AP English Help

[Anonymous]

DC seems to be struggling in AP Lit - they want to pull up their B. It’s not clear what the teacher doesn’t like about their writing assignments. There are no written comments and apparently meeting with the teacher doesn’t really shed light on what she is looking for. Would a tutor help? It’s a bit strange - DC has always excelled in English before.

[Anonymous]

A tutor might help. Reach out and ask the teacher yourself.

[Anonymous]

Princeton Review tutors are good, my son is working with one on English Lit AP this year. He breaks down what each element of the test (homework) is looking for and helps improve the essay answers. Not by doing them but by making my son think about how he can improve them and allowing him to find the way through.

[Anonymous]

Before getting a tutor I would schedule a meeting with the teacher and/or Resource Teacher to get better feedback. A tutor may certainly help your DC become a better writer, but it will be a waste if your DC isn’t addressing the cause behind why the teacher is taking off points.

Also, this may not be a problem where you child needs a tutor as opposed to just more practice in pre-writing, revising and completion. Again feedback is needed.

Lastly, getting a B first quarter in an AP English class is not a bad thing. The class is supposed to challenge kids to become better thinkers and writers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC seems to be struggling in AP Lit - they want to pull up their B. It’s not clear what the teacher doesn’t like about their writing assignments. There are no written comments and apparently meeting with the teacher doesn’t really shed light on what she is looking for. Would a tutor help? It’s a bit strange - DC has always excelled in English before.

Has the student asked the teacher for feedback or a rubric?

Have you tried reviewing the essays?

You can't tutor your way out of a bad teacher who just splats out a grade based on vibes and prejudice or how much the student agrees with her personal opinions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC seems to be struggling in AP Lit - they want to pull up their B. It’s not clear what the teacher doesn’t like about their writing assignments. There are no written comments and apparently meeting with the teacher doesn’t really shed light on what she is looking for. Would a tutor help? It’s a bit strange - DC has always excelled in English before.

Has the student asked the teacher for feedback or a rubric?

Have you tried reviewing the essays?

You can't tutor your way out of a bad teacher who just splats out a grade based on vibes and prejudice or how much the student agrees with her personal opinions.

Yes you can in terms of AP exam results.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC seems to be struggling in AP Lit - they want to pull up their B. It’s not clear what the teacher doesn’t like about their writing assignments. There are no written comments and apparently meeting with the teacher doesn’t really shed light on what she is looking for. Would a tutor help? It’s a bit strange - DC has always excelled in English before.

Has the student asked the teacher for feedback or a rubric?

Have you tried reviewing the essays?

You can't tutor your way out of a bad teacher who just splats out a grade based on vibes and prejudice or how much the student agrees with her personal opinions.

Here's hoping that kind of teacher isn't assigned to something like AP Lit. But let's also remember that a student's not understanding how they earned a certain grade isn't necessarily a sign of a teacher doing a bad job. It can also be a student adjusting to higher expectations. Totally agree on for asking for more feedback or a rubric until the student understands how to improve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC seems to be struggling in AP Lit - they want to pull up their B. It’s not clear what the teacher doesn’t like about their writing assignments. There are no written comments and apparently meeting with the teacher doesn’t really shed light on what she is looking for. Would a tutor help? It’s a bit strange - DC has always excelled in English before.

Has the student asked the teacher for feedback or a rubric?

Have you tried reviewing the essays?

You can't tutor your way out of a bad teacher who just splats out a grade based on vibes and prejudice or how much the student agrees with her personal opinions.

Here's hoping that kind of teacher isn't assigned to something like AP Lit. But let's also remember that a student's not understanding how they earned a certain grade isn't necessarily a sign of a teacher doing a bad job. It can also be a student adjusting to higher expectations. Totally agree on for asking for more feedback or a rubric until the student understands how to improve.

I agree. And sometimes there are kids in these AP classes who just don’t have the intellect to do sophisticated analysis/think abstractly. No matter how many times you explain/practice, etc. they won’t understand. We have expanded the pool too much.

[Anonymous]

It's not about rubrics or intellect. AP English lit is about finding the common ground of expected thought & intepretation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not about rubrics or intellect. AP English lit is about finding the common ground of expected thought & intepretation

You're right, but its also about original thought, especially when interpreting a poem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's not about rubrics or intellect. AP English lit is about finding the common ground of expected thought & intepretation

Sorry, but you need intellect to find the meaning in literature and discuss the author's purpose, etc. How is it otherwise?

[Anonymous]

Do AP Lit students often use resources like Cliff Notes or Spark Notes to help them digest what they’re reading?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do AP Lit students often use resources like Cliff Notes or Spark Notes to help them digest what they’re reading?

No because that just summarizes the plot and is totally useless, officially, since 1985

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do AP Lit students often use resources like Cliff Notes or Spark Notes to help them digest what they’re reading?

Gosh I hope not. That is a kid who should not be in AP Lit.

[Anonymous]

Search Wyzant for "AP English Literature" tutors and then read reviews. Hire.