The Perfect Playlist-Ben Grossman

Perfect Playlist for browsing Reddit
1. Spectrum by Zed
2. Clarity by Zed
3. Live for the Night by Krewella
4. Firestone by Kygo
5. Don't you worry child by Swedish House Mafia
There is nothing really special about these songs when looked at separately. They are just songs i really like listening to. When you look at them together they are a bunch of song that you can just sit and mindlessly listen and sing along to. The thing about Reddit is that it is just a website to waste time. The dank memes and kitten pictures are extremely prevalent. When you looking at these things you are not gonna want super complicated music. So this catchy music works perfectly. The order of the songs in the playlist does not really matter. You can shuffle and listen to the songs in any order.
Link to playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/1250377756/playlist/7v9dQhDR8mNQ1w4rpzRair

Help! - Kate Sommer

I thought that over all your teaching style was interesting and effective. I liked the practice you gave us with the timed writings and practice multiple choice (even though it sucked when you made us do them on a Friday). While there isn't much you can do to teach us how to do the multiple choice of the AP test I feel like just practicing it every month or so was very helpful. The timed writings were helpful in of practicing skills but sometimes the way you explained things was confusing. The concepts were hard to understand and when you were telling us to do something it took us awhile to catch on a lot of the time. If maybe there is a more understandable way of explaining things it might help. For example when we were learning the chronological approach to analysis essays it took a lot of us awhile to comprehend what you were telling us to do. I also feel like when we graded essays in the smaller groups it 1) took a lot less time, and 2) we got a lot more direct and helpful feedback and it didn't feel as harsh as when we read them in the big group. Also I thinks people sometimes forget that the person is in the room because sometimes people would get very harsh with their comments. But overall it was a very good year!

Future - Kate Sommer

It feels like just yesterday we were freshmen entering high school and now we're nearly seniors. Over the past year I've watched my little sister enter high school, friend enter and exit my life, and my best friend get her first real boyfriend. So this year has been fairly eventful. One of the major things I learned this year was that if someone is always putting you down or making you feel unimportant then they're someone you don't want in your life. I lost a friend that I've known for years because I realized I don't want to be in a friendship where the other person thinks their problems are more important than anyone else's. Another major thing I learned was to not give up because something doesn't go your way. I tried out for GSA again this year, but sadly didn't make it again. Rather than moping around about what I could have been doing this summer and not doing anything I decided to take the opportunity to volunteer at the Living Arts and Science Center for a large portion of the summer. I've realized that with only one more year of high school I need to start living for me rather than for other people. To be perfectly honest I don't know what I'm going to do in the future but I know I need to do things that will make me happy and not things that would make other people happy.

Stress— Gabriel Molina

Though I’m kind of writing this after the fact and I’m pretty much done with finals, yes those two weeks were absolutely stressful. I haven’t always been the greatest at dealing with stress. Not my strong point. I accomplish much more when I can work freely without pressure. Sadly that’s not often the case. In times like I just experienced, with rushing to get grades up and taking tons of important tests, I do a few things that work for me:

First of all, I try to pray as much as I can. I’ve experienced God come through for me in rough circumstances countless times. I invite Him into my struggle, as well as other people.

Second, music. Even without a ton of down time, I find moments to put on my headphones and listen to whatever music I’m feeling like. Usually it’s something pretty relaxing, chill-out music if you know what I mean.

Third, I’ve learned that there’s a point where you've just got to get up and do what needs to be done. Even though it really sucks, you’ve really got to make things happen. In those two weeks I had to study and do so much to get my grades up that I barely got to pick up my guitar. And it was horrible. But I know it’ll be worth it and it will pay off. And hey, now that summer’s here I’m going to have time again.

So those are my ways for getting through stress.

Help— Gabriel Molina

I think I would honestly say this has been one of the most growing English classes for me. I appreciated the "teaching to the test" approach, actually. There's a reason the AP program tests us on what they do, and they most definitely are useful, practical and necessary skills. I thought the frequency of practice tests and timed writings was pretty good. Writing as much as we did and receiving feedback really improved my writing. I think it was an effective change when we began revising the essays in smaller groups. People were encouraged to speak more and participate.

