AP or not to AP?

I was really doing a lab - really.

I am in my second week of recovery from AP Biology training and the ups and downs of my school and now district’s decision to offer or not offer it in the fall.

The week was quite intense and presented by a very capable, energetic and a good geeky youngster such as I – more on that in a moment. It got off to a rough start. I had not heard anything from my school or AP about the training, but I knew it was from Monday to Friday from 8-5 or at least I thought I knew that. When I showed up at Millsaps at 8:01 the room was full and they were in full tilt. Jane, the presenter, said you must be John. Now how did she know that?

I was the only person on the list that had missed the introductory session on Sunday night. Then the AP police chief met me at the door. I am not sure of her name but she is the Millsaps person in charge of the AP institute for all the subject areas and somehow she just sniffed me out. She told me emphatically that I would not get continuing education credits since I missed the one-hour introductory session that cannot be made up. Wow and good morning to you. I told her I had not gotten any communication –well, we sent it to the address on the application. (Later I realized it went to my other address that I had not checked). I explained that I had no need of continuing education credits since I had my national board certification.


My lab group who welcomed me and made the week very enjoyable. Liz, a Harvard graduate and Teach for America teacher at Humphreys County High School, Mark, a steadfast, star teacher and coach of the year at McComb for 33 years, and Antoine, a Jackson State graduate and creative, dedicated International Baccalaureate Teacher at Jim HIll High School.

The participation certificate so I could get my license upgraded was all I was interested in. She said I probably could get that. Probably? If not I will just leave; I have other things to do. I hung around for several days before they finally said I would definitely get my certification. Life is good. On the last afternoon session, Thursday, before we were to be dismissed early on Friday, I found out some startling news. One, I emailed my assistant principal who was standing in for our principal who euphemistically left for a better opportunity in another state. I inquired about books and who would sign the required AP audit form. She emailed me to say we would not be offering AP Biology in the fall. Not offering? You mean I rushed back to town to be able to attend this weeklong workshop for no pay and battled credit and now I will not be able to give our students this awesome opportunity.


The second best lab group who sat in front of us and worked with us on some labs and were a lot of fun.

As soon as I left on Friday morning – don’t tell the AP police chief but it was 10:15 not the scheduled noon, I headed straight for Velma Jackson (Our fearless leader had us going for days without the fifteen minute morning and afternoon breaks and by my count that was two hours so I took most of them and took an early exit – with my certificate, I might add). I came in with both guns a blazing for the assistant principal, whom I really like and respect, and the counselor, ditto. However, I gave them the full bluster – this is my last year. As soon as I find another job, even if it is in December, I am gone.

Now stop your threats, Mr. Banks, she said in her calm professional way. (I hate that she is leaving us for a principal job in an elementary school – but happy for her). And as for the counselor, I continued I will say happy whatever day it is as I always do and be cordial but professionally I will be very, very cold. (I was kidding but not happy that she had more or less promised I would be teaching AP Biology). Any way it was a great interchange and after the dust had settled. The Assistant Principal said she had ceded to the counselor’s insistence on an extra conference period to administer the grant. You have to give him something since he will not have AP. She agreed but warned her to just tell me no for if you say maybe Mr. Banks will work away at you until he gets what he wants. I confessed that was true but I had to for the kids.

Back to the other surprising news on Thursday afternoon. Since I missed the introductions I asked the presenter where she taught. Jackson, Tennessee at University School she replied. Oh really, I am not familiar with that I graduated from Lambuth College. Really. I did too. What year did you graduate? 76. Then it was clear to her why she had asked if I had been to one of the workshops before earlier in the week. I did too and gave her maiden name and remember I had long red hair. And, of course, she was biology major also – I barely remembered her but that is not unusual I do not remember most people from the distant past except abusers and superstars. Go figure. In the next class she told everyone this. I said I was hot (ha-ha) and she said yeah I was one of those guys who she hoped would speak to her (yeah right). Then I said I did not run with her because she was Greek –she thought I said freak. And everyone got a chuckle out of that.
Here she is the Vanna of Biology presenting our data from a five-day transpiration experiment.



And I thought it this AP thing was all over until I was meeting with the superintendent. His secretary had emailed me to say he wanted to meet with me about my grant and the possibility of presenting at the principal’s meeting. Wow – a meeting with the big cheese about the grant – this is finally getting somewhere. Then as I just got my throat cleared and we started talking strategy in walked the curriculum director and she asked me about AP Biology. He gave the green light to talk about it and I gave her the full picture and how I thought it was the one AP course that our kids had a chance of making a 3 or 4 on and a whole lot of other pedagogical and personnel ideas that I will leave for another time and place to share. In short the superintendent and her and my counselor will have a brief summit today to decide AP or not to AP. Isn’t life interesting?


This was outside our classroom and I am already working on a grant to have this in my classroom wall to be maintained on the classroom side and enjoyed by passersby on the hallway side.