HHS English teacher Lauren Broer has her work cut out for her. Enrollment in her Advanced Placement Literature & Composition (AP Lit) class has quadrupled over the past three years! This year, Broer teaches two full sections of AP Lit, totaling nearly 70 students. Many of her 67 seniors are no strangers to Broer – they took English 11 with her last year. To Broer, the increase partially comes down to familiarity and continuity; she believes students are less intimidated by AP when they are comfortable with the teacher and their expectations and teaching style.
AP courses are managed by The College Board and designed by committees of college faculty and experienced AP teachers. The AP program aims to introduce high school students to college-level classes and allows them to earn college credit before graduation. Earning credit is contingent upon achieving a passing score on each subject’s respective AP exam, a cumulative test administered nationally in May.
At HHS, AP Lit students focus on fiction and literary analysis while English 12 students tackle nonfiction and practical writing. Both are equally important but different skill sets. Broer believes teaching fiction is essential because it prompts students to think critically and exercise empathy. It also expands one’s perspective on the world and its possibilities, which she notes is especially important for upperclassmen preparing to enter the world post-graduation.
Broer observes that AP courses are beneficial because of their ability to help students approach difficult tasks with curiosity, clarity, and creativity. Her goal is for students to take studying literature one step further and “crack [the text] open and find out what makes it tick,” she said. For Broer, hearing her AP Lit students develop and defend their own theories about what choices are made in a story and why is an exciting aspect of teaching the course.
Reading and writing are essential skills required by a majority of disciplines. “[They] help you research new things, understand a complicated text, communicate your findings, and connect with other people,” Broer summarizes. She notes that finding joy in reading and writing is key to sharpening and maintaining both skills.
"My hope is for AP Lit to become a place where students can grow and cultivate a love for literature that will make them look forward to learning for the rest of their lives, in whatever form that may take,” reflects Broer.
This class and other AP courses would not be possible without levy funding. Aside from funding elective courses, levies support school safety, athletics, arts, extracurricular activities, and other opportunities for students to explore their interests.