Students and teachers debate taking advanced placement(AP) classes every year. 

AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC teacher Kirk Fowler said that he thinks that AP classes are invaluable because they give high school students a glimpse of college. He also believes AP classes are valuable because you can, “delve deeply into a subject matter.”

Fowler believes that benefits of taking AP classes include college credit, pushing yourself, challenges, and exposure to a college-level class.

Mr. Fowler counters that there are drawbacks to taking these strenuous classes including that you can spread yourself too thin.  He does not see all that much value in taking tons of AP classes. For example, he said that if students take 3,4, or 5 AP classes they do not receive the time to actually explore the topic. Finally, he illustrates that he believes “If you are taking a lot of AP classes to become valedictorian, I certainly see no value in that.”

Junior year is when the schedules of students really start to change with the range of offered classes so much wider. When asked what advice Mr. Fowler would give to an incoming junior who had only taken one AP class each of his Freshman and Sophomore years, he said he would tell them that it is important to stretch yourself in one or two AP classes. However, he explained it should be in a subject that interests them. Finally, he finished off with saying that taking challenging classes in high school makes life after high school easier.