I thought the Socratic seminars were not as effective as they could've been. The word limit for each question seemed to have us focused on just filling that limit rather than making thoughtful insights on the text. The last one, where you graded based on quality not just the word count, forced us to analyze deeper and I think it turned out a little better.
I'm not super confident in the effectiveness of this semester's final. There were a few reasons, which I think most people covered. For me personally, my topic which had worked for the speech didn't work at all for the PSA. Therefore I had to change it and didn't get as much in-depth research. I think it would be helpful to make it clear in the summer assignment what the research topic is going to be used for.

It's been a great year. I've learned a lot and definitely become a much better writer. Thanks for helping us out, Mr. Logsdon.

Help - Caleb Combs

Over the course of this school year, I feel that I have developed greatly in many aspects of my writing and reading comprehension.  After taking the AP test, I feel that I was relatively well prepared.  The numerous timed writings, while we may not enjoy them, were very effective in preparing us for the essay portion of the test.  My essays on the AP exam were top notch.  My multiple choice showed grounds for improvement, as my performance on them throughout the year fluctuated.  I think an effective strategy for teaching the multiple choice section would be to have 3-5 questions every day that we go over at the beginning of class, as a bell ringer of sorts. When we do an entire multiple choice test, many people lose focus, and fail to give maximum effort.  As a result, students don't get an accurate representation of where they are at.  Growth cannot be accurately measured, and students don't retain the strategies of doing multiple choice. A few questions at the beginning of class demand the attention of the students, and lead to growth.  I feel that these blog posts were a very effective method of just allowing us to write freely.  It develops skills as a writer in a way that is still engaging, as we can write about things that we are passionate about.  Overall, I think that the teaching methods you used in class were very effective.  Multiple choice bell ringers are an idea to consider, but I still think that your methods allowed me to grow as a reader and writer.

Help-Ben Grossman

I liked the way the class was taught to the test and thought it prepared us very well. One thing i would've liked to know more about is citations. When then few questions on citations came up during the test i found myself unsure of what the answer was since we didn't really cover them. I did like the Socratic seminars but didn't like how we had to write long responses to each question. I feel like we could've answered those questions using half of the words required. Another thing is that having the lights off was good and bad at the same time. It was good because it was right after lunch when everyone is tired and created a relaxed mood. On the other hand it was bad because a lot of times it was hard to pay attention and try to resist falling asleep. Overall i think the class did what it was required to do.

Stress-Ben Grossman

One method i used to deal with stress during the AP test week was to just lay down when i got home. I think this is really effective because your'e just laying down forgetting about all your worries and resting your body. Also when you wake up you feel refreshed and ready to go. Another thing i did was after every AP test i went and got something to eat with a group of friends. This was really great for managing stress because it was a sort of immediate relief of stress after every test. Another really great method is to just sit down and watch Netflix or any TV program. The problem with this though, is that you can get addicted to the shows and end up watching a couple of hours. I think all these method of relieving stress are very effective, it is just personal preference that determines whats best for you.

The Future-Ben Grossman

I've really enjoyed my junior year. Its true that it has been the hardest school year so far, which is what everyone who i talked to said. Where iv'e been successful is that i'm fairly confident that i passed all my AP tests. Where iv'e failed is my goal to procrastinate less and get distracted from schoolwork less. A lesson i learned is that i need to procrastinate less. No risks were really taken. My mistake has been procrastinating a lot. This summer i'm going to China for three weeks since my dad will be teaching at Shanghai university. I might also get to go to New York to visit my grandparents depending on how busy i am. The only other major thing is marching band camp for three weeks from the middle of July to the start of school. My main goal for senior year is to procrastinate less.

Fictional Character, Fictional Life-Ben Grossman

Out of all my favorite characters, the one that i would want to be the most is Paul Blart the mall cop. Paul is an american hero and deserves the utmost respect from everyone. When Paul's mall is invaded by "some crazy people trying to take over the mall," he doesn't sit down and accept it like most other mall cops would. He jumps into action and risks his life to save it. Unlike some other heroes, Paul uses his brains as well as his brawn. Besides strait out fist-fights with the intruders, he employs the use of clever traps to reach his goal. Personally my favorite one is when he disguises himself as a hockey mannequin when one his enemies are lured into a sports store. At the end of the movie, after the safety of the mall is confirmed Paul happily goes back to his normal easy-going life, until the sequel... It takes a true American to do something like that.

