Why it stinks to have no homework:

I never thought I would be saying (typing, I suppose) those words. It's true, I was ecstatic at first, seeing my homework load drop off like a politician's popularity after a sex scandal. But then I began to understand the reason why it was happening. And the undercurrent was ugly; very ugly, indeed.

The AP exams were coming.

Are coming.

Soon.

There's no way to describe my dread. I'm guessing, though, that most of the people who read this blog understand. We have been told time and time again, "Study and prepare for these tests. They could get you college credit. They could put you ahead of other college freshman in your class." Now, let's reword that to what we hear: "If you don't study and prepare for these tests, you won't get college credit. You will be put behind the rest of the freshman in college so that you can never catch up. You will get a third-rate job and be poor and unhappy for the rest of your life." It's kind of a downer. And enough to scare us silly. But just how legit are AP tests?

According to that article, although they have been growing in popularity, AP tests don't necessarily prepare students for the tougher college curriculum. And a lot of colleges are rethinking whether they should allow AP test scores to count as a class credit. They think the test is no longer an accurate measure of college preparation because so many high school students are now taking the test (with so many, it's more difficult to gage ability correctly). If they're no longer valid, they're no longer worth looking at.

Let me be translator again for you- the article seems to say that taking these classes are a joke. You thought you were bettering yourself with those extra hours of homework and hair-pulling tests. You thought the extra effort was worth it. But the article makes it seem that all you've really been doing is running in circles, preparing for a test that could, potentially, not matter or help you get a head start. What a blow.

I can't even imagine that these classes haven't been helping me for college. I have had to work so much harder, actually read the textbooks, form study groups to review for tests, and complete a crap-load of homework. Yes, it probably is true that if you don't put in the time and energy, then an AP course will not prepare you for college. But what about those that do work? Or would they simply have been ready for college without taking the class?

I also have to keep in mind, just what are they measuring in this article? What classes? Perhaps the problem is that some teachers don't know HOW to teach an AP class. Not to blame it all on the teachers, because of course it is the students' decision to work. But what if our school didn't put as much emphasis on AP testing? Would our teachers be as prepared? Would they know how to best prepare their students for the tests in May? I would bet there are many schools out there where the teachers don't have the funds to learn how to properly prepare their kids for the exams. So yes, there may be certain classes that don't prepare students for college (and students themselves who refuse to work at it themselves), but there are just as many high schools that can prepare you.

And honestly, so what if you aren't completely prepared for college? A slight schock to the system never hurt anybody (and really, do you really want more of the same when you get there?). Even if it may not be the best preparation for a college course, it teaches responsibility and the ability to take control over your own education. And you get the chance to be with kids that want to be there and teachers that want to teach you. So don't feel too put out if you're in AP- they're still worth something.

That still doesn't make me like the fact that I don't have homework.