TOW #30: Letter to a new APELC student

Dear New APELC Student,

Welcome to Junior Year and the wonderful world of AP courses! You’ve

probably walked into Mr. Yost’s room today feeling a bit intimidated by the

mountain of a year that lies before you; especially since you’ve opted to take the

widely-feared Eleventh Grade AP English. Well, you have the right to be a bit

nervous, as Junior Year is the cornerstone of your high school career. However,

I’m going to tell you today that if you’ve come into the year (and specifically this

classroom) focused and ready to improve yourself, you will be absolutely fine.

Since you’ve decided to take AP English this year, it probably means that

you’re the type of student who received high A’s and A+’s each marking period of 9th

and 10th

 grade English. One thing to be prepared for as you begin this course is that

you will likely not receive the grades that you’re used to receiving in an English

class. The nature of this course being an AP requires a definite shift in the mindset of

a student transitioning from Honors English classes. But this is no reason to be

discouraged. When you inevitably start out the year receiving grades that are lower

than you’re used to, use this as motivation to improve yourself rather than a cause

for giving up on the class. If you stay motivated and continue giving assignments like

timed essays and short quizzes your full attention, they will undoubtedly get easier

as the year goes on.

Another major thing that people feared last year coming into AP English was

the thought of taking the exam in May. If you’re anything like I was at the beginning

of Junior Year, a three hour long exam that includes hand-writing three full length

essays seems impossible. Rest assured though, by the end of the year you will be so

prepared for the exam that it won’t even seem like anything out of the ordinary. The

daily trials of this class will improve your writing and analysis skills, prepare you for

any arduous future testing occasion, and maybe even end up getting you credit to

put towards college. Overall, you’ve made a really good choice in choosing to take

this class. It is one of my favorites that I’ve ever taken. Keep a positive outlook this

year, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and stay focused. You’ll be fine.

Good Luck,

Abby Ponticello

Tow #29: Waiting for Superman part 2

            Waiting For Superman, a documentary by director Davis Guggenheim and producer Lesley Chilcott, exposes the major flaws of the United States public education system and expresses a need for reform. It follows a number of ambitious young children, both less- fortunate and well off, as they journey through the public school system and eventually apply for acceptance at charter schools. One of the major claims that is set forth by Waiting For Superman is that the difficulty of firing a teacher from a position in the public school system is extremely damaging for the good of the children at stake. Based on the information provided in the film and outside testimony, I am inclined to strongly agree with this claim.

            The information provided in this film informs the viewer that in many districts and states of America, there is a stipulation in the contract of public school teachers that makes it very difficult to fire them after they have been employed at any given district for a certain amount of time. The statistic that was used to back this statement was that in Illinois, while 1 in 97 attorneys loose their law licenses each year, only 1 in 2500 teachers loose their teaching credentials. The difficulty of firing teachers creates a situation known as the “lemon dance”, where each year school districts shift around teachers that are openly known to be incompetent or flat out bad. This creates a situation where districts keep teachers that they know are not benefitting the students simply on a legal formality. The students that fall into the hands of such teachers fall several grade levels behind their counterparts with teachers that are effectively covering all of the curriculum material. When these students are then moved on to the next grade and integrated with their peers, they find themselves struggling and becoming discouraged with the education system. For a system that will enable students to succeed, the contractual obstacles that stand in the way of firing truly bad teachers must be changed. 

Tow #28: Waiting For Superman

            Waiting For Superman is a documentary from well-known American director Davis Guggenheim and producer Lesley Chilcott. This film examines the flaws and failures of the American public school system in relation to that of other developed countries and the evolving expectations of education over time. Several children of different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds are followed throughout the film and their difficulties in the public education system are documented. Social activist and educator Geoffrey Canada, as well as other education-authorities, offer commentary throughout the film. The exposé-type nature of the content offered by Waiting For Superman responds to obvious failings of schools, teachers, and students in America over the last few decades, and a subsequent growing call for reform.

            Though this documentary embodies a sentiment of the masses, the direct voice behind the information of the film is director Davis Guggenheim. With this piece of work, Guggenheim aims to inform his audience of average American viewers of the bad state of public schools throughout the nation. By spreading awareness, the ultimate purpose is to rally the American people to get involved and eventually change the failing system. Though parents of children enrolled in “drop-out factory” inner city schools may be well aware of the deplorable state of American education today, middle or upper class Americans living in the suburbs may not have such a keen awareness. Guggenheim uses this documentary as a means to spread information beyond the direct pool of people it affects most.

            This film is not only heavily saturated with necessary information; it is also entertaining and contains many elements of good cinematography. The soundtrack is one prime example of a cinematic factor that helps to achieve the film’s purpose. The sad, slow piano pieces that play during clips of less-fortunate children and schools create an instant emotional appeal to the viewer that makes them feel personally invested in the issues that are being depicted. The information being presented is proved credible thanks to the wise selection of education-authorities such as Geoffrey Canada and former DC school superintendent Michelle Rhee that comment of the film’s content. The abundance of data and statistics relating to the failures of public schools is also instrumental in exemplifying the terrible state of the American public education system today. The inclusion of data appeals to the reader’s sense of reason and rational thinking, as well as proving that the views included are not biased and can be backed by cold hard facts.  