Right Now-Ben Grossman

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe a man named bill is walking to work. Bill isn't any normal person though, he is a secret agent for the CIA. He has be assigned to work at this mundane job chopping logs because the owner of this log chopping business is actually a mob boss. This mob is in fact one of the biggest in the country. Bill's task is to find out everything about the inner workings of the mob and find a possible way to shut it down. Everyday Bill risks his life trying to figure out these secrets. Dozens of times his cover has nearly been blown and each time he uses his secret agent skills to remain undiscovered. Bill is actually tantalizingly close to finding out the crucial information he needs. When he gets this information he can go back to his normal life and wait for duty to call again.

How To-Ben Grossman

How to do laundry
The main thing about doing laundry is that it is a very complicated process that requires a ton of preparation and patience. Not everyone has the skill required to accomplish this task, but if you can master the process you'll be set for life. Listed below are the step to complete this process.
Step 1: Bring the clothes that need to be washed to the washing machine
Step 2: Place clothes that will be wash in the washing machine
Step 3: Put required amount of detergent in the washing machine
Step 4: Wait for clothes washing to be finished
Step 5: Take clothes out and put in dryer
Step 6: Put dryer sheet in with clothes
Step 7: Wait for clothes drying to be finished
Step 8: Fold clothes and put in respective areas
If you follow these steps you to can be a master at washing clothes.

plastics-Ben Grossman

A piece of advice given to me that has stuck is to be yourself. I know this is super cliche but I think it applies perfectly to me. The main example of this effecting me is when i decided to stop being active at my synagogue. I realized that the only reason i was involved was because my parents wanted me to and that i didn't really feel any connection when there. My parents excepted my choice but told me to keep an open mind. Its been three years since i made this decision and everything has been fine. Another example of this advice effecting me is when i made the choice to have longer hair. This was in middle school when i stopped caring what people though about how i looked. It was also easier to grow it out because i didn't have to get haircuts all the time.

Blog 26- Zachary Whitehouse

I did not like how your room was so dark all the time. However, your class did prepare us for the test and I greatly appreciate this. I feel like i, or students in general, would've gave more effort on the practice tests if they weren't on fridays and mondays as most of them usually were. I know that i did not give much effor t on these tests because i felt like you didn't emphasize the importance enough. though, this is mainly my fault, not yours. I wish we wouldve varied the essays a little more so that we could like rotate doing different ones to keep them fresh in our minds because by the time of the test i had almost forgotten all the different types of essays and how to write each one. I liked how your class wasn't overly vigorous and hard every single day. this enabled us to have and have some days off and i think this is an effective way to teach in gaining the respect and trust and love from your students. the class was very laid back and this gave us a chance to focus better and not be worried about having homework and graded tests every day.

Help! Scott Street

Mr.Log-dog, your class was  one of the ones I looked forward to in the day. Not just because  of you,  but  also because of the rather unconventional style of teaching you incorporated. While you did teach to the test (which I don't mind at all), you  did so in a way that taught me new and innovative way that taught me interesting approaches that enhanced my writing. For example, after sticking with the standard five-paragraph approach my entire life, you introduced a new, organic approach to writing an essay, which I find easier and more effective. A couple complaints I do have are about the Socratic Seminars. While I don't think that they are bad activities,  I believe that some of the  requirements in place took away from the activity as a whole. The 150 word responses per  question just had me trying to be more wordy than necessary. Also, the required talking times made the entire seminar seem forced and uncomfortable. If there were looser restrictions to the Socratic Seminar, I believe that it  could be a fun and effective way to convey a message or make a point. Overall, your class was  very enjoyable and one of the highlights of my school day and I will miss having your class next  year.

Help! - Emily Cashman

I think you taught this class really well logdog, and you taught to the test, but not in a boring or awful way. I felt really prepared for the test and didn't stress out about it before hand because I knew what it would be like and wasn't nervous. I liked how we didn't always do timed writings, practice multiple choice tests, and socratic seminars back to back to back throughout the whole year because that would've become extremely boring and your class wouldn't have been as fun. Another thing I liked about how your class was set us was that even though the practice multiple choice tests weren't taken up for actual grades, everyone still tried on them which can be attributed to how taught us to view the test and take it seriously even if it didn't immediately and directly affect our grade. One of the only things I didn't like in your class this year were the socratic seminars. Now, I didn't have a problem with the seminars themselves or talking in class, I just didn't fully understand how they related to everything else we were doing in class. Also, I think it would've been much more beneficial if we had gotten feedback from the first one prior to starting the second one so we could've known what to change. I think it would have been helpful too if the feedback was based on our written work and also what we said in the actual discussions. Overall, I loved your class and learned to not hate writing all thanks to you! I don't think there's much you need to change as a teacher so keep up the great work logdog!!!

