This is how enthusiastic my students are about Calculus!  Even when walking in the winter wonderland in Seattle four months ago, they were thinking about Calculus.

Thanks, Em, for this lovely photo. Who would have thought at that time that communicating our feelings through photos and messages would become the norm?

This year, I teach AP Calculus AB to 45 students at Seattle Preparatory School.  They are a very talented and hardworking group of students without limits in their achievements.  They have been learning this challenging subject digitally for eight weeks since our school closed in March because of the coronavirus pandemic.

During this time, there were countless assignments and live classes through the Microsoft Teams platform.  There were group discussions where my students connected via Facetime, Instagram. text messaging, phone calls, Zoom, or Teams.  They were creative in their approaches for handling this unprecedented situation.  They never lost their great humor and positive attitude.

As the day of the AP Calculus Exam has been approaching, they needed to adjust to the new reality, the new way of testing.  They needed to learn how to present their knowledge successfully.  They needed to practice with a timer, they needed to learn how to submit their work digitally.  And they needed to put up with me pushing them as far as I could.

Many of them are naturally organized who approach a task with seeing the big picture and the details having their resources in a binder and/or write checklists and to do lists for themselves.  (Thanks Emma and Abigail for the visuals.)  Some of them needed a little bit more advice to get organized.  But now everyone has his/her notes (it’s an open note, open book exam this year).

Throughout the school year, they worked hard and diligently.  When review time came, they solved countless free-response questions (the exam is 45 minutes this year containing two free-response questions).  They worked and re-worked mock exams multiple times and completed many mixed reviews.  They watched AP Calculus videos.  They organized their workspace, prepared the papers, the pens, their laptop and phone and calculator; they followed all the steps they needed to take to navigate this new world.  They are ready!

Dear Students of mine!  Regardless of your score on the AP Calculus AB Exam tomorrow (Tuesday, May 12, 2020), I will always be very proud of you!  You should also be proud of yourselves.  You learned a lot this year and your college math will be easy for you.  We have been on an unforgettable journey together.  What warms my heart the most is that you stayed positive and committed to this class.  You were flexible and resilient, determined, and adventurous.

Thanks for the smiles, the virtual hugs, and for your nice words in the reflections about your learning.  Keep doing your best tomorrow and always.  You have trained for this and you will be amazing.  Stay calm and trust yourself.  I am proud to be your teacher!

Best of luck!  And, don’t forget +C. 😊