AP and IB scores came out over the last week, and some students celebrated their success. Others might have wondered why they worked so hard for that lousy 2. To both groups, remember that the exam was a step on your journey as a life-long learner, not the end destination.
Your scores are not the measure of your learning. Some AP students are what I call “walk on 5s.” They could sit down and read the textbook without me and probably score a 5. Others walk in to my class not knowing how to take notes, write a solid thesis or use evidence to support a claim. They work their tail off, and they improve so much in their skills that they end up with a 3.
I say kudos to both groups of students!
AP & IB classes can help you learn how to learn. Squeeze the most out of the experience, get the scores that will open doors for your future, and know that the SKILLS you learned in these advanced classes are going to make the next step in your education easier.
My hope is that they will also ignite a passion for a subject. Maybe it won’t be your major in college, but maybe you’ll remember what you learned years from now as you’re reminded of it.
How could any AP Euro or IB Euro student walk by the Hôtel de Ville in Paris and not remember the Parisian women so fed up with exorbitant bread prices that they took up arms to demand the King and Queen help them, creating an important turning point in the French Revolution? (I just walked by this beautiful building today on a trip with my son.)
Your score is not the measure of you. Your learning is. That number doesn’t tell the whole story. Remember D’Almbert‘s work with Diderot on the Encyclopedia the next time you run across the name and take a second to wonder at how they changed how the world thought.
Going forward, make sure that in your next endeavor you are proud of your effort and accomplishments. Squeeze the life out of your education while you have the opportunity!