Farewell AP Englishers

Dear Journal,

I write this as my bitter-sweet feelings surface from the thought of departing this classroom and school for that matter in less than one week. I will never forget my first day of AP English junior year, when Ms. Serensky passed out the classroom syllabus with the oxen on it. She asked for volunteers to describe the metaphor implied by this clip-art. Everybody, in some form or another said that it foreshadowed a heavy work load, causing us to feel weak and vulnerable. Flashing back to that moment, "heavy work-load" was an understatement. Not only were the class assignments and reading very difficult, but for some reason, this year we all decided to carry the class as extra baggage in our lives outside of Ms. Serensky's class. For example, at my friend Sammi's all-girl cookie-exchange party over winter break, we (girls in AP english) found ourselves debating over characters in the book "Othello" and how it compared to the play we watched downtown. Sammi,who takes Honor's English, along with Molly Stancik, finally started angrily shouting at us and telling us that, "After all guys, this IS winter break, a time where we DON'T talk about anything related to school". Following that mini-eruption, Tina shrieked and said she had just realized that she forgot to write her blog that was due at midnight that night. That caused another uproar among the AP-Englishers present because then most of us soon realized that we, too, had forgotten to blog. Instead of just taking the hit of a single bad grade, like most other normal high schoolers would have done, we all just had to take turns on Sammi's computer and wrote our blogs, one by one, before midnight. I think this moment really says a lot about the true, determined character we have built throughout these past two years. However, most of all, it shows the profound respect we all have for our teacher because we were all afraid to "let her down". This is because despite the grueling tasks she made us do all year, their difficulty has really taught us the value of hard work and determination. And the Importance of Being Earnest.

Fondly,
Meghan


yes, we were matching that night.

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Take AP English

1). You can argue with your classmates, however in a constructive manner.
2). The seats are situated in a circle, so you can see everybody's cheerful faces, especially your twin's.
3). The posters in the classroom are quite intriguing. Especially the one about the pigeons. I won't reveal the message, because it is important to read the life-changing statement for yourself.
4). The books we read are for the most part entertaining, causing heated classroom debates, which bring energy into the classroom.
5). There was not a mid-term exam. Instead, we blogged each week about a topic of our choice and presented them on exam day. This reduced a lot of stress during finals week.
6). Everything we do in class has a purpose. There is no such thing as busy work, unlike the rest of the classes in this school.
7). The sophisticated style of writing that we learned will prove as a very beneficial skill in college.
8). Ms. Serensky's wit keeps us entertained. It especially surfaces when she makes fun of the dream-team.
9). It is allowed to talk during class without raising your hand.
10. Our hands are very fit and in shape because of all the writing exercises we do.


Flashback of Alex and Thomas in 3rd grade English:

Algernon: Literary criticism is not your forte, dear [Meghan](3).

Amy: I'm starting to worry about [her] taking too much time(207).

Algernon: It might make [her] very unwell(42).

Othello: That's strange (4.2.11)

Amy: Maybe [she] is broken (204).

Algernon: When I am in trouble, eating is the only thing that consoles me (41).

Amy: I'm reminded by her grim expressions of just how serious that is (210).

Othello: 'Tis monstrous (2.3.216).

Algernon: Oh! [I Agree] It is absurd to have a hard and fast rule about what one should read and what one shouldn't(4).

Algernon: Bring me that cigarette case (4)

Amy: No (211).

Algernon: Well, I don't like your clothes. You look perfectly ridiculous in them (30).

Amy: Did I hear you correctly? (88).

Algernon: [silent, observing meghan]

Amy: [Anyways] it's her who's the zombie (204).

Narrator: The Proctor indicates that the time is up.

Othello: I here engage my words(3.3.458).

Othello: News friends! [Their] wars are done (2.1.199)