Alva Review-Courier -

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — An East Central High School teacher is volunteering his time over the summer to give his 11th- and 12th-graders a head start in advanced math courses that enable them to earn college credit in high school.

David Lanning has worked two hours three days a week this summer with about 30 students who will be taking Advanced Placement, or AP, calculus courses this school year, which begins Aug. 21. Students may earn college credit based on their scores on the AP exams for those courses.

"It is literally at a college pace," Lanning said of AP Calculus BC, which he said is essentially Calculus I and Calculus II. "I have juniors and seniors in this class. And so for a junior in high school to be able to walk into a class and work at a college pace is intimidating."

Lanning's students don't receive extra credit for working with him over the summer, but they volunteer to do so because it will help them successfully complete the challenging course.

Bear Goins, a 16-year-old entering the 11th grade at East Central, said he doesn't think any of the students would pass the AP exam for AP Calculus BC if they couldn't work with Lanning over the summer.

"(Lanning) makes us work, but I mean it is worth it," Goins said. "And it is a sacrifice not only to the students but to him, as well, because his family is expecting to have him all summer, and then they don't. Then again, it's also tough for us, because we're giving up our summer, as well. But like I said, it's worth it."

Lanning said he and his students have the same goal: to get through Calculus AB or BC so they can get college credit.

The Tulsa World reports that by working in the more laid-back setting during the summer, students are better positioned to understand the "why" behind the difficult concepts in the class, rather than just memorizing formulas, Lanning explained.

"It makes the school year a lot easier to start," he said, "instead of trying to walk in and (students) have six other classes, and suddenly you're down to 50-minute class periods and everything is very fast-paced."

On Wednesday afternoon, Lanning's students chatted in small groups as they worked equations on whiteboards lining the walls of his classroom.

"They build camaraderie," Lanning said about his students. "I'm really big into group work, and so my students get a chance to work with each other — meet each other in a relaxed atmosphere before school starts."

Lanning, who is in his 14th year of teaching at Tulsa Public Schools and his fifth year at East Central, started having students work with him over the summer four years ago.

"It's a priority for me," Lanning said, adding that he doesn't get paid for his work over the summer.

"This is me volunteering to come in and help them, and if the students are willing to do it, I am, as well. I have the same goals they do."

Increasing East Central's AP course offerings has been a priority of Principal Mike Crase since he joined the school in 2013, said Assistant Principal Rachel Nicholas.

The school's AP courses have been increased from seven to 23 since that year, Nicholas said. Since then, the school's graduation rates have also increased.

"I think when students are enrolled in courses that are engaging to them and interesting to them and that apply to something that they see themselves doing after high school, it gives them that light at the end of the tunnel to keep persevering, even when they have other things on their plate — whether it's work, or extracurricular activities or spending time with their family," Nicholas said.

Lanning added that he thinks students will push themselves to complete higher-level math courses if their school offers them.

Goins, who wants to become a mechanical engineer, said he feels lucky to attend a school that offers "insanely high math programs, compared to other schools."

"For what I want to do with my life, it's going to be worth it," he said about going to school on his own time. "I've just always known what I want to do, but I never really knew what I needed to do to get there. And Lanning has definitely helped point me in the right direction."

Lely Parker, a 16-year-old entering the 12th grade, said she is taking upper-level math classes because she wants to study physics or become a veterinarian after high school.

"The subject is really hard," Parker said about AP Calculus BC. "The fact that (Lanning is) coming in beforehand is really helpful for his students. So that means he really cares. He needs more credit for what he does."

___

Information from: Tulsa World, http://www.tulsaworld.com