FINAL ESSAY

     "You do what?" "You get to decide what you want to learn?" "Teenagers are given that much freedom?" These are the questions that I typically get when I tell people that my AP English Literature and Composition class is based off of open source learning principles. People tend to think that it is crazy to give teenagers that much freedom. There are a lot of negative stereotypes for teenagers and one of them is that teenagers cannot handle having control over their education. Some people think that teenagers are lazy and would use an open source learning situation to cheat their way out of doing quality work. Open source learning is about taking advantage of all available resources to make your education tailored to your specific needs and interestd. It allows you to explore more possibilities and make more connections. Open source learning students are not lazy but in fact are very invested in their educations.

     This year, my fellow AP students and I defied stereotypes as we became self learners. It was very strange walking into class on the first day of school and being told that how we wanted things done was up to us. This was so strange to us that is took us quite a while to take advantage of. We were weary of this new system at first. For many of us, it was the first time we had been away from a traditional classroom setting. The agenda was different. The student-teacher relationship was different. The grading was different. Everything we had previously learned about learning was being challenged and tested. Being the critical thinking AP students that we are though, we were able to rise to the challenge. All of that freedom came with a lot of trust and for the most part, we respected that trust. Eventually, we took control of our learning.

     Our journey to open source learning success was not a completely new feeling. Throughout the year, we met many characters from literature that fit the story. Leah Price from "The Poisonwood Bible" gave up everything she knew for a life that she was passionate about. Similar to how us students have up traditional learning. John the Savage from "Brave New World" showed isolation and individuality. As the only open source learners on campus, we showed a lot of individuality. Sometimes though, the pressure got to us and we went a little crazy, like Hamlet. Well not totally like Hamlet but you get the point. 

Open source learning allowed me to focus on my passions. Besides learning the curriculum, I was able to focus on other things as well. My journey is not complete though. It is only beginning. I will continue to be an individual learner.