But you can't dodge a timed essay in AP Lang. I know, I've tried, but alas, I did not prevail.
The first timed essay we wrote was in October. It was absolute hell. It was all the fear I'd been feeling about this class put into the day I had been dreading since I learned what essays were. I was under prepared and terrified. My life was ending.
Nah, that's a total exaggeration. Writing that essay was hell, but I knew that one I got through it, I would really be on the path to getting better and succeeding in this class. I knew it would be horrible, but I also knew there wasn't really anything I could do about it. At least it was obvious that it could only get better from there. And that first stepping stone wasn't even that low: only a 5 out of 9 when I was honestly expecting a 2 or a 3. It was a step I knew I needed to take to start this journey, and I'm (now) glad that Ms. McMahon gave it to us that early. (please read the following with caution. It's really bad)
I consistently got 7's on most of my RA's, until the end of the year when I finally got to an 8 (which hopefully carried on into the exam). There was a time between the start of argument and the beginning of exam review where I completely forgot how to write an RA, and so I did not feel ready to write a final one a week before the test. I was so convinced that I had gotten a 6 on that essay (4 people including myself gave me said score), but apparently (unless McMahon was just being nice), there are some formulas you just don't forget.
I was really surprised when I got this back, and quite pleased with my big bad self. I had a sort of an epiphany looking at it, even though it may seem like a small, insignificant moment in the scale that is this class: no matter how much I stressed about the AP test (or many other applicable things in life), there was no need to doubt what I had already learned. I had had a good year with a good teacher that, no matter how annoyed and angry I got with her, clearly knew how to teach, and here was that teaching showing itself. It gave me another level of confidence when it came to the AP test, just knowing that I knew what I knew and it would make itself known when it was needed.
This carried over into the SAT's that I took only a few weeks after the exam. I stressed about that test for WEEKS before the date was even close; after all, it is the main assessment that decides whether I get into college. But again, in yet another situation, there was no need to doubt myself. In my complete, honest opinion, the SAT's (well, the English section) were easy. I was so prepared (over prepared) for the multiple choice sections simply because of all the hardcore prep we'd done for the AP test (so yes, Ms. McMahon, your plan worked out perfectly), and the essay was a breeze compared to all the AP ones I'd read and written. I had honestly believed that the SAT was going to be set up like the AP test, with complicated, insightful questions about the readings, but they were completely straightforward and simple. I can't say that I did amazing without knowing my scores, but I have confidence in what I did, and I never would have been so prepared if McMahon had not made me so prepared. So here's a personal message: thank you for taking such pride in your teaching and working hard to fix things in us that were "lacking" (for lack of a better term) in past classes. It was absolutely your teaching that gave me confidence on the SATs, and I truly hope it pays off and gets me into college.
No comments:
Post a Comment