TOW #30: Letter to New APELC Student

Dear Future APELC-er,

So you've made the choice to take English Language and Composition, and there's no backing out at this point. You've probably already been warned of the difficulties of this course and have probably already started dreading the day when you will have to sit down for the 3 hour test. The first thing you have to do is not panic. I remember on my first day of English, after hearing Mr. Yost talk about all the stuff the course was going to cover, I went home regretting what I had gotten myself into. This year was the first year I took APs, so it was a completely new experience for me. It seems pretty intimidating at first, but if you take each day and assignment as they come, it will be a much easier and relaxing experience. You may feel like there is no way you will be prepared for that test. I know I did. What you don't know yet is that you will practice every type of essay over and over again that it will come as almost second nature by the time that May comes. You may not have the slightest idea of what rhetoric is, but you will analyze so many different pieces of literature that the process will be muscle memory soon enough.

Along with that, do NOT sweat the grade you get on the summer reading essay. You are not expected to enter the class as amazing writers that never get anything other than a 9. You will learn how to improve through the course. That grade will not ruin your year average, like you think it might. Also, I assure you that you will only build off of that first score. By the time your first take-home-essay rolls around, you will not have an issue raising the scores.

You will learn soon enough that the workload is pretty heavy. There will be a lot of readings that you have to do, and putting the work in on the earlier stages will really pay off in the end. You get what you put into this class, so if you prepare the minimum amount possible, your grade will reflect that. For example, when you are writing your timed analysis essays, you will have to read and analyze a passage. Do not put less effort into this aspect of the process, because your notes can only help you to write a fuller and more adequate essay. (Adequate will quickly become what you strive for.) 

Never forget SOAPStone, it will follow you throughout the entire year. Speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and tone are always very important to consider.

Finally, ask for help when you need it. When the rest of the class understands something, it might be kind of embarrassing to speak up, but remember that the ideas and techniques you learn in the beginning of the year are the foundation that the entire course is built on. Mr. Yost is very willing to help you in any way he can, so don't be afraid to speak up. He's not as intimidating as he looks :)

Be brave with your ideas; you could bring something to the conversation that nobody else had considered before. Similarly, be open to considering the ideas of others. Most importantly though, don't be scared. You will be fine. :)

Good luck!
Kayleigh

TOW #29: Jesus Camp (Documentary)

Last week, I had the opportunity to watch a very interesting documentary, called Jesus Camp. As I said in my last post, this film follows three strict Evangelical Christians through their faiths as they travel to a camp that is organized to prepare children for sharing their religion with others. While the passing down values to new generations is clearly important to the survival of society and culture, I believe that this camp might have passed that fine line between teaching and brainwashing. There is one, very memorable point in the film where the camp organizers brought in ceramic mugs and preached to the children about government. They then wrote the word "government" on these mugs and gave each kid a chance to smash them to bits with a hammer. First of all, none of these children were wearing safety goggles, which is my first problem. Second though, they were all so young and metaphorically criticizing their own national leaders on the basis of issues that they were too young to fully understand. As a kid, it's hard to comprehend the degree of certain issues and the extreme importance those issues hold. As an adult, I believe that one's responsibility is to pass on moral values to younger generations, but I think it is wrong to instill opinions in kids when the debates they are taking sides on are so complex. Otherwise, how can it be considered their opinion? There was another similar scene in the documentary when politics again entered the camp. A man was talking to the kids about abortion and how wrong it is. Again, I respect the opinions of the religion, and the right of citizens to speak and think freely. What I vehemently disagreed with was what took place after the conversation. Some of the children traveled to a courthouse and protested outside with adult members of the group. They placed pieces of tape with the words "LIFE" on their mouths. This goes back to my previous idea of telling kids to have an extreme opinion on complex problems. At that age I was playing outside, not worrying whether abortion was morally right. I know now that I would not have been able to make an educated decision on my stance. I do not believe that these kids could either. But the stance is not theirs, it is the opinion of their elders being pressed upon them. Throughout the film, many other mixtures of church and state show up, proving that the religion has a political stance, even though church leaders do not formally admit it. I just know that I was very uncomfortable when watching this documentary. I have to disagree with the camp and their end goal of spreading a faith that supports these methods.