Each year the College Board sends out Advanced Placement test results in mid-July, ending an agony of waiting for both teachers and students. The resultsthis year were more charged than ever since my nearly 150 test-takers were my very last AP students.

I have always wanted students to do well, but this year I wanted them to do well so that my memories of this last group would have a rosy glow. Do you know how rare it is to teach nearly 150 teenagers and not have a single hostile cynic among the group? They were already nominated for my student hall of fame, and I wanted everything about them to be positive.