IntroductionThis website will provide you with information about the classes I teach, and it includes links to your homework, the syllabi, and helpful resources. I am so excited to spend the school year reading and learning with you. I truly believe that reading makes life easier and better. It is through books that we have free and unfettered access to the lives, knowledge, and imagination of others.
In school, English Language Arts serves two clear purposes. First, it is its own discipline; English is at the core of the liberal arts. In English we read and analyze literature, we examine texts together, and we compose our own original work. English, like art, challenges students to engage with a established bodies of work and stylistic traditions, while also inviting them to contribute their own ideas to the discussion. In English we both criticize and compose artistic works. Second, English operates as a supportive companion to the other disciplines. In English we develop our skills in a variety of literacies, ranging from traditional print literacies to modern new media and digital literacies. We will develop as readers, and writers, of a range of styles. We will improve our knowledge of vocabulary, spelling, and grammar. These aspects of English make it uniquely suited for cross-discipline collaboration. |
In an effort to blur the lines between reading for school and reading for pleasure, I have decided to make individual reading a cornerstone of my classroom. Both ninth and eleventh grade will take part in sustained silent reading almost every day during English class. This will give each of us a break from the hectic and demanding school day, and hopefully foster more interest in reading. You are welcome to bring books from home, borrow them from my classroom library, or utilize the resources and recommendations available in the school library.
These will be demanding classes, and I expect you to be challenged and to challenge yourselves. We learn best when we push the boundaries of what we know, and what we take for granted. That said, I promise that the classroom will be a safe space, and that I will do my best to make this year a productive and comfortable learning experience.
These will be demanding classes, and I expect you to be challenged and to challenge yourselves. We learn best when we push the boundaries of what we know, and what we take for granted. That said, I promise that the classroom will be a safe space, and that I will do my best to make this year a productive and comfortable learning experience.