Dear RHS Parents/Guardians, Welcome! On my home page you'll see Tom Stoppard's quote, "Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little." I became an English teacher because I believe in the power of the word. Words have the power to make or break a situation; the power to inspire or destroy; the power to change history and even the world. I want to show my students how to love words and see the power writers have if they use words in the right way. A few of my core beliefs about English instruction are:
All students can enjoy reading with the right book in their hands.
All students can write if given the right tools.
Our reading lives influences our writing-- the more students read, the better they'll be able to write.
Each day is built around these core ideas, so we will begin each period hearing students and staff share books and spend time reading. We'll do many types of writing within the Writer's Notebook to express ideas, think about individual beliefs, and practice different types of writing and skills. This is a place to create, experiment, make mistakes and grow from them. How can you help?
Ask your student about what they're reading and discuss it with them. You might even read the books they're reading.
Read and talk about what you're reading with your student. It's important that they know you value reading.
Donate books to our classroom library! If you've got old books at home appropriate for students to read, send them my way. You can also contribute by purchasing from our Class Wishlist on Amazon. These are books students have expressed interest in or highly recommended in the past. You can purchase used; I won't mind!
Thank you for your support in this endeavor to bring back the love of reading! Mrs. Valponi