Beckett's English Blog

With 4.5-week grades posting on September 2, reflect on your experience in AP Language so far. What has been going well for you, what has been challenging, and what is one thing you need to improve moving forward? Prompt Response: My experience in Multicultural Literature has been fairly good so far. The work itself has been fairly easy but it has been annoying doing the blog posts on my phone. One thing I'll need to improve on is remembering to do my work as there have been a few times where I've almost forgotten. I think this year will be good and I look forward to learning more about different cultures. Summary: Today in class we were introduced to our cultural mask project. Reflection: I remember doing the same project we're doing now last year in American Literature. Hopefully I'll like my design this year better than last year's but we'll see.

Prompt: Judith Ortiz Cofer says, “The Island travels with you.” What part of your culture, family, or identity do you feel “travels” with you everywhere you go? Prompt Response: I feel like no matter what country you go to everyone will know that you are American. I think that most other countries have fairly negative opinions on us for various reasons. I'm not saying that they're no unwarranted, but it would be nice to know we're not defined by out shortcomings. I do however think we should brush up on our geography skills... Summary: Today in class we did a commonlit assignment. Reflection: I have definitely been affected, seen, and sadly believed in a variety of single stories. I hope that more people have experiences that break their single stories and we all become a more accepting people.

 Prompt: Which learning method do you enjoy the most? Class discussions, worksheet work, or hands-on activities. Select one and tell why.  Prompt Response: I enjoy discussions the most as it often results in no assignments we have to complete. I also enjoy hearing the opinions and thought processes of others, which is possible during discussions. Although I don't always participate, I'll definitely try more in the future. Summary: Today we read another text about stereotypes and did another assignment about them. Reflection: I think it's so sad that people keep being negatively affected by stereotypes in 2026. I think society should be progressing forward a lot more but I don't think it is...

Prompt: Write about an experience when someone assumed something about you because of a stereotype. What was the situation, and what did you do? Prompt Response: One time when someone stereotyped me was during a presentation in 8th grade. When I was about to present, someone shouted "Yasss queen" when I presented which made me feel embarrassed... I didn't really do anything as the teacher said something, but I probably should've said something. I still see the person who said that around the halls sometimes and I hope that they changed. Summary: Today in class we watched a video about stereotypes and then did a written assignment about them. Reflection: I found the assignment to be challenging as I couldn't think of some of the stereotypes needed. With the help of friends however I was able to complete it before class ended.

 Prompt Response: One gender specific expectation I have faced is being outspoken. I feel like American cultures emphasizes that men are louder and should act as leaders in many settings. For example, my grandma expect3d me to give a speech at my grandpa's birthday out of the blue which I couldn't deliver. This is hard because I'm more of a quiet and private person, so I don't like to talk much to people I don't know. Summary: Today in class we answered questions about a new poem we read. Reflection: I enjoyed the cultural aspects reflected in the poem, especially the bits about food/gardening. I do think it's sad so much pressure can be put on a kid.

Prompt Response:    This is the "I Too" poem I created:  I too am patient, When I plant the seed I wait Knowing one day I will sow something  Much greater than the time I spent sitting On that little step. When the sun starts to set I know The seconds I endured Will let me grow taller Than those who say inside Wasting away- Fixed upon their flashy lights- All while I look up at the stars And smile. The inspiration behind my poem is my mother's garden, as it takes patience to be able to grow things. My mom also calls herself, my brother, and I impatient which I think is untrue. Summary: Today in class we read a literary work criticizing the unfair expectations of being a wife. Reflection:  I wasn't too nervous presenting my poem to the class. I did mispronounce a few words but I think it went fairly well.

  Write about a time when you did something out of the norm. What was it and how did others react?  Prompt Response:  One time where I did something gout of the norm was change my hair style. When I went to my barber, I decided right then and there I wanted a change and my friends were very surprised. In the end, I'm glad I did it and I'm also appreciative of my friends' support even though it was a rather menial change. Summary: Today in class we finished our notes on gender roles and turned in our assignment on said notes. Reflection:  I think that gender roles can be helpful for some people yet hurt others much worse. I think that someone who was born a man that doesn't align with their respective gender role will feel trapped and resent those who force it on them.  

