AP Classes: Teacher’s Perspective

Photo by Piper

Many articles have been written about Advanced Placement (AP) classes. Whether it is about how difficult the class is or tips and tricks, the one thing all the articles share is that they all center on the student experience. A perspective that has no representation is that of the teachers, who guide and educate the students through the course. Their unique insight can help ease some of the worries surrounding the exams by showing how much teachers root for students to do well.

Let’s start with Bellevue High School’s new AP Language and Composition (AP Lang) teacher, T.J. Hanify.

Q: How was teaching your class compared to previous years and how confident are you that your students will succeed?

A: “I haven’t been in the classroom for a few years, but compared to my previous AP classes, things are very similar. I am confident that my classes will succeed. I have a great group; I believe they are on their way to success!”

Q: Do you have any worries for the students who are taking the AP exam?

A: “My main concern has been a yearlong one; students are overloaded with coursework and after school activities, which just increases stress during the exam.”

Q: What is your favorite part about teaching your classes and the most important aspects of your subject?

A: “I think AP Lang is so relevant to our times, understanding how we can reach out to others and impact their thoughts and opinions is always a valuable skill, and critical thinking has never been more important.”

Next is Andrew Cox, one of BHS’s AP United States history teachers.

Q: How were your classes this year compared to other years and was it easier or harder compared to your previous classes?

A: “Overall, it felt the same. There were two things that made this year the most challenging year that I’ve taught at this high school. The first is that I have to share classrooms, causing me to lose student’s assignments or forget extra copies. The second is that we have increased class sizes, so all the other years I’ve taught here my classes have been around 30 students, but now I have classes of 35 students. The extra kids have been a bit of an additional workload, but overall, it’s been a great year.”

Q: How confident are you that your students will succeed in your classes and exams?

A: “I am pretty confident; every year there are a few students that I’m a little concerned about since they didn’t quite take the course’s as seriously as they should have. But this is my third year teaching APUSH, and the last two years the exam scores have been pretty high. I’ve been doing the same strategies and lessons as before so I anticipate that scores will be pretty good this year.”

Q: What are your favorite parts of teaching AP classes?

A: “My favorite parts about teaching AP classes are that it’s filled with students who want to learn, are engaged, and who bring a lot of engagement every day, which is very rewarding and makes me excited to come to work every day. With my non-AP classes, I feel the same way, but there is a bit of extra drive with the AP students that I think makes the room feel more energetic.”

Q: What are your least favorite parts of teaching your AP classes?

A: “My all time least favorite part, as it has been for the nine years I’ve been teaching, is when students are absent and then they come in and go ‘what did I miss?’ and it feels like I have to reteach parts of the subject that had been discussed weeks ago which adds stress, but ultimately it is part of the job.”

The final teacher I spoke to was Randy Litzenberger, another APUSH teacher.

Q: How confident are you that your students are well prepared and will succeed in their exams this year?

A: “I believe my students are prepared for their AP exams this year.   They have worked hard to meet expectations and have demonstrated that in class and on our recent practice exam to be ready for the challenge ahead.”

Q: What do you think students should take away from learning and preparing in this class?

A: “Most important to me is that they recognize that AP exams are a snapshot of their preparation leading up to and on the day of the exam. Understanding this process of self-application and focus can be a fundamental step towards long terms success and maturity.  The score on the exam matters less that having a good process to prepare themselves for the moment.”

Although AP classes can be stressful and rigorous, seeing the perspective of these AP teachers provides assurance that not only will students succeed, but that their teacher are rooting for them too.