Dear APELC student,
Congratulations on accepting the challenge of becoming a better writer. You’re probably partially terrified as a result of the horror stories you have heard, and you’re also probably worried that, for the first time in your life, you might not get an A. And yes, you might not get an A. But, at least for the first time in my life, I have learned that a course is not all about the grade and that you can grow as a student and as a writer despite the grades you get, as cliche as that may sound. However, an A is 100% within reach, if you’re willing to work for it.
One of my greatest regrets throughout the year is not going in for help as much as I would have liked, most likely because I was not accustomed to the type of help I was given when I did go in. In previous classes, if you want your teacher to edit your paper, you just have them read your entire paper and then you simply make the changes they write and you are practically guaranteed a very high grade, but only because you are just handing in an essay written how the teacher wants it. However, in APELC, you learn to write with your own voice and your own opinions. If you need help with an essay, you can go in and discuss the prompt with the teachers to get some ideas, or you can ask a specific question, or you can have them read an excerpt from your essay to make sure you’re on the right track. Although this may be a frustrating style of help at first, this method preserves the voice of you, the student, while still assisting you through any struggles you may encounter along the way. Now, I’m not saying that you are guaranteed an A if you go in for extra help, but you are certainly on the right track for the essay if you go discuss with your teachers before the essay is due.
It’s important not to sugarcoat the course, however. Sure, you grow as a writer. And sure, it’s not all about the grade. But nobody enjoys receiving grades that are less than their standards of excellency. I mean, you’re probably never going to get into college, right? There are certainly rough patches along the way, but nobody ever said real learning was easy. Statistically speaking, you will probably get a grade on your summer reading assignment essay that may get you grounded for a couple days. But, however many tears you may shed that first week, you mustn’t let it get to you. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your work ethic) there will be soooo many assignments throughout the year that will dilute this grade so much that it practically has no effect on your year grade, which is the only grade that matters. This course is entirely about your mindset, and if you start the year thinking you are going to fail, you will fail. But, if you take this grade and learn from it, you will be very successful for the rest of the year. Even if you disagree with the grade because you think you wrote a pretty good essay, just trust the grade, and if you go back to review this essay at the end of the year, you will see that the grade was very accurate, even a little bit generous. There are many opportunities given to you for success throughout the year, and if you utilize these opportunities, you will achieve success.
It’s easy for me to make all of these recommendations seeing as I’ve already finished the course, but I also understand how hard it is to actually follow through with these things. It takes motivation, commitment, and good time management to be able to come in multiple times before an essay is due (you have to write the essay before the night before it’s due...). However, now that the exam is over and it’s time for me to reflect upon all of my mistakes throughout the year as grades are being finalized, I sincerely recommend coming in to discuss your essays with the teachers and starting assignments before the night before they are due. I also recommend always keeping a positive mindset, even when you get a bad grade on your essay or you fail the first unit exam. But despite all of these struggles, I really took away a lot from this class, both in my writing, my analysis skills, and my work ethic, and you will too, if you let yourself. It’s all in the mindset.
Sincerely,
Arielle