  Prompt: Describe a time when you felt completely lost.  Prompt Response:  The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of a time when I felt lost has to be when I first came to high school. On the first day, I remember a huge crowd in front of the school that was barely moving and not being able to find any of my friends. I had no idea where my classes were or if I had anyone in my periods. Despite this, I got through it, and I gradually acclimated to high school life. Now as a senior, I'm proud I got through that in order to have a much better time now. Summary: Today in class we turned in our poems and started taking notes on Gender Roles. Reflection:  As we went through the lesson, I realized my understanding of gender roles is incomplete at best. This has led me to the conclusion that they haven't really been a big part of my life, which is interesting to say the least.

Prompt:  Analyze how you’ve adapted to the demands of this course over the past week, and evaluate one strength and one challenge you anticipate as we progress, justifying your insights with personal examples. Prompt Response:  I've adapted to the demands of this course fairly well due to the fact I took your American Literature class last year. One of my strengths is that I find spaces of time throughout the school day where I can do the work in school. For example, as soon as class ended on block day and we went to advisement, I quickly finished the questions on the videos we watched. One of the challenges I expect to face is my inability to commit to an idea or topic. For example, today I didn't even decide on a topic until I was in my next period. All in all, I think that this course won't be extremely difficult as long as I stay focused and on top of my work. Summary: Today in class we read the poem "I Too" by Langston Hughes and started making our own "...

Prompt: If someone tried to understand you using only your race, what important things would that person miss? Describe at least three other parts of your cultural identity that help make you who you are. Prompt Response:  If someone tried to understand by only seeing my race (White), they would miss that I do try to be respectful of other people and make sure I'm not being too obnoxious or disrespectful to people of different religions and or cultures. Three other parts of my cultural identity that help make me who I am include my queer, Macedonian, and atheist identities. My status as a queer person definitely contributed to who I am as that is a part of myself that I ignored for quite a while. My Macedonian identity also helps me understand my past and family more which I think is important as well. Finally my status as an atheist allows me to still understand and respect other religions and allows me to learn more without feeling guilty or restricted. Summary: Today in class we...

Prompt:  Think about the different people, cultures, experiences, communities, interests, and traditions that have shaped who you are.  What parts of your identity have had the greatest influence on the person you are today? Have you ever felt pressure to change, hide, or emphasize a part of yourself in order to fit in? Prompt Response:  The part of my identity that has had the greatest influence on the person I am today has to be my involvement in the LGBTQIA+ community. When I was a kid I was definitely is denial, but as I got older I began to accept myself more. In some situations I still definitely hide this part of myself to preserve my standing with certain people, most notably some of my extended family, however most of my friends know and are accepting. Summary: Today in class we read and answered questions about a poem. Reflection:  I found the poem to be quite evocative and meaningful. As a part of the majority, I think it's important to hear those who have...

Prompt:  Describe a meaningful family tradition unique to your culture and explain how it mirrors or contrasts with the cultural identity themes of expectations. Prompt Response:  A meaningful family tradition unique to my culture is celebrating the winter/summer solstices. My mom likes to be with friends and family during these times and we often do festive activities and crafts. Some of these include making art by sticking cloves in oranges among other things. This relates to expectations as when I eventually leave the house, I will expect other to celebrate something that not many do. Summary: Today in class we presented our names and started our notes on culture. Reflection:  I wish I condensed my presentation a little bit more as I feel I was getting off topic. I'm not very familiar with Cornell notes so hopefully I'll get used to it with more practice.

My first academic goal is to get all A's both this semester and the next semester. This is definitely possible as I did it for all my high-school classes except first semester calculus. My second is to get accepted into college, most likely UGA, GSU, or some other in state institution. It needs to be in state as i dont have the financial flexibility for out of state college. My final goal is to get out of final exams which may be difficult due to sickness, although I'll try my best. Today in class we set up our blogs which we will be posting on all year. I think this class will have a very similar structure to last year's American Literature class. Although the blog posts can be a bit annoying when you have a lot of work, it will be interesting to look back on them when I'm older.

  Prompt: What strategies have you and your group used to ensure that all members are actively contributing to group assignments? Explain how you communicate, divide responsibilities, and hold each other accountable throughout the process. Prompt Response:  To make sure everyone is doing their part, my group actively discussed what's each of use were doing and did most things simultaneously. We communicated fairly directly and instead of dividing the project into multiple parts everyone did separately, we vouched to do everything together, keeping us accountable and on track. Summary: Today in class we finished our evidence and source assignments. Reflection:  I found the assignment to be a lot longer than I thought it was going to be. This goes to show that sifting through thirty sources to find seven of the best is not the easiest thing to do.

