Assignment #1

Hi, Dr. Preston.

As you've probably figured out by now, I was not at orientation during the school year. To err is human and all that, I made a mistake and got distracted.

Regardless, I am making my blog and working on my assignments as I should be. This might be a little late, but late is better than never at all. I hope.

Anyway, to write about why I am taking the class is my goal. For one thing, I'm still strongly considering becoming an English major and passing the AP exam would indeed help push me in that direction. But on a more personal level, Dr. Preston, I love being around people who can think for themselves. It seems like in college prep classes there are so many children who take what they are given for granted. Not just their education but their very intellect. Or maybe, they just don't have much of an intellect. Or maybe they do, but they've been discouraged from using it for whatever reason. It really makes me feel for them, to think of what they could imagine or create or do if they got their minds out of the gutter for once.

That's not to say that I'm being chauvinistic about my way of thinking. In fact, I know that I make a TON of mistakes and get overworked and can be gosh-darned lazy sometimes. I want to be in a higher level class because so many of my classmates are not like me, or those students that simply do not care. Knowing myself fairly well, I can attest to doing much better in a class where I am challenged alongside people who are smarter than I am.

My hope for this class is to be challenged to look at the world in new ways. Also, whatever literature I may encounter I hope will affect me and teach me whether I agree with the message or not. At this point in my life my personal ideals are starting to divulge greatly from what I've always known, and that scares me. But if this class will be anything like the way you taught me sophomore year, it will be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Your student,
Beka

p.s.- I love the internet. And I'm so glad we're utilizing it. PLEASE try to convince every teacher to use these methods. (...probably not going to happen, but its a nice dream)