By Madison Chisholm
For the past 13 years, Dr. Turner has been conducting and watching over the advanced placement tests, along with other school staff such as Mrs. Reynolds and Mrs. Harple. Some students, like Ambrosia Ward, have also been taking these tests since they were given the chance.
For the past 13 years, Dr. Turner has been conducting and watching over the advanced placement tests, along with other school staff such as Mrs. Reynolds and Mrs. Harple. Some students, like Ambrosia Ward, have also been taking these tests since they were given the chance.
Mrs. Reynolds has been watching over her AP Human Geography tests for seven years now. “I enjoy teaching AP human geography because it’s teaching history, current events and it also applies it to real life. It brings everything together into one class.”
For four years, Mrs. Harple has been teaching her AP Literature class. She finds it is easier to teach when she knows what section the group of children are strongest in. “For me, it is easier to teach it. It’s different every year. Some [students] are better readers than others, while some write better. They all have different interests.”
Advanced Placement classes in many school districts are common nowadays. Dr. Turner mentions how he is familiar with advising them and has been before he joined Mashpee High School.
Across most of the interviews, one thing they all had in common is that the AP classes are fit to those students who show an interest in them. When asked which classes can be difficult or have difficult tests, Dr. Turner responded with “All can be really hard, the history tests can be difficult at times. So can Physics II as well. It really depends on the kids who take the test on their strengths and interests.”
AP classes are designed to provide college-level work and do sometimes cause a challenge for the students to keep up. Mrs. Reynolds says, “In human geography, this is one of the best classes a student can take in high school because it opens them up to a variety of topics that relates to them and how it relates to the world. It’s very rigorous, but I find that students enjoy being challenged and they have a sense of pride of accomplishment. In normal class you don’t have that final tada since there is no pressure at the end of a normal class, while in an AP class there is and our job is to prepare the students for it.”
Doctor Turner also said that the teachers are supposed to teach at the college level, which will prepare the students later in life. Sometimes those teachers soften up and lower the level a little, but that level should stay up there so the student can make it their goal to reach that level.
MHS student Ambrosia Ward took Mrs. Reynold’s Human Geography class when she was a freshmen. Now she is a junior. Her answer is very similar to the teachers. “It pays off in the end. Hard course but it pays off and it’s worth it.”
Just this week she took her AP English Language and Composition test. One thing she wishes she did both years was take the course more seriously. Now though, her outlook on AP tests has changed. “My freshmen year I thought it was the most impossible thing anyone one could do. But now I can see that AP really pays off and you need to make sure you're ready for that workload. They are really worth it if you're willing to put in the effort.”
For four years, Mrs. Harple has been teaching her AP Literature class. She finds it is easier to teach when she knows what section the group of children are strongest in. “For me, it is easier to teach it. It’s different every year. Some [students] are better readers than others, while some write better. They all have different interests.”
Advanced Placement classes in many school districts are common nowadays. Dr. Turner mentions how he is familiar with advising them and has been before he joined Mashpee High School.
Across most of the interviews, one thing they all had in common is that the AP classes are fit to those students who show an interest in them. When asked which classes can be difficult or have difficult tests, Dr. Turner responded with “All can be really hard, the history tests can be difficult at times. So can Physics II as well. It really depends on the kids who take the test on their strengths and interests.”
AP classes are designed to provide college-level work and do sometimes cause a challenge for the students to keep up. Mrs. Reynolds says, “In human geography, this is one of the best classes a student can take in high school because it opens them up to a variety of topics that relates to them and how it relates to the world. It’s very rigorous, but I find that students enjoy being challenged and they have a sense of pride of accomplishment. In normal class you don’t have that final tada since there is no pressure at the end of a normal class, while in an AP class there is and our job is to prepare the students for it.”
Doctor Turner also said that the teachers are supposed to teach at the college level, which will prepare the students later in life. Sometimes those teachers soften up and lower the level a little, but that level should stay up there so the student can make it their goal to reach that level.
MHS student Ambrosia Ward took Mrs. Reynold’s Human Geography class when she was a freshmen. Now she is a junior. Her answer is very similar to the teachers. “It pays off in the end. Hard course but it pays off and it’s worth it.”
Just this week she took her AP English Language and Composition test. One thing she wishes she did both years was take the course more seriously. Now though, her outlook on AP tests has changed. “My freshmen year I thought it was the most impossible thing anyone one could do. But now I can see that AP really pays off and you need to make sure you're ready for that workload. They are really worth it if you're willing to put in the effort.”