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.

Help! - Julia Wilson

After taking the first practice multiple choice test I thought there was no way that any teaching could improve how I did, but I was very wrong. As much as I disliked them, doing frequent timed writings was incredibly helpful. Even though I am trash at writing and always will be, I feel way more prepared for the AP test then I otherwise would have. Group scoring was also very effective because it taught me to be able to analyze an essay in under 5 minutes, something I would never have been able to do before. The one thing I didn't find quite as effective were the socratic seminars. 150 word responses were incredibly lengthy for the type of questions they were answering. I became very repetitive in my answers and found myself adding lots of meaningless filler just to reach the word limit. I suggest continuing Socratic Seminar discussions but maybe lessening the word minimum. Regardless, you're a very good teacher and I feel ready for the AP test. I also want to take this time to thank you for your teaching style and outlook on students. You're the first teacher I've had that actually seemed to get that we aren't just students but people, with real interests, personalities, and lives outside of the classroom. I speak for myself as well as my peers when I say that you have earned our respect because of this and are definitely one of the best.

The Future - Julia Wilson

Junior year has by far been the best year of my life.

I started off the year with no classes with my friends from last year. I remember having a panic attack after the first day of school because of how different things were. It turns out that having classes with nobody I knew was the best thing to ever happen to me. I made so many amazing new friends and grew closer with those I only casually knew. Prom, Seniors, and the trip to New York were definitely the highlights of my year and I owe it all to the people I spent those times with. My friends have truly made my life better in every way possible, and I'm so thankful (yes academy kids, I'm talking to you). 

Academically, this has surprisingly been the least challenging year so far. Maybe that's because the work load was lighter or because my motivation levels have swiftly been deteriorating. I only had to take the ACT twice to reach my goal, so I'm very proud of myself in that regard. I also got into Governor's Scholars Program which I'm incredibly happy about as well. This year I also learned what I really want in a college and began to seriously consider some schools. As of now, Miami University is my top choice but who knows if that will change. Nevertheless, I'm more excited to apply to colleges than I ever have before.

Although I've had many wins this year, I've also had some brutal losses. There was a period of time where I had to deal with some pretty sad personal stuff while still juggling my schoolwork, social life, dance team, and YouTube. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to go through, but now that I'm "out of the woods" and can reflect, I've realized that it made me such a stronger person and taught me that everything happens for a reason and ends up okay in the end. I also lost some good friends due to change and growing apart which was bittersweet, but it taught me that that's just how life works. People come into your life for a reason and eventually, for most, there will be a time for them to leave. Change isn't easy but it does open up doors to greater experiences. 

As great as Junior year has been, I can't wait for Senior year. I want next year to just be a time to enjoy with my friends and to really figure out my future. Although if it's anything like this year, there isn't any way I can know what's ahead.

Stress - Caleb Combs

AP exams are finally here.  Final exams are just around the corner, as well as EOCs. This can be extremely stressful, as we have to study for these life-altering exams on top of our regular homework.  Juggling these things is extremely stressful, and it is important to have a way of releasing this stress.  I do this in a variety of ways, one of which are going fishing.  This allows me to focus on something completely different than the pressures of my education, even if is for only a short time.  I also like to blow off steam playing basketball after school with friends.  I feel that these two activities are extremely effective for releasing my stress. Everyone should find some way to manage their stress.  It is unhealthy to just allow it to build up over time.  You need some time to escape the pressures of these exams, and just live life.  Manage your stress and know that summer is just around the corner.  Keep your head up and tackle those exams, but don't stress yourself to the breaking point.

The Future - Caleb Combs

Junior year is nearly over.  I have made countless memories throughout this school year, good and bad.  I have had success in many areas, yet still made my fair share of mistakes.  Looking back, my one true regret is my lack of study time apart from my homework.  Just completing my homework is inadequate, and I regret not spending more time studying for my quizzes and tests.  After experiencing junior year and looking forward to senior year, I feel that the worst is behind me.  The barrage of AP classes that I took this year was punishing, but the schedule that I expect to have next year allows for some space to breath.  The mentoring project will be an interesting and hopefully very enjoyable experience.  I am extremely excited for this summer, which will consist of a trip to Florida, and lots of fishing and basketball. And sleep.  Lots and lots of sleep.  Junior year has come and gone, and I definitely call it a success.  I have made many memories, all of which will last me a lifetime.

Help! - Anthony Tamasi

As the AP tests descend upon us, I believe that you have thoroughly prepared each of us for May 13th, despite how unwilling our 5th hour class can be to contribute in discussion.

This was very prevalent in our Socratic seminars, however I did enjoy these. When we got rolling, I feel that it was very effective in allowing us all to see the passage we read in a new light. Even though the written part was tedious and bothersome to complete, it helped us prepare and get all of our thoughts in one place before we shared with the class. 

I never really saw the relevance of the Harvard class we watched about morality (I think?). It was kind of interesting, but I did not really get much from it. I feel like you should share that more towards the end of the year. The TED talks as well. I liked the Sir Ken Robinson speech and thought he had a good point. However, I never really saw the connection.

As much as I complained about the timed writings, these were very effective in my learning experience in your class (but I do still hate the practice multiple choice). The multitude of times writings have allowed me to be able to see what I am doing poorly as I am writing, and being more equipped to fix that mistake right there and then.

Overall I enjoyed your class, and I believe you succeeded teaching us as a whole.