Help! -Caroline Totty

I thought your teaching to the test was very effective. You taught to the test, yes, and prepared us all very well, but you didn't overdo it, which I believe is the important part. If everyday we came in and were doing a practice test or a timed writing your class would have been dreaded and people would stop trying and caring how they do. The multiple choice practice tests were a chance to really work and see how you have improved considering they were only given out once every 3 weeks or so. It was also good to get the exposure to all the different essays multiple times.

The one thing I think might have been more helpful is if we had gone over the multiple choice questions. I know it's tedious and you asked if we had questions, but most students just chose not to speak up or ask questions. I think going through question by question would help students understand and become even more familiar with the test.

Overall you teach a very effective class! This was definitely the AP test I felt most prepared for. Your class is by far my favorite class because it's a perfect mix of workload but also other things besides just the test and besides English. You're by far one of the best English teachers I've ever had. Thank you for being YOU and keep doing you, Log Dog! Ily in a teacher student appropriate way, of course.

Help! - Isabel Jenkins

At the beginning of the year, when you said "I'm going to teach to the test," I internally rolled my eyes. I figured that meant the class would become formulaic and dull. But honestly, walking into that AP test, I felt prepared - certainly more than my Physics test (I hardly even know the layout). I was definitely pressed for time on the writing, and I know I'm capable of writing much better, but in my opinion the multiple choice wasn't much different than the ones we did in class. Although I was unenthusiastic about in-class multiple choices and essays, I would prefer that than having to go into the exam without formal preparation.

However, I feel like there are some things that could be done differently. I liked doing the analysis essay first, but reading the prompt on the AP test it was like I hadn't written one in years. I found the "organic approach" effective in most situations, but the passage we had on the test was so long - I felt like my essay was weakened by my attempt to use it. Perhaps you could give students advice on analyzing shorter/longer than typical passages, so they have a clearer line of thinking in those situations.

I liked the TED talks and Socratic Seminars, but in hindsight I felt like they didn't have much relevance. The final exam projects were again interesting - but I felt ill-prepared for them. During first semester, we hadn't covered much about giving/writing speeches, we had only written essays. If we had SS first semester, maybe that could tie in better with speeches since we would have already discussed/debated with classmates? And second semester we mainly prepared for the AP test, as opposed to learning about camera and directing techniques for filming a PSA. You did show us sample PSAs and talk about speeches eventually, but other than the summer assignment I was confused as to how all these things tied in. I did love the idea of Life Lessons with Logsdon, though. If possible it might've been nice to have more time devoted to that.

*edit: YES! ACT review was a bless please continue that

Buckets and Buckets- Ben Grossman

1. Before I finish high school I want to make wind ensemble, which is the top band. I've never been super religious about practicing so I was never prepared for the audition. This year I actually practiced a little bit for the audition and made it. It only took three years and a switch from trombone to tuba to get there, but i finally did it.

2. Before I finish college I want to own my own car. My parents let me use their cars so it hasn't been a problem yet. It will be a problem though if all the cars are in use. To buy my own car i'm gonna have to get a job which will be super fun.

3. Before I die I want to go skydiving. I'm not an adrenaline junkie or anything like that, but i think this would be an incredible experience as long as i remember to a parachute.

Horray for Hollywood- Ben Grossman

Rotten Tomatoes Link- http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/interstellar_2014/#

Stress - Isabel Jenkins

Although I'd like to say I'm pretty laid-back about school, I know that's not always true. I might not pay the most attention during every class, and I might not turn in every assignment exactly on time, but in the end things usually work out. However, this year I was faced with the daunting task of AP Physics. Leading up to this year it hadn't been difficult for me to achieve good grades, but this class was... different than any other class I've had, to say the least. I feel like if you do the homework and focus on the lesson you should at least be able to get a C or B on a test. Yet I found myself with a 0/50 (YES! A 0%!) on an unfortunate three-question exam. Also, for some unknown reason, I'm hyper-sensitive to certain sounds - like I find it nearly impossible to focus even on simple tasks if someone is loudly chewing gum beside me. It's weird, but it's a major source of frustration.

