AP GO PO Survival Guide
Topic: An open letter to the Class of 2009 from the Class of 2008.
Minimum of 500 words; include “the good, the bad and the ugly” about AP GO PO.
What would you do differently if you had it to do over again?
What do they have to look forward to by taking this class for their senior year?
Dear Class of 2009,
Currently you may be wondering to yourself, “Do I really want to take AP Government and Politics?” Well, my answer is yes, yes you should. I know a lot of you are going through the same thinking process as I did when I was in your situation. You are probably thinking something like: is there a lot of work, is the test hard and is it possible for me to get an A? Well hopefully my blog will be of some help to your inquiries.
First of all, there is a lot of work in this class. First off I’ll discuss the summer project, which weeds out all the potential GO PO students from the committed AP students. Also, the summer project tests your abilities to resist killing yourself. OK…that’s a little overdramatic, but the project did happen to be immense and did require a lot of time.
Secondly the AP test really isn’t hard at all. In my personal opinion, it’s one of the easiest AP tests out there. Mr. Kautzman’s tests are a whole different story though. His tests are extremely tough and really make you study hard for them. Luckily you do a ton of in class discussion and he prepares you well for them. The great thing about his tests is that they make you actually study, more then just the night before which is a great habit to develop before college. Also his tests prepare you for the AP test like no other. Compared to one of Kautzman’s tests, the AP test was a walk in the park.
Finally, even though you may have heard different from some slackers in the class, it really is possible to get an A (a comfortable A) in AP GO PO. Kautzman gives out tons of easy extra credit (as simple as going to a move) and he really will push you to be an all around better student.
One piece of advice I’ll give to you, if I had to do AP GO PO all over again is to make sure you do the reading every night and take notes, no matter what. If you get behind in the reading, you’ll be lost and your test will be an epic fail. Also participate in the in class discussions. If you talk long enough you can usually get Kautzman to talk so long that he’ll run out of time for the quiz.
One thing that you can look forward to by taking this class your senior year is that you will be extremely knowledgeable in government in America. It will really surprise you, before this class I didn’t know anything about government. I didn’t even know what the two houses of Congress were, and now I can tell you each one of their roles and how likely it is they will be elected. Also, when you gain your superior knowledge in government you can show up all your friends who are taking American Citizenship and make them feel stupid, it’s really a great feeling. Oh, and after the AP test, you just watch the West Wing in class. With great risk comes great reward, so take a chance and take this class, I guarantee you won’t regret it.
Sincerely,
Jackie Goldman
Dear ol’ Class of 2009,
Should you really take this class? Is it really worth spending hours of your time reviewing information on the government? Well, some say no, but I say yes! This may sound cheesy or sound like I’m trying to convert you into loving politics, but you should read it anyway. To begin with I could have cared less about how our government runs itself and how it could affect me personally, but Kautzman’s class has really taught me a lot over the course of the year. I was at first hesitant to take the class because I wanted to take easier classes and have no summer assignments, but overall it was not too difficult.
Good: If you are a horrible test taker like myself, then all you need to do is keep up with the reading, the homework, and the extra credit opportunities. If you do this you should maintain a fairly good grade. The extra credit opportunities really are a life saver and it would be a smart investment by taking advantage of a few extra points. If you show up and participate in the class discussions then you will do great on his tests and the AP exam. Kautzman makes it easy on everyone with daily reviews of the reading and answering questions. I’m not sure how he does it.
Bad: The tests that Kautzman gives are difficult and require advanced studying opposed to cramming information into your brain the night before. But if you pay attention in class you should be fine. The good thing is the tests he gives seem to be harder then the AP practice tests that we took during the last part of the year. He really prepares you for what you will see in May. The summer assignment was really the only downfall to the class because it required a good amount of blogging, as well as reading a book and writing chapter summaries on it. So if you are a procrastinator then you better get a jump start on your summer project.
Naturally, I happen to do lousy on tests, but after I took the AP exam I didn’t feel as horrible as I would have felt after taking one of Kautzman’s unit tests. Surprisingly the AP exam went by really fast and I felt really prepared for it. Kautzman does a very good job at explaining things and simplifying the main ideas down. Never has there been a moment when I couldn’t ask him a question. He is open to phone calls, e-mail, etc.
If I could have done anything differently I would probably not of made so many flippin note cards. Just listening to the class discussions and asking questions if you do not understand the material is the best way to go. I would have saved myself days of vocab card making if I would of just paid really close attention in class. I’m pretty sure Kautzman has a link to vocabulary cards as well, so don’t waste your time.
This class was very informative and has given me a better understanding of where I stand on the political spectrum. I’m glad I took the course and it has by far taught me the most out of any class I have taken.
Sincerely,
Tiara Pittman
Welcome class of 2009. If you are one of the kids that are debating whether or not to take this class I think that you should defiantly take it. It is one of the best classes I have taken, and maybe even the best. If you like to learn about politics and government, like I do, you will really enjoy this class. The goods of the class are that you learn about politics, and what every section of the government does, so you get a good clean knowledge of your government. Also, in the class you get to do really fun projects that give you a lot of entertainment, for example the holiday songs project, which was my favorite, is one of the better assignments ever given. It allows you to rip on the government, and political issues as much as you possibly can. Finally, the best part of the class is that it pretty much ends at the beginning of May. You get a whole month to just watch the West Wing, and a coupled other shows, and throughout that whole last month of class you only get like three projects that you pretty much get the whole month to do. The bad part of the class is not even really that bad. You pretty much have to read every single night, and not only with the reading you have to retain the knowledge because you get quizzes over what you read, and if you don’t read Mr. Kautzman will know. Another bad part of the class, which is a bad part of any class, is the unit tests. They are worth so many points, and they are really hard, unless you are very good at keeping information in your head, then you will get good grades on the tests. The final unit test is worth like 400 points, so be sure to study for the final one a lot. Finally, the AP test. The AP test is very difficult, but fortunately Mr. Kautzman does a great job to prepare you for the test. You take practice multiple choice tests, and practice free responses, which all come from past AP tests. You spend almost the last 3 months of the class on preparing for the AP test, so study and ear the free credits towards college. Finally the last thing I am going to talk about is the summer homework. It is not as bad as you think it is. The post part is actually pretty fun. It lets you just argue with people and shut their idea’s down, it is a great debate starter. The only thing that you really have to do is keep up on the posts, don’t stop doing them make sure you do two a week for the six weeks or whatever and you will start the class with a great grade. Also, make sure to do the reading assignment. It does kind of suck, but it will be worth it when you start of with an A in the class instead of an F. If you are still debating on taking the class make the smart choice and take it, it is way worth your time.
Cody Castor
How to survive Mr. Kautzman’s Ridiculous Blogs; a commentary by Emily
Howard.
Chapter one: The Summer
DO YOUR BLOGS OVER THE SUMMER! I’m serious; it may seem like a pain at the time but having to do them when you have five other classes to deal with when school starts will not happen. I worked 30+ hours every week over the summer and still managed to do all my blogs. Just do them…. After a while it will seem like second nature to sit down at the computer and read about NAFTA or oil prices or the battle in the democratic party over the presidential nomination.
Chapter Two: The Beginning of the Year
Again do these. Its not that difficult. If you can carve out fifteen minutes a night to check your myspace you take ten minutes out of your pants-dropping schedule to write a blog or two. Mr. Kautzman is very good about dealing with any technical errors you might have so reward him by doing your blogs. You can make it easier on yourself by starting to do them in the summer because if you avoid them from June through September by the time school starts you’ll be doing ten a week to make up for all the ones you missed over the summer.
Chapter Three: Procrastination
I like everyone else sometimes “forgot” to do my blogs. A cold sweat
would creep down my back when I woke up at three in the morning
Thursday, knowing what I’d done. Luckily for me, and soon you, Mr.
Kautzman provides recovery blog weeks for the unfortunate souls who
forget a couple blogs. Make sure you pay attention to when they’re going to be and make up as many as you need to. I even banked a couple extras during these weeks just in case I came down with malaria or scurvy or something of that nature.
Chapter Four: The Reward
What do you get for all your struggles you ask? Well for starters you
gain a wealth of knowledge on what’s going on in the world and you can
geek yourself out a regular basis for your friends and parents. While it sounds weird now you might actually enjoy talking politics around the Thanksgiving table with your aunt Mildred or your uncle Eggbert. Instead of sitting at the little kids table, covered with a plastic Charlie Brown table cloth and dried top ramen, you can advance to the adult table and relish in your knowledge of all things adult and political. You
also gain a lot of points you wouldn’t otherwise have. You can’t get
an A without them, so do them.
In conclusion, while blogs aren’t always fun you have to do them, get over it and do them. Sometimes it will be the literal last thing you want to do, especially if you wait until Sunday to do the second one, but you need to do them. You’ll hit your stride and you’ll think nothing of them after a short while.
Good Night and Good Luck,
Emily M. Howard
Yo, AP GO PO newcomers! Going into senior year and taking AP Government and Politics over American Citizenship. Definitely a good choice! However, also know that this is not just a way to get out of a required class. Gov. was definitely not an easy class. Actually, let me rephrase that: Gov. was definitely an easy class only if you do the work and pay attention in class. I’ll be honest, the people that did not enjoy the class are the people who didn’t pay attention and didn’t take the class seriously. Ok, so there are some people who tried really hard, but still didn’t do so well, that will happen, but even then, they struggled through the class and took the AP test at the end of the year and felt really confident. So the first role of business is this: TAKE THE CLASS SERIOUSLY!! It’s not a slacker class (even though we did less work than American Citizenship…). It’s a different type of work.
I am supposed to tell you what I would do differently if I had to retake the class next year. Personally if I had to come back to Mt. Spokane for just one more class, I might just shoot myself—not because of the class, but because I would have to come back for one class. I don’t exactly have any regrets about this class, I did; however, learn some valuable lessons about studying—especially after the second and third unit test. The first unit is known as Constitutional Underpinnings, which is like the history of the Constitution, the type of government we have—very little nuances. Quite simple. I just slept through the first unit…DON’T DO THAT! It set me up for failure the second and third unit test, as I previously said. I got into this habit of not paying attention in the first unit and then missed major parts of the second and third unit. Yea, umm, not so good to do that, in fact I would highly advise you to stray away from that
Oh and just a side note: write down your assignments, especially when you have to do the blog, because it’s really easy to forget…
Look forward to senior year? And taking this class? I definitely got to laugh at the jokes made by Saturday Night Live skits and parodies made by people on television. Also, political cartoons make sense now, so instead of getting confused on the drawings I actually know what they mean and what they say! We even had the opportunity to make our own parodies of politics. Good stuff! Also in the class you get to watch the West Wing! Way good! After studying for the AP test, you get to watch a TV series for the rest of the year that is actually hilarious. Plus I actually understood what they were talking about!
It’s a way fun class, I’m way stoked I took it and even though its not that hard, you definitely learn a lot about politics, which is kind of important in the present world we live in. Well, have fun next year; enjoy it because it’s your last! …hopefully
Peace-
Danny Porter
Dear Class of 2009
First of all let me say to anyone who is thinking of not taking the class due to the summer assignment. The assignment is not difficult and just requires minimal effort from you a couple days a week. Second, by doing the summer assignment you will gain more knowledge of how our political system works and it will just prepare you that much more for the class.
In this class you will be exposed to the ways that our political system operates and what it takes from not only Congress and the Presidency, but the constituents to get things done. You will also learn about major cases in the Supreme Court that have shaped the rules that we follow today and allow for the freedoms that we take for granted. Also, the reasons why the framers made our political system based on a bicameral legislation and the impact that it has on the passing of bills and laws.
Some of the best qualities of taking this class is having Mr. Kautzman as a teacher. His style of teaching makes learning fun and almost never boring. One of my favorite parts of the class was the amount of tests that we take. We only took unit tests, which made them more important but made it so we did not have a test to take every other week. During the course of the class, you will also have assignments that are not only fun to put together and do, but more fun to watch later on. You will also gain a vast amount of knowledge of how are country works and operates, which is something I think of as a positive aspect of the class. However, one of the best aspects of taking this class is the fact that you end early. The class ends the first week of May and from May until graduation, you get to watch a show called the West Wing and other movies.
Some of the down sides of taking the class is the fact that you have to care. You can not just go through the class and not keep up with the reading and the work. This is because come test time it will show and affect your grade. You also have to put in some extra time come test time due to the large amount of information that you have to retain, but its nothing that should persuade you from taking the class. Other than that, there are not really to many things that I would consider a negative of taking this class.
If I could re-due the class over and change some aspects of what I did, I would change my study edict and the amount of time that I put into it. This is because I never spent that much time studying for tests and I know if I had, that my test grades would have been better. I would also have pushed myself more throughout the class to get down the amendments and court cases better. This is because the end of the year A.P test would have gone a little more smoother if I had spent more time trying to memorize the importance of them.
Other than that I don’t really have anything else to say about the class but then to take it and have fun. The class is a great experience and might just turn out to be your favorite class.
Sincerely,
Matthieu Curry
So, all you incoming seniors, there’s no question you about AP gov, you need to take it. Here’s a few pointers about the class. You probably won’t care, but hey it really is worth knowing.
Summer Assignment:
I didn’t do my summer assignment, and trust me the make up one sucks. You’ll end up asking yourself why you didn’t just take an hour or so a week and do the blog and reading assignment when you’re spending an exorbitant amount of time reading a book that you didn’t get to choose and doing blogs when no one else has to. It’s simple. Just do it!
Reading:
I know it’s easy to just decide not to complete the reading because hey you’ll talk about it in class, but really don’t abuse what Kautzman is giving you. He’s pretty nice I mean you don’t have to take notes for reading, and the concepts are usually fairly simple. If you have any problems with the material you’ll go over it in class. Don’t let the reading back up because in the end it really sucks trying to cram for a test. You’ll definitely regret it. I did it on a few chapters and it wasn’t fun when I had to spend my weekend reading all the stuff that I didn’t. Besides that the most reading you’ll get in a night is 10 pages. That’s ridiculously easy. For any of you that took AP US last year, you know what I’m talking about.
Blogs:
It’s plain and simple. Do the blogs! They are actually enjoyable. You get to choose what you read about, so choose something that’s interesting to you. You’ll end up learning a lot, so when someone mentions something like the stimulus package, or the economy you’ll actually know what they’re talking about. It’s really beneficial to be informed about these things. You’ll regret not do the blog assignments when everyone else in the class did them and you feel like the dummy because you have no idea what they are all talking about.
Studying:
The studying for this class isn’t too bad at all. You definitely need to know the material pretty well, but as long as you keep up on the reading you’ll be fine. Ask questions because what you’re asking about will most likely be on the test. Studying with a group can be helpful if you’re actually focused. That sounds impossible, but trust me it can be done and it makes the studying more enjoyable.
Extra Credit:
Take advantage of all of this. It pays off at the end of the semester if you have a borderline grade. The extra credit is usually pretty easy too. Do an extra blog, go to a movie night, or lecture. This isn’t too difficult, so just do it.
