I teach English to the "bookends" of high school: freshmen and seniors. I love ushering new freshmen into their first year of high school, and preparing the seniors to set off into the "real world."
My students are the future leaders of America.
They come from diverse backgrounds, and most of them are college-bound. We learn together at the one traditional high school in our semi-rural community, where our dreams are big, but our facilities are lacking. My students are enthusiastic, passionate, amazing people. They just need resources to give them a proper 21st Century education.
My Project
Many students have a fear (or loathing) of writing. Indeed, writing is hard work, but through daily practice, students can learn to write fluently and beautifully, and maybe even come to enjoy it. One of my goals for this school year is to include even more time for all aspects of the writing process. Unfortunately, access to Chromebooks and computers is limited at our school. While writing with pen and paper is valuable and has its place, my students need Chromebooks to foster all of the 21st Century Skills, including critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.
My goal is to have students do so much writing this year, that they cannot help but discover their voice.
As a result, my students will be more prepared for college because they will be doing more of what they need-- research, writing, revision, and publishing of their work. While my curriculum emphasizes argumentative and expository writing, my own personal "Content Standard" that underlies everything I do is to foster a love of learning, and in the English classroom this means a love of reading and writing.
I want students to discover that although writing can be messy and challenging, it is also also fun and rewarding. There are so many ways I want to do this with my students, from creating podcasts about independent reading books, to participating in National Novel Writing Month. With your help, we can get these teenagers ready for college, and excited about writing!
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Maehler and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
