I taught 9th and 10th grade English at Griffin School, an independent high school in Austin, Texas, from January 2014 to June 2018.
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I was a co-creator of knowledge, a teacher who learned as much as I instructed. Entering our classroom, students could expect questions over lectures, deep learning over shallow fact-finding, and an active dialogue bent on discovery. We studied, debated, played, and practiced. We followed our curiosity, took risks, stumbled, reflected upon and learned from our mistakes, and when the school year ended, we left each other’s company more confident, empathetic, and inquisitive learners.
Photo from Griffin School
ENGLISH I
Course Description
“Resistance,” intone the Borg in Star Trek, “is futile.” The infamous aliens seek to turn thinking individuals into mindless drones, subsuming unique, diverse peoples into the Borg’s monolithic way of life. Is resistance futile? The crew in Star Trek don’t think so, and like the crew, we must learn to resist forces that seek to silence us.
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To read the rest of my English I course description and syllabus, click the button below:
The Juxtaposition Project
Following our discussion of Marjane Satrapi's use of juxtaposition in Persepolis, students illustrate an important juxtaposition from their own lives. Attached to the back of each drawing is a reflection in which the student explains their artistic choices and how they contrast two ideas or images in order to establish an essential theme.
"The Secret Sharer" Cornell Box Project
Our unit applying Sigmund Freud's three-part theory of the mind to Joseph Conrad's short story "The Secret Sharer" culminates in a project inspired by Joseph Cornell's famous Surrealist boxes. Students must combine found objects; collage; Freud’s notion of id, ego, and superego; and Joseph Conrad’s language to create a Cornell Box of the captain’s conflicted mind. Students also write an artist statement that explains how and why their choices illustrate the tensions between the captain/ego, the crew member(s)/superego, and Leggatt/id.
ENGLISH II
Course Description
To​ ​paraphrase​ ​the​ ​American​ ​poet​ ​Walt​ ​Whitman,​ ​each​ ​of​ ​us​ ​contains​ ​multitudes.​ ​The​ ​stories​ ​we tell​ ​help​ ​us​ ​arrange​ ​these​ ​multitudes​ ​into​ ​a​ ​single,​ ​cohesive​ ​identity.​ ​In​ ​their​ ​memoirs,​ ​Malala Yousafzai,​ ​Jeannette​ ​Walls,​ ​Dave​ ​Eggers,​ ​and​ ​others​ ​give​ ​voice​ ​to​ ​their​ ​stories,​ ​and​ ​in​ ​doing​ ​so they​ ​bring​ ​order​ ​and​ ​understanding​ ​to​ ​their​ ​upended​ ​worlds.
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To read the rest of my English II course description and syllabus, click the button below:
Lydia's Self-Portrait
After examining self-portraits painted by Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo, students draw a self-portrait from the perspective of Lydia Lee, one of the central characters in Celeste Ng's novel Everything I Never Told You. Students must determine how their artistic choices express Lydia's feelings and thoughts. They also include three objects. Finally, students write an analysis describing how each object expresses a key idea about Lydia and/or the novel.
The Medieval Monster Project
Our study of monsters culminates in a joint project for English and World History. Students create a monster that embodies and expresses their understanding of Medieval Europe's culture and binary oppositions. Then, students write an account of the monster's visit from the point of view of either a monk or a nun. The completed project takes the form of an illuminated manuscript that presents a drawing of the original monster alongside the story of its visit.
Behold, the Wall o' Memes
A student-produced tribute that captures the fun times in English class
