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Dear Parents:

Hello and welcome to my Wiki! My name is Taylor Burtraw and I will be your child's freshman English teacher for the rest of this year. I have a 100% open door policy so I'd like to take a second to introduce myself so that you'll feel more comfortable and we can get this year off to a great start. I graduated from Central Michigan University with a degree in Secondary Special Education with an Emotional Impairment focus and a degree in Secondary English. I love to spend my free time reading, writing, or playing with my three dogs. I have a turtle in the classroom on one of my back desks named Sheldon who affectionately becomes a class pet every year.

As parents, you have the right to students grade and assignment information, as well as my own set of classroom rules. All homework and in class assignments can be found on my syllabus, which I have posted here, and all rubrics will be in the Rubric File on the right hand side. I have learned over the years that no two students are the same and that they will always excel in their own ways. This is why you will often find several different options when it comes to major projects in class. Of course we have your typical junior thesis and English papers, but I also offer students the opportunity to express what they've learned about the literature through theater, art, experiments, or creative writing. My main goal is for every student to get an A so I do my best to ensure it.

That being said, this is an English class and I am a firm believer that writing every day is the best way to improve so, one on going project we will have in class are daily journals. Sometimes there will be a prompt, other times it will be free write. The journals are there for the students expression only, meaning that if they write a paragraph, they get the five points. It also means that if the students do not want you or I reading it, they can the top of the paper, in which case I will glance at it, make sure there is something, then move along.

Another big part of the class will be the reading. Obviously we will be reading several books in class and in order for your child to excel, they need to be reading on their own as well. I don't like to run my class as a lecture, where I stand up front and go on and on about the book. I already know about the book, now I want to know what they know. I like to have the students sit in a circle and just discuss anything they'd like about what we've read. Some of the best ways for a student to learn is to bounce ideas off each other. I will often put prompts on the put white board, just to get the discussion started, and then see where it goes from there. This is an excellent chance for a student to also bring up something they don't understand or disagree with. My class is a 100% judgement- free zone.

Overall, I only have three main rules. 1) Be respectful: of me, of fellow students and their opinions, and of the school. 2) Be responsible. Do your work, participate in class, and act your age. 3) Don't lie to me. If you didn't do the work, just tell me. If you need an extension, come to me and talk about it.

I encourage full parent participation in every class and especially in mine. I want to get to know you so that together we can help your child succeed. If there is ever a problem, don't hesitate to contact me. My number and email can be found at the bottom of the page and I'd be happy to set a meeting to discuss the problem. If you feel like your child needs extra help or is just not understanding the material, the school offers several tutoring options and I have office hours several days a week after school where students can come in for help. For anything else, please feel free to contact me.

I can't wait to meet you all!

Taylor Burtraw burtr1tm@cmich.edu (517) 655-1234

Johanna Billingskog, Book Shelf, April 14, 2010 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution