September 8th - First Week of School: Complete!

Welcome to the 2013-2014 school year!  I’m very excited to be starting my 20^th year of teaching.  I know it is going to be a great year!  This is my first blog of the year, and I hope to keep it brief but informative, since I know we’re all busy.

One of my goals is to increase my use of technology, and to help my students become more proficient using technology for academic and work purposes.  I know they are experts at the social technology, but they do not necessarily know how to use it beyond that.  We will be using blogs, Skydrive and Googledrive for saving documents in the internet atmosphere, hopefully Edmodo, Remind101 text services, and anything else I can think of that might help them to this purpose.  I am fully aware of the risks that are out there on the internet for kids (as a mom, trust me, I’m worried, too), but the reality of our world is that in order to become gainfully employed in a job that will become a career, they need to know how to find, test out, and use technology.  Please feel free to contact me at any time with your concerns and we will work together to do what’s best for your kid (yes, I know they’re big, but they’re still kids to me).

In both English 9 and English 11 this week, we made all the usual introductions with a few activities.  I tried to do a mixture of “old-school” activities (taking notes for background information, while sitting in rows for example) and newer activities such as working in groups, a throw-catch activity to learn names, a trip to the library for their month-long independent reading assignment, and signing up for the text message system Remind 101.  Both groups have an independent book to read with a writing assignment at the end of the month of a Type Three book review, which reminds me to make sure you’re aware that the Collins Writing System adopted by Airport Community Schools will continue this year.  In case you have not heard, it seems to be having a significant impact since we have jumped up in the state rankings this year so much that we’ve been designated a Rewards School!  More important to me, however, is that it seems to be helping your students think and learn in all of their subjects.  Therefore, we continue on since it is working!

English 9 is beginning a unit on Romeo and Juliet which will take us most of the month.  This week, I gave them some notes on background information; next week we should be able to start reading.  English 11 is beginning a unit on Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxons.  This will also take us most of the month of September.  Both texts are complex poems, so therefore we will read them together in class which is why they have independent reading books to be done on their own.  Any time they say they have no homework, simply ask them if they’ve finished their book.  If they have, please note that they are welcome to start another one (shhh, don’t tell, but I’m going to offer extra credit for reading extra books on their own this semester).

I think we’re off to a great start, and I’m feeling really positive about the school year, my classes, and my students.  As always, please feel free to contact me at any time either by email or phone.  I’m hoping we can help all students be successful this school year!

Have a wonderful second week of September, and hopefully we’ll meet again on next week’s blog.

Yours, Laura Stubbs