Where is Mr.Rease?

Today, our teacher was absent but I still had a great day.

Room Of Critics

Today, there was a room full of critics. Unexpectedly, the class was granted the opportunity to check each other's papers for grammatic errors and incorrect word choice. We were surprised because we thought that the assignment was an ordinary bellringer; that we were just completing it and turning it in to be graded. Instead, we were the graders. I knew that my paper was not the best because I didn't understand the prompt. Also, my grammar is not where it should be. Nonetheless, I had fun grading other people's papers because I realized that I was not alone. This made me feel better but still, I was disappointed. I knew that it was a shame that I am an AP student with nothing to prove that I am. As the teacher read my paper, I felt a sense of failure. My heart sped up and I became angry with myself. I had never received any criticism before so I didn't think anything was wrong with my literary work. Overall, today was depressing.

Will I Be Ready?

Today, the class was okay. It wasn't the best but it wasn't the worst. It started off great, but then it took a slide when my teacher felt that it was the right time to remind us of something that I am dreading...  the AP Exam. Each day I am constantly questioning whether or not I am going to be prepared for the exam. I already struggle with rhetorical analysis and to top the cake, we have a test on rhetorical strategies this Wednesday. I feel that it is unfair to me and others who have not received even a sneak peek of this material. Before taking this class, I had no real experience at composing essays. I simply answered the prompt in which I was given to the best of my ability. My previous English teacher lacked the true qualities of being a teacher. Instead of teaching the curriculum as she should have, she wasted time punishing us for talking and assigning books with no lesson attached. We easied throughout the course getting by with cheating, memorization, and hope. I admit that I was not qualified for what AP had in store. I could ask for help however because of where I live and transportation reasons, I am not able to stay after school for tutoring. I'm hoping that soon I will qualify to take the exam and perform well.

THINK

Today, there was a small number of students present including myself. As a result, the lecture was short and we were able to get through it quickly. After the lecture, our teacher asked us a series of questions from a book. Each question was debateable and caused one to think deeply about the answer. I enjoyed it because I love thinking deeply and to see things through many perspectives. Others may not always agree with the answers that I provide but it is only because I perceive things from many points of view. I'm open-minded. The number of students influenced the flow of questions meaning there were fewer stops and disturbances than there would normally be. Since the class was small, we were also able to debate without the volume reaching exceedingly high. I'm not saying that I'd prefer for students not to show up just so times like this could occur, I'm saying that I wish the class wasn't so full of students. Smaller classes result in the completion of a lecture promptly with much time left for review. Overall, the class was great and I'm extremely sad that things will be back to normal Monday.

Technology's Shoulder

Today's lecture was great and in my opinion, disputable. We read an article by Nicholas Carr titled "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" Now by the name of the article, you can tell why I felt that this is controversial. I feel that Google heightens my intelligence rather than diminishing it. People assume that since you aren't flipping through hundreds of pages in a book to find an answer, you are lazy or dependent on Google. In reality, you're just using the resources that life has given you. Google is merely an assistant that exists to remind one of the forgotten knowledge or to supply one with new knowledge. Yes, it could be crippling if depended on entirely but what if your life does not depend upon it? Then are you "stupid" or are you not being wasteful of something that was developed to make life a little easier? I suppose the answer to whether or not Google is stupid depends on the person. I'm glad that I was attentive today. Maybe this is because I was warm and toasty. Overall, class was intriguing.

Assistance

Today, I realized that I understand some of the lessons that I have been taught but I have a hard time retaining them. I don’t think that I am ready for the AP exam. I am hoping that by that time I would have learned and memorized everything that I need to know to help me pass. I recognized that I don’t fully understand how to compose an exceptional essay under a certain amount of time. Most people seem to be confident in their abilities as am I but based on the prior grades that I've received on my essays, I'm not where I should be as an AP student. Time is running out and I don't feel prepared but I'm hoping that soon I will be. After seeing examples of essays written by students who have passed the AP exam, I think that I may have a chance at passing.

Extremely Tired

Today, we went over the structure of a rhetorical analysis. The teacher used many real-world problems in order to help us comprehend but for some reason, I couldn't stay attentive. I kept dozing off even though I tried my hardest to stay up. I could really relate to the real-world problems but I did not quite agree with the teacher on all scenarios. He talked about a lady who was a special guest at the Veterans Program. I did not go to the program because my class wasn’t invited but I can infer what the guest was saying after he told us that she was speaking about social media. He told us that she was telling the students to watch what they post on social media. In my opinion, everybody knows that the students are fully aware of what they post because they continuously post things that are similar in content. They know what they post is not appropriate but they do not care. Their behavior is influenced and encouraged by others like them. Of course, someone close to them has probably chastised them for their posts but still, they continue to do as they please so I highly doubt they'll change their ways because of a speech from a guest. My teacher feels differently which is fine. Overall, today was cool.

Vocab Quiz

Today, we presented our presentations. I enjoyed all of them and learned words that I have never heard of but I knew the meaning. It was hard finding items that corresponded with the words I was assigned such as cajole. Cajole means to persuade. There isn’t many things that can really persuade me but then I looked it up and found that sugarless gum is persuasive. While I presented my project, I was kind of nervous and anxious. Im not good at presenting things in front of people. Overall, today was exciting.

I Have A Dream

Today, I learned that the I Have A Dream speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. is a powerful and rhetorical-filled piece of work. I was able to identify numerous types of rhetorical devices numerous times. I also learned that if written correctly, a speech can invoke strong emotions within its audience. I felt as if I was physically there with Mr.King while he was speaking. I caught an inspirational wind from just listening and suddenly feel the need to make a change. Overall, today was great.

Known Information

Today, we were first taught an ACT lesson. I thought for sure that I would get every question right but I didn't. I kind of understand why my answer was wrong. The ACT hasn't been my favorite since middle school because of how much more complicated its questions are. This is one of the MANY reasons why I prefer the SAT over the ACT even though I am willing to take both. Next, we went over how to create a rhetorical analysis. I realized that everything that I was being taught was things that I had prior knowledge of; I just didn't know how they were used in a literary work. I was fully attentive until suddenly, I felt myself start to drift off to sleep. I tried my best to stay woke but eventually, took a quick nap knowing that I'd better wake up or I would be sent outside. Besides that, I acquired just how powerful rhetorical devices are. If used correctly, they can be used to persuade the world. I hope that soon I will be able to construct a good rhetorical analysis.