Myth Busters - the truths about teaching an AP class

For almost all of my 13 year teaching career I have had at least one AP class. However, it has only been recently that I've come to realize that there are quite a few myths floating around out there in the rest of the world about teaching AP classes. I've had students, former students, and even fellow teachers ask me about these myths - so today, I'm going to set the record straight:

Myth #1 – AP teachers get paid extra to teach AP classes.

                

HA!! This is a myth I wish were true!  I have heard rumors of some AP teachers in school districts get paid a stipend much like a coach for a sports team would – these AP stipends are (in my opinion and experience) like unicorns – something we’d all like to see … but probably won’t in reality. In most school districts, teacher pay depends on two things and two things only: Education and Experience. A teacher is a teacher is a teacher – it doesn’t matter if he teaches PE or AP Economics, if two teachers have the same level of education and the same years of teaching experience, they will get paid the same amount of money. 

Myth #2 – AP teachers get to choose what they teach.

                

Again, not true.  In most districts the Administrators or Department Chairs pick who teaches what level or course within the department. While my Administrators have been kind enough to let me know in advance (and send me to AP Conferences for training when I asked for it), I had pretty much No Say in what I taught or how many sections of that course I taught. 

Myth #3 – Teaching AP students is easy because they are the “smart kids”

                

This one makes me laugh. It’s usually a myth that floats around other there in the teaching world (and beyond) perpetuated by those who have never taught and AP class. While yes, there are very many “smart kids” in an AP course, by no means is EVERY child sitting in the class a “smart” one – although, they all THINK they are (and their PARENTS think they are)! 

There are a couple of frustrating aspects to teaching the AP kids:

#1, They procrastinate like nobody’s business. They are expert procrastinators. You may as well not give them an assignment until the day before you want it due – heck, give ‘em 6 hours to turn it in – that’s when they are going to work on it anyways. You give an AP kid 6 weeks to research and write a 6 page paper – guaranteed he waits until 6 hours (or less) before the date due to even START the research.  This is partially not their fault: most AP students I’ve taught are overloaded with AP courses – some taking as many as 5 at a time (sometimes while simultaneously taking actual college courses) and being involved in band, choir, sports, volunteering, owning their own businesses, helping out the family business …. 

#2. AP kids demand their teachers bring their “A-game” every single class. Trust me, they know when you are B.S. ing them and they know when you are phoning it in at work – and they don’t tolerate either. It's a lot easier to tell a student what to think than it is to teach a student HOW to think. AP kids want to know the HOW and the WHY, not just the "what."

Yeah, this doesn't really happen in AP classes

 #3. Often the AP students will challenge the teacher on ideas/philosophies/statements/due dates/ grades received for assignments/grades they received for semesters/grades in general – basically, they like to argue. 

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Myth #4 – AP students are the “good kids”

 

             

Uh. Not all of them. AP students are just the kids who are smart and/or experienced enough to know how to get away with things and not get caught.

Myth #5 – Other than assigning more work, AP classes aren’t really all that different from other classes.

                

Well, this may be true in some AP classes in some districts, but not in my class. While often times the CONTENT might not change (let’s face it, American History is American History. Ain’t gonna change AP or not) – the Questions Asked are more difficult, and the Expectations and Demands placed on the AP student are higher than students in other classes.  What I expect my AP students to know how to do and how to think in contrast to what I expect of my other students is vastly different. The conversations my AP students have about the works we study are much more analytical and in depth than in my other courses. This is probably the biggest reason why I LOVE teaching AP – it is an intellectually stimulating environment to be in. I learn from my students. I love to give them something that they’ve never seen before and hear the conversations – the puzzlement, the excitement of “figuring it out,” the discussions over what something means – it’s fresh and new and not always right and not always intellectual … but watching them process and LEARN is rewarding.