You've heard it all before--junior year--the mother of all high school expectations. The make-you-or break-you-year. The year ALL COLLEGES watch...you've heard it all and so have I.
I am here to tell you--most of that is true. Junior year IS important, and it tends to be very high stakes. That much I know for sure.
But, that doesn't mean that there is not fun and laughter along the way, and it doesn't mean that you go through the remaining 179 days with anxiety and trepidation. All it means is that a careful navigation through some of the minefields that this year can present will be helpful to you, but I am here to guide you in that process so just know that you are not alone.
This space is used for reflection and honest contemplation, each week, about a particular topic or subject. These topics and subjects have almost nothing to do with Lang, although they are a graded component of the class. The point is, you won't be answering questions about what you read in Chapter 3, page 5 because that stuff hardly ever matters to you, which means it matters even less to me.
Instead, each week, you will be presented with a question, about you--your thoughts, ideas, dreams, fears and philosophies. You will have between 3-5 days to post your answer to this question, and each week/month you will see a reflection of that response in the grade book. It is an easy way to maintain a strong average--conversely, it can also force that average to take a nosedive if you forget to do it. So, don't forget!
And so, we begin.
As I mentioned before, junior year has a bit of a reputation.
At this point, that is, day 3 or 5 (whatever day you sign in), what are you feelings about that idea?
What are your expectations about this class, me, and yourself for this year?
What are you afraid of? What are you excited about?
Has high school, thus far, be what you imagined it would be when you were in middle school?
If you could go back and redo any year of your schooling--would you? What year would you redo? Why?
A lot to think about for your first post, I know. Trust yourself and let your thoughts guide your words.
I am not really concerned about the reputation of junior year because I know that if I put in a lot of work and don't freak out I can get through this year without breaking down multiple times. For this class I don't really know what to expect because I have not really heard much. The same goes for you as a teacher because I don't have a lot of friends who had you. My expectations of myself are really high because I always set the bar high for myself in terms of grades and the sports that I play. My biggest fear this year is that I won't reach the expectations that I set for myself. I am really excited for volleyball and golf this year because I am moving up in both which means a lot for me as a player. High school is almost exactly like what I imagined because my brother went to high school before me so I had a general idea of what it entails. I would not go back at any point in my school because all of it has made me the person that I am today so without the many previous years of school I would be such a different person.
ReplyDeleteI have a history of procrastinating, I'm actually quite an expert. So the reputation of junior year did frighten me a little bit. My sister took this class, and she told me to expect lots of talking in class, but lots of work to do outside of school. So far, I don't feel overwhelmed at all since I haven't been in the class for that long. Every year I expect myself to stop putting things to the side, but that resolution usually fails in November. I set the bar very high for myself and I somewhat succeed, however I want to go beyond that. This year I'm afraid of not meeting those expectations I set for myself, and that others set for me. And I'm excited for volleyball season because I'm so close to setting the record for career aces as a junior (I can set it higher since I have one more year!) When I was in middle school, I imagined high school to be just like the movies, but it's just like middle school but with harder courses. If I could go back in time, I would definitely change the way I acted in freshman year. I held my head up a little too high, and I also got involved with a lot of drama. I know that changing the past would affect who I am today, but that would allow me to be more mature, and make better decisions.
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ReplyDeleteI'm not too concerned about Junior year since I have done pretty well up to this point. I know I will come across some hard obstacles, especially after what has happened in the past few months, but I just need to try my hardest to succeed. I expect to learn a lot in this class and from you. I also expect myself to do well. Even if I don't do as well as I am hoping, it is alright because I know that this is one of the more difficult years. No one is perfect, so I just need to learn from my mistakes. I am afraid of not doing well in my classes and on the SAT's. That just means that I need to work harder to earn good grades so it will be easier to get a good score. I don't really remember what I expected high school to be like when I was in middle school. I was just ready to get out of Davie's and into a better school. If I could go back and redo a year of my schooling, I wouldn't. I am happy with how I have done so far, and I wouldn't want to change it.
