It is my belief that each and every one of you has the ability to pass the AP exam in May with a score of 3 or above. There is no doubt in my mind that this is possible. Whether you realized it or not, you have shown me how great your potential is and I will hold you accountable to that for the remainder of the year. Nothing would bring me more joy than helping you earn the college credit that comes with passing the exam. It will not be an easy task and I will ask you to do more and more as the year progresses. The training wheels will slowly be removed and, once we start writing essays on a regular basis, there may be times when you really and truly do not like AP World History. The good news is that I am 100% ok with that, as long as you still give me your best effort. I will do the same in return.
It will be very important to continue to keep up with the reading from the book as time goes on. I would highly recommend breaking it up over the course of two days rather than trying to read up ten pages in a single night. Also, do your notecards as you read! You'll have a lot less to do at the end of the units!
With all of that said, the main reason I am writing this blog post is to tell each and every one of you that I am extraordinarily proud of you. You have blown me away time and time again with your passion and love of learning and I cannot thank you enough for that. I became a teacher so that I could have a positive impact on young people's lives but the truth is that you all impact me just as much as I impact you. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for being your wonderful selves. I love my job and enjoy coming to work each and every day which is something that many people cannot say. We still have a long road ahead of us this year but we are off to a great start. I'm always here to help you however I can.
All the best,
Mr. Banks
PS - Your homework for the weekend is as follows:
1.) Write a comment below and tell me what your favorite thing we've learned about so far this year is and why you found it interesting. It can be a very specific thing (Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Hammurabi's Code, etc.) or a bigger concept (understanding how the first human societies came into existence, learning why the Roman Empire was impactful, etc.).
2.) Eat some ice cream and don't think about Xerxes or the Han Chinese at all. Not even a little bit.
3.) Tell a friend or family member that you appreciate their love, friendship, and/or support. Life is too short and fragile not to. Besides, I bet it will make their day.