Charlotte’s Blog

                This week in class we started discussing grading on an AP scale. Even though we aren’t in an AP class, we have to start preparing for what is essentially a college level course. Nowadays, kids are expected to achieve more much earlier in life than in previous years. Due to an increasingly difficult job market, to get a decent job a college degree is essentially a requirement. On the contrary, in the past it was seen as preferred but not necessary. This is reflected in the admission rates of many prestigious colleges. For example, in 2005 the admission rate for Harvard was 11%, by 2019 however, it had dropped significantly to only 4%. This means that in order to get into most universities you need to be not only smart and qualified, but go above and beyond expectations. This puts tons of pressure on teens to do well even at a young age with college years in the future. Even now many kids have to worry about ...

Earlier this week we discussed what our ideal english classroom would look like and lots of people agreed that they would want to have a class where they wouldn’t be shamed for being themselves or making mistakes. This reminded me of what I’ve been reading during silent book club in   The Hate U Give  by Angie Thomas. While reading, I noticed the protagonist, Starr, often feels conflicted about who she is as a person. This is due to the fact that she goes to a upper class private school but lives in a lower class residential area. She claims that she feels like she has to be a different person when at school instead of who she is at home. This got me thinking about whether or not I change personalities around different people or settings? After thinking for a while I realized that I in fact do act differently in different situations. For example, I’ve had many friends say that when they first met me they perceived me as quiet and reserved. However, after our friendship grew th...