10th grade was a year of As on all (if I remember correctly) of my English papers. I thought I was a pretty good writer. I thought I was clear and concise, and that my arguments were relatively sound. I thought I knew how to write a good essay. If I had a list of times in my life when I was very wrong, my perception of myself as a writer during Sophomore year would be on there.
I came into AP Lang thinking that it would be easy. I never scored higher than a 6/9 on an in-class essay. And that happened only twice. It was about midway through the first semester of 11th grade that I realized, “Wow, I can’t actually communicate a point that has any meaning.” Unfortunately, I still feel that I am in this place even though I have grown significantly as a writer from the beginning of the year. This year was a rough one as far as writing goes, but I did learn something very important: I learned why logically communicating myself through writing and rhetoric is a crucial skill to have. Why is that important and crucial to have? It’s because it’s a difficult task and not many people can do so. That one idea is the most valuable thing I learned this year. Logical articulation has less of a place in today’s world. But one day when I’m all grown up and am applying for jobs, I’ll be thankfully for AP Lang teaching me the importance of rational communication. It may just make me stand out as a little different from the rest.