While I know certain things are out of my control, I can't help but feel stressed in these situations. So when I'm aggravated about grades and people and school, I try to take a step back and realize the big picture. Even if do get a poor grade, I'll still get into college and probably still be successful. And I'll always have to deal with difficult people, but in college I'll have tons of new people to interact with. If that doesn't work, I might hang out with friends and gripe to them. It's always surprising how many people relate, or say "YES! I feel the same way!" But if no one's free, I distract myself with other activities I like, such as cooking obnoxious health food, doodling on the violin, attempting to use my mom's camera, listening to music really loud, and binge-watching on netflix.

Help- Will Mathews

Thank you for what has to be probably my Favorite English class ever, I felt very prepared for the AP test, as well as feeling that I learned other things of value this year.

The AP English test is very different from the usual AP tests in that there is little content you can teach for it, you either know how to write and analyze or you don’t. Teaching the academy you have luck in that most of us are able to do those things, however instead of just relying on us to do well on the test based on our natural ability you were able to shape our English talents to the best of their abilities. The  spaced out practice tests and essays we took and wrote allowed us to get feedback on what we were doing right and wrong, without overloading us with hugely unnecessary assignments, that I know many other unfortunate juniors faced.  So as far as the test went, I felt fully prepared to do well, without feeling vastly overworked.

In addition to the test, I think we did a good job learning other important English things by participating in Socratic seminars, learning extensive new vocab, and in ding these blog posts.

 The only thing I would change about your class is that I did feel like there were days, and I’m not complaining here, I’m all for less work, that we could have accomplished more work if we had perhaps watched less YouTube videos or things of that nature.

 

Help!- Andrew Collins

I'd like to say that overall this class was a very nice class to have junior year. I enjoyed that it was fairly relaxed while still remaining very effective, especially during a year that for most of us is the most difficult. I only have a few gripes:

1. When the AP test came I felt grossly unprepared for the analysis piece. I think this one is the easiest to remedy. If it hadn't been almost 4 months since the last time I wrote an analysis essay and had it graded when I walked into Whitehall, I would have felt far more confident. I understand the reasoning behind the time frame in which we write each type of essay, but I think it would be much more effective if it was mixed up a little more.

2. The Socratic Seminars caught me way off my guard. The transition from almost no homework to very large assignments was disorienting, especially when we were also writing lots of things for APUSH (which I didn't expect you to have any control over). I'm not entirely sure how you could remedy this, I just know that it was really weird and awkward.

3. I know you've acknowledged this already, but more preparation for the citation stuff. It would probably be best to go over it pretty close to the AP test since it would slip our minds pretty quickly.

One of my favorite things you did was the ACT review. Having that quick review and gaining that familiarity was crucial to people like me who didn't study for it; I owe my 35 to you a thousand times over, so thanks for that.

The Future- Andrew Collins

Looking back on it, this year was pretty great, especially second semester. In January, I made the All District Jazz and Concert Bands. I was in the lower band for each one, but since alto is extremely competitive for the amount of spots it gets, I did really well. When it was all said and done I was the third best player in the entire district in Concert and in Jazz. And as a player I've greatly improved this semester, thanks mostly to the much more rigorous practice schedule that I recently adopted.

In the area of school, I did fairly well in all my classes, but my most important accomplishment was my ACT score. I couldn't believe it, but I got a 35 (which I didn't expect mainly because I didn't study and the last time I had taken the test was in 7th grade). All of the sudden I realized that I could go to most of the colleges in the country with that ACT score and my GPA.

Finally, I succeeded in one of the most important auditions of my life, and became a Drum major for the 2015 Henry Clay marching band. I now have the opportunity to lead my favorite group of people to results that none of us could ever imagine.

All in all, this year was pretty great.

Help- Kaitlyn Nunnelley

Teaching to the test to me isn’t a super effective way of teaching because I feel like it only teaches us a certain area of things that are useful for that year and that test only. But that method I think worked this year because the AP test covered such broad subjects like grammar correctness, reading comprehension and essay writing.

I didn’t think Socratic seminars were very effective, even though we just did a couple. I didn’t really learn anything from them or know the point, other than analyzing readings. They were just time consuming and confusing and stressful.

Also I don’t know the point of a final based in filming and movies when that’s not what our class is about. No, it isn’t super hard, but a little challenging considering I have no background. I feel like it’s all very subjective as well, our grade on this final and the semester before.

