In all honesty, I would say this class was the most enjoyable English class I’ve had in high school. I learned how to format papers now which is something that I had no idea how to do before if we are being honest. I was genuinely surprised at what we were doing yesterday in class because none of my other English teachers ever taught us how to have the correct format. Also, I learned how to be more open in my writing. Over the course of this semester, I feel that I have been able to really write more freely with my own thoughts, especially with the literacy narrative that we wrote at the beginning of the semester. 
This was one of the few essays that I enjoyed writing because I was able to write about one of my past experiences and how I was able to grow my reading knowledge. Lastly, I learned how to do better close readings of novels, because both of the novels that we read were very difficult I would say in understanding initially. I would have to read three or even four times to understand what was happening.
Just coming to class prepared is the main thing I would say. Reading the book is extremely helpful when you have to participate in a discussion or when the class talks about the book. You do not want to be that one person who is just quiet the entire period of discussion or not having a clue about what to contribute to your group when it comes to a presentation or group activity. Another side advice I have is that you should try to come to class alert. 
Being tired and drowsy just leads you to want to fall asleep. Then when Mr. Williams passes out important information, it just goes through one year and out the other. Also, when you have blended, don’t just think of it as a free period to sleep in or just do whatever. I’m not going to lie, but I did forget a few times about this and I had to do catchup work the night after which could have been easily done in the blended period.
My perspective on literature has changed for the better. I didn’t have a great time reading the other books we were forced to read in my other classes, but I really liked the summer reading book and I also liked reading about As I lay Dying. I didn’t really like Beloved, because I didn’t really connect to the novel. But I really do think that I will start reading harder novels because although I don’t exactly get the novel on the first try, I do like trying to figure out the meaning of a scene. 
I was really able to imagine the text and what was happening more in the novel this year which I thought was nice as well. I was also able to change my perspective on how to read novels on a schedule. I’m not going to lie, I thought that I would be able to just read 50 or 70 pages the day before to reach the page number that we assigned. I was only able to read around 30 pages. Then I started reading around 15 pages a day and then that really helped me when I had to reread a page.
A lesson that I will definitely carry with me next semester is turning in the blog and blog comments on canvas as well as posting them. I forgot to do this a few times and I shall make sure that I do this next semester. Also, I think I’m going to start doing mental hexagonal connections before I write a paper next semester. 
I found that when we did that in class, I was able to get more thoughts flowing in my brain and was able to easily find solid connections to use in my writing. Lastly, an important lesson this semester that I will most definitely follow next semester is to be on time for first period.
Hello Vishal,
I wholeheartedly agree with you that this is the most enjoyable English class I’ve had in high school. The socratic discussions and blogs were definitely a highlight for me. Also, I too have found my writing style a little more than I had before. This is because before this year, we never really had to write narratives in any of my classes, so I just didn’t. Coming to class prepared is huge. I know that senioritis might kick in and you don’t want to do any work, but if you’re unprepared then you won’t succeed. Plus, it just builds good habits for college. With our intense analyses of the books we read, we could really go in depth. I can definitely agree with you that this class has changed how I read literature. Also, it has made me want to read more difficult literature, as I believe it pushes your intellectual boundaries and makes you develop as a person. Books are quite important for intellectual growth. Yeah, being on time— I always see you come in late. You know, it’s interesting these things are all interrelated: academic success, good sleep, being to class on time. Thanks for sharing, Vish! I really enjoyed reading this.
Hi Vishal!
I really enjoyed your post about the impact that this course has had on you. I certainly agree that there were many valuable things that were taught in this semester of AP Literature that I have not been taught in my previous English courses, and learning to format a paper correctly was certainly one of them. Moreover, I also enjoyed the texts that we explored in class this semester, especially As I Lay Dying. I found this book to be incredibly interesting and meaningful, it was interesting to read your post and see that you had similar opinions towards this novel as well. I also agree that it is important to manage your time well in this course. From my experience in this class, there is always a constant influx of tasks and expectations, and it is important to stay on top of your work. I would say that above all else, this class has taught me how to effectively manage my time and use my blended periods responsibly. I believe that this course has been the most challenging, but also the most helpful English course that I have taken during my time at NNHS. From your post, it is evident that you have had a similar experience as well. In the future, it would be interesting to read more about courses at North that have impacted you!
