TOW 30: Letter to APLEC Students

Dear future APELC student,

Congrats! You are currently enrolled in perhaps the most challenging English class of your High School career. You must be prepared to read the works of Plato, contemplate the societal effects of rhetoric, and prepare yourself in early May for three hours of mental exertion and a cramped hand. But contrary to what you may have heard, this course is far from impossible. It's okay if you don't think your writing ability is up to par, or if you're not sure you have the literary insight to fully grasp every piece of writing. When you emerge from this course in mid-June (well, really more like early May), you will feel more confident in your writing ability and able to think critically on a deeper level. In between, however, it will take responsibility, determination, and hard work.

Many of you probably consider yourself decent writers. After all, that's probably part of the reason why you took this course. You are accustomed to doing well on essays, which is why getting back essays in the beginning of the year with a 4 or a 5 may be a bit of a surprising disappointment. But constantly striving to improve oneself is perhaps the most important lesson that I have learned from AP English. If at first your essays aren't where you want them to be, then keep on practicing during in class ones. Talk to Mr. Yost or Ms. Pronko. Invest time into your take-home essays. This is not a class where you can slide by and get an easy A.

A second part of APELC besides essay-writing is a lot of reading. There will be Language of Composition packets, pieces of rhetoric to analyze, Plato, and at the end of each Marking Period, a project assignment. Try to space out your reading and don't leave 20 pages for the last day. Trust me, I've done it. And the last thing you want to be doing at 1 am is sitting at your desk trying to power through 20 pages of text when even five cups of black coffee can't keep you awake. It's really a shame too, because most of the texts are very interesting. Instead, plan ahead. During group projects, find times for all group members to collaborate. Do a little bit of the reading assignments each day. In terms of workload, APELC really isn't a very demanding class at all.

The goal of every AP class is to prepare you well for the AP exam, and I can honestly say that you are in very capable hands. If you give your best effort all year, you won't find yourself trying to cram for the APELC exam the night before ( and with something like English, I feel it's pretty impossible to cram for in the first place). That being said, don't just focus your attention on the AP exam. Actually participate in class discussions, think for yourself, and share your ideas. Consider if what you want to say will actually add to the discussion, but don't be afraid to take on a different perspective. I wish you the best of luck this year in APELC and all your other classes! Don't stress out too much. Remember: it's just school.