Every year a new round of juniors open their course registration and decide what their senior year will look like. There are a million questions that come up throughout the student body about which classes are worth taking, and which classes are worth avoiding with a ten-foot pole. However, one question in particular has always stood out to me:
“Should I take AP Lit?”
The answer to this question is arguably different for everyone. Perhaps if a junior intends on going into computer science or engineering they may see AP Lit as an obstacle their senior year. “Why waste time studying a subject I’m not interested in?” is a question that is often thought of when choosing whether or not to take AP Lit. However, I believe the class is more of a benefit than a burden even if a student does not initially feel motivated to take it.
I have learned more about myself and my beliefs during one semester of AP Lit than I have over the last four years in any class, including my other English courses. The class is not just a place to read books and discuss why the yellow walls represent a loss of purity. Jason Lovera, Central’s AP Literature teacher, creates an environment open to discussions about religion, philosophy and life. The tools to succeed in AP Lit are handed to each and every student on a silver platter.
To succeed in AP Lit, a student needs to be willing to learn and grow not only as a student, but as a person. In my experience the challenge of the course is not the workload. The challenge is maintaining a growth mindset despite struggling with the material. AP Lit is a challenging class and it will push nearly every student outside of their comfort zone, but only if you let it. I would say that the workload is about as hard as I expected it to be. However, the benefit of taking the class has reached beyond the scope of what I could have imagined.
Most students on the honors track have been encouraged by English teachers to take AP Lit their senior year. But the truth is, most teachers are not aware of what AP Lit is really like because they haven’t taken or taught the class at Central. So, I took to the streets (the English hallways) and talked to some students who are currently taking AP Lit.
