...Themes In The Overachievers, Alexandra Robbins stresses the importance of various points and life lessons throughout the stories of the eight students. One lesson that Robbins teaches the reader is not to neglect any classes, especially for extracurriculars; this was exemplified in both Julie and Audrey. Another key point that Robbins stresses is that a student’s parent should not demand academic achievements from their child, but rather encourage them to work, and help them; this was seen especially in Frank and Ryland. The author even accentuates the importance Many of the characters in The Overachievers immerse themselves in several AP classes, alongside the countless amounts of extracurriculars that they already take. An issue that emerges...
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...environment of learners who enjoy learning. At Livermore High School, there is much emphasis on grades, such that it has taken the joy out of learning in most people. At Middle College, being able to choose your classes and arrange your schedules would help people rekindle their passion for learning. Since a class often does not meet every single day, there is more emphasis on learning rather than achieving a certain grade. Only when my environment agrees with me and is more focused on learning and the joy of acquiring knowledge, can I do well. I seek to be with people who are confident in their abilities. I’m tired of people saying “I think,” rather than “I know.” I mean, it is because of this fine distinction that I myself have adopted “I think” to avoid mistaking myself for the person who would be utilized by others, as a tool, for academic help. I am done being in an environment that does not allow me to be confident without making me seem like a tool that can be used....
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...Ross Anderson (54923856) September 4, 2013 Recitation class 968 Writing’s importance in the Business World In the recent generations writing has a taken a serious hit due to slang creeping more into everyday life and the prevalence of texting. These parts of our culture have begun to wreak havoc in the work place with thousands of wasted emails in which people are trying to decipher the previous emails. Writing and grammar in particular should be more heavily stressed throughout high school and even in college. There are many forms of “bad writing”, but when business people say that I think they are referring mostly to overall sentence structure and grammar of their associates in emails. This causes a lot of unneeded confusion and frustration in the office. This also can slow down business deals or cause massive corporate issues that can lead to companies parting ways just because people are unable to convey their thoughts clearly in an email. To me, good writing is good grammar and good sentence structure which will lead to thoughts being communicated a lot easier between people. I was honestly astonished to read some of the examples that were in the article. To think that some people in high-tech companies would write emails like text messages is mind blowing. Another key factor that causes this poor writing is how early some kids are getting cell phones. This teaches them from an early age that the way they talk in texts is acceptable on school work and other...
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...My favorite aspect of the AP English language course is that it is more like a self-paced course: during the learning part, the teacher tells us his schedule, while the students can learn the knowledge in the corresponding chapter as fast as one wishes and read any of the supplement at the end of the book; during the reviewing part, the teacher hands out reviewing materials while the students can choose what to do and when to do them; during the literature part, students can either read the entire book ahead or follow up the minimum reading speed during the class. In group discussions, for example when discussing MCQs, I always lead the discussions in my group as the senior students in my group tend to be quiet in discussions. Besides, whenever...
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...consists of motifs such as baseball, religion, friendship, war, inappropriate humor, school, and family which are highly relatable, regardless of gender or age. One incredible attribute to the story A Prayer For Owen Meany is how almost everything connects. As the reader I so easily overlooked “the shot” and wondered why Owen practiced it with John countless times. Clearly Owen would never be tall enough to play for the Gravesend Academy basketball team, and Owen was not even a fan of the sport basketball. However, at the very end of the book the importance of John and Owen’s shot is revealed. Irving writes, “’READY?’ he said; I passed him the Chicom grenade and opened my arms to catch him. He jumped so lightly into my hands; I lifted him up, as easily as I had always lifted him. After all: I had been practicing lifting up Owen Meany – forever” (Irving 612). Everything Owen did was for a reason, even something as stupid as being launched into the air. As a result of tremendous practice, Owen was able to save the Vietnamese children from the grenade. When I was a kid, my mother threw the Roman Catholic religion down my throat. I attended church almost every...
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...Merveille. Tshisekedi Mrs. Pryor AP English 9 December 2015 State of Education The 21st Century is known as the era of technology, the age of Information. Getting an education has and always will be vital to the success of an individual. However, the world isn’t the same as it was 30 years ago. If you had asked my father why he went to college back in 1985 his answer would be a lot different than my brother who just graduated back in 2014. Economic success was easier to obtain in my father’s day. If you knew a thing or two about cars you’d be considered valuable, and could easily catch a good paying job at a car dealership, straight out of high school, and could even support a family if need be. This is important to know, the focus was different back then you didn’t need an extremely high level of education to obtain some sort of economic gain, if you got an education it’s because you actually wanted to learn. However, as the world began to evolve, so did the requirements of success. Education has become a way to rule individuals out of jobs. None cares if you have the skills anymore, you have to have the college degree to back it up. Therefore, I must sadly say that talent alone isn’t enough anymore. I believe that there is a balance between formal and informal education. Arithmetic, the ability to write, and things of that nature are formally taught, and are vital to the growth of the brain. However, informal education also plays a big role into the growth and success...
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...At every school in America, there are students that go to school and work their hardest each and every day. They take the hardest classes and challenge themselves more than anyone in their school. At most schools these students are rewarded for deciding to take the difficult route and challenging themselves by means of a weighted GPA. However, there are also students like this who go to schools that do not have a weighted GPA, and the difficult classes they take weigh the same as a general level class. This is why state governments should introduce a statewide high school GPA, so that equality is provided to every student, especially when it comes to applying to college. Applying to college is important and a statewide GPA scale would positively affect this because, “Honors and advanced-placement classes and also can positively affect an admissions decision” (Weaver 1) and with this said GPA system each student would have the same opportunity as those who go to a different schools across the state. Grading systems have been around since the very beginning of schooling. Instructors needed some way to rank their students so they had an idea of how their teaching was affecting them.“In essence, grading is an exercise in professional judgment on the part of teachers. It involves the collection and evaluation of evidence on students' achievement or performance over a specified period of time, such as nine weeks, an academic semester, or entire school year” (Guskey 2). In the beginning...