AP gov is a great class. You learn a lot, and it’s pretty lax compared to classes you’ve taken the past three years. So why not? Take an AP class it looks good on your transcript, and it’s really not any more difficult than citizenship, plus you’re done in May. You have a month to watch movies and the West Wing.
-Megan Vertullo
Dear Class of 2009,
You guys should be so excited to take this class, and I’m not just saying it so kiss up. If you work hard during the summer and the first nine months of school, you will be rewarded. You will feel so over prepared for this test it is not even funny. Anyways, here are some helpful hints that will help you along your way to being successful in AP GO PO next year.
My first piece of advice pertains to the summer project. It may seem hard and like a lot of work on your vacation, but it is so helpful, especially if you are someone who isn’t fluent in political knowledge. Personally, I was a little worried about entering this class because I didn’t know anything about politics. But, by doing the summer project, I became better educated and more prepared to start taking the class in the fall. Secondly, if Kautzman has you read a political novel of your choice during the summer, I would suggest reading “Hardball,” by Chris Matthews. It helped me a lot especially in my connections for the blog and it helped me with knowing some of the terminology that Kautzman uses throughout the year.
My second piece of advice is about class work itself. After the year begins, you will get the opportunity to do weekly blogs. Do them early. Don’t procrastinate. A lot of the times you will remember Sunday night, and by then it’s too late. Also, do your daily reading assignments. It isn’t that much but it really helps. You might not understand the material at first but by the time, you discuss it in class and ask a lot of questions, you will get it. Plus when you start reviewing for the AP test, the material will be really solid and concrete in your brain. The last piece of advice about class work I have for you guys is to read your lecture notes, and mark them up. If you don’t understand something ask. Kautzman is really good at explaining things. If you ask him, most likely he will know the answer. Also, if you ask a question write the answer down. Make detailed notes on your lecture notes, because when you go back over them at the end, you will be able to understand them, and won’t have to ask Kautzman the same question twice.
To me the hardest part about the whole class was staying motivated towards the end of the class, when AP test time was here. I really encourage everyone to stay motivated because it pays off in the end. Read the summaries and start going back over the lecture notes when Kautzman tells you too. If you stay on schedule you will be fine and well reviewed by the time the test rolls around.
Doing some of these things I have suggested will help you to be successful in class and on test day. I really loved this class and I felt that I was very well prepared for the test. Also by taking this class I believe that I am better prepared for college than I was before. Have fun next year guys. Work hard and you will be rewarded.
Good Luck Guys,
Alyssa Osterback
Dear soon to be seniors, definetely take Advanced Placement Government and Politics. It is a great class. Yes, the quizzes can prove to be almost impossible, but Kautzman knows what he is doing. He has provided plenty of opportunity (up to 100 points of extra credit) for you to rebound. He prepares you well for the test. If you pay attention in class and read your articles, then you will have no problem getting a good grade in the class. If you really don’t care and regret not taking american citizenship, then you probably won’t have too much fun in the class. The movie nights are great, and they get you usually 20 points extra credit. That is more than one missed blog. As far as “The West Wing” yes, you will watch it a lot, and you will learn to love it. If Kautzman does what he did to us again, then the jeopardy games, unlike other classes really are not good. If you win, then its all fine, because you get 100% on an assignment. If you lose, then whathe will do is give you a 20/30. You guys should probably ask him to change that. Also, the holiday songs project is a blast. Please do the summer assignment. It is almost an automatic really great start to the year by getting I think 300 easy, just time consuming points in the gradebook. Without it, then you have quite the hole to dig yourself out of. As for studying for the test, I think Kautzman prepares you incredibly good throughout the school year, so you might not need to review anything besides about an hour on units 1 2 and 3. Know the latin terms, because the AP board likes to be tricky and put them on the test. As for after the test is over, you can count on vegging out and watching movies or the West Wing every day, and the block day that had the bulk of your classes that used to be the harder of the two days will all of a sudden become the easier of the two. This next thing is very important. Please think about what you are going to post before you post it. We had a student this last year who decided to post the fist thing that came to his mind. When one is forced to write a response, this person posts whatever he feels like and always gets at least 10 responses dogging on his intellegence. If you don’t care about getting laughed at and want to see what people really think of you, then go ahead and post whatever provocative ideas come to your mind. If You do care, then chose your words wisely. I hope you guys have a great year, and chose to take this class. One bad thing I’m always finding out about this class is that he always puts a word count on assignments, like this one. I have to write this blog and it has to be 500 words. I could only write 468 without griping about this assignment.
Ok guys, welcome to your senior year, and congratulations for taking at least one AP class!!! I know there are a lot of questions that have to do with the ease / difficulty of the course. And what you need to know is that it is actually a relatively easy course to complete, if you put in the effort.
Do the summer assignment, as specified. It doesn’t take an obscene amount of time if you just make yourself sit down and do it. And don’t procrastinate on it. If you can get the reading done early, and blog as frequently as you can, your summer will still be free and open. There is also a distinct advantage to doing the summer assignment, because you will be up to date on current events when the class starts, and you will also be acclimated to the general procedures on how the class is run.
Once the class starts, I believe that you will find it highly enjoyable. Mr. Kautzman’s teaching style is very good, and very interesting. You will find that you are interested in the material, because it is relevant to our everyday life. What is really truly relevant is your enthusiasm (a.k.a. your effort) for the class. You put in the effort, you will be rewarded. If not, you will not do well. Common sense really.
The blogs. Do them. Blogs accumulate easy points that can be lost just as easily by neglecting to do them. It is ridiculous how simple and quick these are. You choose from an extensive list what you would like to write about, and then you give your opinions on the matter. But when you do forget to do them (as might frequently happen), you will find it helpful (I know I did) that there are blog recovery weeks to gain back those lost points.
When you are assigned reading for the night, you really should do it. Not only will you learn the subject material and retain better for the AP test, but when you have a quiz or discussions in class, you will feel good about knowing the material. We take practice tests and quizzes frequently, but I can honestly say that these are more difficult than the actual test that you will take in the spring. You will feel thoroughly prepared for it, and end up appreciating the difficult in class tests.
When it comes to the AP test, it is a chance to show off what you have learned in the class, and it is actually much easier than it sounds like. You will find that if you paid attention in the class and did your assignments and studied, you will do well.
And if you find yourself in a grade slump in the class, do not worry! Mr. Kautzman is king at extra credit to boost your grade. Even if you don’t need it, having good grades is always nice.
Senior year is amazing. Just don’t stop your focus early, and you will find that when you leave high school, you will feel like you accomplished something big. And again, congratulations on not quitting and taking an AP class.
~Liz
Dear Class of 2009,
First off, if you are seriously considering taking this class I commend you! This is no “easy class” but I think it was well worth it. I learned so much more than citizenship and my GPA wasn’t affected. This class can be survived if you are a terrible test taker but work your butt off. Turn EVERYTHING in on time. For the summer blog assignment, knock it out in the first six weeks, trust me, it makes the summer easier by not having it drag out. Choose one day (hopefully the ugliest day) to do all your blogs because that leaves you with the rest of the week to enjoy. This is when he can evaluate who is ready for the class and trust me you want to be ready! For the reading during the summer I didn’t find it very hard, go tan and read and keep notes on each chapter so it’s easier to write later on.
And if you work hard for an ‘A’ it really pays off by not having to do “extra assignments.” Every extra credit opportunity he gives, take advantage of it because the sooner you get your grade up the easier it is when it counts. I recommend “extra credit movie nights” because not only do you get to hang out eating popcorn with your friends and watch a movie, they are pretty good movies at that (“Thank You for Smoking” was an all time favorite, nice taste Kautzman).
My hardest struggle was definitely his reading quizzes and tests. I could take Cornell notes for hours recording anything important or study for weeks and still bomb them.. It’s ok; learn how to make up points in other ways. I turned in every assignment and did anything for extra credit so really it is partially your understanding of politics but a lot of it is how hard you work. Group studies are the best, best, best way to study in my opinion
Here is how to get out of a reading quiz. First you ask any question you can find from the chapter, but extended questions because if you can get Kautzman off on another tangent you can keep him going for a long time and lessen your chances of those quizzes of doom! But in no way rely on this tactic because you might not even get discussion time in class and you will have a lovely little 10 trap question quiz waiting for you on your desk. So read! I recommend dedicating a special little spot in your house where you drink tea or something pleasant so you think you enjoy it.
At that, don’t be shy in the class (at least not everyday)! You might not know as much as Jordon Shojl (yes I sat right next to that genius) but you can have input in the discussion and look at it from another view and if you don’t talk it’s hard for you to get those easy participation points.
Big mistake by my part was not being a pack rat. Save everything (even that amendments book mark) Kautzman gives you because it makes organizing your BIG BINDER way easier later on.
If you are looking to learn about politics what’s going on in the world and learn how to express yourself intelligently, this is the class to take. It was by far one of the hardest classes I’ve taken but the reward was well worth it. Especially with an new president about to arise. Good luck to all you future AP GO PO students!
-Caitlin Barschig
P.S If Kautzman seems cranky his wife is either pregnant again or he is in low supply of diet coke, so just buy him diet coke and he will perk up!
Dear Class of 2009,
A.P. Government and Politics. It sounds like a long name for a brutal thing, but it’s not too bad. I chose to take this class to get a little more involved and actually learn about politics, and that’s just what I did. Yes, it’s got the big “A.P.” tagged on front, but don’t get intimidated. I suggest taking the class. There are some very fun projects you’ll get to do like the winter songs project, which was my favorite. And next year is the election, a prime time to take the class because there are a lot of political happenings next year with some promising trips!
But back to the class. There is a lot of work; it isn’t a fly-by class. You do have to be very organized as well. The blog is the biggest thing for being organized. I suggest setting an alarm an hour before the blog is due to remind yourself that it is due so that you don’t miss the points. The blog is not hard or difficult; it is just something that seems to slip the mind until after the due date. It does seem tedious at times, but don’t worry it isn’t some daunting task. You blog for the summer project to get a little taste of what’s to come. The summer project does seem like quite a bit, but research the book you’re going to do your project on. I was lucky enough to get a book that wasn’t too bad. Actually I liked it. (Stupid White Men by Michael Moore.) Others weren’t so lucky and had to drag themselves through it. Research the book before you finalize your choice. Other work that you do is very beneficial and isn’t really all that much. At first it seems like a lot, but it really isn’t. You do a lot, and I mean A LOT of reading from your book. It isn’t difficult to understand, but you pretty much read your entire A.P. Government and Politics textbook. Also, don’t get behind in the reading, because you have reading quizzes. You may not have one everyday, but there’s a possibility that you do everyday. Also, asking if other periods had a quiz is not always the best choice because some periods may actually take the quiz if you didn’t. True, he usually has the classes that didn’t take the quiz, but you can’t always count on that. (There were days where third period didn’t have a quiz and first or fifth did. Third period did take the quiz later.) What I’m saying is that you need to do your reading.
The tests that you take are unit tests not chapter, so they’re over a bit more material than you may be used to, but they aren’t too bad. You do need to study a bit before hand, not just the night before. Especially the unit four test, it’s huge. And Kautzman prepares you very well for each test and the A.P. exam. If you’re not prepared it’s because you didn’t listen.
Other fun things we do in class are movie nights, they’re extra credit and we watch fun movies like Dave and My Fellow Americans, and some more political movies. We also watch the West Wing, which is an amazing show. Overall, the class is very fun and you get to learn and do a lot of interesting, creative things. Have fun!!
Sincerely,
Stephanie Semb
AP Government and Politics. Sounds kind of scary huh? Just the AP portion of the title tends to scare people off. However, this is one class that you should not be scared away from. The number one thing you need to know before entering this class is that you have to be willing to put in the time and effort.
Generally, the only homework you will ever get is 10 pages of reading tops. Added to that, you don’t have to take notes on it (like AP US did) however, you may want to because you can them use them on the reading quizzes. Even the quizzes though are easy, usually being multiple choice so if you did the reading you should know the answers. The best part though is that if the class has enough questions for discussion during class you will get participation points instead of having to take a quiz—so basically always have a question or two ready and you can really cut down on all those quizzes! The only other homework is a weekly blog assignment and those are really quite fun. You get to respond and post on articles put on this very blog (just like what you are reading now). Okay so they might not always be a ton of fun but these blogs are easy, I mean easy, points so make sure you do them. If you skip out on a few because you don’t think the points will make a difference you are very wrong.
The only really hard part about this class is the tests. You only have 4 tests all year long, but they are big ones. However, if you pay attention during class and do the reading they will be a piece of cake. The best part though is that there are no five paragraph essays. All you have to do is answer the questions, not write a novel or just rewrite a lecture onto paper with lots of flowery words; they just want you to answer the prompt. Just make sure you don’t wait until the night before the test to start studying because it will hurt you bad the next day.
Now let’s say you don’t do so well on a test or maybe you did forget to do a couple of blogs. First Mr. Kautzman gives you the opportunity to make up blog points on recovery blog weeks. Second, he gives lots of opportunities to get extra credit. The best options are when he has E.C. movie nights. On these you show up at school at around 7 and watch some sort of political film, and while several of them could put most people to sleep they are easy points. Plus, after the AP test all we do is watch movies and a lot of the West Wing (which you watch periodically throughout the year). You don’t have to do anything but I will say that the West Wing is not the most entertaining. Unless you like politics as much as Kautzman you probably will not be a fan.
The other tidbit that you have to know is to always bring a sweatshirt to class with you. Mr. Kautzman’s room is freezing and I mean cold enough to keep a polar bear cold, no joke. He’s from Alaska and he had the janitors turn the temperature of his room down below the rest. Trust me you will find no other room as cold as his in the entire school.
Yet, this class is not only a good class it also really does make you more aware and knowledgeable about politics. If you find yourself running to the paper or TV in the morning to find out what happened in the latest primary you know that this class has had an effect. So in case you are still wondering, you really should take AP Go&Po because it is one of the best classes you can take during high school.
Lindsey Devaney
2009-
If you really want to pass AP Government, bring Diet Coke to Kautzman every day. He will love you in a strange way, if nothing else. Actually one of the first things I struggled with was staying awake. So. Try to get 3rd or 5th period. Avoid first period. Like the plague.
Seriously though.
When he tells you to read, read. Not only READ, though, in fact, TAKE NOTES ON WHAT YOU READ. Half the time they aren’t required…but still it’s a good idea to take notes…especially ‘cause Kautzman can be a jerk and impose SURPRISE quizzes at random…and his quizzes aren’t particularly a walk in the park. Sometimes even when I read I didn’t remember it well enough to actually utilize the knowledge “gained.”
You will learn, if you haven’t already. Just ‘cause you’re a senior now, and maybe have a comfortable ride (credits wise) through the year, doesn’t mean you can decide to not pass government and politics. It’s a requirement. If you didn’t know.
It’s not a particularly demanding class.
But you can get easily distracted and overrun if you’re not paying attention (trust me, I would know). Luckily though, Kautzman gives many opportunities for extra credit. None of which are very hard to achieve. Except, for, if he decides that movie night should include some 3-hour documentary on gun control… If you can help it? Stay as far away from that movie as you can. Go to National Treasure, instead.
