Graduate says Dist. 211 prepared her well

I'm a 2010 graduate from Conant High School and am now a freshman at the University of Iowa. I recently e-mailed my two AP English teachers from high school to thank them; my reasoning will follow.

I was an accelerated English student throughout high school and am enrolled in Honors Rhetoric class now. After receiving our first assignment (a basic analysis essay) I asked if AEC format, a writing method I learned freshman year, was acceptable.

The teacher stared blankly at me, asking me to explain what it was. I was shocked. I explained it, and the professor was impressed, stating that I have, for almost five years now, been doing what she is trying to teach us.

After class, I e-mailed my AP teachers and thanked them, stating that even though I groaned and complained with the rest of my peers, I genuinely appreciated how well prepared I was thanks to them.

Too many letters in the Daily Herald state things like they get paid too much to do too little. I couldn't disagree more. Granted, I didn't love all of my high school teachers, (but) most of them were outstanding (not just in English, either).

I obviously can only speak for Conant High School, but I think people need to take it easy when they're critiquing the teachers; maybe even consider that it's the student who doesn't put the time in, not the effort made by the teachers.

Parents may shake their heads and still disagree with me, but I was heavily involved in high school and knew quite a few of the teachers and would put money on the fact that parents are too quick to blame the teacher for a student's failing grade.

Give the D211 teachers awesome credit because they more than definitely deserve it.

Becca Mitsos

Schaumburg and Iowa City