ReplyDeleteI've always heard that junior year would be the worst year of high school, and I genuinely believe that. However, I also believe that I have the ability to handle whatever gets thrown at me. Throughout my educational years, I've consistently prospered in school, and I've succeeded for the most part. I've also always been an anxious person, and I can sometimes overthink everything, especially over a grade/class. Throughout this year, I just need to breathe, and focus on doing my best; what's best for myself. I know that this class particularly will be an abundance of work, but I'm prepared for it. I just hope my mentality and physical state will keep up with my expectations. I went to a private (catholic) middle school, so I've always been instructed on how to do everything properly, and how to get used to heavy work loads; which helped exercise me for high school. However, coming to Oakcrest was a huge transition, and I was extremely nervous for the adaptation, especially since I didn't know anyone. With that being said, I would chose to redo freshman year; and that's definitely not because of my grades. My grades were up to my standards, but my social status wasn't. I wish I went outside of my comfort zone to make some new friends. I was pretty concealed in my own little square, and I kind of brushed everyone off. I felt like everyone already had their groups from Davies, and I didn't want to intrude. I wish I could go back and create some more friendships that I would have throughout high school. Now I feel like everyone kind of perceives me as standoffish, even when that's not the case.
ReplyDeleteHigh School was definitely a wake up call to get myself together and focus on my future. I wouldn't like to redo any of my high school years because I have always been very happy to finish them and I was proud of my grades. I was happy freshman and sophomore year were finished because they were stressful but I am worried junior year will be worse. Many people have told me that junior year was their hardest year but also very fun which is what I am most looking forward to. I know there will be lots of work involved but I also know I am capable of doing it if I stay focused. Although it is just the beginning, I feel ready for the hard work that will come along the way. I am mostly worried about this class because I am not too confident in my writing but I did want to challenge myself and I am sure this class will do that. Overall I am excited to grow, work hard, and achieve my goals this year.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I've always been the type of person to overthink and worry about things too much. So of course, going into junior year I was very intimidated by the stories I heard about the work and all of the stress that comes along with it. However, I know that if I work hard, it will all be worth it in the end. This class came highly recommended by a lot of my friends who took it last year so I'm really excited to get the year going. I do set very high expectations for myself and what I'm most afraid of this year is letting myself down. I'm excited for the rest of the volleyball season and for lacrosse in the Spring. I remember the Summer before freshman year, I was planning on going to high school at Cedar Creek, but last minute I switched to Oakcrest and that is one of the best decisions I have ever made. High school is everything I expected it would be and more. I wouldn't go back and change anything because I'm proud of my grades and everything I have accomplished so far. I hope this year can be even better than the last two.
ReplyDeleteI think that I am the type of person to overthink and to get in my head about things. Junior year had me stressed out from the beginning, but right now I am not so worried. I am getting used to my classes, teachers, and hanging out with new people. Since I am hard working, so many people have told me about how the homework and classwork are a nightmare, but my hard working personality will hopefully pull through and help me out in the long run. High School this far isn't how i imagined it. I feel like if I went to another school in the district it would not be the same as Oakcrest. Between school and cheer i was worried I wouldn't have enough time for homework, but a lot of my teachers this year do not give out homework and are very understanding. I would go back to my freshmen year if I had too. I had a very unhealthy relationship which really put me in a hard place in my life and put me down. I don't regret that relationship because it taught me a lot of how i should be treated and if i get treated like that again I know I need to let that person out of my life.
