January 2017
Dear Students,
Welcome to the beginning of your
last year in high school. As I am
writing this letter to all of you, I am thinking about just how much I am
looking forward to having you all in American Literature this year. I’ve met many of you before, and you have
impressed me with your enthusiasm to learn and grow and your understanding of
just how important it is to be bilingual in today’s very competitive world.
I’m not sure what or how much you
really know about me, so I will begin by introducing myself to you. I got married and moved to Guatemala
thirty-one years ago. My initial
reaction to this country was a combination of fear and bewilderment; however, I
have come to love Guatemala and care about its future very deeply. I live up in the mountains overlooking the
city with a view that is “to die for”! I
have two grown children: Anthony, who is in the Maryland National Guard and
studying in a community college, and Chelsea, who has doctorate in physical
therapy and works at Johns Hopkins hospital and the University of Maryland
medical school. I also have two dogs,
which simultaneously make me happy and crazy with their antics. I vacillate between wanting to hug them or
kill them.
As you have probably heard, I am
a very strict and demanding teacher.
Make no mistake that I take my job very seriously…and I believe my job
is to prepare you for college and beyond.
With this in mind, I would like you to know that I expect you to give
100% in this class. Whether your goal is
to study abroad or go to a local university, you will need a good grade on the
SAT, ELASH, or TOEFL exams. If you work diligently and perseveringly all year
in this class, you will meet that goal. Since
all of the work we will be doing to improve your language and critical thinking
skills is based on what we will be reading, it is essential that you keep up with all of the reading assignments; you
cannot analyze or write an essay on a book you haven’t read. What I as a teacher value the most is your
effort, not necessarily your ability. I
expect you to hand in your work on time, strive for accuracy, speak only
English in class, participate in class discussions, and keep up with the
reading assignments. I strongly believe
that you are ultimately responsible for your own learning, so many of the class
activities will require you to be active participants rather than just passive
receivers of information. Think twice
before you miss a class and remember that you are responsible for what goes on
in class whether or not you are there.
I will be happy to provide you
with all the extra help you may need…just ask…and I maintain a class blog where
you can find all of the class worksheets, rubrics, assignments, calendars,
vocabulary Power points, and anything else you may need while working at
home. There are audio versions of many
of the books we will read this year, and these will help you enormously with
your reading comprehension. There is no such thing as a “stupid question” in
class…all questions and mistakes provide opportunities to learn, so don’t be shy!
Now, please take the time to tell
me a little about yourselves, your interests, and your goals for this year and
beyond, especially if you will need to prepare for college entrance exams.
With warm regards,
Torene
Thank you
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