I'm Sorry

Yesterday in class a game of Scattergories got the best of me. It was our last day of English class, and I accidentally let a part of me come out...a part that I tried to hide for 2 years. And I almost made it. One day. I was so close. So, here is my apology. Please remember me for the joy I brought into all your lives..not the beast I presented yesterday in class.

I am sorry I unfairly targeted some teams for their responses.
I am sorry I awarded my team points when they were clearly undeserving.
I am sorry that when told to "just be happy...its our last English class" I chose to give my most lethal death glare, instead of a smile
I am sorry that I did not use a nice tone, basically at any point during the game.
I am sorry that I did not provide an upbeat, super fun game for our final eighth period English class
I am sorry I most likely scared the majority of the students in eighth period.
I am sorry for everything.

Please accept my apology.. Thursday was not a true display of my personality. Let's just erase that day from our minds. Thanks.

Oh! The Places We'll Go

Congratulations!
Friday is our day.
We're off to Great Places!
We're off and away!

We have brains in your head. (From AP English, of course)
We have feet in your shoes.
We can steer ourselves in any direction we choose.
We're on your own. And we know what we know...SOAPSTones. Data Sheets, quotes, analysis, and writing.

And WE are the guys who’ll decide where we go.

We'll look up and down streets. 

Look’em over with care. 

About some we will say, “We don’t choose to go there.”

With your head full of brains and our shoes full of feet, we're too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

(A street that is not paved with AP English)

And we may not find any we'll want to go down.

In that case, of course, we'll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as us.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. 

Don’t stew.

Just go right along. 

We'll start happening too.

Oh! The Places We'll Go!

We'll be on your way up!
We'll be seeing great sights!
We'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

We won’t lag behind, because we'll have the speed. We'll pass the whole gang and we'll soon take the lead. Wherever we fly, we'll be best of the best. Wherever we go, we will top all the rest.

And will we succeed?
Yes! We will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kids, we'll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, we're off to Great Places!
Friday is our day!
Our mountain is waiting.
So…let's get on our way!

I really think all of us in AP English are headed for great things, and I'm so excited to see what everyone is like after high school. Not only do I think this Dr. Suess excerpt from Oh! The Places You'll Go describes this moment, but I think the quote "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened," also really applies. I know I'm always going to look back at my time in AP English and remember all of the great moments we all had. Even though everyone else in the school hated us, all of the students in AP English really do have a strong bond that really can't be found anywhere else. I'm truly going to miss every single thing about this class.

Top Ten

0 days (?)

I don't know what to count down to anymore.. maybe I'll go into negatives.

10.  So you can receive the quote sheets at the end of every quarter

9. Instead of building snowmen or sledding, you can spend your snow day checking your e-mail every five minutes waiting for an e-mail from Ms. Serensky

8. Even though it’s a lot of work, the feeling of accomplishment after completing an essay/Data Sheet/SOAPSTone is wonderful

7. You find the deeper meaning in books, and this makes you feel much ,much smarter than everyone else

6. Inside jokes! Students in AP English share a rare bond, which is reflected in our various inside jokes! There are too many to even list here.

5. Sometimes (ok, maybe ONE day) you get to watch Parks and Recreation! (greatest day ever)

4. It’s one AP test you don’t need to spend hours studying for.

3. You get to hit piñatas with baby faces on them. Using a sword.

2. There is nothing more fun than the multiple choice extra credit games each quarter!

1. You get to spend time with Ms. Serensky…Every. Single. Day. 

Stop sledding! You have 40 pages of reading to do for tomorrow! 

The Reason Behind My 1...

3 Days 
Uh. Oh.

From observing my very confused, almost hysterical state, my three friends argue when trying to help with my AP English test...

Rodney: "Twelve? You're sure?" (Currie 127).
Cecily: "That certainly seems a satisfactory explanation, does it not?" (Wilde 43). [looking at Harding]
Harding: [Shrugs] "You have more to lose than I do" (Kesey 194).
Rodney: "You've got more brains than you give yourself credit for" (Currie 127).
Harding: "Oh? That's interesting"
Cecily: [Nodding] "When I see a spade I call it a spade" (37).
Cecily: "[English] isn't at all a becoming language" (Wilde 21).
Rodney: "This doesn't feel like help to me" (Currie 137).
Cecily: [Ignoring Rodney] "I suppose that is why [she] looks...bored" (Wilde 21).
Harding: "[English is] an experience no human should be without"(Kesey 188).
Cecily: "I am afraid you must be under some misconception"(Wilde 36).
Rodney: "Take it easy" (Currie 52).
Cecily: "Oh, I am afraid I am" (Wilde 23).

Rodney: "Please stop trying to confuse [her]" (Currie 131).

This continues for the remainder of the exam...needless to say, I get a 1.