ReplyDeleteJunior year, to me was always the year I thought of when I needed to do my best. And as everyone knows, I like to procrastinate and honestly as mad as I get at myself each time, I never stop doing it. I'm actually very nervous that I won't be able to break that bad habit, but we'll see. I feel like junior year to me is also the hardest because SAT's come in, and a lot of other test, like that. It's also my first time taking an AP class and I'm nervous but yet excited at the same time. I hope for this class I learn a whole lot of new vocabulary and writing techniques. English is my favorite subject so I'm looking forward to learning new skills. Honestly, high school isn't at all what I thought it was going to be. I thought I would stay with the friends I had through high school, and that is completely incorrect. I thought the subjects would of also been harder, but to be honest they're not that bad. And the teachers are pretty great also. I wouldn't redo any year of high school so far because every mistake I had, I learned from and now I know a whole lot better than I did walking in as a freshman.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that junior year is the most important and stressful. Students from the previous would exaggerate the amount of work and how awful certain teachers would be. I put such high expectations on myself that it hurts me instead motivating me. I realized that if your not happy, your not really living life. As being part of this AP class I mostly worried about is the idea of taking a class I do not have a strong background on. However, I am excited to able to confidently express myself other than verbally. I wouldn't want to go back and change myself. Back in middle school I never smiled or made friends. In the past I thought friends were useless and everyone should be considered as a peer, but I realized that I just wasn't surrounded by the right people. So after these two years in high school I found good people to become friends with, and I started to become happy in school. My friends helped me become who I am today, and I'm not upset about who I am.
ReplyDeleteWhen people find out I'm a junior, they wish me the best of luck and tell me that I'm going to hate every day of it. Walking into this year,I was truly terrified. But, I am enjoying all of my classes so far and the workload hasn't started yet. As far as this class, I was very nervous because I've heard that it's very stressful and a lot of work. But, I am friends with a lot of my classmates, some of them being my teammates, so we're all in this together. For myself, I hope I learn better studying and notetaking habits. And I hope I don't stress myself out as much over things I just can't control. High school is somewhat what I expected. I always pictured it to be like the movies, with the jocks being a crowd, and the cheerleaders being super mean, etc. But Oakcrest has a family vibe that isn't common, where I always feel welcomed no matter the crowd I'm around. I thought I would walk out with the same people I walked in with, but that's far from the truth. My crowd has changed a lot, after going through a lot together and I think the friends I have now will definitely last long after high school. I am afraid to take the SATs, I know they're super stressful and impact your future a lot. I'm excited for homecoming and prom, and all the other fun upperclassmen events. I have grown a lot since my freshman year, and I'm ready for all junior year has to offer.
ReplyDeleteEveryone, including myself has seen the buzz on social media and in person about how hard junior year is. As many people tell me "this is the year that really matters", which of course makes me nervous because I don't want to screw up. But then on the other hand I have many people telling me that it isn't that bad, and well, I guess I'll just have to see for myself. My expectations for this class is that I will definitely get a lot out of it. English is my favorite subject and I take to it quite well so I'm not really scared or nervous. I'm excited about going to a different level of learning and just taking the extra step. I'm excited that it's going to be more challenging. So far, high school is pretty much what I imagined it to be like it, just the work is not as bad as I thought it would be. I wouldn't go back and re do any year because they all lead me to where I am today and I am really happy where I am today with myself and the people around me.
ReplyDeleteI'd agree that Junior year is the hardest of all 4 years, or so everyone makes it seem. For most kids, this is the first year that you get to take multiple AP courses, and let the rumors from the past students live up to what they say. What expect from this class is plenty of work, but as well as a stronger understanding for my writing. Writing hasn't always been my best part of English, and I'm hoping what I get from this class helps me not just on the test, but in the rest of my academic career. The last two years I've been bad with procrastinating, and putting extra stress on myself that was unnecessary and preventable. That's the one thing I'm very scared for this year, with my sports going year round, I have no room to procrastinate, and it's going to be hard to break, but I have no room for it, so I have to break it quick. I wouldn't redo any year, but if I could go back and tell myself to, put your work first I would.
