Farewell to AP English

Dear Journal,

It appears that today I must, regretfully, say goodbye to my AP English family. We have seen each other through SOAPSTones, Datasheets, essays and discussions.  We have all grown not only as writers but as young men and woman about to set out on to newer and better experiences. I have fully enjoyed my time with this group. We started out as strange and scared juniors, cowering every time we entered Ms. Serensky’s room.  Now, I struggle to think of many days this year that have not been filled with laughter in that very same room. Through this class, I have developed several friendships that honestly would not have existed otherwise.  I will truly miss the moments we shared together. I hope that we will all keep in touch to some degree over the years. Best wishes to all of my fellow AP English classmates of 2011!

Sincerely,

Hayden

Top 10 Reasons AP English is Awesome

1.

1.       You actually will learn something useful in this class. Yes, you will actually become smarter by taking this class. I cannot say the same for all of my other classes I have endured in high school.

2.       Multiple Choice Game Days. Not only do you get to earn precious extra credit, but you also get to have a grand time competing with the rest of your class for the coveted first place.

3.       Quality movies. This is probably the only class that I have watched a movie that induced screams of horror from a still frame of a girl’s face. Seriously though, the movies we watched in this class have truly been unforgettable for a plethora of reasons

4.       Quote Sheets. These hilarious packets received at the end of each quarter give you all the ammunition you will ever need to mock all of your friends for the remainder of the year. Also, you get to learn about how much Ms. Serensky listens into random hallway conversations.

5.       Annoying People with Quotes. Everyone will know when you are in AP English. How? You will quite simply annoy everyone to death as you frantically try to memorize all of your quotes for that essay next period. At the lunch table instead of having a normal conversation, you get to interject with random quotes from Shakespeare that no one else even understands. Just sit back and watch as the irritation builds on each one of the faces of the non AP English students and bask in your moment.

6.       In Class Reading. Depending on your classmates, this can prove to be quite an entertaining activity. Especially if you find yourself in a class where everyone attempts to speak in an accent, and others just struggle with pronouncing everyday words like disparage.

7.       Building Amazing Friendships. By the time you have suffered through the first semester of AP English 11, you begin to find solace in the AP English community. Here, you can commiserate with your fellow class mates on how you failed the last essay or how you want to burn the book you are currently reading. But in all honesty, AP English provides a real opportunity to create new friendships with people in your grade that you may not have talked to otherwise.

8.       Receiving Stickers. This is the one item that you so desperately strive for on your papers. When you finally receive one of these elusive prizes nothing can stand in your way. That’s right; you will feel absolutely invincible, well you will feel elated at the least.

9.       Ms. Serensky’s Mockery. On a daily basis you will get to witness and laugh at your fellow classmates as Ms. Serensky mocks them for various reasons. Now of course, you too may be subject to some of this mockery. But witnessing the absolute joy on her face as she laughs at your dismay is truly a sight to behold.

10.   Story Time with Ms. Serensky. Occasionally you may be graced with a brief glimpse into the life of Ms. Serensky. Cherish these moments. For they always end up being the most humorous stories you have ever heard. I cannot remember one day this year that I have not laughed at least once in this class when Ms. Serensky tells a story of her life. 

Commentary on the AP English Exam

Iago: Oh I hate these AP exams “as I do hell pains” (1.1.151)

Algernon: Yes “you can hardly have forgotten” how hard she studied for this exam (42)

Amy: look at how quickly she writes! “How is it possible I never noticed it before?” (256)

Iago: Ah it appears the poem has stumped her. Her furrowed brow depicts frustration as she attempts to continue onward. Alas, “we cannot all be masters” of the pen (1.1.40)

Algernon: “The truth is rarely pure and never simple” (6). She must think her way through this essay

Amy: “’you’re a special one, aren’t you?’” (63) Who speaks in riddles like that?

Iago: “observe her” as she writes (3.3.197)! We may yet find a flaw in her technique that may come of use later on

Algernon: “you are” quite a strange person, Iago (5). Though I must say I quite like your style. Perhaps you would enjoy Bunburying with me sometime?

Amy: “I can’t” imagine a greater waste of my time than running about the English country side with the likes of you two (258)! Look! She is now onto the choice essay, I do hope she will write about me!

Iago: “I do well believe ‘t” young Amy (2.1.286). However, it appears she favors my play to your inane novel!

Algernon: “I suspected that” much (6)! I’m quite put off that she did not consider me as a superior choice!

Amy: “Am I so pathetic” that she can’t even mention me once (201)? She moved on to the next prompt without one thought of me!
Iago: I cannot imagine “what you will” do with yourselves now that you’ve been clearly rejected (4.1.35). Though, I must say I am quite honored that she chose honest Iago to write about!

Algernon: Look! She is almost out of time! “It’s a painful parting”” especially since she snubbed me by ignoring my obvious potential in her essay (31)!

