Class quip of the month:

Student A: What does "disheveled" mean?
Ms. H: Well, for example, my hair today is "disheveled."

Brock: Oh, I get it--Perfect?









 

"I want to believe there are geniuses scheming to astonish the rest of us, just for the pleasure of it." Marilyn Robinson
 "Education in English is properly a slow process of just staying around in the right company till you can speak and handle a book in the author's presence without setting his teeth on edge." Robert Frost

Philosophy of Teaching

Underlying my philosophy of education are my basic beliefs that learning is interesting and beneficial for its own sake and that life is considerably more interesting the more one questions and learns about it.  My job as a teacher is not to fill students up with knowledge, but to challenge them with the overarching questions that make English literature and language a fascinating field of study, especially as it intersects with art, philosophy, and history. I work to facilitate true learning through assignments that require students to transform knowledge into a product—whether an essay or a creative project—that is meaningful to them. In addition, I incorporate choices where possible, so that the knowledge truly “belongs” to the student. I avoid assignments and tests that can easily be cribbed, hoping to instill good study habits in place of corner cutting. High expectations challenge students to stretch to a higher level of thinking and producing, but it’s not worthwhile to make their goals beyond their reach, either. My students know that I invest myself fully into the lessons I prepare for them, and that my assignments are demanding, yet fair and valuable.

As teachers, we not only introduce content, we teach ourselves. I take seriously my role as model citizen and moral guide. It is not enough to impart knowledge; every interaction is an opportunity to teach character, core values, and ethical behavior, too. Witnessing students’ personal growth is even more rewarding than chronicling their academic growth. Character education cannot be taught in canned lessons, but comes about through day-to-day interactions that are mutually respectful and where there is a high expectation for honest, forthright communication and responsible care for property and feelings. It is important to me that my students feel a sense of trust in my classroom, so that they may speak with ease and explore tentative understandings in a nurturing environment where real growth can occur. At the same time, we cannot always be as serious as monks. I appreciate humor and playfulness, too, especially in essays and class discussions. Naturally, these lessons extend beyond the classroom, in ways that enrich me as well.

Carole Hamilton