If I could do one thing differently, I suppose, I would study more. The unit tests (he doesn’t test on individual chapters… he gives huge tests that are near 300 points and take up a significant amount of % in your grade). Studying takes about two weeks, then we take a test and write an essay. Each and every time. He tells us to study, he offers to come in anytime to answer questions. If you want him to talk, all you have to know, is what to ask. “THE ONLY STUPID QUESTION IS THE QUESTION NOT ASKED!”
That kind of thing.
And.
Summer assignment.
I don’t know if he ever actually read mine. But I did it. And it was a pain in the butt.
Though, if you’re like me, and decided halfway through the summer to take A.P. Government and Politics, he’ll have options for those who get in late. So don’t overstress if you missed a few weeks of blogging. Kautzman is pretty reasonable when it comes to that kind of stuff.
Also, the class is two semesters long. If you wimp out about the A.P. test halfway through, flee. Flee like the coward you are.
Dear class of 2009,
Whatever assignment Kautzman gives out that particularly annoys you (I’m sure there will be at least one), just remember that your friends in Citizenship are probably doing a lot more busy work and you, in the end, have the better deal.
One of the most useful tips, I think, anyone can give about AP GoPo is to stay organized and keep EVERYTHING Kautzman gives you unless he specifically says you don’t have to keep it. This will save you a lot of headache when it comes time to do the AP review binder. However, if, like so many of us, you lose things along the way every handout you’ll ever receive will be downloadable on the website.
When you’re absent/sick/car broke down/lost in the Goby desert, don’t ask Kautzman what you missed while you were gone. Check the website. Everything will always be on the website. If you do ask Kautzman, he will usually direct you there anyway. Also, remember to bring your materials to class every day or it will cost you participation points.
Don’t let the “blog recovery weeks” give you a reason to procrastinate. Stay current every blog week as often as possible because it takes THREE posts during recovery week to equal the points you could have already gotten by doing it when it was actually assigned. If you don’t skip the blog a lot, it is possible to not do the blog recovery weeks and still get the grade you want by going to the extra credit movie nights. Even if you don’t need the points, they’re a fun community event. Bring popcorn and oreos. Movie nights are the only time you will ever be too warm in Kautzman’s room.
Which brings me to my next tip. If you didn’t grow up in Alaska and are actually not a big fan of winter, be sure you’re wearing the appropriate attire during class in the cold months. Several times I substituted a sweatshirt on days when a heavier jacket would have been more appropriate and was both miserably cold for an entire block day but also had a really hard time staying awake, which had no relation to what Kautzman was talking about but it probably looked that way.
When studying for unit tests and you’re not sure what exactly you should focus on, the website for our textbook has some great resources. Taking the practice tests on the site is a fairly accurate diagnostic of your mastery of the material, however this only helps with the fill in the blank and multiple choice section of the test. However, if you pay attention in class and do your nightly reading, you will never come across a free-response question that you have no idea how to answer. The review books Kautzman keeps in the back of the classroom are also great study tools for both the AP test and unit tests.
I have complete confidence that you, the class of 2009, will do fine in Kautzman’s class. You’re a smart bunch of cookies. Don’t worry. Enjoy the ride.
-Frances Dinger
Welcome class of 09!
You are about to experience one of the best classes at Mt. Spokane, and although it may not look like it now, you will be extremely glad that you took AP Government at the end of the year.
To start off with, the summer project may seem like it’s a lot of work and your going to lose your whole summer devoted to working on in, NOT TRUE. Reading a book really isn’t that bad and you’ll get some knowledge out of it anyways. If you start reading as soon as school gets out you could read a couple pages a day the rest of the summer and finish before school starts, or it doesn’t hurt to save a 650 page book to the last week of summer. Then there’s the blog assignment, yes it seems to also be a waste of time and something that is going to take up your summer, but really it’s actually quite interesting. You are able to get caught up on issues that you otherwise would know nothing about. The blog also enables you to get your opinion out and learn what opinions your fellow classmates have. So as far as the summer project goes, just do it, you’ll be much happier in the fall when your grade benefits all your hard work, because yes, you do get graded for it.
Now your wondering how you’re going to manage this class once school starts and I’m sure there are many questions rolling through your head. How much time will I have to devote to this class? Will I be able to keep up with all the work? How much will I really learn? Is Mr. Kautzman a nice teacher? To put your mind at ease, I will start off by saying, yes, Mr. Kautzman is a great teacher and very easy to get along with if you simply do what he asks, which most of the time is not that much. As far as homework and time goes, you will come to find that it is very minimal and very easy to get done. Homework usually consists of reading 10-15 pages a night and only taking notes if you wish to do so. I would suggest taking notes because they enable you to really understand what your reading and you are allowed to use them when you are given a quiz over the reading the next day. On top of reading, there is a blog assignment just about every week, but again, it really isn’t too bad. If you simple make you posts and replies on time, you will get an easy 30 points every week. Blogs are the one thing that are really easy and can help keep the grade you want. So although it may seem kind of annoying to do two blogs a week, just do them and you will be glad you did.
When it comes to tests and how to prepare for them in this class, I guess it depends on your test taking skills and studying habits. The tests are hard, not going to lie, but if you prepare for them well enough, you could manage to do pretty well on them. Just note that you need to prepare for them well in advance, they are not the kind of tests you can study for just the night before.
This is a simple run through of the class and what to expect, don’t worry, you’ll make it through, trust me. It half the students that were in it this year could make it, you can. When the time for the AP Test comes around in May you will be more than ready to take it and be done with AP GOV and watch movies each day for the rest of class, but most of all you will look back and realize that you have learned so much and be so glad that you decided to stick with it and take the class.
Best of luck!!!
Dear Class of 2009,
AP Government and Politics might seem like an intimidating name, but it isn’t. If you do your work, stay organize, and participate, this class will become one of your favorite classes. First of all, do not wimp out of the class because of the summer assignment. Yes it might seem like a lot of work to do over summer break, but it really is not that bad. All you have to do is take about an hour or two of your day once a week and write a few blogs on current events. The blog is a lot of fun because you get to write your own opinion about the particular issue and get to write your own responses on other people’s opinions. It is not like a typical assignment where you have to answer the questions, it is basically a free write. Along with the blog you will have to read a political novel and write a report about it. Again, this assignment is not difficult you just have to do it. Do not procrastinate or this assignment will become difficult and could ruin the last few days of your summer. All I have to say is do the summer assignment, it is not difficult, they are easy points, just take a few minutes of your summer and do it.
This class is not hard, you can get a really good grade in this class if you do your work. The nice thing about this class is if you do horrible on a test or a quiz, you can boost your grade back up by extra credit. Kautzman gives out a ton of extra credit that will help your grade immensely and they are easy points to get. All you have to do is go to the movie nights and watch the West Wing or you could go to a lecture that only requires a page of notes and a page summary. Of course there is a catch, you can only receive a maximum of 100 extra credit points, but either way those hundred points could save your grade.
Every night Kautzman will give you a reading assignment. My advice for you is to do it! If you become lazy and decide not to read the ten pages, then life is going to be more difficult for you because putting off the reading will increase your homework load and when it comes to test time you will not remember much from that chapter if you cram it all in your head in one night. Another thing, do not procrastinate on studying for the tests. Kautzman’s tests are hard and if you wait the night before to study for it, I guarantee you will not pass the test. Kautzman’s test has a lot of material in it and it requires more than one night to study for it. The nice thing about his tests are that when you take the actual AP test, the questions are really easy to answer. When I took the test I thought the multiple choice questions were a breeze to answer. So put in the time to study and do your homework.
Overall AP GO PO is an awesome class to take. I learned a lot about our government and this class became one of my favorite classes. Kautzman is a great teacher and you will have a lot of fun in the class.
Dear Class of 2009,
I’m going to start by saying that I was an idiot. Yes, you heard me right.
Most of you know me pretty well. I run around with a great majority of you and have actually advised many of you to take this class before.
HOWEVER, this does not mean I did my best in the class, nor does it mean that I particularly enjoyed all of it.
The summer assignment didn’t sound like a big deal to me. Something to do when I had the time. But I soon realized that “when I had the time” wasn’t actually an accurate phrase. “When I had the time” turned into “You need to MAKE the time”, because I quickly began to fall behind in blogs and reading. I wasn’t keeping up and therefore was lacking in knowledge against my peers. (By the way, if you really can’t decide on a book, Hardball was a GREAT book. Of all the novels off of Kautzman’s list I could have chosen, this one was a book I didn’t mind making time for). So KEEP UP and DO the assignment for summer!
I’m going to toss some on-topic and off-topic tips at you in this letter to make things a whole lot less stressful. I wish I had advised myself in this fashion before the year started. :p
1)
Kautzman keeps his room cold on PURPOSE. As Francis’ letter stated, don’t be stupid and wear a t-shirt and shorts in January to Kautzman’s class. (Though, why you would wear a t-shirt and shorts in January is still beyond me) Make sure you have a sweatshirt or jacket on hand before his class.
2)
As Kelsea said, don’t start your morning bright and early with a piping hot cup of AP Government and Politics. It won’t wake you up. Trust me. This class requires thinking, and as stubborn as you want to be in telling me that you are a “morning person”, you WILL NOT be quick-witted enough to keep up first thing in the morning.
5th period was a relatively nice place to put this class. I enjoyed it in that slot because I actually had brain power left from the day.
3)
Don’t be one of those people who consistently take things personally and complains about people’s blog responses to your friends. It’s the INTERNET. The ever popular phrase for this is: Arguing over the internet is like the Special Olympics. Even if you win, you are still retarded. (I know, bad reference, but it’s true)
Don’t be posting and re-posting to one person about how much you hate their views and they must be COMPLETELY wrong and NOTHING they say will get them anywhere, then proceed the next day to complain to your friends about the whole thing. Especially if the person you were talking to online is in your class. Don’t be dumb.
4)
When Kautzman gives you review days for tests, USE THEM. His tests are no walk in the park. They depend on your hard work concerning the material, so ditzin’ around and drawing pictures on your math book cover is not a smart way to go about it in this class. Use the review days to ask questions, get clarification on terms, etc. Make sure you know this material like the back of your hand, because it’ll count on the AP if you choose to take it.
5)
The information that is given in the reading is valuable. It always counts. It’s not just something you can put off until the end of the week. There could be a surprise quiz or he may call on you randomly to help explain a term or idea. Keep up on the reading, take notes, do the assignments. You slack, you slip. Don’t let your grade fall apart because you just didn’t want to do something one night.
6)
When Kautzman says the word “test” he means TEST. Like I said earlier, his tests are no walk in the park. They aren’t easy; they rack your brain for knowledge. Use what you know! Impress him! Show off! You have extra research done on Gibbons vs. Ogden? Take the free response and tear it apart! Show him you did your work. Don’t be ashamed to make yourself look like a brainiac. Again, this will come in handy during the AP.
7)
DO THE EXTRA CREDIT.
If you do badly on said test, or forget one week to do your blog, this extra credit will ALWAYS help in the long run. If you want, max it out! Don’t just do the minimum. The movie nights are actually a lot of fun. Sometimes I even liked the movies so much as to go out and buy them!
Honestly, there is a lot more I can tell you. But these hints (hopefully) will get you through a lot of the class. It’s easy, if you make it easy.
Good luck!
Seniorily yours,
Brynna Soth
Class of 2009,
If you’re one of those kids wondering if you should be taking this class, don’t give it another question. Although I’d personally had my struggles through the year, this class was very much worth the while of taking it. Don’t worry about the AP test being hard, or the work catching you when you’re not ready for it.
First things first: the summer project. It may be a little different for your class, but we had to pick our own political book and write somewhat of an essay/summary on it. This is a great way for an introduction into the class. As long as you stay on op of your reading and don’t procrastinate it until those last couple of weeks, you should do fine. The second part is the blog assignment. You have to do so many blogs and responses throughout the summer, with a certain amount each week. I personally waited the longest I could, and still didn’t get full points, but got by. The blogs may seem tedious and stupid at first, but you guys are so lucky. The 2008 Presidential Election will be just around the corner as you start these blogs and you might find yourself in some pretty intense battles between you and your classmates.
Next would have to be the starting half of the school year. As the class gets underway, you will find you have quite a good amount of reading and comprehending you will have to do. DON’T FORGET TO READ! Reading the book and assignments as you’re supposed to will lead you to success further down the road. Whether it is on assignments and reading quizzes, or the unit and AP tests, you will be ready after reading. I’m sure you guys will get to do lots of cool activities with the election being at the stat of the school year so don’t slip up and miss any extra credit opportunities.
Extra Credit. This can really save your life in the class, or maybe give you that little cushion you’ve been looking for. Things such as extra credit movie nights are what you’re looking for. You come to the school one school night. You sit there in Kautzman’s class and watch a movie. Oh, you sign your name on a sheet of paper and bang! 25 extra credit points. Not too bad. There will be other things such as the lectures given down at Whittworth and more, which you can get more points from.
The second half of the year really is just cramming for the AP test. Yes, you will have some 500-point test which is your only test for the semester, but other than that you are studying the entire time. You finish that last test and study for the AP test for about a month. This includes multiple practice AP test, both free response and multiple choice. Don’t miss out on these. Not only do they help you to get ready for the test, but they have a good chunk of participation points involved as well.
It’s true that you may get sick of it all, but don’t give up on it. Personally, there was a lot I did not understand at first, and didn’t want to continue into the second semester. But I pushed through it, and when we began to review for the AP test, I began to really understand the material, and saw my practice test scores improving. A good plus is after the test. It isn’t like Schultz’s class where you sit in silence, not being allowed to breath. No, after the AP test, you get to kick back and relax as you watch a lot of good movies and a ton of West Wing, a very good show. Don’t ever worry about struggling through the class and not understanding because Kautzman will be there to help you when you need it. So take a chance and take AP Government and Politics. It’s worth your while and you will learn an absolute ton about the government, while having fun doing it.
Sincerely,
Chad Blashill
Dear Class of ’09,
AP Government and Politics may seem like a beast of a class, but it really isn’t too bad. The class is definitely a lot of work, but you will be more than prepared for the actual AP exam. I think that the summer project is probably the worst part of the whole entire class.
The tests are extremely hard, but don’t stress too much over them. You don’t have to ace all of the tests to get an A in the class. The tests will prepare you for the AP exam because they are much more difficult than the actual exam. Even if you don’t do well on the tests, you need to continue to study for the tests. I thought that I was going to bomb the AP exam up until we started taking practice AP exams because I didn’t do so hot on the tests, but I learned that I was very well prepared. Just taking the test will help you so much with taking the AP exam.
Homework is very important if you plan on doing well in the class. The good homework scores will help to make up for the poor test scores. Don’t worry if you miss a blog because there will be weeks where you can do make-up blogs. I don’t necessarily recommend going this route though because you will be writing three blogs for every one missed blog. In addition, when you write your blogs, for your sake, write about articles you have actually read- don’t make stupid comments. People love to have easy responses and so they will make sure you know just how stupid your comment was. Also, you will have a target on your back for the rest of the blogs because people will recognize that they don’t have to work too hard to respond to your comments. All in all, the homework isn’t too bad and after a while the blogs are really easy to write. Also, every now and again you will be given fun assignments too.
