Rhetoric and Literature in 21st Cen Classroom

In the 2020-2021 year, I’ll be in my 22nd year of teaching in Arkansas public schools. I’ve taught AP Literature since 2004 and AP Language since 2013. I have taught my classes as dual enrollment/ concurrent credit courses through Arkansas State University ( Composition I and Ii and World Literature to 1660 and since 1660) I’ve served as our school’s Language Arts department chairperson since 2008.

I’m always changing. I don’t reuse units of study as every class is different, and I’m always improving how I teach. I make digital copies of everything and use almost entirely assignments I’ve created because I like the freedom to change or customize lessons, activities, and assessments to fit the context of my classroom, my students, or to blend with the social conditions. I like to create activities — not worksheets— as much as possible. With every assignment or lesson I create, I ask myself “Would the high school version of me find this lesson fun?” I don’t like work that seems like drudgery to the teens. My students tell me that my class is fun and engaging. In recent years, I’ve found Google products to be accessible and useful tools that have enhanced my teaching and that have enabled me to continue to create quality lessons and to maintain contact with my students through the virtual learning experience.

I have been National Board Certified since 2007, and I renewed certification in 2017 ( a 10 year certification)

Graduated with a BSE in English Education from Williams Baptist College 1998 MSE in English Education from Arkansas Sate University 2002 Laying the Foundations Train the Trainer years 1-3 Dallas, Tx 2014 Advanced Placement Summer Institute participant (multiple years)

I teach at a school that is considered a larger school for our area, but we are a small town school in a rural area. Our school graduated 260 students this year (2020), and I taught 3 sections of AP Lit students from that class. My school is a little over 50% of students who live in poverty, and the others are middle class families with a very small population of affluent students. I love small town ( pop: 25,000) life. I have roots here, and I want to help my students to be equipped to compete with or to surpass students from the big city schools or the private schools when it comes to their literacy skills. I teach my class with academic rigor because I want my students to be successful in writing, analysis, and communication when they are in college, armed forces, or work place after they graduate. I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart for 20 years, and together we perpetually embarrass our two teenage sons.