Assignment 26- Amanda Byerman

I have wildly conflicting feelings about much of this class. I appreciate the care taken in ensuring that we are prepared for the AP test, particularly with the essays, and the environment of honest discussion promoted within the classroom, as shown in the Socratic Seminars. I think this class would benefit with more long term assignments requiring class discussion and critical reading (boosted by reading like perhaps The Crucible, Of Mice and Men, or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings). I became quickly frustrated, however, with the inconsistency in our daily schedule. I understand the goal of making sure that our interest is kept by varying our activities, but in many cases this made what we were learning seem futile, with no larger goal or aspiration. This is perhaps no more true than with the intermittent videos we have been assigned to produce (although this is perhaps a complaint fueled with the present panicky buzzing of my phone as my friends and I try to understand how to function iMovie). More concerning than those trivial frustrations, which are understandable and certainly no reason to dismiss an assignment altogether, is the general concern that we don't understand the function of these in fulfilling the goals of an English class. Perhaps in the future it would be more effective to offer a variances of ways we can express our concerns about the world's problems rather than having us produce a PSA or movie which will be, more often than not, rushed; the product of more frustration than education. In essence, while I appreciate the effort taken to make this class interesting and different, I don't think that this effort was executed or communicated effectively this year.