English at Central Academy

There always seems to be a great debate surrounding the question of taking English at Central Academy vs Roosevelt. To me, Central Academy has a wonderful English program and it has served me well. The teachers, coursework, and rigor help prepare students for college and higher thinking. In addition, the books they choose are classics of literature and help expand students vocabulary. Out of my five year career in Central Academy English, my favorite class had to have been 9th grade. I loved all the books we read, all the discussions we had, and my classmates in general. That year, the learning felt exponential. Another benefit to English at CA is the emphasis on vocabulary acquisition. From Word Within a Word (WWW) to Weighty Words, there is always a way to expand one's lexicon. WWW covered the definitons of prefixes and root words, and is something I've applied in every other class. Even when I'm unfamiliar with a word, the root definition I learned from WWW will give me a fairly accurate guess.
Although Central Academy classes can have a reputation for being harder and more homework-heavy, I wouldn't say that is always true. In fact, I had friends taking AP Lang at Roosevelt with more homework than myself taking it at Central. My advice: Don't base your decision on what you've heard people say- talk to Ms. Dunley and try to push yourself to take a more rigorous course. The teachers only want you to learn and succeed, and I believe the critical thinking and analytical skills they teach will serve me extremely well as I continue my education in college and in life. Gifted minds are voracious and early readers with large vocabularies- English at CA feeds this.