Pay attention to the class discussions. I wish I would have paid more attention to the first semester discussions. You can learn a lot just from listening. The discussions really help to clarify the readings. Also, by listening to what Mr. Kautzman has to say you can usually know what the “Big Ticket” items are because he will talk about them a lot.
There will be many opportunities to gain extra credit points. Movie nights are a lot of fun because most of the movies are at least semi-interesting and you get to hang out with your friends. Whitworth lectures aren’t too bad either. The professors typically talk about current events and you can learn a lot.
If you take this class and put some effort into it, you will almost be guaranteed college credit. You may have a summer assignment, but you won’t have to work until the end of your senior year like the citizenship students. Instead, you will be finished with work in May, which is extremely nice because I’m sure that by then you will have senioritis.
Good Luck!
Brittany Urso
Dear Incoming Seniors,
First of all, you are making a good choice in taking this class, it will be challenging but in the end you will look back and be happy you took the course. It’s going to be an exciting year.
Summer Assignment: Make sure you do a good job on both the book project and the blog otherwise you will start with a bad grade and it will be hard to make it up. It’s really not that hard to do all he is asking of you. Trust me it’s not going to ruin your summer. The book is the easiest part, so just get it done. Now, don’t forget to do the blogs, even during the school year, if you do forget them it will really hurt you. One other thing about the summer assignment is it’s a warm-up to the class so don’t take it lightly. Do not let this summer assignment scare you out of taking this class though, I promise you it’s worth it, you will be prepared for the school year.
Nightly Reading: Make sure you do this, I can’t stress this enough. One other thing that I found out really helps is if you take notes over the reading you can use them on the quizzes, these quizzes can either really hurt your grade or help it. That’s why you have to make sure you do the reading and if it helps take notes, it will benefit you. Taking notes can also benefit you because you can remember a lot more questions from when you were reading, this will help you to get out of many reading quizzes.
Blogs: Like I said before, make sure you do them. Also try to do a quality gob with them, otherwise Kautzman will start to grade them harder and you will lose point which sucks, I really know this one. One other thing, don’t wait till the last minute in case something does come up with your blog.
Tests: Do the best you can. Really, I got C’s on all of the tests first semester and still wound up with an A. The tests your are given are pretty hard but they really do prepare you for the AP Test at the end of the year, seriously the AP test is a lot easier after taking all of the tests he gives you. Don’t freak out about the test, but don’t take them lightly either. Study hard and do what you are capable of, if you do well on everything else in the class you should be alright which is really good.
I think those are the major points, when you are in this class you just really have to work at it, it’s not a class you can be lazy in. Another thing, Extra Credit- take advantage of all extra credit opportunities, the extra points will really help your grade. It’s an easy way to get back lost points. One other thing, really study for the AP Test so you don’t do all this work for nothing. You want to make sure you get credit for the AP Test if you take it.
Nick McMurray
Dear Class of 2009,
Alrighty then; AP Government and Politics, what to say? First I would console everyone about summer project. It may seem like a lot of work to do during your precise summer but trust me, it’s worth it. You can do less then an hour a day for a couple weeks (I know none of you are thaaat busy). Also the project is extremely worthwhile. You can come into class the first day know what the heck you’re talking about and ready to argue points with your classmates and K-Dog. Also you don’t have to study as much for the tests because you can learn a lot of terms by reading the articles and posting (the book may be boring and long but put up with it.). Its good to be politically informed, especially since some of you will be able to vote in November in once of the most crucial elections ever. You understand the news, what your parents are talking about and why their worried about things like the recession, etc.
The good would definitely be having K-Dog teaching the class. Daily updates on the news, Presidential race and other worldly issues are always an interesting treat, seeing as he somehow knows just about everything. It keeps you informed and update in an entertaining way. If anyone watches the Daily Show with Jon Stewart (which you should if you don’t!) its like that everyday. haha Also the day after the AP test is over and you are just sick of school and wanting to graduate, guess what, you don’t do anything in the class. You sit and talk and watch the west wing (which you will become addicted too). It’s an easy way to relax and finish up some homework you have in other classes. You work extremely hard all year long, so the break is well deserved. Another fun thing you get to do is your “Holiday Songs Project”. Getting together with friends and making music videos is well…definitely something you won’t forget.
The bad and ugly would be his tremendously, ridiculously hard tests (Unit 4 in particular is a real killer). His tests are worth a lot and you only have a couple so study hard (Warning on Unit 4 again!). But these tests will help you because after getting through his test, the AP test really is a breeze and you know a lot more.
So in my advice to you for surviving this class: DO YOUR WORK. Do your reading every night, ask questions and talk to Kautzman. If he sees that you really are trying he’ll be more willing to help you. Also if you keep up on your reading, discussions, daily quizzes and tests will be a lot easier. I know its senior year, but don’t let senioritis get to you until after the AP test. Also do your summer project completely because if you don’t you going to start with your grade already in the whole and that is a b**** to get out of. Also, for anyone who is worrying this will make your lose your 4.0 or other grade point average. It won’t (if you do work of course). I had a 4.0 and was worried I wouldn’t come out with it. Kautzman is a cool teacher (as long as his wife doesn’t have another kid ) and will help you where you need it. I would take this class over in a heartbeat…but I would definitely keep up on my reading and study for my tests before the night before. Lol You have lots of fun projects, interesting arguments and great times ahead. So have fun your senior year!! Get your work done and then go play it’s an awesome year and this class does rock!
Sincerely,
Shauna Johnson
The good the bad and the ugly huh! Well let’s begin with the summer assignment. Bloging and reading when you would much rather be out in the sun playing (I must say that was both bad and ugly) but its what you have to do. Just do it. Of course since I brought up the “blog” I must get out my own personal complaints about it. I hated the blog, I always forgot about it, and so, often didn’t do it. When I did the assignment it seemed like a waste of time (though it did keep me fairly updated on current events). SO to future AP GO PO students: set an alarm, write on your hand, write in your planner, tell you mom to remind you, what ever you have to do to remember, make sure you don’t forget because it will kick the crap out of your grade.
I guess I should talk about the tests next. They’re really difficult. Don’t plan on cramming the night before because it won’t work, don’t plan on cheating off your neighbor because Kautzman knows everything and don’t plan on skipping the test day because it will be way harder when you eventually take the test. Basically if you want to do well in this class you have to work for it.
Though Kautzman’s tests were really hard, I must say the actual AP test didn’t seem that difficult. I guess that’s because Kautzman really prepares you for it. It is one AP test that anyone can be successful at. The way to do your best in the AP test is to always keep in mind that everything you learn in class could be on it, so slacking off for one unit or even one chapter can be fairly detrimental to your success on the actual test. Don’t fall asleep, pay attention, it can actually be very interesting.
I guess now is the time when I tell you future students why I enjoyed AP gov. First of all I learned a lot of information that will be very relevant in life. Unlike a lot of classes you take in high school (the ones that really have no benefit for you what so ever) this class teaches you about things you will encounter in life. People who go their whole lives being politically ignorant, are what’s wrong with America. They complain about everything, yet do nothing. This class in an opportunity to learn and not be that person. So don’t be the person who didn’t vote but complains about the president, or the person who is ill informed and goes with the rest of the crowd. I hate to say it but we are the future, so don’t screw it up for everyone else and be the idiot who helped start World War III.
On a lighter note, enjoy the class, keep ahead, do the blogs and have fun your senior year of high school. It flies by fast.
Malz Brown
Hey Class of 2009!!
Ah, Advanced Placement Government and Politics…what a class! You may not know it now, but by the end of the school year, you are going to be extremely glad that you took this class.
To begin your journey through AP GO PO, there is the summer assignment…MAKE SURE THAT YOU DO THIS!! You will get such a head start in the class it will definitely be a reward. For me, I didn’t know a thing about government and politics but by doing the summer reading and blogs, I started September off with a pretty good knowledge of what was going on and even what was to be expected. Plus, by doing the summer project, you earn yourself a great chunk of points right off the bat!! Reading a political book over the summer really isn’t that bad. Do your research on the book list and make sure you find a book that you’re going to enjoy or it’s not going to be that fun. If you pace yourself all throughout summer, it will be a lot easier than you think. Oh! The wondrous world of blogging! This may seem like tedious work that takes up your sunbathing time, but really, you’re going to want to do it. It really is fascinating to find out what’s going on around you and your little world. And to give your opinion on a subject that you may feel strongly about is very empowering. You also get a little “food for thought” by reading your classmates’ opinions.
Now for the actual class; I’ll start off by saying Mr. Kautzman is possibly one of the COOLEST teachers around! No joke! He makes everything so interesting and gets you to want to learn more by putting his personality out there to add tons of humor and spunk. Surprisingly, you could find yourself having a blast in the class just because of Mr. Kautzman. He is extremely easy to get along with and pretty understanding. And now for the big kahuna…the class work. All I have to say about that is reading, reading and more reading. As long as you keep up with the assigned reading, you are good to go. During almost every class, you go over the previous night’s reading and get a chance to ask any questions you may have. Every now and then, there is an occasional study guide that goes along with the chapter or you’re required to take notes over a section but that’s really it. And if you think that you’ve escaped the “horrors” of blogging, you’re wrong! Just jokes! Pretty much every week, you have a small blog assignment but once you get into the rhythm of things, it’s really not all that bad. Usually you have to write one blog and one response to a classmate’s blog or sometimes you have to do two responses. And personally, I think it was really fun disagreeing with people!! If you keep up with your blogging, it gets you easy points weekly and you’ll be able to manage or achieve the grade you want.
When it comes to the tests, just make sure you study…and not just a quick glance at your stuff the night before. Honest to goodness, if you start studying a couple days before hand, you will do much better. Personally, I always thought the tests were pretty darn hard, I’m not going to lie but you’re always given plenty of preparation so take advantage of it. And here is where the reading will come back to haunt you if you aren’t up to speed. So once again, make sure you are reading.
Around Christmastime, you do a “kick-butt” project that I’m sure you’re going to absolutely love…but I’m not going to spoil it for you!
Well, that was AP GO PO in a nutshell. Really, there is no reason for you to freak out when it has finally hit you that you’ve signed up for this class. You will survive, I promise!
Peace!!
Leslie Larson
Future Victims,
Seriously, you might die in this class. Okay, not really. Okay, this class was alright. Okay, Honestly, I really liked AP Government, seriously. Yes, it is a lot of work and yes the tests are fairly difficult. But you learn important life lessons that you can apply to each and every “real life situation”. Okay maybe not every situation but the cool part about this class is how much you actually do learn. I felt more prepared for this AP test than any other test I’ve taken hands down. And I know that no one wants to be preached to about how cool it is to learn and all those clichés about how awesome knowledge is but after taking the class I can actually say with some certainty that I will actually remember everything I learned. It’s not a boring, memorization, pointless class. Kautzman genuinely cares about how much you’re retaining and I assure you that if you apply yourself at all you will learn everything you need.
The Good. Have I mentioned you actually learn in this class? Okay, but seriously this class is great because you go so far in just a year that you are not only thoroughly prepared for the AP test but you actually sound intelligent when you talk about politics. Actually I have a confession- and I know this is extremely geeky- but I was actually excited for the AP test. I went into the test with so much confidence that it was a complete breeze. Other good things about the class… the discussions were really cool because you brought up a current event or a topic or anything really and just talked about it until you actually understood it. Also, I liked how much review time we got before unit tests. It really shows you what you know and what you need to study. Particularly, I loved playing Jeopardy and doing the Holiday Songs Project. Also there are always extra credit opportunities. Movie nights are really easy ways to make up lost points. Also Mr. Kautzman is very available for help. He is way too prompt with his e-mail, is always there before school and even takes home phone calls. His life is pretty much politics, which is kind of sad but conveniently helpful. Plus you get to watch The West Wing after the AP test and get points for it which pretty much makes my day.
The Bad. It’s a lot of reading. Your expected to read about 5-8 pages each night and sometimes its just doesn’t get done. You either hope there is not a reading quiz or pretty much bomb a reading quiz. If you see yourself doing the latter of the two, its okay. My quiz average was an F and I still easily got an A in the class as well as an A test average. Blogs, urg. They are easy points as long as you do them. Sometimes its hard to remember or your just super busy but all in all they are easy points. There’s really not that much bad stuff about the class. It is a lot of work, but like I said it’s very do-able and missed assignments and points are very easy to make up.
The Ugly. Mr. Kautzman likes to keep his room at the pleasant temperature of a giant mass of ice floating somewhere around Antarctica so be prepared for that. Okay it sounds a little dramatic, but literally here friends, its freezing.
There’s nothing I would change; it was a great class that I really enjoyed taking. I would highly recommend it to all upcoming seniors. You do not have to be an “honors” student to take this AP class and do well. Just dress warm, man up, and take it.
xoxoxoxoxoxo
Callie Bergstrom
Hey all you new Mt. Spokane seniors
If you guys are hesitating to take this class, DON’T! This class may seem tough from things that you have heard from past seniors and Mr. Kautzman may seem somewhat intimidating, but the truth is the class really isn’t that bad and Kautzy’s bark is way worse than his bite, and his bark isn’t even bad. Anyways all you have to do is read this survival guide and learn from my mistakes and you will be totally fine and pass this class next year.
First of all DO THE SUMMER ASSIGNMENT! Get the year of AP Government going on the right foot. In all honesty the summer reading assignment isn’t bad. I would advise that you get things started early though because I procrastinated quite a bit and did the whole book assignment the last two weeks before it was due. The blogs are actually really easy to do and are not that time consuming. Especially if you have a kid such as Cody Caster in the class that hardly ever knows what he is talking about. These are also something that you want to keep up on because if you fall behind they will start to pile up and it will hurt. Really just keep up with things during the summer and you will be fine, and don’t worry there will still be plenty of time to do whatever you want.
Secondly DO YOUR READING THROUGHOUT THE YEAR! There really is no homework in this class besides the nightly reading which is usually not that long, maybe eight pages at the max. This is one of those mistakes that I was talking about earlier. There were way way to many times that I put off the reading and started to fall behind. This is bad because there is a good chance of having a quiz on the previous nights reading, which if you read are really easy and are never any longer than ten questions. You also want to read the lecture notes that Kautzman hands out every once in a while. It is pretty much the most important things that are covered in that chapter all in one packet of notes. My last bit of advice in this section is to borrow one of Kautzman’s review text for each chapter test. These are really good for review and then once you have reread the chapter in one of those they have multiple choice questions at the end of the chapter that you could use to your advantage. These review texts also become very handy when trying to review for the AP test in May.
Also TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EXTRA CREDIT! There are several times each semester where Mr. Kautzman as extra credit movie nights. These are a really nice way to get some extra points because they are actually good movies, not something that you have all watched in past history classes, they are not documentaries or anything like that. There are also some other times where you can go to a lecture and take notes. I never actually attended one of these but some people enjoyed going to these. I actually maxed out my extra credit points with just movies first semester so if your not the lecture type movies are your best choice.
