<p>This year, I had a very, um, ineffective teacher who barely taught (except for a three-month unit on the Renaissance) and because of that, two weeks before the test, we were all panicking and studying cold out of the AP review books. I got a 4 and figured I shouldn't have started studying so late. The thing is, I felt like I KNEW the material, so I was actually kind of disappointed with my score. Then, yesterday, I discovered that THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE FIVE EARNED IN MY CLASS. There were also only a couple fours earned out of a class of about 25.
My school is actually considered a good school, so really the fault is the teacher's, as we figured was obvious to everyone. Instead, WE HAVE HIM AGAIN. For APUSH. And I'm at a loss, because I feel like I'm being set up to fail. I think he's kind of on probation, and he's probably going to toughen his stance in class (he was a total pushover this year), but I am really scared.
What do the uber-awesome CCers say we/I should do? What is a good way to study independently for APUSH and have a chance to get a 5? Any words of sympathy/help?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Like 75 % of the exam focused on 1890-present.</p>
<p>Maybe the fault is yours.</p>
<p>Who cares. You won’t get credit for AP Euro or APUSH anyway.</p>
<p>You’re complaining about a 4? </p>
<p>Meh…you passed right? Schools care about their passing rates…you don’t hear them boasting about the percent that got 5s, do you?</p>
<p>I’m not complaining about a four. A four is great, and is certainly the last thing for me to complain about. I’m complaining about the fact that we were set up to fail, any good score I may have gotten is due to the fact that I’m good at history and like history and did study and not due to the class, and due to the fact that WE ARE HAVING THIS CRUDDY TEACHER AGAIN. (And yes, CSIHSIS, he is acknowledged as a cruddy teacher by most of my grade, as he gave us a total of three tests the whole year, gave almost no AP-preparatory homework like sample essays, we covered only about half the curriculum, we taught ourselves out of AP prep books, and could NOT control the class. It was an utter madhouse, and he didn’t even try to teach effectively.)
CSIHSIS: Why was that remark necessary? I was actually, as I pointed out, a high scorer in my class, which has some extraordinarily intelligent people (who got fours also). Remember, if I had gotten a five, I’d have been the ONLY person, which would have really surprised me, considering how many very smart people there are in my class.
And out of curiosity, why won’t I get credit? I think most colleges take 4s and 5s.
So my question is, has anyone else had a terrible teacher for an AP and gotten a five? How did you do it? Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Has anyone got any ideas for me about how to convince my principal to give us a decent teacher? etc. etc. Thanks jb2011 for giving me constructive advice- I never knew that.
Right now I’m learning out of American Pageant, AMSCO, and probably a test prep book like Princeton or 5 Steps. Any other suggestions (preferably free)?
Thanks again!</p>
<h1>firstworldproblems</h1>
<p>i had a substitute teacher for APUSH for about 90% of the year because the current one had to go on medical leave. We were coloring maps of the United States for most of the year; by the end of it, we knew where every capital city was. cool beans. </p>
<p>Read Amsco /some other small book (kruguer was the author, something like 5 steps to a 5, go look for it)</p>
<p>Got a 5.</p>
<p>Your responsibility to study. That’s all. Now what defines a good teacher? One that assigns so much homework that you know everything and get a 5? Or one that gives you time to study on your own and makes it easy so you don’t have to stress over homework and just deal with however many tests you have… Busy geniuses prefer the latter :P</p>
<p>Tangentline: Okay. I’m not going to bother explaining anymore about this teacher. It seems like I’m not being clear enough, and I can’t think of any better way to say it. (If anyone’s on SparkLife and read an article in around April or May about a horror-show AP Euro class, the person who wrote that was in my class. That is probably the best way to understand what this class is really like.) But he’s really lousy. We did NOT learn any AP Euro from him.
Thanks to all those who gave me constructive comments, such as jb2011 and ApTester. Snarky comments are not necessary; this is very real and something I’m genuinely nervous and upset about, even if I am just an anonymous name on the internet.
As I said again, thanks to those who gave constructive comments.
So- are the books I’m using good ones for self-studying? Which is the best Ap prep book when it comes to practice tests? If I took a 5 Steps diagnostic and got 45/80, how would you say I am so far? Any advice from those in similar situations who successfully convinced a principal how bad it was and to dump the teacher? (The problem is that I like him personally, as does my class— but them, mostly because he was so permissive.)
Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>This book:</p>
<p>[Amazon.com:</a> AP U.S. History Crash Course (REA: The Test Prep AP Teachers Recommend) (9780738608136): Larry Krieger, Advanced Placement, US History Study Guides: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/U-S-History-Crash-Course-REA/dp/0738608130/ref=dp_ob_title_bk]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/U-S-History-Crash-Course-REA/dp/0738608130/ref=dp_ob_title_bk)</p>
<p>I think this might have been the book ApTester was referring to. It’s the best thing ever. You don’t need to get it now (it’s more of a 2 weeks before the test kind of thing), but make sure you get it at some point. It’s a concise review of the entire class and contains only what you need to know for the exam. I had a really good teacher for APUSH but I still feel like this thing was the main reason I got a 5. It’s not only good for multiple choice but it also breaks things down into groups and topics so it’s really easy to plan out essay topics with.</p>
<p>I can’t help with the bad teacher thing since something like that has never happened to me, but I’m surprised your school would let something like that happen…especially in an AP class. 45/80 is good enough for a 4 if you write good essays, possibly a 5 if you write outstanding ones. 55-60ish is usually what to aim for to get a 5, but personally I was going for 60+ because I knew my essays weren’t going to be great.</p>
<p>tl;dr buy that book</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>…I’m guessing you want constructive criticism? </p>
<p>Here’s my constructive criticism: Start thinking of consequences. All you’re trying to do is get rid of the teacher. Which is a stupid idea if the year starts and most likely you’ll be stuck with a sub and in an even worse situation than you are now. </p>
<p>You know you have a sucky teacher. You know that the teacher doesn’t prepare you. So wht are you going to do? Study, you say? On your own, you say? I think that’s a great idea. </p>
<p>Tip #45 of Problem Solving:
Excess amount of emotions causes tunnel vision.</p>
<p>I have to admit, Niquii has a point there. Your emotions are influencing your thoughts too much right now. You are seeking for comfort and sympathy where you should seek a method for self studying. Yes, I know you mention how you’re seeking tips on self-studying, but you rail against any comment that you think doesn’t support your hatred for that teacher. Most people have had a teacher that failed to teach properly, but more to them for learning how to move on from that point. Take a chill pill, go on Amazon and purchase both the REA, use both the AMSCO and REA, and then don’t stress over the class. If you really want to follow some sort of structured pace, search online for some teacher’s APUSH syllabus and decide if you can follow that pace comfortably and still manage to have a week or more as a buffer zone/review time. Good luck and have fun.</p>
<p>I think I can add something here, as I had APUSH last year and I got a 5.</p>
<p>My teacher was decent, but not great. I would give him a 7.5/10 for the class. He wasn’t all that keen on preparing us for the test, he cared a lot more about his own tests. He knew the material very well, and usually answer questions. Alot of people thought he was boring, but I was fine with him. You don’t have to have the perfect teacher to get a 5. I give myself the bulk of the credit for my success on the AP test, not him. I understand that my teacher was probably better than yours will be, but I still think you can do well in the class</p>
<p>Here’s how I got a 5:
I really read the textbook- probably 2-3 times total throughout the year. For certain chapters, I could quote the text word for word. Having a good textbook is key, it can really make up for a bad teacher.</p>
<p>I started prepping in January- I got a couple of prep books and would read just a little of them and my textbook every night. That’s all it takes. I personally don’t believe that there is much of a difference in which brand of book you use. I used Kaplan primarily, and I have never seen anyone on CC recommend it.</p>
<p>What I DIDN’T do:
Care that much about the class- I did exactly what I needed to do to get an A. Nothing more. I cared about the 6 college credits, not a few percentage points that make no difference. I didn’t do the required notes for more than about a month. I didn’t take notes in class. Now, I doubt these exact things will work for you, but my point is that you don’t need to do everything perfectly as the teacher says in order to get a 5. I am not a genius by any means, but I did have a good understanding of what I needed to doThe AP test is pretty much up to you. Some people care, some don’t.</p>
<p>My final advice is to get through the class and just don’t worry about the teacher. Do what he/she tells you to do, but realize that it’s really up to you . Study for the AP test, but in all honesty, it’s not that hard. </p>
<p>Sorry for the typo at the end of this, the CC app is terrible</p>
<p>Here’s how I got a 5</p>
<p>My teacher didn’t teach at all. We basically self studied APUSH in my class. Myself and one other person were the only ones who PASSED in a class of 23. In the other APUSH section only four kids out of twenty PASSED. So, in all, six out of 43 kids in APUSH this past year actually scored a 3 or above (only one person scored a four and it defffffinitely wasn’t me).</p>
<p>I knew that I wouldn’t be receiving AP credit anyway for APUSH, so it really didn’t bother me.</p>
<p>Still not as bad as my school. 
Our AP Calc teacher is notoriously bad at teaching the material the AP test covers. Almost every student gets a 1, with a few getting 2s. There is only maybe one 3 a year.</p>
<p>This doesn’t deserve a real response.
Just heed niquii’s advice</p>
<p>I honestly think you’re making a big deal out of nothing. Bad teacher? Take the class but learn the material on your own.</p>
<p>First, you are crazy for being sad about a 4. Second, you can’t always blame your bad teachers. If you realized how bad your teacher is at his job, then it should have occurred to you to get several review books and start prepping much earlier.</p>
<p>Get The Essential Content by Larry Krieger. 15 bucks that are well worth spending. If you love history, you should use the freedom afforded by your lax teacher to learn on your own at your own pace.</p>
<p>Take responsibility! Study on your own. Quit blaming the teacher for everything. Yeah he/she might be a slow teacher, but who cares! </p>
<p>You got a 4 no big deal</p>