Alexis Farmer Assignment 22

At this very moment, somewhere in the universe...

Someone is getting married. 

Someone is having a baby. 

Someone is graduating high school.

 Someone is eating a pizza. 

Someone is running on a treadmill.

Someone is getting a new phone.

Someone is listening to music.

Someone is playing a game.

Someone is jumping off a cliff.

Someone is swimming.

Someone is crying.

Someone is getting in trouble with their mother.

Someone is eating a pickle.

Someone is stalking their ex boyfriend's twitter.

Someone is laughing.

Someone is on an airplane.

Someone is winning an award.

Someone is scuba diving.

Someone is jumping on a trampoline.

Someone is getting a hug.

Someone is going to Disney World.

Someone is singing a song.

Someone is really sad.

Someone is really happy.

Someone is drawing a picture.

Someone is making a movie. 

Someone is helping a friend

Someone is drinking some tea. 

Someone is desperately trying to pass english.

I'm Bad at Goodbyes but You Made Me Give One Anyway: Rachael Gilbert

There are a couple of things I'm not good at:
Physics
Human interaction
Goodbyes
I especially don't like number 3. Goodbyes seem final, and for a person who hates change, they're super horrible. At the end of every school year, I typically just pretend that everything's fine and I'll show up in your classroom tommorow....but, this is a grade.
So.
you made this more difficult.
I've really appreciated this class, English has always been one of my better subjects but I think what made your class different and more effective was that you oppened up writing to more than just informative school papers (blog posts).
Blog Posts were super great because it was the first time that I'd written for simply the fun of it in a long time (like since 3rd grade me write poetry...good times). And I felt like they really helped develop everyone's voices, through the blog posts I got to know the people around me in ways I never had in the three years (or more) that I've known them.
On the other hand, I think reordering the way you teach the three different types of essays could be more effective. Like, we all basically know how an argument essay works so I would teach that first and then the ones we're less familiar with last (so that you've had more recent practice by the time you get to the AP test), other than that I thought that this class was awesome and I learned a bunch and I really appreciate you as a human being.
20 points to Slytherin.

Suggestions for next year? Jodi Kirkner

For the most part, I felt like I killed the AP test. In a good way.

I would say the least helpful thing we did was to break down our sentences by highlighting verbs and introductory phrases or whatever we did... I really didn't learn a lot and we spent a lot of time on it.

I felt like going and reading everyone's writing was good, but not when we had to take it home. And I'm not saying that because I hate doing the work--I actually like grading essays--I'm saying that because almost NOBODY did it as homework. And then when your essay was one we did for homework there was nobody to talk about it and you got no feedback and it was super annoying. Personally, I only had my essay read and actually commented on in class one time. The writing practice still helped but because of the setup I felt like I wasn't gaining anything from the grading. Hopefully others did.

I also found that Writing With Style book SUPER helpful I mean wow. He taught me more in those like 2 months we worked on it than any English teacher I've ever had since elementary school could in an entire school year. I love that book. Haha

STREss! Jodi Kirkner

Stress is right.

To say it old school, Junior year went from 0 to 100 real quick.

The year started out like "oh yeah Junior year is great what's everyone talking about?" and suddenly second semester hit and it kinda felt like ????? hey??????? where did my peace and sanity go????????????

Luckily I cruised through all my AP tests and finals are coming up (like tomorrow lol) which is okay too besides one thing. I DON'T KNOW PHYSICS?????? WHAT IS PHYSICS????????? I took the AP test why do I also have to take 2 finals? It's really sad.

I have no good stress relieving tactics. I eat a lot and sleep more than 25 hours each weekend trying to make up for the 3-4 hours nights I had all week.

Like, I'll wake up on Sunday at 12, think of the video I have to edit, and my brain just nopes out, I'm back to sleep until 2:30. True story.

Once I tried baking because that's what a lot of my friends do, but I just go even more stressed out and burnt my finger.

I guess obsessively sudying Korean could be my stress tactic but that also doesn't make me less stressed out... when I was little I used to hide in my closet and snap those weird plastic hangers in half when I got really mad or stressed out. I'm still not sure if my parents know. Hahaha

Well anyway, I think we all see the moral here. Hide in your closet and break hangers if you're feeling stressed!

