Trouble in project team land

Is it me, or does everyone have problems with projects where you have to work in teams?

I used to think it was the project, or the people on the team with me, or even the way the instructions were set up. Now I think it's just the way these things go.

Once or twice the work's been divided pretty much equally, or we've all worked together to get it done. But for most of them I've carried the team, either because I cared more about the grade or just because I started early enough to be able to pull it off when everyone else waited until the last minute.

I've written skits (with costumes, set and recording!), made posters, created illustrated books, constructed science models, printed up brochures, and completed countless PowerPoint presentations. And my name was the first of two, three or more who got equal credit.

I know that I could and should have done it differently, and I'm getting better. But maybe I'm a little more creative, or maybe willing to work a little harder, or just like to do projects more.

My grades are great for these things, but so are my teammates's grades. But I notice that when the teacher asks to keep the project to show as an example for future classes, the question is asked of me. Too bad there's not a bonus grade for that.

Big class, tough lesson

My AP English class has 39 people in it. The teacher has 200 AP English students total. She told us at the beginning of the year that she'd never had this many, and what it meant was that she didn't have the time to write comments on our papers. (I know, right?) She said she would try to use examples to explain in general. She also said that there wouldn't be any projects or extra credit or anything but essays and AP multiple choice tests, less to grade for so many students.

What this REALLY means is that this has been an unbelievably tough year, just really hard and frustrating. I took the course because I've always taken Pre-AP English and earned good grades, A's and B's no problem. I also wanted to take the class because I keep hearing how important writing is in college and I wanted to make sure my skills were what they needed to be.

But that's not how it's working out. I feel like I keep making the same mistakes over and over. Actually, I think I really am making the same mistakes over and over.

I don't know if this means I shouldn't have taken AP English this year. My teacher is great, just really really busy. It's hard to get in to see her. I've started working with a tutor, and she's been great too.

Did you know that on a lot of the AP English III multiple choice questions that there are usually two answers that are right, only one is more right than the other?

And did you know that one of the most important things you can do is study vocabulary, literary terms, etc. ? I learned this when I bought an AP exam prep book, and started using the vocabulary lists. Amazing.

Also, do yourself a favor and search for the websites that other AP teachers create across the country for their students. Some of them are making awesome use of the internet for homework essays. I found several that had students take turns writing essays then critiquing and re-writing after the teacher added some comments, all viewable to the whole class. That was their homework, all online.

What I do know is that it's going to be my grade, my transcript, my GPA - and that's the reality. It's made me think a lot about college, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to be in huge classes with a couple hundred people. I'm not sure about a lot of things, but I'm pretty sure about that.

Bigger books, better tools

Do yourself a favor and buy a book stand for these massive textbooks we've got these days. Amazon has a bunch of choices under $30. Mine is plexiglas with adjustable angles and flexible arms for holding different sizes of books. Lets you turn the loose pages or not. Really makes a big difference for the next time you've got a long study session, especially if you're outlining or doing something besides just reading the text.

Here's one to consider.

Happy new year!

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One per week

I've been thinking about this blog, and what I'm trying to do here besides just try to get my thoughts down in words. I wish I had found a blog that told me something every week to try. Maybe I would have done better sooner.

I think that trying one new thing a week is just about right, not too much. Even if you just think about it, see if maybe it might be something you want to try, even that amount of thought might be helpful.

It's hard not to be grown up yet, but have to figure it out before you are. It's a lot of pressure.

What's kind of crazy to me is that I look at friends who make things look effortless that I have to really work hard to do, but I also have other friends who think that things come easy to me that they have problems with.

I'm glad that some of these posts seem to be helpful, which means I'm going to keep writing until I run out of things to say.

What are you proud of?

I was asked recently if there was something I was especially proud of, and I was kind of surprised by the question, because it really was focused on school accomplishments. My answer was a little bit surprising too.

I am most proud of how many projects my teachers have asked to keep so they could be used as examples for future classes. It isn't just the grades, although of course getting the highest grade on a special project is pretty great too. My pride comes from creating something so good that it was considered the best example to show others about how to do the assignment, setting a standard to aim for.

The other day I saw my Silk Road scrolls on the wall in the AP World History classroom, and I hear that the video of the one-act play about two young traders making their fortune on the Silk Road was shown to this year's classes. Down the hall is the Catch 22 billboard and the Greek Isles brochure. The champion purple and white mousetrap car is on display in the lab. Across campus is a book explaining the parts of the brain for my AP Psych class, and over in the theater department there's an exact scale model of a furnished medieval castle great room. Across town at my old middle school is the periodic table I made using flavors and colors of jelly beans, and a book explaining Newton's laws with original cartoons. All were kept for examples of best of the best.

There are fewer and fewer projects every year, and I miss them. They were fun and I worked hard on them, but it's nice to leave a kind of standard for the kids who come after me.

Besides, I'm too old to have them on display at home. I am, right?

Breakfast. Seriously.

You might be the exception to the rule. By now I know I'm not. I feel so much better, and DO so much better, when I eat breakfast. And not just any breakfast - a good one. Coffee has almost replaced hot chocolate, plus some fruit like cantaloupe, and for sure some protein:  an omelet, oatmeal with walnuts and raisins, granola and milk, or the breakfast tacos we like here in Texas. Sometimes it's annoying when your mother's right, but that doesn't mean you should skip it.