I realize that we are due for a course evaluation later this week, but I feel like this would be a great place to really express our thoughts on this course because it will allow us to share more details and in a more personal, informal manner. So take this, and run with it !
Reiko :)
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We did the course evaluation today, but I'm assuming this post is still acceptable. I really loved having only nine of us in the class this year, so it is going to be very different next year. We had so many great discussions (and jokes) in this class, so we should try to keep that up next year, even with the additional 31 people. We never did that AP party at someone's house. We could still do it next year, but maybe not all forty students. Hopefully we figure something out next year to make it as similar as possible to this year.
ReplyDeleteUsually my least favorite classes are History and English. They are subjects taht I don't find particularly interesting. This year I actually enjoyed English class (Congratulations Mr. B. =]). The stories we read were interesting and there were no tests on the reading material which allowed me to read the novels at my pace and actually enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed the class size there was enough to drive discussions about the novels we were reading but not so many that we had to fight to get our opnions heard. (I liked circle time too!)
Not for this to sound like a suck up to Mr.B but I really think our classroom environment is a result of his teaching style. Many teachers would've treated our class as any other 30 person class but we aren't and im glad he saw it that way. I liked circles days and Narnia, (not because of Susan) and with our class being so much larger next year its gonna be a downer without the little perks.
ReplyDeleteDon't undersell the value of having a regular sized class.
ReplyDeleteJust think of all of the viewpoints that will be shared next year.
Stay positive and good luck with the summer assignments.
Happy Thinking,
Mr. B
I really liked our class this year. I thought we really understood the deep and complex concepts really well. I loved most of the booksthis year, and I think everyone can say that. The books were enjoyable and educational at the same time. I really found it hard to think of something to subtract from the class. I think that we all did really well together (and hopefully on the AP tests!).
ReplyDeleteI think all courses are better in small classes, and I think the reason we all think we did so well on the AP exam was because Mr. Bruno got us ready for it. It was easier to get nine of us ready and have a relationship between us, but the expansion in the number of students next year might affect the time we have to do things and affect the pace of our class discussion which helped me see books in a different light and look for deep meanings between the lines.
ReplyDeleteThis class reminded me of the honors english class I had in 9th grade in Rome. Since it was a Catholic school, and one of the very few that spoke English, there were only about 10 kids in the class, and only about 4 of those native speakers of English. I felt much more connected to the course material as a result of being able to discuss the literature more in depth. I've reread essays from earlier this year and the year before, and I noticed how much my writing has improved. My writing is now focused on answering the question and then elaborating on the answer, instead of going off into nowhere about nothing.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS MR. B
The thing I'm going to miss most is the small class. Having only eight classmates was great. It made it a lot easier to discuss things, as well as get help from Mr. B. It also made it feel less like actual schoolwork, because of the friendly environment.
ReplyDeleteSo the year is winding down, and I just wanted to reflect on a couple of things in AP English 11 with Mr. Bruno. (and I'm going to try to do this without sounding like I'm sucking up, because I'm not ;) )
ReplyDeleteAnywho, I can honestly say that this class has been the most useful class I have ever taken. Part of that has to do with the fact that Mr. Bruno is an amaaazing teacher, and the other part has to do with my classmates. Having a small class was really useful in the sense that it was easy to get to know everyone really well in terms of backgrounds, beliefs, and personality of course. But even more so, it was easy to have really productive, in-depth discussions on books (when we actually read them, haha) and common real-life situations and problems. This class has helped me to further develop the openness of my mind by viewing things from all different angles and perspectives. We read a wide variety of literature this year, and each piece allowed me to realize the many different things that go on in our world and the problems that individuals face, ones I never even would have considered or thought for a second to try to fix. It was once said that we change the world by changing ourselves, and Mr. Bruno managed to prove this to us.
This has been by far the most enjoyable English class I've ever taken. My favorite part of AP English 11 was the class discussions we'd have. These discussions not only helped develop and shape our own thoughts and understanding of writers and their work, but also of the emotional pander from which writers draw upon when writing. The class helped us as students to better develop our own writing skills and techniques. I actually know how to write and format an essay now. =D
ReplyDelete