Introduction:

AP World History is the hot new class at Lenape High School for freshmen. Being implemented last year at our school, this class is the only AP class offered to freshmen at Lenape High School. Originally, freshmen didn’t take a history class until sophomore year, in which they would take U.S. history one, saving world history for senior year.  World history takes away a full class slot that a freshman could’ve used for an elective. Will the loss of this slot be bad for freshmen? With this new, drastic change to the layout of a freshman’s schedule, one must ask if this change is positive or not. So, taking AP World myself, I decided to find out what my fellow classmates and teachers think of it. I also tried to find out how the change from taking history in freshman year to senior year affected electives or not. I interviewed a total of five people. First, I interviewed two freshmen named Ben Niv and Jugaad Athwal. Then, I interviewed two seniors by the names of Gabrielle Ferraro and Adam Cavallaro. Finally, I interviewed Ms. Fleegle, an AP World teacher. By comparing responses between all of these people, I should be able to get a good idea of how this change has affected student life at Lenape High School.

Freshman Interviews: Ben Niv and Jugaad Athwal

#1 What electives are you taking this year at Lenape?

Ben Niv: Currently, I am enrolled in Project Lead the Way and String Ensemble.

Jugaad Athwal: I am taking Metalworking, Intro to Business, and Spanish 1.

#2 Were there any electives you were interested in but didn’t end up taking as a class? If so, why didn’t you choose this elective?

Ben Niv: This year, I considered taking a business class such as intro to business, entrepreneurship, or accounting. I ended up not picking them because I didn’t have space and I would rather take these classes next year.

Jugaad Athwal: I mainly considered taking Latin and woodworking when deciding my classes. I didn’t take Latin because I ended up choosing Spanish class. I ended up not taking the woodworking class because I didn’t have the space for it in my schedule.

#3 At this point in the school year, how well have you been performing in AP World History? (grades wise)

Ben Niv: I performed pretty good overall throughout the first and second marking period. However, I did not always get the grades I strived for.

Jugaad Athwal: I think it’s a wonderful class. I’ve been performing very well thus far.

#4 What are your thoughts on sharing a class with seniors? What’s the relationship between classmates like?

Ben Niv: Working with seniors is fine. We don’t really go out of our way to interact with them regularly unless it’s for an assignment. They are nice and pretty easy to work with.

Jugaad Athwal: Sharing a class with seniors is pretty much the same as any other class in the school. We all get along pretty well. We mostly stay on separate sides of the class.

#5 What’s it like in your first AP class? Was the adjustment hard at all?

Ben Niv: At first, it was challenging to go from regular history to the AP World. Though, as time went on it became more routine. This class was most definitely harder when compared to others. I need more time to study in this class then other ones.

Jugaad Athwal: The class isn’t too bad. I find it pretty comparable to other classes I take. If you put the work in for the class you can definitely handle it. 

#6 What electives would you change if you had the chance to?

Ben Niv: Wouldn’t change anything.

Jugaad Athwal: I would change my Spanish elective to Latin.

#7 What are your thoughts on your AP World teacher? What do you think of the way in which the course is taught?

Ben Niv: My teacher is pretty good. I can tell they are passionate about the class. Despite AP World not being my favorite, I definitely learn a lot in the class.

Jugaad Athwal: My teacher does a good job teaching. The class is one of my favorites. 

#8 If you could, would you change to taking AP World as a senior or keep it as a freshman course?

Ben Niv:  No, because I would want to focus on more classes related to the career I want that year rather than in my freshman year where I have more time to experiment.. I feel it’s easier to take AP world class now rather than later. Especially because social studies isn’t my strong suit.

Jugaad Athwal: I would prefer to take history as a freshman. I feel like the transition would be smoother when going from a more worldwide to more centralized history. 

#9 Do you ever find your schedule to be overwhelming at times?

Ben Niv: Yes, sometimes I do find my schedule to be overwhelming. When certain classes are back to back like AP World and English it can get a little overwhelming. I’m fine with the content in the classes despite not enjoying the homework.

Jugaad Athwal: Not really, my schedule is fine.

