• Welcome to my classroom! I am looking forward to this school year! Below is important information to get us successfully started!

     

    Philosophy: Engagement, Accountability, Retention.

    Learning happens when these three words are part of the classroom experience. In order to learn, students must be engaged in the learning process. This means that a student needs to put aside distractions and focus on the material at hand. Once engaged in the material, the student then needs to hold him or herself accountable: a student's work needs to be of the best quality and due dates must be adhered to. Once a skill is learned, the goal is to retain that skill. Review of material will be ongoing throughout the year, offering the support needed to retain the material. 

     

  • Grading Categories and Percentages

    Reading:  30%

    Writing: 30%

    Speaking and Listening: 20%

    Language (Vocabulary, Grammar, Mechanics): 20%

  • About Me

    I have a BA in English from Rutgers and an MA in English from The College of New Jersey. I love to learn, and I just took a course in African American History at Middlesex County College.

    I have been with Middlesex County Magnet Schools since I did my student teaching at the East Brunswick campus in 1990. I have worked at the New Brunswick, Perth Amboy, East Brunswick, and Piscataway campuses.   MCMS is my home and my family: I have taught the children of my former students, and my own children have graduated from MCMS. 

    My hobbies are reading, gardening, hiking, camping, and spending time with my family, dogs, and chickens!

    This school year is going to be great, and I am really looking forward to it!

     

     

  • Class Rules

    Come to class on time and prepared:  Come in before or as the bell rings with your Chromebook, paper, a pen or pencil, and the text that we are currently reading (grade-level text, novel, printed materials).

    Be respectful:  Support your classmates. Show them that you value their input by positively and constructively acknowledging their verbal and written contributions.  

    Turn in work on time:  I will allot an appropriate amount of time for each assignment.  Please plan your time wisely, If you are allotted two weeks to complete a task, don’t wait until the thirteenth day to begin.

    If you are absent from class:  Be proactive about your missed work. Check Google Classroom, Genesis, and the Chalk Lesson Plan for that day.  Text a friend for a description of the day’s events.  Feel free to stop by my room in the morning before homeroom…I tend to arrive early and would be happy to see you then.

    Do your own work:  AI is all around us, but it is not okay to let AI do your work for you. Our goal in this class is to improve your skills and the quality of your work through learning and practice. While running your writing through an AI app may seem like a quick and easy way to edit your work before turning it in, please don’t do that. Your work is no longer authentically your: I am interested in you and your authentic abilities. Learning comes from understanding our abilities and skills and then improving them. We can’t do that with AI-adulterated work.