Hi seniors (and juniors),

 

I thought you may be interested in the student feedback to me, your teacher, as this successful student prepares to enter the Ivy-League world of University of Pennsylvania!  This is Sammy X from Hong Kong:

Dear Mr. Watt,

As high school draws to an end, I have begun to go around the school thanking all my teachers. You too were once my teacher.
One of the greatest “miracles” I’ve experienced as a student has been my path in English. To tell the truth, I struggled at English in middle school and was worried that it would become a problem in high school. Four years later, I can confidently say that I excelled in my high school English classes. Whatever it was, something between middle school and high school drastically changed the trajectory of my English education. My mom and I have always speculated what it may have been. Perhaps I just got smarter? Maybe it was because in high school [my] grades actually counted towards [my] GPA, towards the competitiveness of [my] college application. Maybe I was just more driven? After much reflection, I realise the impetus for this great change may have been your literary service. I did, after all, start in 8th grade [see his portfolio here], right before high school – right before this great change.

[I’m] not gonna lie, four years ago there were times when I wondered why I enrolled in your class. Sometimes, I spent late Friday nights catching up on the work you assigned. I frequently woke up early on Saturday mornings to squeeze in a few more chapters of Tolkien. At some points, it was difficult. As a young and naïve middle school boy, sometimes I wished I could spend my Saturday afternoons playing soccer. Four years later, I’m so glad I didn’t. You influenced me in a way that I did not have the capacity to appreciate as a young boy. Now I do.

The above can help younger students to get an idea of the stakes of early study with MWLS: the earlier you begin study, the better! Thanks Sammy!