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.