TOW #27: Reflection

This week, for the first of the post-exam TOW assignments, I read three of my old TOW posts from throughout the year. I read Tow #7: The Fruit that Really Does Keep the Doctor Away from marking period one, Tow #14: Rent Original Broadway Promotion Poster from marking period two, and Tow #20: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell from the third marking period. As I broke down each post and examined the different components, there was one clear progression that I saw from the first post to the last. In my earliest post, though I attempted to smoothly combine the necessary features into a coherent analysis, it definitely seemed a bit disjointed. By my second post I was able to more smoothly identify the rhetorical strategies and tie them in with the author’s purpose, though the transition from my introduction to analysis of strategy wasn’t very sophisticated. The growth in my third marking period post demonstrated an overall more sophisticated command of analysis, with the transitions between each component being very smooth. Even reading back this post I’m not able to clearly pick out a spot for each individual criteria that went into the writing, though each one is included. This higher level of sophistication in seamlessly tying analysis of strategies used to how they achieve the author’s purpose is the main skill that I mastered throughout the course of this year. One aspect that could still use some improvement is variation of rhetorical strategies to analyze. Looking at the body of work on my blog, I analyzed a lot of the same rhetorical strategies over and over again. In future writing endeavors I will try to vary my sources of analysis.

            When it came time for the exam, I began to realize how practicing on tow posts had helped me gain the ability to look at a piece, quickly discern the author’s purpose, identify rhetorical strategies, and connect the pieces into a coherent analysis. These skills benefitted me on the both the writing and the multiple-choice portions of the exam. Though it may have seemed like a pesky extra assignment at the beginning of the year, I feel that tows provided me with valuable practice and were beneficial in the long run. 

TOW 26: Personality trait that most often predicts success by Drake Baer

            According to a recent article published by Drake Baer of Yahoo Finance online, the number one trait in society today that links people to success throughout life is conscientiousness. Though there are a number of other traits, such as agreeableness and extroversion, which have links to the success of individuals, conscientiousness seems to be the one with the most staggering evidence and lifelong implications. With the tendency to be thoughtful and responsible, conscientious people generally succeed in a work or social environment more so than others and are even proven to live longer due to heightened health considerations. In a current American society so driven by the need to be successful, this article is contains information that is highly in demand and is very relevant to an audience of young, average Americans. In writing this piece, the author is conveying the theory that pure intelligence, contrary to popular belief, is not the most important factor to success in today’s society.

            Yahoo business insider Drake Baer appeals to logos very effectively in this article through usage of expert testimony and data. One such example of reliable testimony is when Baer cites University of Pennsylvania psychologist Angela Duckworth as saying that aspects of conscientiousness “self control and grit” are most integral to the academic success of children than their IQs. The author also draws from numerous studies to prove that conscientiousness rather than intelligence is the most important indicator of lifelong success. Baer mentions a convincing study from the National Institute of Mental Health, which shows that conscientious men earn higher salaries than others. The expert data and testimony that the author includes seems irrefutable, and goes a long way towards making the reader agree with his purpose. I feel that Baer utilized information very effectively in this article to appeal logically to his reader and enforce his purpose. As a reader, I am thoroughly convinced that conscientiousness is a vital factor in determining a person’s success.

TOW #25 Beatles Promo Poster

There is a poster hanging on the wall opposite my couch in my bedroom that advertises the Beatles’ first gig in America on the Ed Sullivan Show, for February 9, 1964. This poster has been displayed in my room for years, and I am constantly looking at it and analyzing it for purpose and rhetoric without even realizing it. This week, I decided that the time might be right to finally formally analyze this special piece of my room décor.

The poster that I own is a replica of something that might have been displayed on street corners and store windows in American cities during the weeks leading up to February 9, 1964. Along with all pertinent information regarding the Beatles' television appearance, the poster contains a black-and-white photograph of the four band members peering over a staircase, and three broadly displayed titles of popular songs. The purpose of the advertisement is clear: to drum up a large audience for the television premiere of the Beatles in America. Upon considering the poster’s purpose, it is obvious that the producer of the advertisement is CBS Studios, the network that the Ed Sullivan Show ran on. CBS’ motive in encouraging viewership of the Beatles’ debut was ultimately to earn themselves higher TV ratings by having more viewers.

The makers of this promotional poster appealed to pathos very effectively by including the titles of three popular Beatles songs. While something like a time, date, and network name might not have generated a strong enough appeal to the audience to gain viewers, including the names of beloved songs certainly did. Just the mere mention of these obscenely popular songs would have incited a response of excitement and interest from the target audience of average American citizens. Though the Beatles at this point in their history did not really need any additional promotion other than simply being themselves, the rhetorical aspects that this poster includes are effective in their goal of gaining the show more viewers.

Goals:

-New and interesting visual text

-Do not list components

-Paragraph breakdown

IRB Intro #4

When searching for my fourth marking period IRB, I thought hard about nonfiction books that I've heard of through the years or had recommended to me by people that I trust. Being someone that has never been a huge fan of nonfiction, finding such a book requires a bit more effort than it does for me to pick up any historical fiction or fantasy novel and be able to love it instantly. In straining my memory and simultaneously looking online for a book I might enjoy, I remembered a recommendation by my eighth grade English teacher, Ms. Dunn, who is one of the most amazing and influential teachers I've ever had. During my eighth grade year she mentioned The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls many times as a book that she had enjoyed immensely and highly recommended. For this marking period, I'm going to finally take up her suggestion and read The Glass Castle. I'm excited to read this book (other than because one of my favorite teachers loved it) because it is a memoir, which is one of the types of nonfiction that I enjoy most. Also, neither of my last two IRBs have been memoirs. I hope to gain the same positive and lasting impression from reading this book that Ms. Dunn did.