Here's an interesting article for parents and teens alike. It doesn't have specific application only to English but to every aspect of school and life.

Homeroom ZombiesTeens need at least nine hours of sleep a night, though few get that much and early school start times don't help. Here's what parents can do. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20643572/site/newsweek/from/ET/

The English Calendar

Please take a moment to check out the calendar and webpage so that you can take advantage of the due dates and the homework posted on both of them! You can sign up to receive e-mail from the Google calendar to keep yourself up on what the lesson will be and what the required homework assignments look like.

Library Orientation

Today, all my students completed library orientation. Using a library, school or public, has become a dying "art." So many of us use our computers and the Internet for everything, we forget how valuable a collection made specifically for the right population can be.

In class, we discussed the benefits of public libraries, what they actually contain, and what determines size. We answered 3 essential questions:

1. What else, besides books, is in a library?

2. Is there more than 1 kind of library?

3. What are the 2 main types of books?

We will use the library in our school often, so being aware of what it looks like, how it's set up, and why it contains what it does is vital to using it well. There is an entire section of the state core on library skill (using reference material, using functional, informational texts, and making good judgement on reliable information), and, of course, these skills are also tested on the Basic Skills Competency Test.

Someday, when I grow up, I want to be a librarian. Teaching is my dream job, but I feel the lure of all those BOOKS!!!

The English Binder...

Today, I handed out all the inserts to make the dividers for the English binder. Students should have collected them (in order) in class. As of today, they are as organized as *I* know how to make them.

It was also picture day, today. Even though they didn't all have money, they should all have had their photos taken for their ID cards. How nice it will be to have them with ID cards, Internet Acceptable Use Policy stickers, and a good student calendar!

We'll also be handing out student planners (their covers, now spelled properly) will have all the policies as well as the official school calendar (which is also available online at the school's website.)

Tomorrow, my A-day students will get to meet the substitute who will cover my classes while I'm gone on maternity leave. Pat Johnson has 23+ years of experience, and she's also an inspiring teacher. She also has a Master's of Reading Education, so that will give my students a great experience. I hope the students really enjoy her.

Another week down! My, how the time flies when I'm having fun!

Two Days Down

We've now completed both an A day and a B day! I've met all my students, and they are delightful. Today in class I took "mug shots" of all the students: each student wrote his or her name on a piece of card stock and then held it up so I could get a photo of the face with the name. Hopefully, I'll be able to learn their names before Christmas!! I have a very difficult time learning every student's name. It turns out that people generally dislike having their photos taken. I thought it was just me who disliked it so intensely!

We also did "disclosure documents" to the point of nauseous repetition. I'm sure students dislike these as much as teachers and parents, but they are necessary to protect the students from not knowing what a teacher's policy is. Mine are posted on my website, and the administration also has a copy of them!

Despite being very tired, I've enjoyed these past 2 days. Being in front of the class reminds me why I love my job. It's all about the energy and ideas that the students have. They are so unique and clever. The future of America's so bright, I might have to wear shades!!

A New Year

Today was Sophomore Day at the school. It's always wonderful to meet the students for the first time (and even better, they were wearing name tags! If I could convince them to do that for the next 3 weeks, I'd be SET). I got to meet 115 of my 142 sophomore students; that's a good turn-out!

Sophomore year is huge: the students move up to high school, they attempt the BSCT (80% of them will pass the first time!), and most of them both date and drive this year. I remember vividly being a sophomore, the excitement of the year and how every event was new and wonderful. I hope my students have that same experience, that they enjoy each moment that the year brings.

The day ended with ice cream and t-shirts for the sophomores. The student council was wearing all blue, which leads me to guess that the sophomore's color is blue. They will get to wear blue as their color until they graduate. Isn't amazing that in only 3 years this will be the graduating class of 2010?

Ready for English to START!!

Never in my 14 previous years have I been so excited for school to start. The beginning of each school year is magical for me, a time of new students, new classes, new ideas, new assignments, and new challenges. This year will also bring a new baby to my family, and we are thrilled at the prospect of another brother at our house.

I have spent the summer preparing for this new year. I've developed new curriculum and worked hard to integrate real-world literacy into all of my courses. I've studied the new state core and looked for the best way to make it attract you, my students, so that you can appreciate how wonderful English is to express every aspect of your life.

Once upon an English Department meeting, a long time ago, we determined that our mission statement would be that "English is LIFE!" I firmly believe that the ways we express ourselves, the quiet and the loud moments, are all "English." We use verbal and non-verbal communication to share ideas and feelings: Communication is "English" if that is the native language. We tell stories to share the important events of our lives: Stories are English. We read blogs, text messages, books and poetry: Reading is English. We speak our hearts: Speaking is English. We learn and share all the skills of English so that we might drink deeply of the elixir of life.

I can't wait to share with you what I've found, and I can't wait to have you share with me what you know and want to know. I'm excited for this year to begin!