John Green

During the past week I have discovered one of my favorite authors of all time, John Green. He wrote the books Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and Paper Towns. I really enjoy this author's books because his characters all have issues. This might sound weird to say, but I don't like books that have characters who are perfect. His characters have problems, but they are also quirky. In Looking for Alaska one of the main characters collects famous last words. For example, Thomas Edison's last words were, "It's very beautiful over there."Colin the main character of An Abundance of Katherines likes to anagram. When you anagram you rearrange words to make a different word. "Britney Spears" anagrams to "Presbyterians", which I think is pretty funny! John Green's books are really detailed too, which makes me read them slower and savor every page. I am looking forward to reading his newest book!

Check out his awesome website!

Literacy Autoboigraphy

How Did I Get Here?


Reading has always been a part of my life. My earliest memory of reading is watching my father read my brother and I books via video camera because he was deployed on a US Navy ship. As I grew up, I found great joy in reading because a book would take me to new worlds. One of my favorite genres when I was growing up was mystery. I loved the Boxcar Children Mystery Books. I moved around a lot as a kid, so books were always something stable in my life. My dad is a military chaplain (a preacher) so I read a lot of Christian authors.

One of the earliest books I remember, The Beginners Bible!

As I went to high school, my favorite class was English. I enjoyed writing, reading, and learning everything about the literature we were discussing in class.

I never thought about being an English teacher until 11th grade. I loved my 11th grade English teacher, Mrs. Gillette, and I wanted to inspire teenagers the way she inspired and encouraged me. She helped me become a reader who not only processes the words but understands and engages with the story and she helped me become a stronger writer. I wanted to do the same for teenagers my age. I applied for a teaching scholarship and came to UNCG, and the rest is history!

Just so you know...other careers I explored were: Nurse, Paramedic, Web Designer, and Forensic Biologist!

*** FYI for YOU***
This is an example of a Literacy Autobiography.
Read the literary autobiography of the famous author George Orwell:
"Why I Write" by George Orwell

My Area of Interest

As a teacher, I really believe in the power of writing and reading coming together in our class. I am interested in teaching my students about the usefulness of writing. I think that writing will be an important part of your life during and after high school.

I also focus a lot on reading. I will have SSR, or Sustained Silent Reading, in my classes. This means students will have access to books. They will have a few days a week of uninterrupted reading time in our English Class. This is a time for students to find a book they enjoy reading and not have to worry about any other assignments.

Here is a website that contains tips to help you with writing assignments!

What I Believe as a High School Teacher

This I Believe:

I believe that every student can find something that he/she likes to read.
I believe in the smooth integration of reading, writing, and literature in the classroom curriculum and in life.
I believe that students can become confident writers with a clear voice.
I believe that self reflection is important. Tools of self reflection include: Daybooks, peer feedback, and personal interactions with writings.
I believe that I will learn as much from my students and they will learn from me.
I believe that a classroom where students feel safe will generate more writing and creative thinking. Teachers have to create a classroom community.
I believe that grammar is important in a professional setting, but it is not the first concern when grading a writing assignment.
I believe that outside resources such as life experiences, books, internet, and personal interactions with others bring depth to writing and these resources should be a familiar supplement to a student's writings.
I believe that students should be able to easily conference with their teacher.
I believe that modeling assignments and reading strategies for students is universally beneficial.
I believe that an understanding of literature, writing, and effective reading strategies are integral for a life of continuous opportunity.
I believe that all students have valuable and diverse personal experiences to contribute to the enrichment of class discussions and writings.
I believe that a teacher must be very prepared for all aspects of classroom life.
I believe that teaching, and a classroom, must be infused with positive attitude.
I believe you have to believe in and be interested in what you are teaching in order for the students to be interested.