Frankly, upon hearing the rather melodramatic stories and complaints of how difficult AP English is, I was rathered scared to leave the world of “honors” to take my first college-level English course. Nonetheless, I was pleasantly surprised when I first stepped foot into Mrs. Landis’ classroom plastered with posters of quotes, movies, —and my personal favorite— young Leo. It’s been a few months and I can safely say that I’ve settled into the class well enough to provide my perspective on how in the short time I’ve taken this class, my writing skills, time management, and overall view of writing have completely transformed.

Starting with the pieces of writing we study in this class, Mrs. Landis always strives for us to study them in a way that allows us to examine the author’s rhetorical devices and argument and how they lend themselves to the purpose of the writing along with the impact that the writer hopes have on the reader. Although this often leaves my brain aching, I have found it to be the best way to understand a piece of writing, especially considering that what we cover in this class is no walk in the park to understand. Moreover, her passion and excitement for each lesson we cover in class make them all the more enjoyable.

Likewise, Mrs. Landis disciplines us well in the skill of time management. The workload, though overwhelming at times, forces us to cherish the time we’re given in class and use it to complete work as efficiently as possible. Now, I’ve not only bettered my writing skills but can complete work twice as quickly as I would have been able to in my underclassmen years. Like the pieces of writing we cover in this class, every assignment has a purpose in helping us understand a skill, or a device, or an era of writing, and so much more. Mrs. Landis allows us to see are assignments as something greater than the workload that keeps us up each night, but ways of understanding each quintessential skill that will serve as useful in building us to become skillful, concise, and articulate writers, who, not to mention, will perform astoundingly on the AP exam.

As students in Mrs. Landis’ class, we understand that there are many hours that go into grading the assignments we complete on top of teacher recommendations and other endeavors, and for this, we are wholly grateful. It takes an endless amount of dedication in working to unleash the writing skills of countless students at AHS and the work isn’t all roses, but as students we work to out best abilities each day in Mrs. Landis’ class, believing in her power to guide us to greater heights as writers.