OK so recapping what I have taught you – GET YOUR SUMMER PROJECT DONE, READ THE NIGHTLY READING ASSIGNMENTS (cant stress that one enough), AND GO TO THE EXTRA CREDIT MOVIES! Trust me when I tell you that if you follow this guide you will find this class very easy and you will question why you hesitated to take the class in the first place. If you are still hesitating to take the class try rereading this guide and see if I persuade you the second time through, and if not just know that Kautzman is an awesome teacher and will help you out with any problems you are having. Really, forget what everyone else says, Kautzman is a good guy.
Good Luck,
Powlesy
So I am guessing you have heard relatively good things about the class already… from my experience, most of the seniors who took AP Gov this year really liked it, I being one of them. In fact this was probably one of my favorite classes at Mt. Spokane. But there are definitely a few things anyone about to take Kautzman’s class should probably know:
1. Do the summer assignment! It makes or breaks your first semester grade. It sucks, I know. But just keep in mind that while you may be having to do some work in the summer, you won’t be doing anything in class except watching The West Wing come the first week of May, when the AP test is, so it pretty much evens out.
2. I don’t know if Kautzman is going to show the movie “The War Room” to you guys next year or not, but if he does be sure to be there for those days because that movie is AWESOME. No joke.
3. Go to the extra credit movie nights. Easiest points you will ever earn in any class ever.
4. Go to Kautzman’s book shelf and ask if you can borrow the book “All Too Human: A Political Education” by George Stephanopolous. You won’t regret it. Assuming I remember to give it back to him…it is currently in the trunk of my car…
5. Look forward to the Holiday Songs project.
6. Do the blogs throughout the year. Those points really add up. And again, the blogs are easy points and you will get pretty good at them anyways. You will eventually be able to whip out a couple decent blogs in like fifteen minutes. They are typically due at midnight, and I can’t even remember how many times I started writing one at 11:45…
7. Don’t write things about Kautzman on the reader board in the commons. Even if they are really nice, kind, thoughtful things. He won’t appreciate it.
8. Keep your papers. Towards the end of the year Kautzman will spring some crazy notebook checks worth negative points on you. And by negative points I do mean that if you have a completed notebook, you get no points, you just lose points if you don’t do it. It was ridiculous. And I definitely did not keep any assignments and notes and whatnot, so I had to go on his website and re-print like 1,000 papers.
9. Have a winter jacket handy for days you have his class.
10. When it starts getting toward the end of the year, you aren’t going to want to show up for class any more let alone review for the AP test, but you should really be sure to start reviewing the material a little bit every night starting a couple weeks before the test… that way you won’t have to cram the night before. And that “night before” will probably be the night after prom and you will be tired and it will suck. I know from experience.
11. Basically just enjoy yourselves though. Talking politics is fun, Kautzman is fun, the class is fun, senior year in general is fun… just enjoy it.
To the class of 2009:
As you consider the courses that you would like to fill your senior schedule with, AP Government may or may not appeal to you… I highly recommend that you take it, however, regardless of your initial impression or doubts. It adapts well to most every student with at least some level of intellectual capacity because of the subject matter, course work, and of course the teacher. If you seek a challenge, the assignments are very open and allow for you to push yourself by reading additional materials and articles or responding on the blog with more sophistication and analysis. Mr. Kautzman readily opens himself up to questions and discussions that provide insight and opportunity. He will respond to your emails quickly and comes into class extremely early almost every day. If you put effort into an assignment, he will most certainly return the favor. I was immediately impressed by how quickly and yet thoroughly he examined the summer assignment chapter summaries from all his class sections.
On the other hand, the class isn’t nearly as demanding as some other AP history classes you might be familiar with or know about from their reputation. The friendly and chill environment of Government welcomes students from all backgrounds. Even if you have not taken an AP class before, don’t be afraid to make this your first one. While the pace is rather quick, you will have plenty of time to review and then to relax after the test. There is a lot of time in class to go over readings and talk through concepts, asking questions and bouncing ideas off your classmates about not only the immediate unit, but also current events in politics. You will learn about your ideology and opinions, and the class provides a medium for keeping up to date on the goings-on of the world.
The work for the class is basically divided into five or six units, including the summer project. Make sure you pick a book to read that sounds really interesting and that you think you can write about because you are required to submit reflections on each chapter. Also, don’t put off the blogs until the week has elapsed; you will be stuck writing outlines about hundreds of CE articles at the end of summer. (I speak from experience here, and believe me it’s mind-numbingly boring, monotonous, and even mechanical in some senses.) The other units are straightforward, highly organized, and well covered by the activities and readings. Unless you have the memory of a goldfish, don’t bother with taking notes on each section. It diverts your attention from the bigger ideas which the book addresses, not to mention it takes far too long and will deter you from reading. When studying for the tests, make sure you understand all the components and can recall a detail to support each. Looking over free response questions and answering them in a study group works very well and prepares you both for unit tests and for the AP test in May. Don’t stress about it too much. After taking practice tests and reviewing in class, you can confidently enter that room and earn a passing score, often a 4 or 5. For what you will gain from the experience, the work and process is minimally painful.
Do the reading. The reading is very important in that its what on the test. If while you read you just jot down some of the important parts it will not only benefit when studying for the test, but it will also help you reme4mber the important stuff. Though I did not do well on the test the lecture notes seemed not to be as important as the book. You only have to read like 5-7 pages a night if you stay caught up. If you don’t it will be like 25 pages by the end of the week. There are sometimes daily quizzes over reading which will also benefit you grade if you do read it because it’s comprehensive so it’s really easy. You will see your grade suffer if you don’t read and do badly on the quizzes.
Keep caught up on the bogs they’re easy point if you just do them. The blogs is a good portion of your grade along with the reading. The blogs are easier than they look. There will be two due every week. They are easy and fun if you pick an interesting topic. They will be due on separate day, but don’t hesitate to get ahead and do them both in the same night. That way you don’t have to sweat it. Sometime you can also get a week ahead because the will post the next week.
Study for the test you’ll be better off. Studying for this test is very difficult I’m not going to lie. There is a lot of chapter to cover in one unit and we don’t take chapter test so it a lot. If you keep u with the reading you should be fine. Another thing don’t just cram study take a week. If you study the night before the test there are a lot of sections and you wont be able to retain all the information. He gives you the dates of the test so if you just take a half an hour every night the week before the test you will do better off. Its a lot of work that you will benefit with in the end. Second semester test is more critical because the test is so much bigger and there is only one This is because it’s getting you prepared for the A.P. test. Don’t get stressed out about it. We do a lot of review in class and if you just give in about an hour every night you will do fine.
Now for the projects. This is the great part. We don’t have to do the long boring citizenship projects that the citizenship kids get to do. We have 3 projects. We have to do a summer project which reading a book and writing a paper on it. This is to get a taste of the work this class will be, because it will be work. Then you have to do four blogs a week for six weeks to eight weeks. Don’t put this off. If you put the summer project off it will be twice the work during school and really what are you going to do with your summer. The second is the holiday song project. This is an easy one and fun if you don’t do it the night before it’s due. You take a holiday song and turn it political song. The third and final one is the poster project. Where you take 25 political cartoons put them on a poster and write about them. Easy enough.
This class will get you involve in politic like you wouldn’t believe. When you leave this class you should have as better understanding of what politics mean, how our government works, and be voting regularly by the time you turn eighteen. If I had to do this class over again. I would definitely do the summer project on time because this is what put me behind at the very beginning. The second thing I would do is just keep up with the reading, not only will it help you do better on the test, but it will also improve you grade as you will take a quiz at least once a week. Be there, participate, have fun.
To Whom It May Concern:
After reflecting upon my glorious career high school career, AP Government and Politics was the class where I learned the most information. The information furthermore is practical useful knowledge that will prepare you to adequately understand our government and what role you should play in it.
I recommend taking this class. You will learn a lot and, AP classes are filled with far less brain dead people than other classes. It is nice to have people who are willing to think about things instead of just text messaging under their desk while the teacher gives a lecture.
To start with don’t put off the summer assignments. A lot of people didn’t do them and found out that they were in a hole right at the start of the year. Kautzman has a make up project, which makes your first week of school very stressful. Just do the project on time.
The Blogs will destroy your grade if you don’t do them. My advice is to set your homepage as the blog page so if you use the Internet you will HAVE to post a comment. I suggest you take your posts somewhat seriously. This year A LOT of people just tried to get the minimum amount of words and would just skim the articles. This led to a very shallow level of debate with a lot of misreading and misunderstandings of articles. When you type something makes sure you are not making yourself look like an idiot.
As far as the class goes, some people find it very hard other people find it very easy. If you are good at memorizing things and taking tests you will do well. Otherwise you might have to do some extra studying. Another thing that is really annoying is that Kautzman will not give a quiz if people have a lot of questions about the reading. This leads to people asking very shallow questions just to kill time. You will find very quickly that class becomes a huge drag when all people are doing are asking half asses questions that are a waste of everyone’s time. So do the reading and ask legitimate questions instead. What I would do is just do the next days reading while everyone was asking questions about that days reading. Reading the book will help you more on both the AP tests and the unit tests more than anything else. Just do it!
Ideological battles will occur in class. What you need to realize is there are some debates that are un-winnable. Gay Marriage the War in Iraq and Abortion are all “hot button issues.” Unless someone says they don’t have strong feelings about these issues you will never be able to persuade them. All you will do is make them extremely angry.
You can expect with a decent effort you can get a 4 on the AP test, a 5 if you work hard or have a good amount of talent. Both scores will earn you college credit at pretty much every college.
Yours always and forever,
Derrick Skaug
Welcome to AP GO PO ’09-
This class is awesome and really interesting if you do everything that is presented to you. Don’t get fooled, this class will challenge you and for a little point throughout the year you’re going to start thinking about citizenship. But if you stick it out and try your best, it is easily well worth it.
First item up is the summer assignment. DO IT! It is really important to do the assignment so you can start off on the right foot. This class really sucks if you’re playing catch up the entire time. And about the blogs, DO THOSE! Don’t think you can do the alternate assignment easier and get it done at a faster time. You’re fooling yourself. Take it from me, I thought the same thing and for the tail end of the summer, my life sucked. Get the assignment done and move on. You’ll be much happier.
Now when school starts be sure to do everything Mr. Kautzman asks of you. The reading may suck but when the class talks about it the next day, you don’t want to be that guy who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. And pay attention to the discussions because those will help you out the most. And don’t be deceived by the first semester, you might think it’s going to be somewhat of an easy class, but when second semester rolls around, everything kicks up more. When tests arise be sure to study or just know your stuff. The tests are always gigantic and always really hard so prepare for it as much as you can. Now when the winter song project rolls around, be sure to not procrastinate. I procrastinated way too much on that project and I regretted that mistake pretty bad.
Now the good side of this class is that it is fun and really interesting. You won’t regret taking this class because it’s awesome. The bad part of this class is the work that needs to be done to succeed in this class. The work isn’t busy work but it is work that needs to be done and after a while it starts to wear at you a little bit. The ugly side of this class is still on the topic of politics at the end of the year. Through this year, I was fine with the election and everything involving the race, but now, I could care less because I have seen so much of it. I’m not even going to vote just because I am so sick of it.
Finally you’re past the AP test and it comes time to watch the West Wing. It’s a great show and is entertaining but when Mandy in the show shows up, you just want to punch her in the face. It’s ok though because Mandy slowly just goes away and all is well again. A couple girls will also annoy you pretty bad, but Mandy EASILY wins the title. Just stick with it, the end of Mandy is near.
Overall you will love this class. Just keep up with your work and everything will be fine. The blogs aren’t hard just do them and get them over with. Have a fun year because overall the class is awesome.
Dear class of 2008,
I bet that you are thinking weather or not to take this class during your senior year. Weather or not you will have too much homework or if you want to slack off and take citizenship. I’ll let you know now that from what I have heard most people that take citizenship have just as much or maybe even more homework. The thing that I like about AP Gov is that you learn so much more than you do in citizenship, and Mr. Kautzman makes it a blast.
Yes it is true that the tests are somewhat hard, but just like any other class, if you study for them you will do fine. Plus a bonus of the way the tests are set up, they prepare you very well for the test. For me, the free response questions weren’t that difficult because Mr. Kautzman tells you the important information that could be free response questions.
Studying for the tests doesn’t take that much time because you can retain most of the information form the book. One thing I suggest that you do no matter what is read the chapters. Sometimes you will have quizzes and sometimes you can escape the quizzes by asking questions, but if you read you will know all of the information on the subject and not just some of the information that you will get from classroom discussion. I know that doing the reading every night gets boring, but in the long run it will benefit you a lot because when reviewing for the tests you will have some recollection of what the material is about.
One thing to look forward to is the Holiday songs project. That was probably my favorite part of the year. You get into groups of about three or four people and then select three or four Christmas songs that you alter to fit political happenings. The best part of the project is that you get to sing the songs and then watch them in class. Another very fun part of the class is the Extra credit movie nights. It may seem that it would suck to have to come into class after school and waste time, but you get to watch a movie, hang out with your friends that are in the class and you still get 25 points of extra credit. A lot of teachers make you do bogus assignments to get extra credit. Here all you have to do is sit still for two hours. I would really recommend that you take advantage of these movie nights.
Make sure that you do the blog posts over the summer. I would do them on like a Monday or Tuesday so you don’t wait until the end of the week. Also don’t wait until the last few weeks to read your book and write about it, because many of you will have a sport or band that you must do during those last few weeks of summer. Trust me, its not fun to come home between two a days and read a chapter of a book about politics. I would also suggest that you keep up to date on your blog posts during the week because they are easy points if you take the few minuets to do them.
Good luck and have fun. The AP test is there before you know it. Make sure you do more then just take the practice tests the few weeks proceeding to the test.
Dearest upcoming class,
Let me just start by saying, Mr. Kautzman is a fickle mistress, and the twists and turns of his strong wrist are wily and unpredictable. He’s gotten the acme gadgets to work, and you’re no road-runner. Keep you head down, and wear Kevlar.
There’s two very different potential paradigms in the K-mann class. If you want to learn the material real well, or if you want a good grade. The learning bit, trite and cliché as it may be, is worth it, and it consists generally of paying attention in class and doing the readings. Your book is your learning’s bestest fwend-o; you want to read it, you want to read every page of it, you are getting sleepy, very sleepy. Read the book, you’ll be set. But then there’s the grade, and that’s a bit about obedience. The K-mann’s got an iron fist and will and head and ain’t none o’ yo’ fool thinks going for to flip that. What he says go. Witness, here, the long arm of the law. He’s not going to do anything personal to you, mind, and he doesn’t care if you fail so much, but you question his authority with anything more than you’s whine and he’ll dock you points. When he says that the blog is due during the middle of the weekend, at three o’clock on a day we don’t have school, then that’s that. Harrumph. No heckling or hoping or pointing to illogicality will turn it. Just do it, just give in to his strong will, just sit when he says sit, beg when he says beg, roll over and turn around and shake and jump. Do the slalom around those tiny poles. Bounce the ball off your nose.
