Living in The United States is a blessing for all American students. We have the opportunity to have a free public education from grade school to secondary school, something a lot of kids aren’t able to take advantage off. As American students, we start getting a taste of the education system from Pre-School. We start seeing who is “smarter”, who hangs out with who, who are the trouble makers, and we start realizing these “expectations” from an early age to “Do well in school and behave.” Despite this, kids are able to be taught in the same classrooms despite “intellectual” levels. Eventually, we get to high school, where the tide turns. Enter Advanced Placement classes.

For those who do not know, Advanced Placement classes or AP Classes are classes that are designed for more rigorous coursework, being on par with college level work, in order to prepare high school students to obtain college credit. That’s great, isn’t it? Well, let’s explore further. See all these “smart” students from grade school and middle school are the students that take these courses. That is amazing, great for them! They are challenging themselves, working to get college credit, that’s really admirable of them to take such courses at a young age.

But, what about everyone else?

What about all those other students that these, now AP students used to sit in the same desks as? Well, they go to what the education system calls “regular” classes. They are “Regular students.” Wait, I didn’t realize you get a label for the classes you take in high school. I’m not sure you quite understand me. See to all these AP students, anyone that’s not in AP classes is a REGULAR. A deplorable regular. My claims are not arbitrary, it's empirically proven. As an AP student, I have heard all this hierarchal talk. As if our education system was actually a caste system. “Don’t go to that class, it’s for regulars.” “You are way too smart to go to a regular class” “I’m way too smart for regular classes.” This talk occurs daily. There is a conventional belief that there are two types of students, AP’s and Regulars, and you don’t want to be a dumb regular right? It is a conspicuous issue.

The education system suggests and makes it seem as if AP classes are necessary for life. You don’t want to be a regular right? Is this really the case? See most students that take these AP classes take them because they want to be in an environment that they don’t feel as hostile, frankly, they don’t even consider the actual advantages of taking AP classes. This completely defeats the purpose. You are not doing it for the knowledge and the understanding, but only so you aren’t in classes with these “regulars” that you shun so much, but you actually fear. These “regular” kids are no different than you. And no I’m not encouraging you to drop AP classes, but I am telling you that you have to view them for what they are, not as a higher social class or a safety blanket.

I am an AP student, and I have friends that are and are not AP students. And I have to confess, a lot of these students that are not in AP classes have traits that can determine someone’s success that AP students don’t have. As AP students we are told what to do and to do it. We are so easily influenced by authority, not even questioning why, who this authority figure is, all we think is “We don’t want to get in trouble.” I’m not defending misbehavior, but the ability and character to question why things are what they are, and in a way challenge authority that does not deem as credible or just, is the wit that makes ideas that change the world come to life. These “regular” kids, AP kids, actually aren’t as dumb as you think. Maybe you just never realized that not everything is measured on grade point average.