Jodi out.

THE FUTURE JODI KIRKNER

All caps just about sums it up, I'm more than excited for my future right about now. And I don't just mean to be over and done with the hell that was Junior year. I mean, I'm genuinely excited for what's to come. Let me tell you why.

In March I found out that I was accepted to be the recipient of a NSLI-Y scholarship to study abroad through immersion in Seoul, South Korea this summer. This would be cool to anyone, but for me it was like I had just accomplished my life dream. This is what I want to do with my life, so it feels like a step on the right path to my future.

Also, I recently visited Ohio State University. Although people always take it upon themselves to implore me to apply to every ivy league (and UChicago too!), after visiting all these and more, I really think Ohio State is where I belong. I'm so happy to have made this type of realization early in the process and that makes me excited for my future (hopefully at OSU) as well.

So I guess after I power through my summer work and have a great time in Korea I'll have to come back to real life and work on college apps and "do" my senior year... but for now, I think I'll just forget about all that.

Assignment 26-Cameron Combs

Obviously there are many great things about every class, but it is the bad things that must be reflected on. First of all, I felt as though over the course of the year, a lot of the class time was wasted. Although I was extremely prepared for the AP test, we still had a lot of classtime of doing nothing. One idea to keep in mind for the future would be to give out the assignment sheet for the final video sooner and work on it periodically throughout the year. I personally really enjoyed this project, but I also wished I had more time to perfect my piece. Also, the blog posts are a good idea in my opinion, however with preset due dates, I oftentimes forgot about them, so maybe give countdowns to due dates on the board in class next year or possibly send a remind message to the class. Either way, something to remember when the assignment is due would be helpful.

Assignment 25-Cameron Combs

With finals week just coming into picture, stress is something that has been running my life. Even though we have finals coming up, there are always those one or two teachers who still assign loads of busy work, which just adds onto the stress. One more week of school, and we will be in summer. Summer is pretty much just a reset from all of the stress. That is why kids love it so much. They love times to live very carefree and love just enjoying their lives, not being held back by school work and other plagues to their free time. That is why schools and teachers need to work with students to control this stress. They need to remove this major handicap from students as much as possible. It is what will improve the overall health as well as the happiness of the students, which all teachers must love to see.

Assignment 24-Cameron Combs

Looking back on my junior year, I have had a lot of things happen, some for the better and some for the worst. One of the worst mistakes I have made all of my high school career was taking AP Physics. This class was an absolute waste of a life and I shoulf not have taken it at all. Also, the AP test was just not worth taking for that class since I learned nothing all year. I made up for this error however by taking three other AP classes with teachers who actually prepared me for the tests, all three of which I am confident that I passed. Class choice in the future is something I definitely need to work on. Also, I should work on my socialization in certain classes. Multiple classes I would sit with friends and talk to them instead of learn in many cases. This is another failure this year that I should work on.

Rick Marino 24

Many things never change. I'm sitting here writing my final blog post at 12 o'clock at night, proving that I have yet to cure my chronic procrastination syndrome. In fact, if you talk to me now, you would think that your talking to the same rick as from the beginning of this year. The same funky dude with the same frizzy hair with the same abnormally large calves. My personality may the same, but I'm wiser now. I feel that I know more about myself and the world. I learned to always properly secure your bowtie in your pocket when ridding a scooter in a tuxedo. I learned to never flip people off in traffic. They will follow you. I learned the wonders of natural carrots( the bugs bunny type, not baby carrots). I learned to never take a class just because your friends are taking it because you will fail the final. I learned to always bring ear buds to school. ALWAYS. It will help you cope with the madness. I learned to never trust the decision-making skills of young metro-mode. I learned to perfect my roasting abilities. I learned the difference between real and fake friends.

Its been a peculiar year. Overall, Junior felt like a blast of fire to the face. It happened quickly, yet it left me singed and charred. I hope that senior year will be a more chill affair.

