Student of the Month: May 2013
A few days before school started, Brock’s mom came in to ask me about Honors English: Was it really something he should consider? He’s a straight-A student who wants to maintain those grades, and English has never been one of his favorite subjects. He’s naturally bright, but the extra challenge of an Honors class might be too much, what with all the soccer practice and the full slate of honors and AP courses he’s taking. At this point I asked her pointedly if Brock really wanted the challenge or if she wanted it for him. She answered honestly: “I don’t know.” Well, one way or another, the Honors English class was definitely the right place for him.
According to his Where I’m From poem, Brock is from “the idea of being self-reliant and always becoming better…from the unturned pages, waiting to be opened…” Well, we opened a lot of pages this year: Seven classic novels, two epic poems, one Shakespearean drama, countless articles, essays, historical documents, poems o’ the day, and short stories. Brock was one of the few students who went beyond mere reading comprehension to wrestle with the ideas and themes underneath. Like many great thinkers, Brock’s penmanship was less-than-stellar (think doctor-quality hieroglyphics scratched out by a chicken on speed), but the quality of his thinking and the clarity of his expression were always top-notch. From informal Writing Notebook reflections to formal term papers, Brock gets it. His in-class comments and questions always guided the discussion in productive directions…even when my tendency to tangents would have taken it elsewhere. (Side note: The highest praise I received all year was when Brock quipped: “You should do stand-up comedy.”) He makes an effort to apply the things we work on in class to his own thinking and writing, and he is always willing to engage intellectually with the literature even if it is not intrinsically interesting for him. This is a sign of a mature and capable thinker, which is precisely who the Honors curriculum was developed to challenge.
So, Mrs. Coleman, you made the right decision putting Brock in Honors English, and if he hasn’t thanked you for that yet, he should…if not for the education, then at least for the fact that he is currently in a class of 6 boys and 32 girls -- intelligent, cute, highly verbal girls. More than a handful of those girls would thank you, too, BTW. And, for that matter, so would I. I appreciated Brock’s efforts and contributions all year, and I am glad to have this opportunity to recognize him as my Student of the Month.
According to his Where I’m From poem, Brock is from “the idea of being self-reliant and always becoming better…from the unturned pages, waiting to be opened…” Well, we opened a lot of pages this year: Seven classic novels, two epic poems, one Shakespearean drama, countless articles, essays, historical documents, poems o’ the day, and short stories. Brock was one of the few students who went beyond mere reading comprehension to wrestle with the ideas and themes underneath. Like many great thinkers, Brock’s penmanship was less-than-stellar (think doctor-quality hieroglyphics scratched out by a chicken on speed), but the quality of his thinking and the clarity of his expression were always top-notch. From informal Writing Notebook reflections to formal term papers, Brock gets it. His in-class comments and questions always guided the discussion in productive directions…even when my tendency to tangents would have taken it elsewhere. (Side note: The highest praise I received all year was when Brock quipped: “You should do stand-up comedy.”) He makes an effort to apply the things we work on in class to his own thinking and writing, and he is always willing to engage intellectually with the literature even if it is not intrinsically interesting for him. This is a sign of a mature and capable thinker, which is precisely who the Honors curriculum was developed to challenge.
So, Mrs. Coleman, you made the right decision putting Brock in Honors English, and if he hasn’t thanked you for that yet, he should…if not for the education, then at least for the fact that he is currently in a class of 6 boys and 32 girls -- intelligent, cute, highly verbal girls. More than a handful of those girls would thank you, too, BTW. And, for that matter, so would I. I appreciated Brock’s efforts and contributions all year, and I am glad to have this opportunity to recognize him as my Student of the Month.
posted by MRT at 8:21 AM
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