Oh yes, a sense of humor. The K-mann got one. Though maybe it ain’t mine, what are you gonna’ do? The K-mann likes his jokes something fierce, so tell as many as you can. Shout them out in class, for all he cares. He’ll smile and laugh and heckle, heckle as a brother, a member of the hilarity brethren. The K-mann’s kindest when you’ve got his respect (but maybe best when you’ve got his goat) and you’ve only got it when you’ve earned it. Be an adult and you’ll swim, be a peer and you’ll sail, be a child and you’ll be assailed.
Responsibility, it’s a tenant of a life well lived. It’s in your hands; that’s where the K-mann puts this class, right in all of your hands. Hold it. Fondle it. Shake it like a shaker, finger its delicate folds, rub it against your face and put it in your pocket. Just know that the responsibility is yours and the K-mann doesn’t want it back. Just make sure at the end of the year the egg still has a little pink bow around it, and don’t try’n fake it either; the K-mann knows. The nose knows.
Pet names too. The K-mann’s wacky over nick-monickers. And I think he likes pragmatism. And he’s not a bigot, which is a nice thing to say. And he has colorful conversations about baseball that he’ll have you overhear, so keep them tubes open. And join knowledge bowl, it’ll grease the slide something fierce, and is fun- you know, all that grease and everything.
Good Luck and God Speed
-Jordan Rafael P. Sjol
s of 2009,
First off congrats!! Your almost done with high school, so don’t take it for granted, go to everything you can and make your senior year the best!!!! Ok so you are thinking about taking AP GO PO, well let me tell you right now if your not willing to so the work, put in that extra time it may take then don’t even bother.
First off lets talk about the summer assignment, it blows we all know we did it, but to tell you the truth you would rather get it done so you don’t have to start off the class with a bad grade. Not just that but get use to it you will be bloging all year, and let me tell you some tomes you may forget but you need to find a way to remember because it will kill your grade if you don’t and it will just make you go nuts because most of the time you will remember right at about 730 when you wake up on Thursdays.
Then we have his tests. He gave me the hardest tests I have ever had to take. If you think you can just sit don’t and cram the night before you have another thing coming. You really should start studding for them right when he says that you should. But I would have to say that the AP test was not very hard. I think that it is more then doable for any student and that it is more then worth spending the $84. I am the worst test taker there is and even if you don’t do well on the test he finds a way to make it so that you will be ok in the class and can get whatever grade you want.
Now on to the fun stuff, the extra credit, this will be a life saver!! Not to mention it can totally be fun!! The movies that he shows are good, and if it’s the west wing, by the end of the year you will be hooked!! He finds a way so that everyone no matter how busy you are can come to a few.
The last and I would say most important thing about this class is that you learn so much about the American Government. Taking this class next year you will have an amazing opportunity to see what happens with the government in an election year. Not only that but you will be much more informed about the issues and current events, that way if you are 18 you will be about to put forth your civilian duty and help elect our new president. In this class you need to have fun because if you dread coming you won’t do well, you will just fall behind and if you don’t come your grade will suffer greatly!!
Just remember do you homework, BLOG, study for the tests, have fun, and dress warm!
GOOD LUCK CLASS OF 2009!!!
~Christine M Whitehead~
First of all CONGRATS CATS on making it to Senior YEAR!!! Im so proud of you all. Taking an AP class Senior year is a challeging feat. Right around December, the Senioritis starts to set in. So if you are going to take this class you must first commit yourself and understand that you are going to sometimes have to work harder then you want to.
Luckily, I definitly AP Gov and PO is worth the extra effort. My favorite part of the entire class is the environment. (Before I forget, Mr. Kautzmans class is like going to school on an Artic Iceburg, so bring a sweatshirt to class EVERYDAY, no matter how warm it may be outside, Mr Kautzman will find a way) As I was saying, class is really fun because it is discussion based. So speak up, ask questions, but also make sure you listen to everything Mr. Kautzman says. Sometimes he will say something really little, but it will show up on the Unit test. So keep those ears wax- free and you’ll be golden.
That brings me to the EXTRA CREDIT. Always try your best in class, but if you bomb the tests, dont really worry about it. The ext
CONTINUATION:
I hate computers. Anyways, yes the extra credit movie nights are so so so fun, I reccomend you attend them as often as possible. And have fun with the winter break assignment that was probobly one of my favorite things.
All this brings me to the blog. I really have no advice to give. Im not really the “blogging” sort of person. But just do your best to stay on top of it. Every person will handle it differently, but I reccomend setting and alarm on your cell phone or leaving a sticky note, whatever you have to do to remember. Take advantage of make up blog weeks, they really help boost your grade!
Welp good luck!
Dear class of 2008-2009,
As requested by Mr. Kautzman my survival guide will be divided into three sections; the good, the bad and the ugly. Take what you want and heed what you will.
The good – In taking this class and all of its hardships what you get in the end will be a decent to good knowledge on how our government works. Oddly enough this knowledge can be applied daily,if you read the political comics, and useful if you watch the daily news. You can also astound the authorities with governmental knowledge when they ask if they can crash the mildly illegal party you are having. One of the things about the class that I liked when I was in the class was the study guides. For the most part they gave you a good idea on what you needed to study. My personal favorite papers that were given to me were the lecture notes. Lecture notes were a great general review on what was read about on the unit. Also Mr. Kautzman will answer any and all question about government and gives the class about twenty minutes a day to do so.
The Bad – As great as this class is I consider it a high maintenance. In other words there is lots of homework. One of the things you want to make sure of in the class is the get your homework done on time. Most of it is reading but putting off results in accumulating number pages that must be read before the test. Miss several nights worth of reading when the test comes about results in predictably low scores. Don’t slack. Also Mr. Kautzman will give you a series of quizzes and small test for each chapter. If you read the chapters you can usually pass them but don’t assume that for the unit tests. The unit test will be a large test that a majority of multiple choice questions. Some are easy but a lot of them are difficult and word in a way that doesn’t spell out the answer even if you do study. The hardest part of the test are the free response. Free responses are on one topic area. For example the question may be about congress and asking you to wright down the different parts of congress. In short it ask for detail on certain subjects instead of a vague knowledge. There is possibility you will get an obscure response and have no idea how to respond. Also not everyone get the same free response.
The Ugly – The part of this class I hated the most were the blog responses. In Mr. Kautzman’s blog he post up news article in which we must reply with a decent amount of knowledge and intelligence. You have to do it twice a week. Sunday through Wednesday you post and Thursday through Saturday you respond. For some people this may be easy but for other it may be hard to keep up with. It is an easy thing to forget.
For all of those who take the class I hope you have as good as a time as I had. Take what you want and heed what you will but in the end have fun in the class.
Dear Class of ’09,
AP Government and Politics was one of my favorite classes, and there is no doubt that a majority of you coming in will enjoy it as well. Although it honestly was the hardest class I’ve ever taken, I was well prepared for the AP test more than in any other AP subject I took and I started out with very little knowledge of politics. Let’s face it, it’s this class or Citizenship (not that that’s a bad class). Citizenship is still a year long, and so is AP Government and Politics, It’s the same material just one requires more comprehension and in depth knowledge. Personally anyone even slightly interested in the class will love it, or if you don’t love it, you’ll probably pass the AP test.
The practice tests are a good representation of the AP test, so at the beginning of the year, just when you think that his first quiz was horribly tough, remember, it is tough for a reason. That is the level of in depth that you will need to know. While some consider the hard quizzes and unit tests to be awful, I am thankful for them because they made me feel prepared, and I honestly now wish that my other 3 AP classes could have done the same. If you absolutely hate quizzes, and are bad at nightly reading (mostly around 10 pages a night), then don’t take this class. At the meeting I’m sure Kautzman discouraged a lot of you with talk of tons upon hours of homework. Honestly, I really didn’t think it was that bad.
A lot of kids signed up the previous year and then discontinued because they thought the summer assignment was too much to keep up with. Honestly I thought for me it was too much to keep up with. I got a failing grade on it and then made it up through reading a book at the beginning of the year. So hang on, even if you start out failing there are plenty of chances to get caught back up.
Eventually you’ll have E.C. movie nights. Go to every one! Even if you don’t need the points!
Studying is the key to this class, there is much to memorize. I know the average student isn’t going to be a good memorizer, and I’m definitely not. I felt like I had to work even harder to memorize things. The best way I memorize things is by taking notes. The hard part is I would have to write page after page of the same thing over again in order to be able to memorize.
Study early! I waited until about 2 weeks before the AP test to really start studying. I recommend you definitely start earlier. Take good Cornell notes, or outline notes of the chapters as you go along instead of having to stay up all night doing them before the test. Although I took the first practice test without studying beforehand I still did well on it and got a passing grade of a 3. Not because I’m naturally smart (although I am), but because I paid attention in class and we went over material over and over again.
Mostly if you can spend an hour each day taking notes reading chapters and blogging you’ll be fine. Kautzman is a wonderful teacher and almost makes me rethink my position on paying teachers by how well their students do on the AP test.
One more note: If you are taking multiple AP classes, pick at least one challenging one, maybe two if you’re ambitious, but this class will require a lot of your focus so bear that in mind, take “easier” AP classes along with it so you don’t feel swamped with work. Although some people can do it. I could only bear AP Gov and AP Bio as my hard classes and AP Lit and AP Studio Art as my “easier” classes. Note: by “easier” I mean less homework, honestly the other tests were harder than the Gov test just because I wasn’t as well prepared.
Sincerely,
Class of 08
Vanessa Stranahan
Dear Class of 2009,
You’re probably debating whether or not to take AP GO PO for your senior year. As a person who has never taken an AP class, AP Gov was worth my time and I wholeheartedly recommend that you take this class. In AP GO PO, you will learn about politics and government inside out. You will learn the meaning of terms such as log rolling, pork barreling, and front loading. Before I entered the class, I had no real idea what our government does. But after a couple of months in this class, it was starting to click for me. The Holiday Songs Project was pretty fun because it was better than reading out of the book. John and I got to make fun of important people and Kautzman in our songs. I was able to learn about some important political figures while doing this project. You will have senioritis your senior year – it’s a given. The one nice thing about this class is you get done in the first week of May, so the rest of the time you watch the West Wing and crack Braves jokes to Kautzman. Let’s face it, once May rolls around you want to do nothing and this is the perfect class for that. You work hard for a couple of months and then you get to relax. The bad part about the class is reading every night. You have to retain the knowledge you read and apply it to a daily quiz. Kautzman will know if you did or didn’t read that night from the score you got on the quiz. Another bad part about the class is the unit tests. They are three or four chapters combined into one test and they are worth a ton of points. Studying a couple of days before won’t help you. You need to study weeks before you even take the test. All of these unit tests are basically preparing you for the AP test. Kautzman does a good job preparing you for the test. We probably took about five different practice AP exams. Do the summer project also, because, if you don’t, then you’re just going to have to make it up once you get back into school. Basically just do the summer project even though you don’t want to. Make sure you do your blogs and don’t wait until the last minute to send them in. I know it’s summer and you don’t want to do homework, but it will be worth it when you see that your friend, who was at the lake, has to read a whole 500 page book in three days. It’s worth your time to take this class especially because of the presidential election happening in November. You will know who you are voting for and defend your candidate against whomever. You will be able to argue with the best after taking this class! I think this class is worth it. You’re going to have a way better understanding of our government than if you took American Citizenship, and you get a chance of acquiring college credits. Take this class because you know you want to.
Class of 2009:
This by far is the hardest class you will ever take. No matter how hard you try, will fail. Mr. Kautzman is the most difficult and no fun teacher in the whole school. By signing up for the class you have to do the huge summer assignment. Then while you are in class, all Kautzman does is assign more work, so every night you have large amounts of homework and have no time for your own life. Alright all that was a joke. This class is one of the most fun classes to take. You learn so much about the country and world that you never thought you would. The summer blogs are very important and you will learn a lot from them and the set a strong base for you as you enter the school year. One thing to make sure you do is the reading for homework. It is not very much reading, but the quizzes are important towards your grade. And by reading it will keep you in class discussions and better prepare you for the tests. Take it from me. Do not wait till the last minute and just listen to people talk. When you read it helps a lot. Kautzmans discussions are always fun so make sure you have something to talk about. Do not try and just listen to people talk and learn from them, it does not always work. You are very well prepared for the ap test. And Kautz gives you every chance to better prepare yourself outside of class. He goes out of his way to help you so take advantage of it. Once you finish the ap test you are able to sit back and watch movies and the west wing. Just work hard until the ap test. Dont take a break until after it. Make sure if you have questions to ask them. Even if you feel like an idiot for asking it, ask it. It does not matter because Kautz will answer anything. He always has an answer, pretty much like a human encyclopedia. One thing to remember is to not bet with him. He ALWAYS wins. No matter what! Even though the Braves are just over .500 the day you bet with Kautz on a game he will win. It is just his luck. And somehow he can almost predict the future. Who knows if it was a lucky guess or not, I still had to pay him some diet coke. Just make sure you do the reading and attend the extra credit movie nights. Those are easy extra credit and help your grade tone. Have fun with the holiday songs project, it is a lot fun. Take the practice ap tests seriously because they help a lot in preparing for the real one. The multiple choice questions get easier each time you take it and the free response just allows you to show what you know. So know a lot! HAVE MUCH FUN!
Dear class of 2009,
I know summer projects tend to scare away even the smartest of students, but in all honesty, as long as you can pace yourself, it is not that painful. The blog requirements are accommodating enough for all of those unscheduled trips during the summer months and the book assignment, while it is tedious, certainly is not any harder than any other book reports you have done in any other classes. My warning to you, however, is not to save everything for the last minute, or carelessly pick a book that looks short. Plan ahead of time what weeks you’ll be blogging and pick a book you can stand. I personally picked a book whose author’s ideology strongly clashed with my own and it was painful to get through.
As far as class work goes, there really was not as much as I though there might be. A lot of work is reading, which I advise you to keep caught up on, and take notes on. Notes will definitely help you in long run, because often Kautzman will make quizzes open notes. And while they are a little annoying, the quizzes, if you do the reading, are easy and will help your grade. Most of the assignments are actually pretty easy as long as you’ve been listening in class and been doing the reading.
The tests are another matter, however. In my opinion, Kautzman’s tests were harder than the actual AP test. While I always felt prepared for the free response questions (Kautzman always had a way of sneaking the actual question, or one similar, into our study guides or lectures) the multiple choice was always a problem for me. I would always do well on the essay and do poorly on the multiple choice. I think what helped me do better was taking notes on everything we read, I could go back over my notes and highlight the important parts, summarizing what I just read and committing it to memory. Sure, the tests are scary, but there are plenty of extra credit opportunities to make up for them. That was probably one my favorite parts of this class, not to sound like a slacker or anything. Whether it be lectures or movie nights, there were always plenty of ways to make up for that quiz I bombed or that essay I wasn’t prepared for.
