Updates

Two days down, many more to go (thankfully).

Students seem to be adjusting quite well to the rigors of the ninth-grade academy (as expected). As teachers, we're certainly thankful to have our students back. It's nice to have students who know what Paul is all about, and are aware of the expectations that we've set for them from the beginning. There's a newness in the air that brings an excitement for learning, forming new relationships, and going beyond all expectations for this year.

English and Reading classes have been great so far. The first two days have been spent mostly outlining expectations for the course, and refreshing the students and their memories about what the purpose of Language Arts/Reading truly is. We've spent a good deal of time talking about the importance of communication and literacy. Today, we talked about the importance of literacy, and read some alarming statistics about illiteracy in the United States. Some of the students were shocked to find out that 50% of US adults cannot read a book on an eighth grade level. Or, how about the fact that 46% of Americans can't read the label on their prescription medicines? Hopefully this serves as a good reminder and investment tool for students. It's important that they know what's really at stake academically--not only in relation to this class and our school, but also looking ahead to competition for jobs and career placement.

My goal is to wrap this week up with a review of grammar and the basics of writing. Today, we briefly discussed the importance of being investigative writers. I really want to inspire students to evaluate the importance of the pursuit of individual knowledge. It's unacceptable for us to go through life always wondering.... at some point we have to go out and find answers. We'll definitely hit this more when we have our unit on journalism-- but PLEASE encourage your student to be a curious thinker, reader, and writer this year. It will revolutionize their approach to academics and school.

That's all for now... check the videos for more updates.

Mr. DeShields