From arguing with your parents, to trying to convince a teacher that you really did leave your homework at home, life is full of different ways of persuasion.

Junior year, students in the advanced placement  class read the book on the art of persuasion called “Thank You for Arguing”, written by Jay Heinrichs.

“I want students to come away from that book better equipped to express themselves when disagreeing with someone,” said teacher Brett Beneke.

The book explores different tactics that help students write better argumentative essays, one of the main focuses on the advanced level classes. Students also get the benefit of being able to form more persuasive arguments in their lives.

“I use anticipatory concession when I’m talking to my dad, and I’ll say ‘I know I did bad on that test, but I can do better, so please don’t ground me,’” said junior Dominique Williams.

Each student can take something new from the book, whether they read it this year, or last year, because the tactics they learn are applicable further down the road.

“I really use the things I learned to write better essays,” said junior Abby Cambridge.

Thank You for Arguing has been in the curriculum for five years, and can be expected to stay for years to come.