Two specific factors make my high school experience important to me: the friendships and the amount of computer science resources available. Throughout my educational journey, one teacher and class stood out as the beginning of my true learning experience—Mr. Law and his AP Computer Science A class at Lane Tech. While most other classes left me uninspired, this one kept me genuinely excited.
1. Setting Expectations
From the first day Mr. Law emphasized the rigor of the course. He told us that investing deliberate time in problem-solving was a requirement to do well. The curriculum was structured, starting with fundamental concepts like strings, integer versus double, and array manipulation, before progressing to more complex challenges. Mr. Law warned us that neglecting our work or gaining a false sense of confidence would hinder our progress towards the end, as following topics built upon earlier ones. He told us that not all students would pass the course, especially those who treated it as a just a credit requirement during their senior year.
2. Overcoming Challenges
The initial weeks went smoothly, and for the first time, I felt school was genuinely contributing to my future goals. This made me to show up every day and put forth my best effort. During the college application period, I fell behind in the class. Mr. Law offered assistance to students who scheduled time before or after class. I would attend tutoring sessions at least twice a week in the mornings to regain my footing.
3. Embracing Java
It’s important to note that the class was taught using Java, a programming language that is not very forgiving. At the time, my programming approach centered around memorising syntax. For instance, if the task involved iterating over a string to remove vowels, I would recall the syntax: “int i = 0; i < word.length(); i++.” I could then build my solution based on that. However, when confronted with challenges like removing alternate vowels after the first two occurrences starting from the end of the string, I struggled due to a lack of understanding the underlying logic. The explanations he provided during tutoring allowed me to grasp what I was doing wrong and understand how to fix it.
4. Genuine Learning
In Mr. Law’s class, assessments were done on paper with a pencil; either you knew it or you didn’t. This aspect of his teaching required us to learn and ensured that our grades reflected our true understanding. I appreciated this more than subjects like English, where grading depended on the teacher’s interpretation.
5. The Power of Tutoring
Attending tutoring sessions allowed me to delve deeper into the subject matter. I would arrive at 7 AM, with practice work and a list of specific issues or concepts I struggled with. The focus shifted from reaching a correct answer to comprehending the mechanics behind each concept. I realised that grasping the “why” was the most important, and there was much more depth to the material than I initially perceived.
6. A Bigger Picture
Mr. Law guided me in recognizing the bigger picture. He emphasised the importance of establishing strong foundational skills and acknowledged that it would be a gradual process. It required time and intentional practice.
7. Adaptive Teaching and Effective Analogies
Mr. Law’s teaching style stood out for its adaptability. He easily adjusted his approach to suit different learning needs. He also employed effective analogies to explain even the most basic concepts. For example, I vividly remember his explanation of why “System.out.println(“word”);” and “return “word”;” functioned differently. It was a quality explanation, and he related it to something real, and that is why it stuck.
Conclusion
My time in Mr. Law’s AP Computer Science A class left a mark on me. It not only sharpened my work ethic but also taught me the value of foundational knowledge and intentional practice. Under his guidance, I experienced the feeling of my grade aligning with my genuine understanding of the content. Mr. Law’s adaptable teaching style and insightful analogies further propelled my learning journey.