I really enjoyed this class. Back in September, I couldn’t have told you who all the presidential candidates were. Now I know more about politics than my parents. I actually enjoy it too, talking about it, keeping up on the news, everything. I am not a total politics freak like Mr. Kautzman, but it is something I will definitely continue to keep up on. I mostly enjoyed when we had class discussions. Even though I rarely participated (something I regret and advise all future students to do, often) I always left class with something I hadn’t known before, or had questions answered. Kautzman is able to make politics easy to understand and often very enjoyable to follow.
I have to admit, once the AP test was over (which was very easy, to be honest, Kautzman makes sure we’re very prepared), it was a nice feeling to know I could go to first period and not worry about much else besides which character was going to die in the West Wing (which might just be the best show, ever). It is a great senior class to take because you work all year long and then we were rewarded for all our hard work with just some chill time. If you are willing to put out some effort, AP Government is a great class to take and I recommend it to anyone. Seriously.
- McKena Baranowski
Dear Class of 2009,
First of all, if you are debating about whether or not to take the class, let me just spare you the debating and make the decision for you. Take the class! You may be hearing things about the class being too advanced, the class being too much work, etc. etc. Let me just set you straight. Yes, it is an advanced class, (hello…AP…?) yes; you will be doing more work in this class than others, yes, there is a monstrous summer project that you will not feel like doing whatsoever. But honestly, it’s worth it. And I’m not just saying that to make Kautzman happy…I really mean it. I’ve gotten so much out of this class, and I had a blast the whole time.
At the beginning of this class, I had no interest in politics or how the government works at all. I was just taking the class because my parents and teachers all wanted me to, and I wanted the AP credit. Coming out of the class, I know lots about politics and how the government works; and, to my surprise, it was really interesting learning about it. And as far as all the work, it’s really not that bad. It is very reasonable considering how much there is to learn and how little time there is to learn it. But as soon as the AP test is done and over with, life is a breeze. For instance, we’ve been watching episodes of the West Wing in class for the last 2-3 weeks
I have some tips for you that will make your lives a little easier. As much of a pain it is to do homework during the summer, DO IT!!! It’s really not a big deal. It might take a half hour or a little more, and it gives you a ton of points. If you do the blogs, you’re pretty much set for the beginning of the year grade wise. Another thing to know is participation points really add up. It can really hurt your grade if you’re gone a lot and don’t make up the points. Which brings me to my next tip – take advantage of all the extra credit opportunities as possible.
You’re probably hearing that they are horrendous. Coming from a horribly bad test-taker, ya, they are really hard. I’m not going to lie. You have to study your butt off. Here’s my little secret – if you want a good grade on the tests, spend a ton of time studying the vocab and the study guides. You will find that the study guides will become your best friend. So really make sure that you understand everything in there. But, if you are a bad test-taker like me, there is hope. As long as you turn in all you work and do a good job on it, you’ll get a good grade in the class even if you bomb a test or two. But that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t try as hard as you can to get a good grade.
So, basically, do your work, study hard, and rise to the occasion. Because if you do, it’s so worth it.
~ Maggie
Hello Class of 2009! Some words of wisdom…
A.P. Government and Politics covers the foundations and policy of government in an easily comprehensible curriculum supplemented by…I sound like a college bulletin, so I’m going to stop now. Actually, this class has been one of my favorites. There are times when you just have to buckle down and do the work, but other times you get to learn in new and exciting ways. Until this class, I had never blogged before, had no idea there is more than just Democrat and Republican, and had never even heard of the “West Wing” (a complete and utter travesty on my part!) The class has definitely been informative and good prep for college, and I feel like actually paying attention to the political dynamics of our nation and being a contributing citizen, so high-fives all around.
If you took A.P. U.S. History:
A.P. GO PO is a nice way to relax from the previous year, but don’t take that the wrong way. I must admit, I enjoyed only having six-ten pages of reading every night instead of several chapters a week, mourning the trees I was killing as I wrote my one hundredth page of U.S. History notes. Notes in Kautzman’s class are optional (and pray they stay that way), but if you do not retain information very well from just reading, I would recommend jotting down a few things in case he throws a quiz at you. Quizzes are not as regular as in A.P. U.S.; Kautzman prefers discussion. If he does assign notes, they are in Cornell format, which may be boring, but you’ll get over it. Schultz should have accustomed you to a steady stream of work, so nightly homework is not a shocker.
A.P. GO PO is less structured than A.P. U.S. and will require more individual responsibility; for example, there are no nifty study groups or assigned study guides to prepare for chapter tests. If you need a study guide, they are posted on the class website, but you will need to take the time to print them off and fill them out yourself. Take advantage of the website! It is an excellent resource. I cannot say whether Kautzman’s tests are harder than Schultz’s. They are just different. A.P. GO PO tests are multiple choice, but they are longer and while the free responses can be done in bullet format, you don’t know the topic until you get the test.
Essentially, don’t become overconfident and think you can slack off because it feels like there is less work. The class is a different breed than A.P. U.S., but it still requires the same work resolve.
If you did not take A.P. U.S. History:
Do not be intimidated by the fact this is an A.P. class; it is a far better choice over American Citizenship. Kautzman does an excellent job of easing students new to Advanced Placement into the curriculum and workload. He is willing to give help to anyone who asks, so long as they do their part. Besides, it looks good on your transcript.
My advice is simple: do not procrastinate (at least, not a lot). You still need to do the nightly reading, even though Kautzman discusses it the next day in class. The students who didn’t read and just listened didn’t do well on the unit tests. And the tests make up a good portion of the grade, so you get where I am going with this. Make sure you do the summer assignment too, because the make-up is far more time-consuming, particularly when you have regular homework on top of it.
I can assure you that Kautzman does an excellent job of preparing you for the exam, so don’t be too nervous. I have met very few teachers who are as well versed and articulate their knowledge as Mr. Kautzman. Do what he says and trust that he knows what he’s doing; you’ll do fine. And afterwards, you have “West Wing” marathons to look forward to, a worthy reward for all your blood, sweat and tears.
I wish you all good luck as you enter your senior year and in all your future endeavors. Work hard and enjoy it while it lasts!
Peace.
Amanda Nicol
Dear Class of ‘08
I’m sure many of you are asking yourselves if the whole AP Government and Politics route is right for you. Really, this class is not as hard as it sounds, with the whole AP title and everything. Personally when I first heard about it I was completely interested. I haven’t ever really been a hardcore fan of how government works and the whole election process but I kept asking myself, “Really, hard could this be?”
The whole summer project was not one of my favorite parts, in fact it became quite a nuisance, but it was a new, time consuming, experience. Even though it seemed like there was a new blog deadline every other day, I liked how everyone in our class could communicate and share ideas. Having the blog gave each of us a chance to voice our opinions and “debate” over our differences; the term “debate” used loosely as many of us agreed with one another on a regular basis. There was also the political novel. This summer reading assignment prepared us for the class and got our minds thinking government, at least that’s how I saw it. It got me thinking of how our society and government are currently, which helped relate what we learned throughout the year.
The actual AP Gov. test was not too difficult, so if that is what is holding you back from choosing this class then disregard that thought. Kautzman’s in-class tests are what you have to worry about since they are about thirty times more difficult. If there is one thing I took from this class it’s definitely DO NOT get into the habit of procrastination. As soon as you start a new chapter read thoroughly, take notes, and then study those notes until you know them by heart. The studying is the most important part, but the reading and notes prepare you for that. For me, I did read and take notes, but when it came to studying I made a bad habit of waiting until the last couple of days before the test: do not do that, it hurts your grade. Even though the tests were difficult we came out of the class prepared for the AP and able to recite the process of passing a bill.
If any of you choose to take this class, I guarantee you will benefit. Mr. Kautzman will keep you interested with his entertaining lectures and Government Jeopardy games. There are plenty of times for AP review in the spring and you can always get help if you ask. Remember, this is one of the easiest AP tests you can take and when you pass you will be receiving college credit; and if you don’t pass you still get AP on your transcript to show you at least put out the effort. As already mentioned by other students above, after the AP test is over with there is the promise of many West Wing episodes; that alone should be enough to get you to take this class.
Dear AP Gov. and Politics Class of 2008,
You are currently about to embark on a journey… while some of you have already got on board early and are eagerly beginning to set sail, many more of you are probably still standing on the dock, looking into the distance, wondering if the journey will have all been worth it in the end…
The answer to your question is, of course, no. BUT, that’s only if you maintain that half-ass attitude throughout the school year.
I heard many a tale about AP Government as an underclassman; however, I decided to sign up anyway. Twas the best choice in my young adult life
I went into the class with very little knowledge on all things politics and government, and emerged not only with an immense amount of information stored into my brain, but more importantly, a love and mutual respect for the game that is politics.
The Good:
There wasn’t much about this class I truly disliked… from day one (in class, that is), I was actually intrigued about the material, not to mention Kautzy does a commendable job at explaining things in order for you to comprehend them. The man is truly a vault of political knowledge. Class discussions can actually be quite fun, and there are sometimes benefits to ongoing discussions… (See below.) Also, extra credit opportunities are fairly abundant so don’t miss out on maxing out your EC points. They could save your butt come the end of the semester… plus, movie nights are just plain fun.
The Bad:
WARNING!(this is not a drill!): keep up on the reading! if your class maintains a relatively decent question and answer session/discussion over the reading, you are often opted out of taking the daily quizzes. Then again, even if you’re required to take them, if you did the reading, they’re typically easy. and, if you’re just politics savvy, you can probably just guess on every quiz and ace ‘em. All the power to ya!
The Ugly:
If you do little to no reading, you’re screwed. End of story.
The Unit tests are typically big point bearers, but the good news is that they aren’t very often and they prepare you well for the AP test… which brings me to my next subject:
THE AP TEST
It’s a somewhat nerve-wracking experience, especially for first time AP testers, but Kautzy provides more than ample preparation for the test. But, it’s also on your shoulders. Study. Don’t kill yourself studying, just study. You’d be surprised at the info you retain.
The Best News of All:
Following the official AP test, the dictatorship once known as AP Gov. class becomes a screening room… West Wing anyone? It might sound nerdy, but it’s a damn good show and you’ll quickly grow to love it. Turns out that gossip does spread like wildfire, even in the Oval Office
If I had to do this class over again, I’d make only some slight changes. For one, I’d look over lecture notes a bit more. And two, I’d get my blogs done early. Because they suck… as you will find out this summer.
Senior year is destined to be your best, and why not challenge yourself a bit by taking a college-level, yet manageable class? It will all be worth it come May. Best of luck kids!
Cheers,
Chelsea Jones
P.S.- One of the main advantages to taking this class is that you often get to show up your mere mortal friends taking Citizenship… and if your real good, your parents.
Okay kids. Here’s the scoop on AP Gov: it is the easiest AP class you will ever take. Ever. Once in a while you will have a little work to do, but none of it is challenging. There’s nothing conceptually difficult about our system of government. Emphasis on conceptual—besides the fact that this is not physics, where, as some of you know, “it’s all conceptual, folks,” you’re much more likely to encounter challenge of an ideological nature in Gov. For instance, you may at some point come across the fact that intelligence is not a particularly valued attribute in politicians. You are smart kids, I know, so the fact that one of your best qualities is the very thing you must minimize if you wish to lead this country may be rather disheartening. You will also realize that justice is difficult to legislate in America because money controls everything (assault weapons most commonly caressed by the hands of terrorists and school shooters are still legal because the National Rifle Association is one of the most powerful lobbies in the country, etcetera).
Not all you will learn is bad news, however. Your AP Gov class commences during an exciting, groundbreaking, change-heralding election year. The doses of hope inspired by candidates who truly embody their message will help to counteract the cynicism you will develop as charming American traditions like institutionalized racism enter your field of view.
Now, a note about the actual structure of the class. Reading is never as much of a hassle as you think it is when you stand at your locker after sixth period contemplating which books to take home. Just grab the gov book, it’s okay. Your heaviest book (calculus) shouldn’t even be in your locker; it should be at home, where you will spend the most time with it. Gov reading assignments consist of five pages per night, maximum. The quiz in class the next day will refer to specific items from the reading, so read at home, where you can focus a little, not during lunch.
Blogs are also really easy to over-hype. They aren’t very difficult (unless you decide they are) and shouldn’t be time consuming (unless you make it so). Nonetheless, blogging (for Gov purposes, at least) requires some thought. Choose an article that has some substance to it, read it carefully, open a Word document and start typing. Let yourself arrive at conclusions as you write. Don’t be daunted by a dense topic like the economy: find within the article something you can relate to and then comment on how your knowledge could be extended. If you understand how the Fed’s manipulation of interest rates affects the supply of money, describe what you know and postulate about how the supply of money might affect other areas of the economy, even if you don’t know. It’s okay to make guesses or suggest links between two concepts when you don’t have much evidence to support such a claim. This is a weekly blog, not a research paper; the point is to get you thinking critically, and if someone knows more than you do (or has the impetus to do some quick research) he/she may respond to your post, and you might learn something.
Note: The rambling nature of the previous paragraph is an example of why you should consider writing your blogs earlier in the evening, when you can still form coherent thoughts.
In any case, oh-nine-ers, I wish you all the best with AP Gov and your senior year in general. I think you’ll have a lot of fun.
Cheers,
Grace Evans
Why AP Government and Politics Is Actually a Lot More Interesting Than It Sounds as a Class Title, Because Usually Government Will Rock You Off To Sleep Faster Than One of Those Rock Ballad Lullabies You Can Buy for Like $19.95 F]for Two CDs, But This Class Makes the Pain Level That Normally Permeates Every Second You are Forced to Learn Drop Quite a Bit Less than Your Other Classes
1: Fun AP Class
I know, I know, it sounds like an oxymoron. Especially when you consider that it is an AP Social Studies class. But there is no need to huddle under your desk, wielding your AP U.S. book as a weapon, screaming, “You CAN’T make me!” It’s okay, you can put that club down now. Breathe. The homework you will get is generally just reading and blogging, and a study guide here and there. That’s it; if you are literate and actually do the homework, you can pass the class. The AP test is also one of the easier ones I’ve taken. Besides, as you learn more, the subject matter gets more interesting, bringing me to my next point…
2: Politics Is Good Television
Don’t look at me like that. I’m serious. Ever watched Survivor? American Idol? The Real World? Now combine all three of those shows together and have the contestants deciding the fate of our nation. Sounds more interesting now, right? You see lots and lots of maneuvering both outwardly and behind the scenes so politicians get their goals accomplished. All elected officials need to stay in their constituents’ good graces to get enough votes to keep them in the competition. One bad song choice…or policy move…and they are taking the book tour a few months later while someone else is the next American Idol. Add a dash of the scandal and absurdity that peppers most MTV reality shows, and you have American Political Survivor (Real World edition). Entertaining stuff.