This summer I will be going to gsp. To be honest I don't really know what people do there. I was told to apply and got in, which is kinda dope I guess. I look forward to spunky adventures at gsp and my life.

26 Hannah Freibert

Not reflected in my sub sub sub par blog posts, I genuinely feel that my writing has notably improved this year. Not as though you would ever change this, but I side with you on teaching to the test and think you stayed focused on that throughout the year. I found the timed writings effective and that one book with a title and author I cannot recall over Language and Comp essay writing to be helpful. If we were to read it now, most of the author's key points seem second nature and obvious to us, but at the beginning of the year each piece of information was a new one, and I think that reflects growth and success. The vocal quizzes I would encourage in the future mostly because they hold the student accountable for something. If you simply remember to look over the words, its an easy A, but if you choose to slack the combination of grades can tank your overall. Additionally they helped with the PSAT. I appreciated that you focused on the ACT around April. I can also stress the success of class discussions, they encourage people to synthesize sources and form opinions in addition to making new connections. And finally, regrets. Maybe the timing was just poor this year but the week period of socratic seminar questions I recall being extremely unbearable. It seemed like all the teachers had chosen the same 3-5 day period to dump their hardest assignments on us and I think it's safe to say that the hours of sleep ran low for the academy that week. Perhaps in the future, have only two a week, spaced out instead of consecutive days.

25 Hannah Freibert

JUNIOR YEAR IS THE REASON I PROBABLY HAVING ULCERS DEVELOPING AND FESTERING THROUGHOUT MY BODY. But seriously, the past school year. was. the. worst. And persnaps there is some lifehack that I've missed in which case I will gladly take advice, but for me the only way to relieve stress is to get what ever it is, done. Stress generally stems from a probable cause and persists until I complete the task or action at hand. However, with junior year after each task came another, and so we were in this perpetual state of stress without any breaks. So while I cannot say I truly ever relieved the stress in times like such, some things helped ease it. I like to be underwater. Separate from swimming in this case, just existing submerged in water for a long period of time is an unbeatable feeling and is like a window of floaty wonderful solitude (until you need to breathe of course). In the next case, the underwater part goes with the actual act of swimming. Exercise in general helps to relieve stress. During long sets I truly have no choice except to be stuck with your thoughts and whatever shitty ass song is stuck in my head, and often times that is helpful. But then sometimes the thoughts lead to more stress, in which case I will warn you crying whilst doing a fly set is very hazardous and will lead to drowning. Also, hand sharpening wooden pencils and shuffling cards are two of life's gifts. If I could sharpen a pencil with my left and shuffle with my right while being underwater, that would be wonderful.

24 Hannah Freibert

Perhaps the worst thing I've ever experienced, junior year has surely left its mark on me. I can say I will never be the say, but am 47% sure the change is for the better.

Successes- 

• Mastered an array of advanced dance moves, centering my focus on dabbing and whipping.
• Did not get kidnapped and trafficked into the Swiss Alp's underground yodeling business despite valiant efforts from perpetrators.
• Perfected my underwater ring bubbles which may be my most prized ability.
• Am congratulated by Mark an estimated 7-15 times per day. Never loses its magic.

Failures- 

• Did not solve my procrastinating conundrum
• Did not get sufficient sleep
• May or may not have at one point taken a dinner knife to my skin when Clara cut me a ridiculously small piece of cookie cake after my request for a large one (instability attributed to lack of sleep)

Lessons Learned-

• Everything I know about junior year I acquired from my favorite classic work of literature, Lessons Learned. Stayed tuned for the sequel, Pages Turned, and finally, Bridge's Burned.
• 8 hours of sleep in whole over a school week's time will. affect. you. Don't do it.
• The school hand sanitizer dispenser's give you twice as much hand sanitizer as you need.
• Appreciate your friends in the time that you have and don't listen to Rivers and Roads on repeat with them in a car or all your marbles will be lost.
• STOP AT ALL THE DAMN STOP SIGNS

Risks Taken-

• Parallel parked into extremely small space
• Ate multiple of my brother's left over meals from restaurants and consequently risked my life
• Short sleeves to school, it's cold as fuck every gerderm day.

