Hello!
Official Duties: In addition to teaching English 9 and AP English Literature and Composition, I am also the Scholarship Chair.
Contacting me: The best way to reach me is by email:
[email protected]. I typically check my email multiple times over the course of the school day.
NOTE: When you email, please write your student's name in the subject line of the email. Our email program converts many emails from outside our server into attachments, and I receive an abundance of spam mail--as a result I may inadvertently delete an email if I do not recognize the address or subject.
WishNight:
Stamps! The 9th graders will write letters to adults giving and asking for book recommendations, so we need stamps for both the envelope out and the return envelope. (A few years ago a parent brought enough envelopes to cover several years.)
Books, books, books: It's great, particularly for AP students, to build a bit of their personal library and have their own copies of books. In addition to the fabulous Vromans and Octavia's Bookshelf, you could also order online through
https://bookshop.org/ or amazon. For
Hamlet and
Macbeth I recommend the Folger Library edition. Any version of
Frankenstein would work (although there are two slightly different versions, which we will discuss). The audiobook from Audible narrated by Dan Stevens is wonderful.
Recommended reading options for 9th grade students planning to take Honors English in grade 10:
Fiction
Bless Me Ultima by Rudolf Anaya
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Give Me Some Truth by Eric Gansworth
Ruta Sepetys (especially to give World History insight): Salt to the Sea, I Must Betray You, or Fountains of Silence
Nonfiction
Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racisim, and You by Kendi X. Ibram and Jason Reynolds
Viral: The Fight Against AIDS in America by Ann Bausum
The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry by Paula Yoo
We Are Not Yet Equal by Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden
Memoir
Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
March 1, 2, and 3 by John Lewis
The Best We Could Do (An illustrated memoir) by Thi Bui
Taking Flight by Michaela DePrince
How Dare the Sun Rise by Sandra Uwiringiyimana with Abigail Pesta
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Recommendations and references:
In addition to college recommendations, I have many students who are applying to summer programs, internships, and private high schools that require a recommendation. If you would like me to write one for you, please contact me at least two school weeks before you will need the letter or form.