Stress- Kaitlyn Nunnelley

My weeks of testing and stress are almost over. I took 4 AP classes this year so I had 4 big tests in the beginning of May. I took Physics, Calculus, English and US History. I wasn’t really worried about those because they don’t affect my grade and I already knew I wouldn’t do well on history. The only one that mattered to me was Calculus. Now I have finals, which involves a PSA, I haven’t exactly started yet which is really stressing me out.

I don’t have specific methods that help with stress, but sometimes I read to help it. But that just puts off whatever I’m procrastinating. So what helps the most is to go ahead and do whatever it is that I don’t want to do, get it over with. If it’s a test or something I cant do right away and am worried about it I’ll study or do whatever I can to know that I tried my hardest. After that I just distract myself.

The Future- Kaitlyn Nunnelley

Junior year is almost over and we’re almost seniors… which I find scary. Everyone says junior year is the hardest and worst year but I don’t agree. My mix of classes and teachers hasn’t been too hard on me. I had many successes and failures.

One of my biggest successes I think was maintaining my A in AP Calculus. I’m good at math in general but I got a devil dollar for getting an A on every quiz and test the first semester, which I was very proud of.

I had more failures than significant successes. Physics and AP US History were pretty bad for me this year. I should’ve paid more attention in APUSH definitely because I know nothing about history at all. Physics just was bad in general, I think most agree.

This summer I’ll just spend everyday at the pool, doing swim team and tennis. And I guess a whole bunch of AP Spanish work and English Lit.

Senior year and summer I really just want to get focused on finding the perfect school for me.

Help!-Leah Noble

Overall, I felt very prepared for the AP test this year and thought that teaching to the test was effective in preparation for the test. Although sometimes a pain, the practice tests we did throughout the year helped me get an idea of what the test would be like. I also enjoyed being able to look back at my scores from the beginning of the year and seeing the progress I had made. It's nice to be able to physically see improvement. One thing I wish we had done more of is vocabulary. Although the vocab we learned first semester helped some, I wish we had something like a list of obscure words that have shown up on previous tests because I felt like there were several times that I knew the answer to the question but didn't know what option to pick because I was not familiar with the vocabulary used in the answer choices. Concerning the essays, I liked discussing them in small groups better than as a whole class. I felt very prepared for the analysis essay, but less so for the argument and synthesis ones. When I wrote those two essays on the test, I felt as if I had reverted back to my old ways of writing those kinds of essays and forgot all that we had learned. This might have happened due to the fact that I had already taken 4 other AP tests prior to this one and I was burned out, but I also think it might have happened partly because I didn't feel like I had enough guidance in how to write these and practice doing them.

Help!- Amelia Rogers

            While I'm typically not a fan of “teaching to the test,” I feel like it worked out well for this class. Yes, the multiple choice was tedious but it was effective because it gave me a good idea of how prepared I was, and I saw myself improve over the year. The timed writings were also important for me to improve my writing, and they helped me break out of my former 5- paragraph essay standard style. I appreciated getting feedback on my writing and analyzing others’, but I think the small group discussions worked better than the whole class. People are more open to talking in small groups. Also, it would be good to encourage more constructive criticism because sometimes it felt like we were just tearing people’s essays up because it was anonymous. I enjoyed doing Socratic seminars but not writing the questions for them, and sometimes it seemed like we were discussing philosophical issues instead of analyzing style. I would keep them but change the focus.  

help! emily chavez

After taking the AP test, I really feel like the things you are doing in class genuinely helped me be prepared for it. Not only was I prepared, but I felt like you did it in such a way that didn't feel like reading straight out of the textbook because we were actually doing it. When in comes to the AP test, I think we need to practice writing the essays in the amount of time given during the actual test. I was EXHAUSTED by the 3rd essay and felt like my last essay could've been much stronger. That might not help, but it's something to be aware of.

My essay writing as definitely improved as did my reading/English sections of the ACT. I do think ACT practice tests are something you can consider/continue.

Our first semester final was a great experience in public speaking and argumentative speech. That was probably my favorite part of the year.

One thing that I thought was a little frustrating about this year were just some miscommunications. I am chatty, yes, but I listen for the most part and am aware of everything going on. There were times when I didn't upload it to Turn It in simply because I did not understand that it was expected of me to do so. I also think there needs to be more clarity on when the blogs are actually due. I turn it on a day after it was due and got half credit for it, even though I thought there was a bit of a grace period on it. I just think there need to be more clear guidelines so that everyone is on the same page. 