Summer and Beyond-

• Expect to be aquatic as usual and also to begin to narrow my college selection.
• Learn how to not be afraid of growing up.
• Learn how to not rather be put through a meat grinder than grow up.
• Become even closer with my awesome friends and cry about how long it took me to appreciate them

Assignment 26- Noah Tapp

To recap , I believe that your AP Lang and Comp class was effective. I will begin with the things I appreciated and other things that I think could be revised.

Writing With Style- the book was interesting and when writing throughout the year I often looked back at our summary sheet to help me.
Blog Posts- Blog posts help students write because they can implement their own style and use their own creative ideas
Practice Timed Writings- We practiced many times what was going to be on the actual AP test so we were confident before hand and knew how to write in the restricted amount of time.
Revisions- the class reviews of essays helped us receive constructive criticism

ACT practice- the ACT, whether it should or not, is extremely important for college so I think we could do more practice tests.
Review Multiple Choice Questions- you do give us time but I fell like most students do not spend it efficiently. Maybe as a class, we could review the commonly missed problems.
SAT vocab and roots- continue to do them even though they are not tested on because they help build a writers tool box.

Assignment 26 Brian Sato

It's finally the end of the year and it has been a blast. I thought that at the beginning of the year, the vocab words were effective and helping out with the PSAT. The ACT prep was also very helpful and I could find out what I needed to work on. I believe that it helped boost my ACT score. One thing that could have been changed was the grading of the essays. I feel like there is a much more time efficient way to grade the essays but feedback from my peers was helpful in improving my essays. it showed me what I needed to work on. I thought that I was prepared for the AP test. I liked how we do these blog posts and I think it should continue. I think its a lot of fun to write about different topics and I can see what other people think about that topic. These blog posts are unique in that sort of way. I improved as a writer and thank you for being a great teacher.

Assignment 24 Brian Sato

Junior year was overall a great success. I maintained good grades and am very close to achieving a 4.0 GPA this semester. I am also very confident in the scores that I will get from my AP test. I met new people as well as gotten closer with others. Junior year was a lot of fun. Some failures was that I didn't apply for GSP when I had the chance as well as joining Beta Club which I also forgot to do. I have learned that you should do your work early because its so much more relaxing then scrambling to do them. Some risks I have taken were to get hit by a car for my PSA (it was so worth it). Another risk was buying a mixtape from some random guy on the New York. Surprisingly it wasn't bad. Some mistakes I have made was getting hit by a car because my leg is kinda sore as well as not studying for tests. I want to hang out with my friends, have a good time and meet new people over the summer. I want my senior year to be the best year of high school. i plan to reach this goal by living it up.

Rick Marino 26

I'm going to make this as clear-cut and to the point as possible:

The Good:

- Writing with style book- This book was extremely eye-opening. I expected just another dusty and dry "how-to" manual, but what I got was a deliciously refreshing lesson. However, I do think we spent a little too much time on it.

- ACT prep- The tips and practice multiple choice for the ACT were very informative and aided in boosting my score

-  Classroom atmosphere- I felt that the relatively-laid back classroom vibe was very fitting. That's not to say that learning wasn't the number 1 objective. But there wasn't any hesitation to take an internet video break from stressful or mundane tasks

Possible Improvements:

- Essay Grading- I wasn't a huge fan of the full class grading style. If someone voiced their opinion, it seemed like the rest of the class would conform to that opinion. The small-group discussions were much more personal and helpful for me.

- Finals- I really liked the idea of having a speech and a psa for our finals instead of multiple choice or an essay. However, we didn't receive the information until late into each semester. If we had received the instructions earlier I believe we could have produced better work,

Honestly, I racked my brain for more suggestions, but came up blank. Thanks for the cool year Logsdon!

