For senior year, students choose their classes based on many different factors; college credits, interests, and rigor all influence the decision of their schedule. Specifically when selecting their math class, seniors have an array of options, such as Math Analysis, Statistics, AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, and AP Calculus BC. Students have their individual reasons for the math classes they take, as well as their opinions on the subjects taught within the course.
Math Analysis
Math Analysis, taught by Tom Schumann, is a course that can be taken by juniors and seniors. Senior Cooper O’Riordan described the content of the class as “nothing new. It’s everything from Algebra 1 and 2 and Geometry. I find it pretty easy.”
In a typical period, students are taught lessons and given worksheets based on the lessons. O’Riordan has grown to like the class because of the social environment that Math Analysis fosters: “There is a lot of free time, it doesn’t take us a while to do work so I get to chill with friends in my class.”
For seniors who are looking to focus on other subjects and want a less demanding math class, O’Riordan believes Math Analysis is the best option. These factors are what motivated him while choosing his schedule for his senior year, “I picked this math because it’s my last year [at Campo] and math has never really been my strong suit so I’m taking this class.”
Statistics
Statistics, taught by Taylor Peterson, covers an introduction to the subject and can be taken by upperclassmen. Senior Delaney Joyce took Statistics because “[I] didn’t want to take a calculus class.” This is a common reason for many seniors who choose to take Math Analysis, Statistics, or AP Statistics.
Joyce enjoys the projects and hands-on work done during the class periods: “My favorite thing about this class is when we do fun activities. We did a Barbie doll experiment, Wii bowling or other interesting activities. We dropped Barbies from the roof with rubber bands, like bungee jumping Barbies.”
In terms of the material taught in the class, Joyce found it was “more interesting than the other math that [I’ve] learned at this school. [I] actually feel like it’s more useful like [we] learn how to code and use Google Sheets. [I] feel like it’s more applicable to real-world stuff”.
Statistics incorporates many different units, including things like experiments and probability, as well as topics related to data science, such as coding.
Joyce stayed confident in her decision to take statistics her senior year, and did well with the style of learning in the class: “Ms. Peterson’s teaching style is that she lectures and then has us do a bunch of practice problems with our partners and she will walk around and help us. I would say I’ve responded well to her teaching style.”
AP Statistics
AP Statistics, like regular statistics, is also taught by Peterson. This class is a more rigorous version of statistics, incorporating a wider range of topics.
Senior Henry Van Houten said, “I took the class because my sister took it and I found it interesting.” AP Statistics also consists of projects, allowing students to pull data from surveys given to their Campo peers.
Van Houten explained that the class is mainly “problem-solving and there’s no formulas and [you] get to figure it out on [your] own”.
Similar to Joyce’s description of statistics, Van Houten agreed that the subject matter can be an “application to real life”.
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus AB, also known as Calc AB, is the next step up from Pre-Calculus. Nita Madra, one of the Calc AB teachers, works the entire year in order to prepare students for the AP test in the spring. Senior Ali Maguy, who is attending Brown in the fall, chose AP Calculus AB in order to fulfill her requirements.
When asked what the content of the class is like, Maguy said “I would say it is difficult but Ms. Madra is a good teacher that helps us understand it.” Calc AB expands on topics such as derivatives, intervals, and more.
Despite the difficulty of the class, Maguy says there are still positives about the class, such as the collaborative environment it fosters, “My favorite part of the class is the people and working together to figure out what we are learning and the problems”
AP Calculus BC
AP Calculus BC is the highest level of math offered at Campo, and is taught by Nick Schoen. Senior Rachel Andre described the course, ““It’s very challenging, the concepts are pretty hard to understand, but I think there is a certain formula and way to do things. I think once you understand that formula you’re able to apply it to different problems.”
Because Andre took AP Calculus AB the year prior, she decided to “continue the trajectory to taking more calculus classes”. Andre added, “I also think it will really help in college because I plan on majoring in STEM so it will help me get ahead on my requirements.”
Despite the class being notoriously difficult, Andre enjoys the way the course is taught. Andre said, “I really like the teacher. Mr. Schoen is really good at teaching things and he’s really passionate about what he is teaching. He teaches it in a fun way that makes it easy for me to understand and I enjoy talking to the people in my class.”
Overall, there are numerous options for seniors who are choosing a math class to take, each having their own pros and cons.