3: Procrastination Nation
In a word, don’t. I like to think I have some purpose on this planet, so please don’t disillusion me by not learning from my example. I would lead the armies of procrastination if I could just assemble them first. I did do my summer assignment, but waited until the last minute. I got my blog posts in on 11:59:59 am on Saturday night. Matter of fact, I even procrastinated this survival guide. I’ll have to punish myself for that…maybe tomorrow. My point is, this class would have been so much easier for me had I just turned everything in on time. I have a good grade, but it would be amazing if I had done all of my blogs. Don’t slack and this class can be a breeze.
4. Learn Upside Down
Or perhaps just in a different way. Instead of listening to a teacher “wah-wah-wah-wah” in the spirit of Charlie Brown, you actually get class discussions. Instead of a five-paragraph essay, you get the Holiday Songs Project (prepare to have Frosty the Snowman stuck in your head for the rest of your natural life). Instead of worksheets, you look at political cartoons. The subject matter of Government may still make your ears bleed as your brain slowly dissolves into fluid, but the way you learn it makes up for that. How you learn is just as important as what you are learning. I think this is one of my top three high school classes for fun ways of getting the information across. That makes this class spectacular.
Follow Nike’s advice: Just do it. Now you will survive the class. (As long as you wear warm clothes so you don’t turn into a popsicle in Kautzman’s Alaskan-climate classroom.) Good luck 2009-ers!
Dear Class of 2009:
So your signed up to take AP Government and Politics. Well I’m here to tell you that it is a great class. It definitely has it’s up’s and down’s, but it is worth taking and sticking out even at semester when it gets really tempting to drop. AP Gov was a huge struggle for me. It was my first real AP class because I don’t count AP English 11 as a real AP course because it was so easy. AP government is “easy” too but you need to know the ropes. There are so many factors in AP Gov that you don’t have in AP English 11. Like nightly readings, Cornell notes, review lecture notes, and unit tests. These are just the big ones. And we can’t forget about the blog and summer assignment. It may sound like a lot but is totally worth it in the end. I felt very prepared to take the AP test in May. When we started reviewing for the test and I took my first practice AP test, I got a 2. But after I had gone through all of the notes and discussions and all of the material I got through out the year, I got a 4 on my last practice AP test. I was very excited. So definitely do everything that Mr. Kautzman tells you to do. That is one thing that I had to learn the hard way. But more on that later.
First of all, do the damn summer assignment!!! I’m not kidding!!! Do all of it, not just half, a third, or a quarter. DO ALL 100% OF THE SUMMER ASSIGNMENT!! Yes, Mr. Kautzman offers a make up, but, it’s ten times harder. Trust me, I did the make up. Now the blogs are really easy so when schools starts, you don’t want to be stuck doing blog make up on top of all of your other classes and probably on top of other AP classes. I didn’t do the summer assignment and I started out the year with an “F”. I couldn’t believe it. My first day of school and I was failing a class. That was very depressing. Besides, It’s a female dog to get your grade up after that especially after the first unit test.
Unit tests. Yes unit tests re very hard Especially the last unit test, Unit 4. That one is a big doozey. It’s worth 500 points and it cover months worth of material. But there is a key to passing the unit tests. In this class, it’s all discussion. You learn your material through class discussion. But where does the discussion come from? Well, it comes from your nightly readings. Sounds easy enough right? Well, I’ll bet that most of you will procrastinate and leave last night’s reading for tonight’s reading. Now, instead of having 8 pages to read, you now have 16 pages to read, That is a lot. But the cycle will continue and soon, soon you haven’t read an entire chapter and you haven’t learned anything because you haven’t read and you haven’t been actively involved in the class discussions and you have no idea what is going on. Then before you know it, it is time for your unit test and you will fail because you didn’t read which means that you weren’t paying attention in the class discussions because you had no idea what was going on in the first place. So take it from someone who learned the hard way and take 15-20 min a night and do your readings and you will do just fine this class. Oh and don’t forget the summer assignment.
I really enjoyed the class and you should too. Best of luck and enjoy your last year of high school.
Dear Class of 2009,
Welcome to AP GO PO, or Government and Politics. So I’m here to tell you, not by choice mind you, about this class what you’re in for. Well first off I’d like to say that overall you made the right decision, American citizenship doesn’t even compare to this class. There will be times when you’ll want to commit suicide with the first in adamant object that comes to mind but you know what they say…”what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” so I must be strong, and you can too. Well now I just sound like some infomercial for the next abs workout machine. But beside the point I’ll go through what I liked and didn’t and other such things… essentially “the good, the bad, and the ugly”.
So as I sit here trying to think about what was difficult about this class I can’t think of anything that was particularly hard because the class in general is really quite strenuous. I mean for me it was, it was my first and only AP class mind you but still, it was difficult. Don’t get me wrong but for me being an average student it was difficult. So for you kids out there that make me feel dumb on a day to day basis, you will probably ace this class with no problems. But for me I worked my butt off, excuse the poor choice of words, to get at the point where I am now. I’m getting off track, the point is the class overall is difficult but I love the teaching style that Mr. Kautzman has and the overall class routine. Basically its just class discussions every day, so as long as you can keep up with your reading you’ll do fine. Besides, there are so many ways to get your grade back up. Basically do your reading every night and you’ll be fine, because you’ll know what you’re talking about the next day in class. Believe me don’t do the reading, and you’ll learn it the hard way. Speaking of learning the hard way, I’d say overall Unit tests are killer. Don’t worry you will fail them, maybe not all of them, but there will be some bad ones. So a little insight from me, I failed every unit test up till we started practicing. The last one was even worth 500 points! And yet, I passed the class with a B and was scoring 4’s on the practice AP tests which means I must know what I’m doing.
So now that I got all of the “bad” things out of the way, let’s talk about some of the fun things. West Wing! Lots of West wing… you’ll learn to love that show. After you take the test that’s all you’ll really do. Other than that I think the most fun thing we did was our Holiday song project. Basically we took the generic Christmas songs and changed the lyrics to be politically funny, and made some random skit with it to make it funny. The overall process wasn’t fun, but the movies were very funny.
Well there’s an overall insight from me, Ryan Brannan, class of 2008.
~Ryan Brannan~
Enjoy your final year in high school.
Hey there all you soon to be AP GO POers!
First off, the hardest thing in this entire class is probably the summer assignment. Now if you are still trying to decide if this class is worth it or not.. The main thing is the summer assignment is bad, but consider this: If you were in school and had the assignment wouldn’t it be a lot easier to remember to do? That’s basically what the class is. A few random assignments here and there that aren’t too tough, but can be easily put off and forgotten. I would recommend some sort of scheduling mechanism like a planner or a cell phone alarm to help you out with that and you will be golden.
Once you get through the summer with a fairly good grade on that project, it’s pretty easy to keep it up. The quizzes are tough but aren’t worth as many points as other activities. If you didn’t do well on the summer assignment, however, it can be very difficult to raise your grade. I got a low B on my summer assignment and was working basically the entire semester to get it up to an A. The extra credit movie nights helped a lot and they were pretty fun and easy to attend so I would recommend them for sure. After you’ve figured out the basic schedule of the class it’s smooth sailing as long as you don’t let yourself get behind.
So for those of you who don’t use your lockers, pay attention. I have the perfect use for them. Bring the biggest jacket you own to school the first week and shove it in your locker. Trust me. You are going to need it almost right away. Kautzman’s room is at most 32oF every day even when the weather is great outside. All you need to do is swing by your locker on the way to class every day and grab your jacket then put it back after the class. Plus I think the only way for him to get the message that his room is just too cold is for everyone in the class to just bring the biggest most ridiculously distracting coats and jackets to class every day until he closes the windows. Haha. If you don’t do that just make sure you have some extra layer around to slip on for his class.
All in all Kautzman’s class is pretty simple. You never have too much homework and if you get the whole class to complain, you can even get him to lighten up during busier weeks. The AP test itself is pretty simple too the class covers just about everything and Kautzman prepares you really well so it is definitely worth the money to get some college credit. To sum everything up, I’d just say that you need to make sure you have some way of remembering to blog, do the summer assignment well and don’t put it off in case something comes up and you are without a computer or something near the end, and remember that you get to watch TV for a whole month after the AP test!!!
Have a great year young‘uns,
John Maccini
-Yes I know this is late… I’ll be honest, the senioritis got to me and I forgot… but I figured it’s worth doing because partial credit is still better than no credit…
Class of 2009… Ooo boy you guys are sure in for a treat. The first thing I should say right off the bat before I get into too much detail is this: do not underestimate this class. You may have gotten high A’s in Mr. Schultz’s and heard that Kautzman’s wont be that much different… oh how wrong you are. Of all your classes you will take AP Go Po will be your main source of worry and frustration. Now I’m not saying that class is super difficult and will tear you to shreds… no far from it… I’m just saying it will keep you on top of things, because forgetting just a couple blog posts, or not reading for a few nights, can and will screw you in the long run. But as you obviously know the clear solution is just to not forget, and basically do all your work. Also don’t plan on relying on your tests to help your grade because more than likely you will do badly on a lot of tests (Kautzman will tell you this in the first few days) but once again keeping up with homework, quizzes and taking advantage of the numerous and EASY extra credit opportunities will ensure you success… I mean you basically just have to watch movies to cushion your grade… good movies too like National Treasure and V for Vendetta.
Now the reason I stress the last paragraph is because I made all of those mistakes. I would forget blog posts and what not and it definitely hurt my grade, I’ve actually scrapped by both semesters with low B’s… which is good and all but all my friends have a higher grade which always seems to bug me to no end. I’ve read some of these other letters to you from other seniors and some stress studying. Yes studying is very important in this class… very… you will always have mountains of studying material that you wont even know what to do with. But what I want to say is be prepared for disappointment when it comes to preparation, because sometimes you can spend a week studying for a big test and in the end only score a C… while some people will brag about how they only studying twenty minutes and scored an A (Nathan Basham you dirty scoundrel) now like I stressed before, focus on the homework and extra credit aspects because it will save you from bad test grades.
Now I want to focus on some general tips on surviving the class, these are just as equally important. Now first and most important is to always bring a coat or something warm to class. Why? Well you see Kautzman was raised in Alaska by a family of Yetis and always leaves his windows open to keep his class cool, it reminds him of home so you cant blame him. Unfortunately this becomes excruciating during the winter months when icicles are hanging off the ceiling and you’re dying of hypothermia during a quiz… so I do stress, bring a jacket everyday.
Okay I know I said I would write some general tips… but I decided I would leave the rest up for you guys to discover, because I want you guys to have stuff to write about when the time comes for you all to do this assignment ha-ha. Anyways have a great summer guys (don’t neglect your summer assignments!) and I hope you all have a great senior year!
-Kirk McLaughlin
Let’s just get down to the basics. American Citizenship is a textbook based class where you do a lot of “busy work” using the textbook. Now, obviously I never took citizenship, so I’m not completely sure that that is the case or not. But based off of taking regular World and regular US History, why would Citizenship be any different than those two? There is a whole world of ideas out there, and a textbook simply cannot hold all of those ideas. You will definitely miss out on a very enlightening experience by not taking AP Government.
In AP Gov, we discuss the who, the what, the why, and the how. In Citizenship, it’s probably just the who and the what. You will get a lot out of knowing the why and the how. It will help you understand our government and the world that surrounds it (the media, the political parties, etc) that much better.
So how is the work load in this class? It’s actually quite easy. Most of the time, it consists of reading like 8 pages each night out of your textbook. That’s about 20-30 minutes; not too bad. Here’s a good tip. Stay on top of it! I wish I would have done so because the following day there is always a discussion about the previous night’s reading, and each night I didn’t do the reading, I would have a hard time following the discussion. For the nights I did read, I was like “YES! I know exactly what Kautzman’s talking about” when he discussed it. Another major component of the work is the blog assignment. It may change for you guys, but we had to post twice on the blog every week. The blogs are just basically your opinions on a certain issue, so they really aren’t that hard unless you have no feelings towards any issues. But if that’s the case, by taking this class, you will soon have a full awareness of your political ideology and along with that will come with positions on issues.
As far as the summer assignment goes, don’t procrastinate…especially on the blog. We had 8 blog posts a week to do and each time I did them all within two hours of the due time (midnight at the end of the week). That meant 15 minutes on each post. It was intense; I had to quickly read the article, think of my position, and type up my opinion in 15 minutes! I missed the deadline a several times, so don’t procrastinate! Also, when you finish, you’ll be like, “that was so easy, why couldn’t I have done it earlier?”
Lastly, you have probably heard this from a lot of people; the unit tests are very hard. RELAX! If you stay on top of your nightly reading and soak in everything from the class discussions, you really don’t even need to do review for tests, except for maybe a few terms. Basically, you shouldn’t need to do a full chapter, page to page, cram jam session the night before.
With that being said, I know you will have a great time in AP Gov. You made the right decision to take this class; go out and recruit some fellow class members to take it too! You don’t have to be smart and nerdy to take this class; this class is for everyone, and even if you don’t get the best grade, the knowledge you gain is worth a lot more than any grade.
Dear Lucky Students,
As you embark on the AP Government and Politics journey, a long and arduous, road, there are a few roadblocks and benefits you may want to be aware of. I’ll start with the bad first, just to get it out of the way and because nobody likes to end a letter on a bad note.
Be prepared to blog. A lot. For me, this was the biggest challenge because not only did I struggle to remember to blog in the first place, I hated responding to articles and other people through blogs. Some kids are into that kind of thing, but not me.
Secondly, there’s some big tests, but don’t let them intimidate you. Although second semester only includes one disgustingly huge test over several sections, there’s more than an adequate amount of time devoted to preparing. The tests really aren’t so bad, and they prepare you for the grandest test of them all: the AP test.
You and your textbook will become good friends. There’s a lot of reading you’ll do, but the book is pretty easy to read and straightforward. I guess there’s always the option of taking notes for the potential quiz the next day, but if you pay close attention to the reading then the notes are minimal.
Mr. Kautzman’s room is cold, so I would suggest a space heater or an electric blanket. It’s rough if you are not accustomed to arctic temperatures. However, Mr. Kautzman does usually close the windows on request. I would suggest getting a petition circulated in the administration to get that room a new thermostat.
And now for the positives, and there’s a shocking amount. The first and obvious benefits to AP Government and Politics is the college credit; although you pay some eighty five dollars to take the test, chances are you’ll pass it and save cash in the long run by not having to pay for the class in college. Plus, you’ll be well prepared for the test because of all those lovely practice tests you get to take towards the end of the year. Everyone knew exactly what to expect on May fifth.
Things get a lot easier after the test. It’s all West Wing and writing letters after the AP test. Although it can be a struggle getting those participation points, you get to view the West Wing, a show I never realized was good until after it went off the air.
Although you’ll spend the tail end of the year basking in The West Wing greatness, a majority of the class is fast paced. The pace is not only good to cover an expansive amount of ground, but it also keeps things interesting and allows for more studying for the AP test.
An election is coming up, so now is the opportune time to be taking a class about government. Not only will you gain insight into the election, but you’ll also be able to pick up on all the political strategies each candidate is using during the race. Taking this class really does make the political arena more fascinating and will release you in to the voting world well prepared.
Goodnight and good luck,
Meagan P. Desmond