ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I do not like English. I really do not. I’ve always struggled with reading comprehension. In elementary school, they put me in an ESL class because my reading was so poor. My reading was always my lowest grade on the ACT and SATs, and I never got an A in English until the pandemic. But despite all of my hardships with English, this 11 AP class has changed my perspective on the subject.

I feel like I have improved greatly as a writer and I am able to express myself better. I have also learned a great deal about society and different philosophies. The readings we do for homework have really enriched my thinking and the way I view the world. 

To Mrs. Valentino, you have my deepest gratitude as my teacher. For making me a better reader and writer. Those torturous essays made me better at thinking on the fly and looking deeper into the readings. I learned a lot about myself and English in this class and that is thanks to you.

To all the articles we read which enriched my thinking and broadened my perspective of the world . This is Water by David Foster Wallace, teaching me about selfishness and how our actions affect others. To all the articles about segregation, for showing me that racism is still a problem today. Before, I thought it was not as important and that there is no systemic racism, but these articles broadened my views and highlighted the clear racism that African Americans still face from the effects of Slavery's. To The F Word by Firoozeh Dumas, which taught me about the struggles that people with hard to pronounce names face. To Maus, which showed me the medium of graphic novels.

To whoever made the quizlets for the vocab quizzes, you carried my grade first semester and honestly I would not be here without you. I am forever indebted to you.

To Ray, I always love walking into class and shaking your hand. It gives me strength and power and starts my day off on a high note. I also love the

To my parents, for forcing me to challenge myself and take this class (And also threatening to take away my phone if I did not get an A). You guys really motivated me to work hard and also help me get up in the mornings to get on time for the 1st hour essays.

Finally to my sister Rachel, who would proof read my essays and was a beacon of hope in my decade long English struggle. I owe the greatest thanks to you for walking me through SAT books and essay writing and building the foundation for my writing skills.