These are expanded versions of my Rising Knight Nominations for two students this quarter.
Since the beginning of the year Patrick has shown an abiding love of language and debate, and he has made enormous gains in his progress as a writer and a thinker this quarter in my fourth block section of AP Language and Composition. I was particularly impressed by the depth of thought exploring the complexity of eminent domain in a recent timed write, which read less like a student essay and more like a Supreme Court decision.
This didn’t happen by chance. Patrick put in hours of purposeful practice to become a writer of thoughtful, nuanced examinations of claims. It’s a pleasure to read his writing, and I look forward to more as the year progresses.
Additionally, he is a thoughtful contributor during class, a supportive voice to his peers in the online classroom, and, perhaps most importantly, someone with interesting ideas to share. At the beginning of the year he displayed a war medal that was a family heirloom, talking with pride in his Flipgrid about his admiration of service. When he won a multiple choice contest a few weeks later, I decided to mail him a gift to add to his collection: my five-year service pin from Frederick County Public Schools.
Vainavi is a cornerstone of my very bright, very fun eighth block AP Language and Composition. Among her many stellar traits (kindness toward peers, keeping her camera on every class), I have been most impressed by her maturity. Not only is her writing stellar, but she is also unafraid to go against the tide during class discussions. This December, when the rest of her class argued that Santa should be debunked to children as early as possible, Vainavi stood up for the contrary stance, arguing persuasively for the value of blissful childhood innocence. Although the class still moved forward with a model essay advocating radical transparency with kids for the sake of parental trust, Vainavi was still able to offer emotional and logical appeals for her claim. I couldn’t find the chat transcript to show you, so I’ll instead show you the very stark argument her peers constructed…
Vainavi also has the backbone to defend her position when challenged by the instructor. When, later this quarter, I scolded Vainavi via email for claiming to find Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother “slow at times”, Vainavi stood her ground against mean ol’ Mr. Scott. Again, she supported her stance with evidence and a coherent line of reasoning, noting that she expected the book to be “more than just the violin and piano aspect of the daughter’s life.”
However, like all savvy rhetors, Vainavi also understands the value of acknowledging the other side, especially when the person asserting the other side controls your grade. After maintaining her stance, she made a graceful concession: “Then again, that was a big part of their lives. I’m glad I read this book, though. I do think Amy is serious crazy, but I still love her for unimaginable drive. Plus, I bet people like her wouldn’t ever think of publicizing their story.”
This fearlessness and savvy application of AP Lang skills makes class fun, and it makes me proud to be her teacher.