I’m not an “AP teacher”; however, I currently teach four AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) courses.  Is this just a case of imposter syndrome?  Should I even be saying (writing) this out loud?  What do I mean?

As we know, the College Board AP Exam is a standardized test.  For AP CSP, students have two performance tasks (that we do in class) and a 74 question multiple choice test. (Can I tell you that it really bothers me that it’s not 75 questions?)  The test is set for Friday, May 10.  There are no opportunities for extensions, and no second chances, this is a one-shot-deal.

What’s the problem?  This in not how I teach/run my class.  We practice AP test questions and students take multiple choice unit tests, but I do let them re-take their tests.  (That doesn’t feel very “AP” of me.) Does this mean I’m doing my students a disservice? Am I not holding them to the standards that I “should”?  I’m not doing this to save myself time (it usually makes for more work, actually), or win some popularity contest.  I do this because my primary goal of this course is for my students to learn, and I feel like, in this instance, they are learning more by facing their mistakes and re-taking a test rather than walking away and trying to “make up” the points in some other way.  Honestly, I don’t care about the points – I just want them to learn.  Facing their mistakes and grappling with a concept is learning – shame, beating themselves up, negative self-talk, and/or ignoring the mistakes is not learning.

Will they all get 5’s on the AP exam?  Probably not.  If they perform like my students did last year, over 80% will pass.  I’m happy with that (because I know it’s important to them).  However, I am confident that all of them will leave AP CSP knowing more than they do today, and many of them will want to explore more computer science classes in the future.  Aside from curriculum, I also hope they leave with more willingness/courage to figure things out and to try something new.  And, I hope they will also know that I really cared and that I was “on their side”.

(Are you, too, suffering from Imposter Syndrome?  Check out this TEDtalk by Lou Solomon.  Believe it or not, even Maya Angelou felt like an imposter, “I have written eleven books, but each time I think, ‘uh oh, they’re going to find out now. I’ve run a game on everybody, and they’re going to find me out.”)

I feel another blog post coming on …