Fix Your Blog

Hello!

               I realize that I’m going to be kind of ranty in this post, but that’s okay, because if you don’t like it then you can GET OFF MY LAWN. But I’ve been reading some blogs lately, mostly because my teacher required that we read and comment on some of our classmates’ blogs. And I’ve noticed a lot of stuff that just bugs me about some of the blogs I’ve seen. Easy stuff, that’s easy to fix and requires just an extra minute or two of your time – which isn’t much when you’re doing these blogs for a grade.

               One of the biggest things that bugs me is when people use their blogs as a diary. I mean, occasionally throwing in a post or two about something cool that happened to you over the weekend is fine. But making every single one of your posts go something like “ER MER GERD I WENT TO THE MALL THIS FRIDAY AND BOUGHT SOME CUTE SHEWS, AND, LIKE, ER MER GERD THERE WAS THIS CEWT GUY WORKING AT THE REGISTER, LIKE, LULZ,” is not acceptable. No one wants to hear that crap from their best friend, but they especially don’t want to hear it from someone they’re barely acquainted with.

               Another thing, you’ve got to learn to use punctuation, as well as paragraphs. You see if you dont use any sort of punctuation your sentences can get pretty annoying I realize that some of you guys are doing your blogs from your phone which is okay but still use punctuation or I will find you. And paragraphs are things too. I mean, you’ve got to use them. They help break up your blog post or else it becomes one giant, monotonous block of text that no one wants to read. It is visually unappealing, and no one wants an ugly blog.

               So, in conclusion, make your blog awesome. Use those things like your mama tought you. Really. Periods, question marks, APOSTROPHES. You have to use them, because these blogs are for AP Lang, and the point is to make you write better. That starts at home, with your blog. If you use them in your blog, your other writing will get better, too. I guarantee it. And you can always get your money back if this post doesn’t work to your full satisfaction.

Alternative Class Ideas

Hello!

               In most schools, classes are pretty much the same. You’ve got your biology, chemistry, and physics classes for science. Then for math you’ve got algebra, geometry, and calculus. Then you’ve got a whole smattering of other classes for Language Arts and Social Studies. If you’re like any other teenager, you’ve probably asked your teacher “why does this matter? Where am I go to use this in the real world?” And if your teacher’s like most of those I know, they’ve probably answered with “just do the work, don’t ask questions.”

               So my proposal is that we introduce some classes that actually pertain to what we’re going to be doing after we leave high school. There would be two classes, one called Stuff You Should Probably Know How To Do After You Get Out Of High School, and a more advanced version called Stuff You Should Probably Know How To Do After You Get Out Of College.

               The more basic class, Stuff You Should Probably Know How To Do After You Get Out Of High School, would teach some more basic level stuff, of course. For instance, the delicate, artistic way to hold a spatula whilst flipping burgers. There would also be simple, easy-to-follow tutorials on how to dig good quality ditches, and how to apply shingles to a roof appropriately. But really, there would be some very useful topics covered. Stuff like filling out a resume, applying for a job, and how to deal with crappy bosses would all be on the agenda.

               The advanced class wouldn’t just deal with stuff you do after college, but what to do during it as well. How to make ramen noodles every night for four years would be the prime focus of the class, seeing as ramen is a delicate food that requires hours of careful preparation. You’d also learn how to sit in a cubicle for the rest of your life, and deal with carpal tunnel. Really, though, you’d learn a lot of the same stuff as the basic class. How to fill out a resume, how to deal with bosses and whatnot. But you’d also learn how to manage your schedule during college, which is something that a lot of people struggle with in their first few years.

               So although these classes probably won’t  get instituted anytime soon, I still think it’s a pretty good idea. I mean, they’re things that would actually be useful in the future, as opposed to learning linear programming in calculus.

Take All The AP Classes!

Hello!

               So very recently at my school we had to sign up for our classes for next year. And this year is no different from every other year, where they beg us to take as many of the advanced classes as we can. They tell us that if they’re too hard, we can always drop down a level to the more basic classes. I’ve found quite a few problems with that whole system of thought. So this blog is going to try to explain them, but it might end up being a tad bit rant-ish. If you’re not a fan, get out now. (While you still can.)

               The first problem that I found was that if everyone’s awesome, no one is awesome. What that really means is that if everyone takes AP classes, they don’t really mean that much anymore – they become the standard, the “bar” that everyone has to meet. And since our school is pushing everyone to take as many AP classes as they possibly can fit into the seven hour day, that’s what it’s moving towards. And since the grading scale for AP classes is weighted, it makes it even more difficult for kids that don’t take AP classes to get to the top of their class.

               The second problem that I’ve seen with making kids take AP classes is that they’re pretty hard. I mean, I’m not an expert, that’s for sure. But I’ve a few AP classes in my first two years of high school, and I’m taking three this year. Although while you’re taking them they don’t really seem that hard, they’re definitely not easy – especially when compared to non-AP classes. So making kids take hard classes that they might not be prepared for would definitely be detrimental to their GPA, and therefore their chances of getting into a good college.

               This brings me to my next point – making us take AP classes seems like it isn’t for our benefit, but for the benefit of our school. Yeah, it makes the school look pretty nice that they have the highest number of kids taking AP classes in the state, but it doesn’t take into account the kids that are failing because they’re taking classes that are above their level.

               So in conclusion, taking AP classes is nice, but brainwashing kids into thinking that they should take as many AP classes as possible is a bad thing. It would definitely hurt them in the long run.