ReplyDeleteWe are all Juniors now, which means we have seen the 2019 and 2020 graduating class take on this horrid time in life. Just by having to deal with friends who have gone through Junior year, you can say I'm not exactly eager to have to endure this hellish year. That being said, this year will only be hellish and dreadful if we allow it to be. It is our job to get off our little heinie's and take this challenge head on rather than being scared by it. I'm expecting this class, while dishing out a majority of my work load, to still be fun and very informational. I'm expecting myself to procrastinate, because that is a horrible habit I have when it comes to school work. I'm honestly not afraid of anything regarding Junior year, no matter how rough it is, there is always some sort of light at the end of the tunnel. It's just gonna be like eight months of just straight up #Grind but hey, it will be worth it in the end. Honestly high school has been the completely opposite of what i expected in middle school. In middle school I was always super worried about what people thought, and figured that because I was moving to a bigger school with older kids that I would just get picked on all the time, this being the norm at Davies, it's not too bizarre for oompa loompa version of Sal to assume. But high school has been nothing but open arms and loving people (for the most part). If I could redo any year of my schooling, I wouldn't. Everything good and bad, happy and sad, has shaped me into the person I am today, and he's pretty cool. Til next time blog, peace out.
ReplyDeleteJunior year is the last full year of high school that colleges see, it is also the year most students decide to take the SATs. I believe that junior year is going to be as difficult as I have heard, especially when taking multiple AP classes. Although all of these new, more challenging classes are difficult to adjust to, I am not overly stressed about the school year. I know what I can handle therefore I am the one who chose my classes, I was never pressured into taking this class. Unfortunately, I have never heard anything about Mrs.Bunje or the class itself, but I know that it will be useful for when I take SATs. I expect Mrs.Bunje to try her best to prepare all of us for the AP test, and/or SATs, and I expect myself to make every effort into giving my all and attempt to pass with acceptable grades. I can’t say that I am not anxious for the AP test, but I can say that I am excited to see, after taking this class, what I can do as a writer and how I improved. I believe high school to be as what I expected it to be when I was a middle school student. In middle school, I saw myself attending and graduating from a high expectation school located in Philadelphia known as Central High School, so I was practically prepared for all the hardwork and dedication. Surprisingly, life had a different plan for me because in the middle of freshman year I moved here. I told myself that I would make up for the lost opportunity by choosing more challenging classes. If I could go back and redo any year of schooling, I would probably choose to go back to eight grade, because in my opinion, it was the most amusing compared to the other years.
ReplyDeleteI have been told by my parents,siblings,post-graduates, and current high school juniors/seniors that junior year is supposedly the most difficult year of high school as it is one of the most looked at years for colleges and is the year for applying to colleges/ working your hardest. After being in junior year for a few years I can confidently say that it is mostly what I imagined to be (slightly harder than last year, but way more meaningful, important, and fun.) I expect this class to be important in improving my writing/literature skills as well as giving me good life experience for the future. I expect you to be a teacher that will be hard on us, but effective at teaching us new things, giving important advice, and being something for us to remember for college. I am pretty stress-free for this year because life is too short to be worrying about everything. In middle school I imagined high school to be just like middle school but with bigger kids and more social pressure/anxiety. If I could redo any year of high school it would be sophomore year because it sucked and wasn't very fun for me. I would go back and pay more attention to my teachers and give my 100%. My goals for this year is to get good grades, join a sport, and become more independent from my Dad.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion even though Junior year is the last full year to prove to colleges I was always told that every year of High School is equally important. I didn´t know who to listen to but if teachers say its important then i guest its more important. If i keep that idea in my head and believe I can do all things then i should have no problem this year. All I know is its going to take a lot of dedication and hard work. One thing i do hope for this class is that it helps increase my SAT score in reading. I´m trying to use this year as a opportunity to prove the colleges that i don play. Lastly, i wouldn't repeat any year because i worked really hard to get good grades and there is nothing i would want to change. I have to remember just try hard then the grades will naturally follow.
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