Amy: This is so exciting! Only five minutes left and she still writes at a steady pace! “It doesn’t take much to thrill you when you’re so used to following the rules” (203).

Teacher: Pens down! Please place your answer booklet on the right corner of your desk. 

Everything Matters About My Favorite Novel

Ron Currie’s novel Everything Matters! truly stuck with me this year. First of all, the novel provided the unique prospective of multiple first person speakers. This helped to see the world of the characters through their eyes which helped bring them to life. I also found the flawed characters very relatable. Junior’s mother Debbie “is a drunk” which creates tension in the family (55). Currie also appealed to my humor through the character of Amy. I found the moment where she decides to smoke on the plane quite humorous, “pathetic, I know, but it doesn’t take much to thrill you when you’re so used to following the rules” (203). I also found the whole idea of multiple universes quite intriguing. To think that the option to “pick a self. Any self” might exist baffles me (262). And the whole idea of Junior stepping on a bee completely altering his future really made me sit down and think about how every little action I have made has helped to form the life I have today. If I think about this too much, the idea ensues panic in my mind. Simply thinking about the "precious moments of my life ticking away” seems like a daunting task. However, Currie manages to calm these nerves with Junior’s absolute calm approach to accepting death in the end. He leaves readers with an uplifting message that “anything, anything, anything is possible” (302).

Top Ten Most Thrilling Academic Moments of My High School Career

1.      Passing AP English 11 for “it had always been a girlish dream of mine” (33)

2.      Getting an “A” on the 10^th grade research English project, a grade that I would call “all in all sufficient” for my hard work (4.1.265)

3.      Passing Honors Trigonometry, for this class was a “monster in thy thought, too hideous to be shown” to the weaker minded (3.3.07)

4.      Receiving an 8 on an AP English essay. I remember “clutching the scrap of paper as if it contained the secret to saving the world” or at least my grade in AP English (100)

5.      My first sticker on the Othello datasheet filled me up with “a happiness so strong you just know you’re going to pay for it later” (157)

6.      Third highest scorer in an AP multiple choice game in AP English 11. As I heard my name called I first doubted my ears, surely this was a mistake. But as the truth of the moment set in “I [was]… in a state [of extreme] happiness” (196)

7.      Receiving positive comments on an English paper. This accomplishment truly proved to me that “anything, anything, anything is possible” (302)­­­

8.      Earning a sticker on my The Importance of Being Earnest analysis. “What? What?” another sticker to add to my modest collection (4.1.33). I will gladly accept this reward!

9.      My group winning first place in a game of AP Multiple choice. Finally! “I think it is high time” that I finally receive the maximum extra credit points (9)!

10.   Maintaining a 4.0 GPA for the fourth quarter of my senior year. “I felt instinctively” that this would prove to be quite a difficult task, and it has lived up to my standard (23)

My Favorite Poem

My favorite poem that we read this year was “Sestina” by Ciara Shuttleworth. The simplicity of this poem truly spoke to me in a way that none of the other works could manage to. The repetition of the six words parallels the uncertainty of emotions as if to say “this is love” (61). The poem moves through the process of denial and pain to acceptance “creating a distance between” the two lovers (86). The raw emotion found in the piece truly captured my attention the first time I read it. One moment the speaker accuses their lover of ruining their relationship and then suddenly “the moment has passed” and given way to a flood of acceptance and reflection (99). This poem seemed very real and relatable, which is one of the reasons that I enjoyed it so much.

A Look into the Past

As I walked into the room I was instantly filled with excited anticipation for the conversation to follow, the day we learned about Ms. Serensky’s past. The desks, arranged in a tight circle, set the scene for a completely different class. As she passed out suckers to each of us to “keep all of you quiet” Ms. Serensky seated herself in the circle and began. She spoke of her remembrance of high school and the limited challenges she was presented with. However, when she approached college, she found that school was not so simple. “You will not always be the best” she warned, “accept it, so you don’t waste energy” (16). She told of her humbling experiences in college, and how her approach to teaching will truly prepare us for the future. She then began to describe on particularly warm day when she visited the pool. While swimming, a man quizzed her on William Shakespeare works, later; she learned that he was to be her professor “this was her first remembrance of” the man (3.3.290). She spoke of how he challenged her and forced her out of her comfort zone to achieve all that she was capable of. “I have tried to model my teaching style from him” she explained. Then she reached her teaching years in the story, she told of how she struggled to create a teaching style that would truly help us achieve what she wished she had in high school. I sat in silence the entire period, with an exception of the few laughs that escaped my lips. A smile grew across my face as the story continued. Finally, the bell rang, and I slowly gathered my books and walked towards the door with a whole new prospective on a woman I had known for about two years. “[It was] a very painful parting” from the room (31). I did not want to leave the positive atmosphere and return to the mundane routine of the everyday.  However, I forced myself to venture onto my next class, leaving behind the best day in AP English 12 I have ever experienced.