AP classes are the bridge between high school and college. They challenge one more and also prepare one for what the future may hold. They are supposed to be thought-provoking and build character, but they shouldn’t be draining to the point one drops a class.
AP Literature is offered by the high school for seniors who want to better understand more complex and classic literature and be prepared for their college English classes. It has been at the school for many years but is most recently taught by Mrs. Mundorf for the past four years. It requires out-of-term assignments, which include reading three books and taking notes about them. Mundorf said, “I know that the summer reading is the biggest barrier or hindrance for students, despite the fact that I give them their books in May and they don’t have to have their reading done until typically late October, early November…” This is one of the main problems and causes many students to drop out because they feel they can’t get the reading done, or they push it off too much.
Many students think that by dropping the class, their time will be more stress-free. Faith Perry, senior, is still partaking in AP Lit. Perry said, “…There’s definitely plenty of time to get the reading done so it shouldn’t be stressful at all. You just have to be diligent about getting it started ahead of time…” However, not everybody has the free time to sit down and read a book. Austin Sellers, senior, dropped out of AP Lit. because he felt he couldn’t handle the reading. Sellers worked 55 hours each week during the summer, and when there was a little free time, he didn’t want to spend it on reading. The reading can be very overwhelming for some people, and Mundorf has been thinking of ways to prevent people from feeling anxious about completing it. Mundorf said, “I know for a fact that I want to keep Brave New World as a summer reading, but I’m thinking about revamping how I use How to Read Literature Like a Professor and do that more in class to kind of lessen the load.” However, she feels this might be a disservice more than help because the final exam tests over everything they learn, and the class needs to be rigorous. So, the more books they read, the better they’ll be prepared for the exam.
The dropout rate has only gone up, and it’s finally time to figure out a way to keep it from leaving the course options for students. Mundorf said she starts at about 35-40 people, and then that number quickly goes down. This year is her biggest decline with 13 drop-outs overall, but it’s also the biggest class of AP Lit. she has ever had despite the students who dropped. While AP Lit. may not be for everyone, it is still a great class to take to help make one a better writer. The class isn’t all work either. Mundorf likes to incorporate some fun activities like making Frankenstein potato monsters, Greek tragedy dramatic masks, as well as a Hamlet murder mystery brunch. Sellers said, “I was really looking forward to the teacher and the class in general, but I just wasn’t made for it.” Some people really like writing and know that they will do well in a challenging class like this, but others know that it will be a little harder, but still miss the opportunity. Perry said, “I really enjoy the class. My personality as a writer and just my ability to read hard literature has grown a lot, so I definitely recommend.”
AP courses are a wonderful way to get a head start on collecting college credits as well as getting a boost in one’s GPA. They can prepare students for what college classes will be like and what they should look forward to.