Conclusion: 

The reception from the freshman I interviewed was mostly positive but also somewhat mixed. A common thing said among both freshmen was the relationship between the seniors and freshman. From what they said, surprisingly both seniors and freshmen work very well together, but often stay separate. Another thing evident in the interview was the effects of the new class on student electives. Both students had to give up an elective in order to take AP History this year. The freshmen seemed to enjoy the class and the people in with them. 

The difficulty of the AP course was varied. While both claimed that they did well in the class, Ben claimed to have had a harder adjustment to the class than Jugaad did. Furthermore, he also claimed that his schedule was overwhelming at times whereas Jugaad made no such claims. Overall, the freshman think that AP World History is a good class to take.

Senior Interviews: Gabrielle Ferraro and Adam Cavallaro

#1 What electives did you take freshman year? Were you ever in a class with anyone above your grade that year? If so, what was it like?

Gabrielle Ferraro: During my freshman year I took Introduction to Business, Latin and Introduction to Family and Consumer Sciences. I was never in classes with students of my grade level in freshman year. Personally, adjusting to high school was just fine. I love learning and meeting new people, so high school was the perfect opportunity for me to do that! 

Adam Cavallaro: The electives I took my freshman year were Intro to Business, Intro to Engineering Design, and TV Broadcasting Technology. I also took Italian as my language course for that year. Intro to Business and TV Tech both had students that were in grades above me. Personally, my interactions were limited as I was unfamiliar with them and felt awkward when talking to them.

#2 If you had to take history freshman year, what class would you give up for it?

Gabrielle Ferraro: If I had to take a history course freshman year, I would have given up my study hall. It wouldn’t have been hurtful to see this class go. 

Adam Cavallaro:  If I had to take a history class my freshman year, I would give up my TV Broadcasting Technology class. I made some very good friends in that class, but I also met the least amount of people, meaning I would only be sacrificing a few relationships.

#3 Do you think as a freshman, you would perform the same as you are right now or different in the class?

Gabrielle Ferraro:  I believe it depends on the student if they could achieve the same academic success as an older student. Depending on the freshman’s work ethic, it is definitely possible. However, most likely an older student has had more experiences in those classes giving them a higher chance of success rather than the freshman being that it is their first time in high school.

Adam Cavallaro:  I believe that freshmen actually perform better than me in CERTAIN classes. Being a senior puts additional pressure on students, interrupting their student lives. Many of the freshmen still carry important traits that help them focus and study more, meaning they are less likely to get side tracked while a senior would be more likely to since they have more friends in their classes.

#4 If you could’ve taken a world freshman year, would you have? Why or why not?

Gabrielle Ferraro:  I think I would have taken AP World History freshman year. I have always been an overachiever and considering that I was already taking all honors courses, another one wouldn’t have hurt.

Adam Cavallaro:  I would have taken World freshman year only if a majority of other students in my grade followed the same direction. Even though I had few friends at the beginning of high school, I still would have preferred to have some people of the same grade in my classes. 

#5 What’s it like sharing a classroom with a freshman? How are the relationships between classmates?

Gabrielle Ferraro:  I think it is great sharing the classroom with a freshman, having people that are a different age bring new perspectives to the table. I will say sometimes it is difficult since their minds aren’t as mature as a senior’s, so they struggle with being on task. Other than that, it is a great experience with awesome collaborative opportunities. The relationships between classmates are fine. I expected there to be a divide between ages, but there wasn’t and everyone seems to work well together.

Adam Cavallaro:  For me, sharing a class with freshmen is super fun! I always love to talk to them and ask them funny questions and poke fun at them for being freshies! They also are very focused in class which always makes me laugh in a good way, because I remember how I used to be the same.

#6 In general, what are your overall thoughts on the freshman in your class? (Be honest)

Gabrielle Ferraro: My overall thoughts on the freshman in my class are that they can be immature at times however they maintain determination to keep up with the upperclassmen.

Adam Cavallaro: The freshman class is not as bad as people made it seem. Every freshman I have met is so happy, optimistic, and a hard-worker! Although, they will NEVER skip any assignment even if it is optional or a cafe class assignment!

#7 How have you been performing in the AP world thus far?

Gabrielle Ferraro: I have been performing extremely well in AP World History thus far. It is an interesting class and very different from the others because of the integration of freshman and seniors.