Lastly, I think Socratic Seminars need to be modified. The 150 word minimum was tough and I just ended up repeating myself even though I had already answered the question thoroughly in 80 words.  

you rock bestie ily!

Help!-Noah Welch

I thought your class was effective this year. In my opinion, the tests and writings were very effective but I do not think putting the tests and writings on Friday helped develop our skills further. I enjoyed the Socratic seminars, but I think that our class needed a little more prodding from you to reach our full potential. I also felt this way about several of our class discussions, in many of these circumstances several people needed more encouragement to contribute to the discussion.

 My largest complaint about the class is this semester’s final. I do not have many skills in film. I cannot edit film or act well. I would greatly prefer if we had options on what project we could undertake for our final. I think this would be fair, because some people do not have the skills to perform this project to your expectations.  Instead of a single project option, you could require us to write a paper, or take a test or make a power point or make a film.    I do not understand how this film applies to what we have learned and worked on in class this whole year.  This final seems like a more appropriate final for a film class. I understand that you want to broaden our horizons, but please consider that not everyone shares your love and talent for film. If you wanted to introduce us to film, maybe it could have been a smaller project worth much less than 20% of our grade.

I appreciate your willingness to accept constructive feedback.  I hope you will take my feedback under consideration.  On the whole I had a good year and enjoyed your class greatly. I thought you did a wonderful job preparing us for the AP test and were an effective and fun teacher. 

Help! I need somebody, help!- Anne Russell

First of all, I would just like to say thank you for a great year, Mr. Logsdon, it's been really fun getting to know you! Sorry, just had to get the sunshine and rainbows out of my system.

As far as the AP test goes, the practice essays and multiple choice were obviously effective to a degree. For the multiple choice, I think it helped when you showed us the breakdown of how many people missed what and covered the really bad ones, and the ones people had questions about. Going through each and every question is tedious, and usually loses people's attention. Letting people ask their own questions usually accomplishes nothing, granted higher scoring tests don't necessarily need gobs of time to go over. But the occasional multiple choice test to refresh our minds, as well as give us scores to compare throughout the year, has definitely helped. Although, maybe Fridays aren't the best days to do them:P

The essays are somewhat mixed. Of course writing the essays under time constraints is good practice. However, grading is sometimes not very helpful. Grading in small groups makes people too nice, while grading as a whole class takes a long time and sometimes makes people too open and sometimes too mean. One fix to this would be to grade another class's, so that no comments are personally offensive. Mandatory but brief, one-on-one commentary with you about one or two essays throughout the year would help, because in the end, your opinion (as a former grader) matters more than kids' in the class. I think the most effective essay tactics are, first off, being taught strategies of how to successfully write that essay, going through and outlining some together, writing our own, and then scoring essays, but with an emphasis on your grading.

Some things that have been questionable to me are the socratic seminars and both of our final assignments. Not to say that any of these assignments are useless or not worth the time, but it's hard to see how any of them relate to the test. Especially because neither the persuasive speech nor the PSA video are things we have really focused efforts on in class. I did enjoy the socratic seminars, I just wasn't sure of their importance in preparing for the AP exam. I'd say they were most effective in helping us get to the root of a text, but the format and style of the questions were most confusing to me. Class discussions, when participated in, are really effective for me in general, though.

Again, thank you for always listening to what we have to say, not judging me for asking stupid questions, and always being willing to help and talk to students, whether school-related or not. It has been a pleasure!

Stress-Leah Noble

April and May are just naturally the most stressful months for highschoolers. In April teachers are cramming everything you haven't learned yet into a few weeks in preparation for either an AP test or EOC in May or for the final at the end of the month. With so much to do and so little time to do it, things around this time of the year get stressful for everyone. I am lucky in that I usually don't get too stressed out about things, but occasionally I feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I have to do that I do feel stressed. When this happens, I find the best thing to do is to not do anything. Whether this be watching Netflix or playing guitar for an hour, these kinds of activities help me forget about all the stuff I have to do (for the moment) and clear my mind so that I can return later to get it all done. Another thing that I do to relive stress is cleaning my room. This is definitely an odd remedy, but I just can't focus when my room is messy and cleaning it makes me feel accomplished and helps me stay focused and not distracted on the fact that my room is a mess. I find, however, that the worst thing to do when I am stressed is think about all the things I have to do as a whole. It is so much easier to just think about each individual task and about its completion and then, before I know it, everything is done.