Every English teacher at Big Sky High school certainly loves to read, but we also strive to listen and interact with our world in meaningful ways. We work hard to model and share this behavior with our students and give them the tools to be critical and compassionate thinkers and listeners. Reading is a powerful skill, and it applies to much more than just books. Literacy, as we define it, is the ability to read several types of texts, such as: maps, charts, plans, brochures, manuals, advertisements, art etc., as well as decipher what students hear, such as music, news, and general conversation. To us, anything that can be interpreted is a text, and we give students the tools to understand what type of a text we are looking at, and how to best engage with it. We want students to know that engaging with text is one of the simplest ways to learn and understand the experiences of others. We encourage students to read texts that pique their interest but also challenge them. We want them to be able to communicate effectively through their interactions with others, and have the stamina to devour novels. We want our students to be thoughtful thinkers, purposeful communicators, and diligent researchers. We focus on writing in various forms to prepare our students for a variety of opportunities post high school. We want to teach students to nurture their personal voice, and learn to write for a variety of audiences.
We have an excellent creative writing program, and our Aerie magazine is an excellent opportunity for students to get some real experience putting together a quality product. We are dedicated to our International Baccalaureate (IB) program in the junior and the senior years, and we offer Honors classes at the sophomore level.
We strive to work with students to help them feel comfortable and confident in their ability to assess text, and to write and communicate their thoughts. Every student's opinions are valued and we strive for community in our classrooms. We love to laugh and make jokes and we listen to our students. We are partners and guides in their learning, and can't wait to meet more future Eagles.