Adam Cavallaro: AP World has honestly been a bit tough, mostly due to it being filled with lots of my friends so I am more distracted, and the teaching style is different since it is also geared towards freshmen. The class is easy, but it becomes too easy to the point that it is hard to do the work.

#8 What advice would you give to freshmen if you have anything to say to them about AP courses?

Gabrielle Ferraro: A piece of advice I would give to freshmen when taking an AP course is, you have to want to be there and put in the work to receive your expected outcome. You won’t find success by slacking, if you diligently work you will find success.

Adam Cavallaro: NEVER be afraid to not take an AP. I have taken 10 AP’s at Lenape and I always tell people to not feel pressured about their 6.0/4.0 GPA. It is okay to not take an AP for a class, it does not mean you are any less intelligent than the next. AP’s are lots of work and require time, and do not feel pressured to overload yourself. That being said, never be afraid to challenge yourself. Yes, many AP’s are not considered fun, but there are also fun ones! AP Psychology, Environmental Science, and AP Languages have always been said to be very fun!

Conclusion:

The seniors’ reception of AP world was very positive and informative. On average, the seniors took four elective classes each. Overall, they didn’t seem too upset about dropping one of these classes for AP world. The seniors believe that having a good work ethic will help students a lot in this class. Both would’ve taken the class if given the opportunity too. Experiences with freshmen were some of the most interesting talking points. The general consensus was that sharing a classroom with freshmen was pretty good and that they were fun to be around. However, Gabrielle thought that the freshmen acted immature compared to the seniors.

Teacher Interview: Ms. Fleegle

How long have you been teaching world history?

This is my first year teaching world history. Overall, this is my seventh year teaching history. Throughout my time I taught U.S. history, economics, civics, contemporary history, and world cultures. It’s also my first year teaching an AP class.

What’s it like having both seniors and freshmen in a class? Is it chaotic, or is it calm? What is the relationship between students like?

It is very fun to watch what both groups of students have to offer. They have good interaction with each other. Whenever the class has learning partners, the 9th graders and the 12th graders work great together. Overall, it’s a positive learning environment.

Are there any key differences between the freshman and the seniors you notice? If not, what are some similarities?

Both groups of students are different. Seniors have skills from already being in AP classes already and they are less eager to work then the freshman. 9th graders have skills and are very eager to work hard in their first AP class in order to prove themselves. I find the combination of these skills to work well in class.

Do you think freshmen have adjusted well to AP classes?

Absolutely, I have been more than impressed with how the freshmen have been. They are always ready to step up to the challenge of the course. They have all been working really hard.

How does class performance differ, if at all, between freshman and seniors?

The freshmen taking history are actually doing better than the seniors a lot of the time.

What do you think of the addition of freshmen to the AP World class in general?

If freshmen are willing to write a lot more, study more, read more than other classes and are willing to put time and effort forward and willing to struggle and be challenged then yes it is a good class for them. People need to be motivated to put more time into it than other classes. 

Is there anything that has surprised you about the addition of freshmen to AP world classes?

The 9th graders’ work ethic surprised me. Their work ethic really works well when applied to AP. The freshmen are very thorough and are willing to go above and beyond. The 9th graders in my class are very motivated. 

If you had to choose, would you rather freshman or seniors take AP world? Why or why not?

I can’t really answer that they are both very different in skills. If I could choose, I would decide to keep the mix of freshman and seniors rather than them being separate. I find they work well together.

Putting it all together:

All in all, after interviewing everybody, it can easily be said that the addition of freshmen to AP World History has been pretty great thus far. The freshmen and seniors get along pretty well with each other and both enjoy the class. While there may have been some concerns about freshman performance in the class, the students are adjusting to the harder courses very well and can even do better than the seniors in the same class. The biggest effect of AP World on student life is definitely the change in the electives being taken. With the extra class slot being filled up by history, freshmen are forced to take one less elective than they would normally take. Although at first it might seem like this is a bad thing, most of the students agree that it isn’t really bad at all. The seniors didn’t really care all too much about the electives they had to give up and the freshman seemed to be comfortable with the electives they chose. To sum it up, while the introduction of AP World History to freshmen can definitely seem intimidating, the class has a mostly positive effect on student life, as students both younger and old as well as the teachers enjoy it.