Annie Zhu - Q4 Blog 16 - Smiles for APLang

 



 

An iconic sign off. Credits: Dara Smith

 

Thank you, American High English 11AP.

Thank you for teaching me how to be an imperfectionist. The great and also scary thing about this class is that nothing I made was ever perfect. With each assignment running on a tight schedule, I have realized the value of letting things be—forgiving my mistakes and respecting what I cannot control. Learning to calm the butterflies in my stomach when things don’t go my way is a difficult but ultimately rewarding act of self-care.

Thank you for introducing me to such impactful literature. I truly enjoyed every book we read this year, although I will admit that Beloved was a difficult one to get through. Toni Morrison, the way you manipulate the English language never fails to perplex me.

Can I talk about summer? I feel happy when I think about things that await me. First and foremost, I am HITTING THOSE Z’s!! It is frightening to me how many days this year I would trudge through my classes like a dead girl walking. Plus, a book I read recently called Why We Sleep has instilled in me a deep fear that I will die early because of my poor sleep hygiene. Thankfully, summer break is here to save the day and my circadian rhythm (hopefully). I also have no excuse but to get my driver’s license now that I have so much free time. I’m sure the DMV is quite excited to get another sleep-deprived teen on the streets.

To future AP Lang students who are reading this (assuming our blogs remain available on Blogger), please know that I am rooting for your success. This is a hard class, no doubt, but I believe in you. You got this!

Finally, to my fellow peers, and especially Mrs. Smith, Thank you for ALL that you do!


Comments

  1. Disha MurugupandiyanMay 24, 2026 at 12:02 PM

    We can absolutely talk about summer. Although there’s definitely a lot of work to do as incoming seniors, I am definitely looking forward to this summer. As you mentioned, sleep will absolutely be one of the things that I do the most, because after this year and all the APs we took, I think we all deserve it. Looking back at the class of AP Lang, you are absolutely right when you talk about the impactful literature that we read. When I first started reading Beloved, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get through while understanding the whole story and the meaning behind it. By the end of the book, I developed a new appreciation for books based on historical events, a genre that I would never venture in voluntarily. I learned so much from that book, and I definitely really enjoyed reading In Cold Blood and The Things They Carried as well. After reading books in this class, I definitely want to try reading books that have events not in chronological order, since I think it adds an interesting nature to the plot and adds meaning and a sort of tension to it. It’s hard to believe that our time in this class is coming to an end, and there’s no doubt that I have learned so much from it, not just about reading or writing, but about myself. I might not have discovered what my personal writing style is, but I definitely know what it isn’t.

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  2. Jaycee SnelsonMay 27, 2026 at 9:30 AM

    Annie, during the summer I will also be catching up on my sleep. That and starting my college applications.

    I can’t believe summer is only one week away. I feel like this year has gone by so fast. This class, like you stated, also helped me become an imperfectionist but also helped me know how to craft my ideas and thoughts into a coherent piece of work in such a short amount of time. According to my math teacher, being able to churn out an essay in only forty minutes will be really helpful in college.

    I agree that the books we read this year were really impactful. I liked that each book had a different literary style allowing us to experience different styles of writing and the different impacts each style has. Beloved was definitely the most difficult book to read this year as you said but, I'm curious what your favorite book we read this year is? For me it has to be In Cold Blood. The way Capote wrote it with so much imagery and details dragged me in from the start.

    Anyways, this class has definitely made me a better writer and I hope you got the same thing out of it.

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  3. Casmin BuiMay 27, 2026 at 6:30 PM

    Hi Annie! I certainly agree with you there, Beloved was especially challenging for me as well. From the first read, it seems like you understand it, but once you read it another time you realize how much you missed, and want to read it another time and another time to understand where you missed out as much as possible. It’s just like the Dunning-Kruger Effect! Beloved certainly felt like a jump from Everything I Never Told You (which is also one of my top 3). I really appreciate how this course explores different genres of books from various authors as well. It’s like one day we’re reading books in a semi-informal language (EINTY), then the next we find ourselves confused reading the same chapter twice in Beloved because there’s so much content packed into each chapter.

    I wish you great luck on your DMV exam! Are you testing at the Fremont DMV, or are you going to a different location nearby? Honestly for the Fremont DMV, it’s a gamble of which examiner you get. I heard that some examiners are extremely harsh, but mine was really nice and even let me redo the curbside parking. I know you can make it, you got this!

    YES!! I totally agree with you. I’ve already started getting more sleep this past week since most of my finals are done, so it’s a nice transition into summer where I’ll probably be sleeping for 10 hours a day. Can you send me the link for that book? I recently have been watching videos or Ted Talks about how having a lack of sleep is really unhealthy, but it hasn’t hit me yet. Maybe if I read something that really scares me, then I’ll value my sleep more. Thanks Annie for this wonderful blog!! Have a wonderful summer, and let me know how that DMV test goes!

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  4. Josh KarthikeyanMay 27, 2026 at 9:56 PM

    Hi Annie, I resonate so much with how you mention that we became “imperfectionist[s].” In this class, we have completed so many assignments that it is practically impossible for me to do a perfect job on each one of them. However, that led me to realize how powerful it is to do your best work and leave it with minor changes. That kind of philosophy emphasizes how we can manage our priorities. For me personally, having a more imperfectionist mindset lets me focus on my other work and enjoyment, overall leading to a better year. What was your favorite book you read this year? My favorite book we read this year was definitely The Crucible. I really loved the in class dramatic reading which really helped reinforce my understanding and improve the experience. The overall theme of mass hysteria, especially important in this time, and John Proctor’s final decision really made the book memorable to me. Annie, like you as well, I also need my drivers license really, really soon. Honestly, I feel somewhat bad that my parents have to drop and pick me up for random things in the day. I also need this independence so that I can go wherever I want, whenever I want without any worries. Thank you Annie for creating this blog! See you in school next year!!

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