  Prompt: What challenges did your group face while selecting and analyzing sources, and how did you overcome them? Be specific about how your group communicated and worked through disagreements. Prompt Response:  The most challenging part of choosing our sources was definitely deciding how we would evaluate each of them. We found it difficult to actually measure how good a source was compared to the others, which is why we did the more easy source types first (image and data). We got through this by going back to our topic and seeing how much relatable information within a source resonated with it. Summary: I did not have American Lit today due to the weird schedule. Reflection:  I think that working with other can be challenging at times as everyone thinks in their own unique ways. However, I think that by pushing through this is a great way to better understand those around you as well as how people are in general.

  Prompt:  Reflect on your research topic and identify the most compelling issue connected to it. Clearly explain what the issue is and discuss why you find it particularly interesting or important. Support your response with specific details from your research. Prompt Response:  The most compelling issue attached to my topic to me is the effects of social media on the mental health of young people. It explores how social media can create feelings of isolation for teens as well as ruin their sense of self. This is important as so many young children use social media nowadays, and if it has all of these extremely negative effects we should at least know how to mitigate them. For examples, studies show that users of Instagram have reportedly higher rates of both depression and anxiety, which also lead to increased instances of suicidal ideation. Summary: Today in class we continued to work on our research project. Reflection:  I feel that we got a sizable amount of our...

Prompt: How has completing the annotated bibliography changed or clarified your understanding of your research topic? Discuss how your sources connect to one another and how they are shaping your argument moving forward. Prompt Response:  I think that by completing the bibliography has allowed me to understand my research topic more, as I had to do more than just briefly skim the document to know exactly what it was saying. Most of my sources are for the argument that social media and or technology is bad for the youth, while the minority of them say that not enough (valid) research has been done to prove it. This is giving me ideas of how to structure my paper, as I can implement counterarguments and rebuttals to further the point I'm trying to get across. Summary: Today in class we finished our annotated bibliographies. Reflection:  I found the process of creating the bibliography to be tedious, but at the same time I understand why it was necessary. Hopefully when I have to...

  Prompt: Which part of the annotated bibliography (summary, reflection, or evaluation) was the most challenging for you, and why? Explain how that challenge helped you grow as a researcher and how it will help you when writing your research paper. Prompt Response:  I'd say the most challenging part of the annotated bibliography was the summary, as it's hard to encapsulate a very large source within three sentences. This challenge helped me grow as a researcher in the way that it got me into a rhythm of sorts, allowing me to be a more efficient writer. This will help me write my research paper much faster, which will be quite useful. Summary:  Today in class we started our annotated bibliographies. Reflection:  I got five of my ten sources completed in class today. I found it to be challenging at first as sometimes I couldn't find the right words to write my summaries.

Prompt: As you gathered sources, you were expected to find multiple perspectives on your topic. What differences did you notice between your sources? Explain how these differences helped you better understand the complexity of your issue. Prompt Response:  My issue of personal technology, social media, AI, and teen mental health had two main sides. The first was that social media and AI had a plethora of consequences that left teens addicted and depressed. The second was that social media provided an outlet for social connection and a space where like minds could come together. These two differences allowed me to realize that technology in and of itself always has positives and negatives that cannot be separated from one another. Summary: Today in class we continued working on our research sources. Reflection:  I got quite a lot done today in class having finished all of my sources. To be honest it was much easier than I thought it was going to be...  

Prompt: Think about your experience using GALILEO to find sources. How was this different from how you have searched for information in the past? Explain how using specific search strategies and evaluating sources impacted the quality of what you found. Prompt Response: Using Galileo to find sources is not very different from how I used to find sources. This is due to the fact that I find it equally difficult to find a good source that is specific enough for my research. However, I will say that Galileo offers more high quality sources than those found on Google. Using search strategies, like using key words, and evaluating my sources allowed me to specify exactly what I wanted to find, which was quite useful. Summary: Today in class we started looking for our sources and posting them in a Google drive. Reflection:  I think that researching like this is definitely more reliable but less easy and convenient when compared to Google. If quality information was not only available to ev...