SURPRISE SURPRISE

This week, I've been trying to complete everything for AP Bio consisting of paper assignments and online assignments until I found out that we would not be returning to school. This was very shocking to me because I expected us to return but I assume that because the cases of COVID-19 have increased where I am located, it is too risky for us students to be constricted in one building. However, though I am shocked, I love the idea of having school online whereas this will give me insight on whether or not I would like to take online college classes so that is the bright side to this whole fiasco. In addition, since I don't have to complete any book work or paper assignments, this gives me time to catch up on AP classroom assignments that I hope to complete by Sunday. Overall, this week has been unveiled unexpected occurrences.

Too Swamped to Relax

This week has been an overwhelming week between helping out with my baby brother, running errands and trying to complete all of my AP Bio work so I can move on to my other classes. I hadn't realized that I was given an excessive amount of work from my bio teacher that would take days to complete so I have not been able to do work from this class and my other AP class.

Realization

Today was a phenomenal day. I did not attend class, instead, I attended a viewing of choral auditions for Miles college. Attending this made me realize just how much I love choir. Sadly, I was not able to be a part of the chorus because I am in AP classes. During this time of watching students audition consisting of singing and vocalizing, I felt my heart grow but then it shattered when I realized just how much I have lost. I also realized that me being in choir wasn’t because of friends but because it was my calling. Being in choir helped make me the person I am today and I hope that next year, I will be able to attend.

EASY DAY

Today was a laid back day. We didn't do much in class besides watching interesting short films that were about real-life problems and even horror. I could wish that every day could be like today but that is not possible. Overall, today was a great day.

ACT

Today, I did not attend class along with all of my classmates because we were too busy being tortured in a secluded room for 5 hours or as the teachers would say "completing the ACT." Nothing on the test was familiar and I struggled throughout even though in my mind I kept telling myself I could do it. I'm worried that my score will not be what is expected but I did try my best so I guess that makes it okay. Overall, today was tiresome.

What to ask?

Today, we were split into groups of 5 for an assignment. The assignment required each student to get a computer and get on Alabama's Virtual Library. I don't really use this source so I was kind of annoyed because, in the past, I did not deem it useful. The class was then given specific instructions that involved using a KWL chart, finding 2 good articles each with a sum of 10 per group, and then to come up with a question concerning our topic. Thankfully, we received the topic "Cultural Appropriation"; however, because it is such a wide-ranged topic, it was hard for my group to choose our articles. Time progressed and we were instructed to create our questions and then choose which of them the group liked the best. This was also a challenge and I could not seem to compose the proper questions to ask. Overall, I enjoyed the class but not the writer's block.

Kahoot then Boredom

Today, the class began with a Kahoot game concerning the Coronavirus. It was actually a fun game that required tasks that I had never seen on Kahoot but I assume it is the update. I got almost all of the questions right but sadly, I ended up finishing the game in 10th place. After this game, we played another game concerning synthesis essay; however, this time we were allowed to be on teams. My team was winning until me and a few other students were called out of class to go to the party that was occurring in the gym. The party was actually extremely boring and I honestly wanted to get out of class just to sleep but people are too childish so my plan was ruined. Overall, today was okay.

KWL

Today, the class was split into groups of four for an activity. However, the groups were not made of the typical people that we sat by. One of the four students in each group was swapped with another from a different group. After the swapping, we were instructed to make four boxes on our sheet of poster paper(I think that is what it is called, like a huge sheet of construction paper) and to write K-W-L in each box. The "K" stood for "Know", the "W" stood for "What you want to know", and the "L" stood for "What you learned." Following this step, we were then given topics of current events to complete our boxes. The topic that my group was assigned was "Nathaniel Woods" while the other groups were given the topics "2020 Democratic Election", "Tom Brady's Decision", and "Coronavirus." I was disappointed that my group wasn't assigned anything that we knew about so we decided to guess and sadly, everything we guessed was wrong. Nathaniel Woods is an African American male who was said to be sentenced to death by injection today even though he is innocent. I feel that this is extremely unfair and that this is the prime example of the legal system abusing power or simply being ignorant with the use of power. Instead of fair trials and real evidence, they feel the need to punish someone who is not responsible for a crime instead of the person who committed the crime. I had no idea who this man was and now that I do, I am ashamed for my lack of knowledge. Today was a true day of learning.

Specific or Random

Today, we not only discussed the prompt that we begun yesterday, but we created claims along with the evidence and then the reasoning. I wasn't as participative because my mind was running 100mph. I was trying to collect my thoughts because it seemed as if I was writing a whole essay within my head. The teacher broke the steps down and guided us as we completed the assignments so I was able to understand how to write the essay. The best thing was that we got our evidence from the sources given but it was also a downfall whereas it is hard for me to cite sources while I am too busy typing or writing a paragraph. However, the class still went well.

Starting Over

Today went exceptionally well. I was honestly thankful for the fact that the teacher decided to go over the basics of a prompt and how it should be analyzed because the AP Exam is quickly approaching. I feel that I will do good on the writing portion but when my skills are tested, I tend to focus on time more than the prompt itself. I blame this on lack of experience; when you are taught to do something a specific way for so long, it is difficult to learn to do it differently. I feel that certain teachers should prepare students who are interested in climbing the high ladder of education for the challenges and material that the students will encounter. I'm not saying handicap the students but to get their minds accustomed to being challenged and timed. Before reaching high school, everything was taught to me at a comfortable pace and I was never forced to accomplish such a lengthy task in a limited amount of time. I was always quicker than most students but I wasn't taught the information necessary to pass the tests that are soon approaching; however, with the help of my AP teachers and other preparatory classes, I'm hoping that I will be fully prepared and full of confidence when encountering any test that is given to me in the future.