Hello everyone! My name is Brianna English, and I teach AP Language and Composition, Honors English 11 (British Literature), and Yearbook at Loy Norrix High School in Kalamazoo. I've been teaching there for my entire career, which will be six years in June; my prior experience (internships and fellowships) has been in Chicago Public Schools and Detroit Public Schools, mostly with eighth and ninth graders.
When I heard about the Third Coast Writing Project, I was immediately interested because, while I love literature, I've always considered myself a teacher of writing more than a teacher of literature. My AP Language class is extremely writing intensive, but mostly focuses on more professional/academic writing (analysis, synthesis, and argument), so I'd love to learn some strategies for incorporating more creative non-fiction writing into the class. I love to teach grammar and vocabulary, but I'd also like to learn how to teach it more meaningfully and fully integrate it with the reading and writing I do in the class. Another thing I want to improve upon as a teacher is balancing strong writing instruction with a curriculum that requires a lot of literature be covered in a short amount of time.
I'll admit that outside of answering emails, I'm not much of a writer myself these days. I loved to write as a kid and was a strong essay writer in high school and college, but not so much anymore. I think exploring who I am as a writer in this program could help me rediscover why I used to enjoy it so much, as well as make me a better teacher of writing.
I'm the English department head at Norrix and have been working with my department on developing alignment on writing skills from year-to-year, as well as strengthening our teaching of analytical writing, so I'm hoping what I learn from this project will allow me to strengthen that.
While I don't write in my spare time, I do find my creative outlet in sewing; I sew almost all of my own clothes. I also play soccer 2-3 times a week in some of the recreational leagues around town, and I'm an occasional runner. I have two very cuddly cats, sometimes like cooking, love to travel and be outside, and very much enjoy craft beer.
Most of all, I'm very excited for this program and can't wait to meet all of you!
When I heard about the Third Coast Writing Project, I was immediately interested because, while I love literature, I've always considered myself a teacher of writing more than a teacher of literature. My AP Language class is extremely writing intensive, but mostly focuses on more professional/academic writing (analysis, synthesis, and argument), so I'd love to learn some strategies for incorporating more creative non-fiction writing into the class. I love to teach grammar and vocabulary, but I'd also like to learn how to teach it more meaningfully and fully integrate it with the reading and writing I do in the class. Another thing I want to improve upon as a teacher is balancing strong writing instruction with a curriculum that requires a lot of literature be covered in a short amount of time.
I'll admit that outside of answering emails, I'm not much of a writer myself these days. I loved to write as a kid and was a strong essay writer in high school and college, but not so much anymore. I think exploring who I am as a writer in this program could help me rediscover why I used to enjoy it so much, as well as make me a better teacher of writing.
I'm the English department head at Norrix and have been working with my department on developing alignment on writing skills from year-to-year, as well as strengthening our teaching of analytical writing, so I'm hoping what I learn from this project will allow me to strengthen that.
While I don't write in my spare time, I do find my creative outlet in sewing; I sew almost all of my own clothes. I also play soccer 2-3 times a week in some of the recreational leagues around town, and I'm an occasional runner. I have two very cuddly cats, sometimes like cooking, love to travel and be outside, and very much enjoy craft beer.
Most of all, I'm very excited for this program and can't wait to meet all of you!
Aren't you glad you didn't want to teach math? I'm sure you get that ALL the time. Sorry to state the obvious, but not it should be out of my system. I love sewing too, but I haven't been able to keep up with it much since beginning teaching. I'm excited to meet you and get to know you better.
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