If you haven’t already taken Mr. Anderson’s class, chances are you will. He teaches English 11, College Composition, and Public Speaking. Mr. Anderson is usually a reasonable guy as long as you abide by his guidelines. Every junior, at least, will have Mr. Anderson for English 11, and chances are, you’ll have more than just this. You will learn to create your own tips and tricks, such as how to write an essay that pleases him, how to ace tests/quizzes, how to write a good speech, and how to perfect the art of language skills. Below are some tips from experienced students and Mr. Anderson himself to get you through your time in Room 108. 

Here are some tips from Mr. Anderson himself:

1. Write stories in your essays and compositions – they make them stand out.
2. To make your essays better, have a good hook, good word choice, and good voice (personality).
3. Put effort into your work.
4. Be aware of what’s going on in class (pay attention).
5. His favorite subtopics to teach in English are:
   1. Freshmen: Romeo and Juliet (If he ever teaches Freshmen again)
   2. English 11: Romantic Period
   3. Comp I: Narration
   4. Comp II: Hamlet

*Note from the writers: asking questions and discussing these (and not complaining about them) while learning them will win major brownie points.*

His best piece of advice for incoming is: “Tell stories and have fun!”

We also interviewed one of Mr. Anderson’s current favorites, Jase VanAmburg. Now that Jase is the StuCo President, he has to spend more time with Mr. Anderson than any other, and he has some very valuable tips when it comes to surviving room 108. 

1. Talk a lot… but only when it’s relevant to the class.
2. Ask questions that you know Mr. Anderson will have a lot to say about.

*Note from the writers: Things he may want to talk about are any book you’ve read in class, unpopular opinions about anything you’ve read, his heart attack, his dog, Daisy, the play, his jokes… you’ll learn along the way.

1. Be active in the discussion in the class
2. Make sure you understand what you are doing (He is there to help you)
3. Know your vocabulary for the Cumulative Test
4. Go in with a positive attitude – it won’t be as painful

Finally, here’s the writers’ personal survival guide to Mr. Anderson’s class. 

1. Ask about his jokes on the chalkboard.
2. Laugh at all jokes from the chalkboard.
3. Laugh at really anything that is supposed to be funny.
4. Your essays are typically considered to be late once Mr. Andersons begins grading them so the due date has some stretch usually (but don’t count on that).
5. Don’t start your composition, essay, or speech with a question (it’s overused).
6. Pay attention to language skills at all times, as your stick can be pulled at any moment. 
7. Only use spark notes to understand the basic concepts of what you read, but don’t rely on them, as he uses very specific questions on quizzes and tests. 
8. When he gives reviews, take advantage of them and don’t complain, as he can take them away at any time
9.  Know your grammar!
10.  Put some high-level vocab words in your essays/compositions, it’s impressive.
11. Follow Mr. Anderson’s speech outlines exactly.

There’s nobody who knows more about how to pass a class than the teacher and their past students themselves. We hope these tips serve as a guide to truly surviving Mr. Anderson’s class.