Final ReflectionThis class did not begin at the start of this school year. In our freshmen year our counselor gave us the opportunity to decide whether we wanted to accept the challenge of taking an advance placement class. During our summer vacation, we had our first homework assignment giving to us. At first I thought that I wasn't going to do well in this class, but something kept me from giving up. That something was the opportunity this class gave me to expand y general knowledge. Also, colleges are going to look for these types of classes in my curriculum once I start applying to a four year university. My experience in AP World History has been unforgettable; it became a personal challenge that I needed to overcome, all the new concepts I learned, and this could have not been possible it wasn't for the teachings of Mr. Rodríguez. I knew this course wasn't going to be easy to pass. In other classes it was turning in homework that gave you an A. In this class it was different. You had to show that you actually cared for your grade. Every night we were given almost two hours of homework. It was up to the student to do it correctly and learn from it or rush through it to have something done. In the end, it was you who decided how much you wanted to learn. In my experience, I felt kind of ashamed every time I did not complete my homework. It also showed in the quizzes we had for a chapter. The grade I would get on them would depend on how well I did my homework and remember the material. I would see if I needed to work harder to achieve what I wanted. At points, I became overwhelmed with all the assignments that were given, and to complete them I would have to cut my social time and focus more on school. There were many things I learned throughout this class. I was able to understand history in a different way. It wasn’t just knowing an event, but actually understanding thoroughly. To the point that you could connect it with what is happening in the world at the time. For example, World War II was not just for the Nazis to gain more power. This war had origins tracing to the Treaty of Versailles which caused resentment between the Germans. Another thing I learned was to write proper essays. Before this class, I only knew how to write essays that were addressing rudimentary topics; like book reports or something that impacted my life. In AP, it was a whole different story. You need to use your knowledge from history to be able to compose a DBQ, Compare and Contrast, or Change and Continuity essay. Writing essays in AP has also helped me in my writing skills and can apply them to my other classes. This year would have not been possible without the teachings of a mastermind like Mr. Rodríguez. The knowledge I acquired throughout the year, I owe to Mr. Rodríguez. Before taking an important test I would make sure I went to all the afterschool and Saturday sessions. These sessions helped me review the material from the past weeks. I could see that they helped me by looking at my test results. The lectures in class also helped me a lot. After doing my homework, I would sometimes not understand what I just read. My questions from the homework would be answered with the lectures. If we ever needed more help to understand history, we could have asked Mr. Rodríguez. This class became a challenge, but a good one because it gave me more knowledge in various fields, and it was all thanks to the efforts done by Mr. Rodríguez. I don’t regret taking this class. It helped me in a great deal and I am going to use what I have learned and apply it to my future classes. Thank you, Mr. Rodriguez! |
