Every year, tens of thousands of students from across the nation gather in May to take the Advanced Placement United States History (APUSH) exam. APUSH is the equivalency of a marathon at a sprint pace. The content required to cover goes from 1491 until the modern-day. It is an extensive amount of information that high school students must attain and be able to implement in a timed atmosphere. It is high-stakes poker, and we have finally made it to the end of the line. Once you get to the end of the race, you are physically, emotionally, and intellectually drained. After all of the projects, document analysis, DBQs, LEQs, SAQs, presidential biographies, contextualization, memorizing rubrics, and perfecting our thesis, today is that day. I sit here and wait. I continually ask myself, “Did I do enough?” Could I have focused on other aspects for the success of my students? The answer to these questions will come in time as we wait for early July and the release of scores. My students have put in the work deserving of the highest score imaginable. As I sit here and ponder over the last ten months of work, I can say that only one word comes to mind when I think of the work we have done: PRIDE. I am so ultimately proud of their work and proud of the sense of accomplishment.
To my students: I am proud of you. You know I deeply care for each of you and am with you in the room in spirit. You are exceptional individuals that have made this one of the most remarkable professional years of my career. Love you all!
Eldridge History 