Vishal, I totally agree with you that this was a very enjoyable English class. Even though the workload was more than the other English classes I’ve taken, I did feel like I actually took valuable lessons away not just from the books, but also from the reading experiences. It’s definitely easier to come to class unprepared in other English classes and ramble your way through a discussion, but in AP Lit it pays to be prepared. I think your point about coming to class alert is also really relevant. Last year, my English teacher (who shall go unnamed) was the kind of guy who would speak for 45 minutes and give us 5 minutes of work time. I would fall asleep so often in that class, and I did end up missing important information sometimes. I initially chose to take AP Lit because I love reading, but this year brought some really hard texts, and I actually enjoyed exploring some more hard-hitting themes. The fact that you would be able to read 30 pages a day is really impressive – I would promise myself to read 10 – 15 pages a night, and end up reading two because I start at 10:30 and fall asleep.
Vish, I envy your preparedness for class. I also agree with your statement about coming to class alert. This class is first period, so some days it can be difficult to have energy to participate and pay attention. During the semester I would use the blended periods as free time, so I ran into similar problems as you. I am glad to hear that you enjoyed reading the books that we read this semester because it is difficult to find that in an English class. I enjoyed the books we read more than some of my other English classes, but I also did not like Beloved that much. Beloved fit the theme of a difficult English book that is hard to read. I understand that reading a hard text is the point of completing assignments related to Beloved, but it was difficult to understand most of the time which made it a slow reading experience. Mental hexagon connections is an interesting way to look at things, and I understand why you found that helpful. Regarding your final statement, I also hope to be on time next semester more often, hopefully I will be able to change the time that my carpool and I leave by leaving earlier on the days that I drive.
Hi, Vishal! I also thought this was one of my most enjoyable English classes. I definitely learned the most in this class. It was refreshing to see new forms of writing and, like you mentioned, have this “free form” of writing. I agree, I feel like the novels picked for AP Lit were intriguing and challenging. So many topics like slavery, betrayal, and security were tied to our central themes of home, culture, identity, and family. It was interesting to see so many lessons and central themes derived from a single book! First period AP Lit is definitely no joke. Coming in at 7 in the morning means that you have to hustle up, no matter how tired you are. It also made me a bit more self conscious of my decisions the night prior because it forces me to acknowledge the importance of my physical health. I also connected a lot to the Namesake, but not so much to As I Lay Dying. And I think that it’s ok! Like we learned in the beginning of the year, literature is effective when it speaks to the reader. Thanks for sharing, Vishal! It was great to see how your semester went.
Hi Vishal! I wholeheartedly agree with what you were saying about AP Lit being your favorite English course you have taken so far. Just like you I feel as though I learned so much more this year than I have in years prior. I also feel like this year was the first year I saw major improvements in my writing techniques. For me this is huge because I have never really considered myself a writer. Also, when you were talking about your recommendations for discussions, I would like to admit that I am also in agreement. Discussions this semester were so helpful in being able to understand the novel we were reading. Also, they were so much more enjoyable when we all had insight to add because we all were learning from such different perspectives. Although I hate to admit it, at the beginning of the semester I also fell into the trap of saving my assigned blended work for the night of. I found it more difficult to do my work the night before than it was to wake up in the morning at a normal time to complete my work. What has been your favorite assignment this year or your favorite blog post you wrote?
I don’t know if AP Language or AP Literature is better but they both have taught me a lot about analyzing and reading works of fiction. I also said that coming to class prepared is extremely important since I’m sure that we and other students have not done that all the time. Reading the books to a certain page by the assigned checkpoint helps to ensure that you can keep up with what the class is saying and I would advise incoming students to do this. I also tend to use our blended period to not do the work and just do it at night which I should definitely improve on once the second semester starts. It would be a much better use of my time than going out for a second lunch which I honestly do not even need although sixth period lunch can be very annoying at times. I am happy to say that I don’t relate to students who take forever with their blogs and blog comments since I always make sure to get them in on time. They are the best type of assignment that we have had in this class and since it is so easy to do them, I always have them done and will instead hold off on much harder assignments.
Hi vishal,
I would this is one of the more fun english classes i’ve taken but for me personally I enjoyed AP lang a little more. This class has a little more work then other english classes and although we don’t write any essays we have a lot more reading to do. We also have to read a lot more closely and analytically because the books are very hard to read. The blended period is usually a period I just take to mess around and talk with my friends who are there in the morning, or I just sleep in which is even better. Doing work during the blended period would have definitely saved me a lot of time at home and saved me a couple of late points. I also forgot to turn in some of the blog comments and blog posts even though they happen every week. Sometimes I just naturally forgot because of other things happening in my life. Making a mental hexagonal connection is something I should deftly try for my next essay. It seems like a very good idea. I should also try and be on time for the first period haha.