Assignment 25 Viviana Ortiz

I don't actually know if I have to do this post, but I'm gonna do it anyway because well yay writing. But okay... stress stress stress. Stress is something that is built up really easily. I have a very particular way of dealing with it. While it takes forever, I like to calculate every single detail of my life in moments of struggle. What I would do is create a checklist for each class that looked a little like this:
Class: English (just as an example)
Current grade: 90.1
Make-up assignments/Anything you can do to get your grade up:
-Corn Socratic Seminar

After that, I would do a whole bunch of math. I would calculate what my grade would be if I made up the assignment. If there were multiple assignments, I would calculate the percentage my grade would go up with each assignment.
While it took forever and a half, I like having everything in front of me and the percentage improvements there to motivate me to actually do it. Sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't.

One last thing I would do it play oboe. Oboe is kinda my life, just like band is. It helps me destress.
(It isn't a Vivi blog post if I don't mention band at least once.)

Assignment 26 Viviana Ortiz

Not to burst rainbows up your butt (or whatever the actual expression is), but this class was pretty great and my favorite class. Somehow you have fun and at the same time somewhere along the way we learn stuff. It's weird. I have this strange feeling that we didn't do much, but when I look back at my writing from the beginning of the year I cringe... so we must have done something.

One suggestion I would have though is changing the peer grading system somehow. While I definitely think that the big group discussion and the packets with the numbers at the top is super useful, I felt that as the days went on people would stop trying to actually grade the essays. Changing the order of the numbers around was a great idea to make sure thta everyone was getting feedback at some point, but I would just start that process earlier in the year.
Another suggestion would be about the book we read at the beginning of the year. I was kinda a big fan of it though so I might just be totally biased. I wouldn't have minded having it as summer reading and then debriefing over it during class. Then on the first essay they write, the students could possibly have to point out how they incorporated the knowledge they gained from the book which would also serve as a way to make sure they read it and would make them better writers.

But basically, you're amazing and yeah. Cool? Cool.
Total sidenote: I started watching Lady Dynamite after we watched the trailer in class. It's pretty funny but full of cuss words which I didn't notice until the f bomb was dropped at full volume with my parents at my side :P

Assignment 26- Meriwether Carling

Mr. Logsdon-

Overall you class was very effective and I felt prepared for the AP test that we took. The book that we read at the beginning of the year was super helpful because it showed us that we can write outside the standard 5 paragraph essay which in my opinion made writing easier. The book also gave us strong examples of essays that had done so to prove that being different in formatting was a good thing, and if done correctly can strengthen your essay. However, I did feel like we read it for too long. Most of what we read was helpful, but there were a few chapters that we could have skipped over and saved a lot of time in doing so.

The biggest thing that you could do to help prepare future students for the AP test is to go over the test questions in more detail and more than once. I know that we went through all of them with our student teacher, but he went through them so fast that there were some that I was still confused as to why that was the correct answer but there really wasn't time to ask questions and get an explanation. If we spent just one or two days per test we took going over questions that would have been really helpful in the long run. But on the essay side of the test I really enjoyed how we graded them as a class. Yes, it did get boring at some points because there were so many essays to grade, but I thought it was the most effective way to gain feedback from everyone in the class.

All in all your class was really helpful because I now feel confident in my writing skills. You wanted us to improve as writers, but the work load you asked of us was very manageable yet you still prepared us well for the AP test. Thank you for always allowing me to put snapchat filters on you and for being the best english teacher in the game. You rock my socks and I will miss you next year :')

Clara 26

I feel weird going into this because I'm not quite sure how to start it, but I guess positives always first (not that there are really any negative negatives). I really like the blog posts (when I don't push them off to the last minute) because I feel like they help with my writing in a sense of creativity the AP papers do not assist. I also really like your flexibility with turning things in late with reasonable excuse because sometimes, even if it's just your own personal issue, it's nice to know you can turn your turnitin paper in 2 months later and not receive a zero. Socratic seminars get a 3/10 on the fun scale because they take a lot of time to write but are very helpful and as long as it takes, talking about the papers as a class really really helps. Really the only suggestions I can think of right now would be to do more ACT and less SAT (voacb quizzes even though vocab isn't an SAT section anymore) as lots of students focus on the ACT more and little tips can really really help. I would also do a little more walk through after the multiple choice practice test as a whole class. 

(I apologize for any typos seeing as I am falling asleep typing but thank you for a wonderful year)