Some stress. Some dread the year because they’re unsure if they’ll be able to survive in their Pre-AP or AP English class. They may even decide to transition to a regular class. Others stay in. Some enjoy it (including me), and others endure so they can have a higher GPA and class rank.

The required reading and writing that is assigned tends to scare students away from enjoying an advanced English class or from taking it. Many people approach them with a groan.

Advanced English classes are challenging, but the stress helps growth in learning abilities and responsible character— even though the stress is troubling. The push and the training that teachers put upon their students in advanced classes is the ultimate way for students to prepare for their future. The stress orchestrates our minds for events in our lives, like dealing with a distressing boss at a job.

Don’t get me wrong, I do sometimes struggle, but everyone does at some point.

In my own experience, I had mixed feelings about taking advanced English classes. When I was in sixth grade, I took a Pre-AP English class. After being given my first taste of it, I was afraid I would not do well. But, eventually, I got my act together and realized I needed to work hard and get the most out of the class that I could.

I continued to take Pre-AP English my seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth grade years until I entered AP this year. Every year, I learned that procrastination is never the answer (yet, I still procrastinate to this day) and I learned that every story and every essay assigned has a purpose: to prepare us for the future.

Many people wonder why you do the things you do in advanced English classes. They’re all more important than you think.

Reading comprehension helps your memory and builds your vocabulary. Reading classics and modern novels gives you an outlook about morals and the diversity of people and ideas and cultures around the world. Writing essays prepare you for writing documents in the future and helps you to express yourself. Ultimately, all of these strengthen your writing skills.

At the end of the day, advanced English classes, in reality, have no reason to be frowned upon.

To me, most school classes in general are dreaded because of how people approach them; if you approach difficult situations with an optimistic attitude, they won’t be as repulsive as they seem. Advanced English classes are only as brutal as we make them.

Start looking at these classes with a different perspective. Take in everything that you learn. Let it strengthen you for later. The next time you’re assigned something to read, embrace it.