The bell rings and I sit down in my English class. The students groan as the teacher proceeds to tell the class that it is a John Baylor day. But why are there students complaining about free ACT preparation?

The real question students battle with is whether or not John Baylor’s course is beneficial and worth the class time.

Personally, I believe the preparation is worth it. While Baylor may be obnoxious in the way he teaches, his phrases definitely stick. Ask any junior where “hammer the grammar” came from and they will, without a doubt, say John Baylor test preparation. This approach to teaching strategies ensures that no one will ever forget what to do when torn between two options. (“Go in there like a surgeon and cross out the junk!”)

Also, Huntley High School pays for course, which is not cheap. Many high schoolers choose to take preparation courses outside of school because they do not have the luxury that we do. Students at Huntley should definitely be taking full advantage of this.

Baylor’s prep has been proven to work for over two decades. According to johnbaylorprep.com, his classes increase an entire high school’s ACT score by one to two points, which is a big deal. Two points could be the difference between qualifying for a scholarship.

So if John Baylor has been proven to work, why do students still hate the class so much?

Some students pass by the opportunity to learn new skills. According to senior Alexander Dominguez, the course was not helpful and he fell asleep during it every time.

Junior Allie Szuba thinks that John Baylor goes through his lessons fast and because of that she can’t always keep up with him.

“He has too much information where I can’t even remember anything he has said,” said Szuba.

While it is hard to keep up with him, Baylor still provides great tips and tricks to up your ACT score.

You may think John Baylor isn’t helpful, but you have to put in the work in order to see the results.