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...School played a big role in my life, motivating me to follow my goals and achieve it. When going to high school every day, I was faced with situations where I must make decisions. Being able to make decisions on my own greatly boosted my self-esteem and personal assurance. I found personal benefits of succeeding or finding a subject that I was passionate about, causing wonders for establishing a sense of self. Manvel High school helped me shape who I was and what I wanted to pursue in the future. A major part of high school comes not just with pursuing an education but also through interacting with peers. As a Manvel High School student, I faced social situations daily that are key toward developing a teen’s interpersonal communication skills with others. Having friends and people to relate to at such an age is an importance, making high school a necessary step socially for many students. By taking numerous advanced placement and dual credit classes that are provided by Manvel High School, I believe that I’m ready for the college workload that will be offered in a typical college classes. These classes are hard and exhausting, but my High School prepared me overcome stress and work harder by making me take college classes during my High School career. I’m aware that the AP and dual credit classes...
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...Neither of my parents ever went to college, but that did not stop them from wanting the best for my siblings and I. Growing up they have always taught the importance of education. That is probably the main reason I both love and excel in school. In school I have taken every honors class available and done well in each one. I have only received mostly A’s while not ever having a grade lower than a B. I will graduate this May in the top ten percent of my class with a GPA above 4.0. I am currently taking three AP classes and one other college level course. I have many interests that span a large variety of topics. I am a diehard sports fan, dedicated to my Kansas Jayhawks basketball and Dallas Cowboys football. I try to watch almost every game...
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...and Patriotism are all tremendously important morals held by people who not only want to accomplish their goals but also want to aid others in following their dreams. To begin with, Dependability is of the utmost importance because it shows one's reliability, trustworthiness, and encompasses loyalty and punctuality. Relationships cannot be fully created or reciprocated if...
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...Looking back at my last year’s AP Language Composition class , the frustration I felt while reading the short stories written by Ernest Hemingway was overwhelming. Even after rereading the story we were working on, I was unable to fully understand it. The short story that I remember the most is the “Sea Of Change”. In this story, a man is having a discussion with his girlfriend or wife about her embarrassing him and she leaves him. A shift in the character's behavior suggests that the man went through a change. The “change” he went through was something I failed to figure out. After a class discussion multiple ideas were thrown and as a class we agreed that Hemingway was suggesting the man was gay. Without the help of my class, coming up...
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...Throughout my second semester of AP Lang, I have learned an abundance of information in regards to what it means to be a good writer and analyzer. This semester was challenging in a way that is preparing me greatly for future english classes at Iowa State. New skills were introduced to me, making it easy to be proud of myself for the work I put in, ending with grades that reflected this effort. My overall knowledge on the active writing process, revision stages and analytical skills has increased immensely, allowing myself to feel greatly prepared for the many future classes that will benefit from my learning. Through the many course outcomes of this class, I have been able to improve my overall writing skills. Right away it was clear how...
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...Dear Senior: In less than a year, you will be preparing for your freshman year of college. By that time, you should be familiar with a wide range of English, American, and Global literatures. The list of masterworks on the back of this sheet offers a guide for what are considered seminal works in the English-language tradition. We will read and discuss several of the texts during next year’s Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition course. (I AM NOT ASKING YOU TO READ THEM ALL – DON’T BE SILLY!) Reading ahead and reading a work twice is always advisable. In any case, a broad background of reading will benefit you on the AP English Literature test, as well as in your college English classes. Summer Reading: Bulfinch, Thomas The Age of Fable: Stories of Gods and Heroes^^ Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor* Hamilton, Edith Mythology^^ Shakespeare, William MacBeth Optional: Cotterell, Arthur & Storm, Rachel The Illustrated Encyclopedia of World Mythology# These books should all be available at your local library or bookstore (you may also order online). *If you do not already own a copy of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, you should get a copy. We will be referring to it throughout the year as we dissect and discuss literary works. ^^I have provided .PDF copies of these works through Edmodo. Please do NOT print copies of these works. #This book is a great resource to have for college, particularly if...
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...animals, the importance of culture, and the importance of power and its effect have changed since I first began this class. A main piece of information I learned with the AP World History class is the importance of agriculture. Agriculture was the cause for change from hunter-gathers to a new age that caused indefinite change that changed the way of life. Farmers and their farms, plantations, and all that is related to that were something that I never placed as important. Nowadays intelligence is important and it was in the past but not in the Paleolithic era, it was agriculture. I never really knew how important the environment and its flora and fauna were in the past. All I ever knew, until I learn about the history, was...
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...1.) Why do you want to join the Urban Honors College at Portland State University? I have always been a student who enjoys being challenged, and I want to continue to challenge myself in college. During high school, stretching my abilities meant taking AP and honors classes. At Portland State University, the Urban Honors College would be ideal for me to continue this pattern of participation in advanced academics. Additionally, the closer-knit atmosphere that the Honors College perpetuates is hard to find at many larger universities. I believe I would benefit from participating in the academic community that this fosters. Moreover, the combination of research opportunities and internships offered through the Honors College would be valuable for my research-oriented major, Environmental Science. Overall, I think I would be a good fit for the Urban Honors College at PSU and would like to continue challenging myself academically through its rigorous program and educational opportunities. 2.)...
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