals I don’t really have to worry about that yet.

Stress- Jessica Nelson

I manage my stress by… actually I don’t really manage my stress per say. When I am stressed it is usually a result of being busy and when you are busy who has time to deal with stress? If you don’t stop working on things long enough to think about being stressed it covers the stress up quite nicely. Just bury the stress in mounds of homework and overlapping activities and you’ll barley even see it. When my stress does come poking through it usually comes out in mild moodiness toward my parents, when slightly provoked, and blows over in a half hour or so. I used to play sports to help with some of that but due to injury I had to stop and I've never really gotten around to finding a replacement. I watch T.V. and listen to music like any other person but hopefully sometime soon I’ll find a legitimate activity to manage stress.

The Future- Jessica Nelson

Being one of the final blog posts I feel an obligation to make it entertaining and one of the best but  as long as I have thought about it I still haven't been able too. I am tired, I am burnt out, I am out of ideas. At this point I am just hanging on long enough to get through the ap exams to come. This summer I am going to rest and look into colleges and a future career path but for now it is all I can do to study a little and balance daily life. Prior to now this year I have had success including being inducted into National Honor Society and meeting my goal on the ACT but I have also had failures like failing to get an A in every class first semester and dislocating my knee again. Summer will be a time to regroup and refocus to be able to get through senior year to come. I want my senior year to go more smoothly and to be planned out, not as left up to chance. Hopefully I will be able to regained motivation over the summer with the exciting talks and plans of the future to push through and earn everything I want for myself.

Stress Lucy Macfarlan

I'm naturally a pretty high stress person, I have been for my whole life. Whenever school gets hard or I have a lot of stuff that I have to get done I totally stress myself out about it. Usually I get over it by talking myself down and making a tangible list of things that I have to do in order to aleviate that stress. This year however I've done a really terrible job of handling how busy I am. For the past couple weeks, I've been getting to school at 6:30 in the morning to go to Mr. Snow's review sessions so I can be better prepared for the APUSH test, this of course means that I have to get up earlier and therefore have less time to sleep, this isn't helping my stress level. My body totally betrays me whenever I'm stressed. I can't sleep, I get a terrible stomach ache, and all I want to eat is ice cream. Of course, due to this lack of sleep and adequate nutrition, I've lost about 10 pounds in the past few weeks. Whenever I get stressed I have a tendency to become sort of obsessed with how much I weigh, I don't know why but I always have. It's not like I care how high or low it is, I just have a weird thing about knowing what it is. Recently my body has decided that the best way to handle the stress is to run a fever for three days so that's been cool. To manage stress I do all of the normal stuff like yoga, meditations, deep breathing, etc. but when you're this stressed sometimes the only thing to do is to spend a day in bed asleep and forget about how much you have to do for a little while.

Assignment 25 Ian Harrison

I'm normally a pretty laid-back person, so I rarely get stressed. But when I do, I have a pretty simple method for calming down: stories. Books, movies, you name it, just let me immerse myself in someone else's world for a few hours. It works pretty well, until I realize that I've procrastinated and now I have to do whatever it is I was supposed to do, often with little clue of how to do it. Yes, this method is pretty ineffective as far as productivity is concerned, but it does wonders for my stress levels. Just forgetting the situation for a little while is relaxing, even if reality will eventually come crashing down upon me. Even as I'm writing this, I'm watching The Office because it's hilarious and I'm trying to forget about the chaos of finals and AP tests. Michael Scott and co.'s shenanigans are doing a fantastic job of keeping me from studying for the imminent AP Art History exam, which I am woefully unprepared for. So when you're wondering why I got a two, don't blame me. Blame Steve Carrell.

Assignment 24: The Future -Keionna Bailey

I am entirely too excited for the end of junior year. I can no longer take it. A lot has happened and I just can't wait for it to be over. Biggest mistakes of this year was transferring to a different school for two days in which I thought was in the past but there are still some people who will randomly mention it. Another mistake I've made this year was getting a job at the end of junior year. That is by far the dumbest thing I have done because I went from being the most flexible person ever to planning out when’s the next time I’ll go to sleep. I work five days a week and it is very stressful. But enough about how dumb I can be…

Successes: Not that much has happened to me this year but my major accomplishments have been being accepted into national honor society and the chance of attending NLSC(National Leadership Student Conference). I have had other opportunities to attend programs like this one but with this new job, application deadlines escaped my mind.

Failures: I wouldn't say anything was a complete failure, there’s always a chance to learn from something that didn't go way that I planned it.

The major lesson that I have learned is to not spread myself too thin. I got so caught up in the thought of trying to impress future colleges in all the activities that I didn't stop to think of things that I was actually interested in. But luckily I've had teachers and my mom who have helped me through my decisions. I’ve learned that AP classes aren't always the best decision to make. I can take all the AP classes in the world but they aren't going to help me make the decision of who I want to be.

During the summer I plan to attend a couple of summer programs, work, volunteer, and have fun for the last summer going into high school.

I haven’t made plans for senior year. That’s too far in advance but I do know that I plan to concentrate on what I want to do versus what everyone else wants me to do. 

The Future - Taylor Stewart

The year, like most things I describe, was okay. It wasn't extraordinary in any aspect, and all I really did was muddle through it. I have made a few successes, and many of my failures were unreached opportunities. I made a few new friends this year, which was a goal of mine. Academically, I've fared well - I haven't gotten terrible grades, managed to stay awake most of the time, got a 35 on my ACT, GSP acceptance, etc. Now it sounds like I'm bragging, so we should balance it out with failures. I still haven't applied for my permit after 7 months of being 16, I don't have a job, and in general just not making much of the progress I see my peers making. There you go.

I'd love to say I have learned many things this year, but I don't know how much I can put into words. Something superficial, for example - I learned better ways of organizing things. See? superficial af

I typically think of myself as a fairly proactive person, but that seems to be less and less the case now. Maybe I'm just burned out from school? Because it took me an extreme amount of time to gather the energy to do this post. I used to be so excited about them. Maybe not excited, just eager? Something like that.

I've made small amounts of artistic progress this year, which will hopefully be exacerbated next year, when I do independent art study with Shu. I have also discovered a ton of new bands, which means more to me than most things. This summer I'd like to learn guitar, but mostly just relax. Work on my disc tossing skills, spend time with my lovely younger sisters (who will be turning one and three this summer), and homework, of course. I'm going to GSP, hopefully at Bellarmine, so that will take up a large chunk of my summer.

For my senior year I would just love not to be exhausted with school, which may very well be the case. Senioritis? Kind of. As I've said, I'm quite excited for the art class I'm taking, which will be totally rad. I actually think my mentoring project will be pretty interesting, I'm researching with a professor at UK who is not a boring old guy at all.

I plan to reach my goals by muddling through. Just kidding, I'll be super proactive and everything, u kno me

this is the future