Christian McGrath's AP English Lit Class by Maria

Christian McGrath's AP English Lit Class by Maria - August 2016 Scholarship Essay

“It’s all about the journey.”
As an AP student, I noticed, that we often care only about the grade we get at the end of the year. We do whatever we can to make that grade the highest possible A. We count points, we look at the smallest percentage, and we do all the work. Some of us even kiss up to teachers. All of these things aren’t necessarily bad. However, they also aren’t good. We do them nonetheless because we want to be the best. This is the truth about most AP students.
I put most of these tactics to use in all my AP classes, and for most of them, they worked. There was one class, however, that no matter how hard I tried, these tactics would just not cut it.
Christian McGrath’s AP English Literature class gave all AP students a hard time. It wasn’t a necessarily hard class, and it didn’t include vigorous work. In fact, it was almost the opposite. Mr. McGrath liked to question authority and his class often wasn’t conducted like other classroom settings. He liked to lean on his desk and make us ponder things that we had never put attention to. He didn’t make us read the required books. Instead, he gave us a book list of all the greatest literature books written and told us, “Reading logs are due every five weeks. Two entries per day we have class.” The whole class thought this was an elementary school assignment that could be taken as a joke. Frankly, most of us blew it off until the day before we had to turn it in.
I prioritized my assignments by due date and order of importance. The reading logs were at the bottom of the list. When the due date came, I was completely bombarded. Two entries every day, for five weeks! That added up to almost 50 reading logs that I would have to write. Needless to say, the first time around, I didn’t finish them and in embarrassment, I didn’t turn them in. I thought that if I kissed up or worked harder on another assignment, then I could make up the difference. However, the reading logs were our only work. We really didn’t have that many assignments. Therefore, as a result, my first-semester grade in that class wasn’t pretty.
Of course, Mr. McGrath knew this was going to happen. He had been an AP teacher for 12 years prior, and he knew how we worked. "Teenage kids, excellent procrastinators." He made his class this way for a reason. After that initial reading log, he wasn’t even mad. “So, as expected there are only five reading logs turned in. I assume the rest of you ‘forgot’ or fell asleep while doing them.” Wow, were we ashamed? I know I was. I tried asking for an extension on the due date, but he wouldn’t take it. “If I give you an extension right now then you’ll come to me the next time asking for the same thing. You need to own up to actions and accept the results of what you’ve done. Life is not about an end game, it’s about the journey.”
At first, I didn’t know what he meant but then it clicked. There was a reason why he didn’t require so much. All he wanted us to do was to read 30 minutes every day. He was lax about many things, but firm in teaching us a lesson. He repeated it many times throughout the year. “It’s all about the journey.” The point of reading every day was to experience the journey that comes with the reading of a book. When you read a book, it takes you away to another dimension; it fills up your mind and relaxes you. It makes you forget about the million other things that are happening in your life.
AP students often tend to stress over the smallest percentages and over getting more points. We stress about getting the A at the end of the day, and we often forget what it’s like to learn. We forget to sit back and relax to enjoy whatever it is that we are doing.
After Mr. McGrath shared this, and I realized what he meant, I stopped stressing over all the little things, I kicked back, read a good book, and looked at the big picture. It didn’t mean that I started working less, but rather that I started to enjoy learning more because I developed other tactics that helped me get the grades I want. Instead of kissing up, I talked to my professors. I stopped counting the smallest percentages and points. I reminded myself that grades were not everything and that they did not define me. I learned how to prioritize better, and to not question or put off even the simplest of tasks, because teachers have reasons for teaching them to us. Overall I became a better and more agreeable student that loves to learn, the grades I wanted came easily after that. Mr. McGrath’s AP English Lit class taught me that it’s all about the journey, and not where you end up. Thank you, Mr. McGrath.