Specialty Classes
I love teaching and I learn along with my students. But back when I was in high school, especially history class (sorry, sophomore history teacher from the '80s!), I was horrified by what I perceived as his painfully static job: I saw him sit at his desk, smile kindly, tell us to read the chapters and write out answers to the chapter questions. Then, he'd have a student collect our responses, and would stay seated and grade them while we moved on to the next set. That was IT. I remember thinking, "I could never, ever, be a teacher and do that day after day!!" I came out of it with an A+ and absolutely no knowledge of historical nuances or anything significant. I think I am still trying to karmically repair that situation, nice a guy as the teacher was.
Let's never do that. Let's learn!
Summer enrichment: Reading and Writing
Take a class with friends that you help to build and shape; get ahead in English or another class while refining your reading and writing skills. Minimum: three students; maximum: 10 students. Intended for rising 9th-12 graders, but adaptable.
Creative Writing
Create at least three dense, compelling short stories in a two-week period. We'll talk about what NaNoWriMo is (are you curious?), read samples of magnificent short stories and workshop a bit. Minimum: three students; maximum: 10 students. Requirements: Open mind, laptop, willingness to use Google Docs, willingness to work hard.
Film & Literary Studies
Available for parents, students, families or any combination of individuals who are passionate about film, this course offers a keen intellectual experience that incorporates film analysis, visual arts assessment, art history, historical analysis, philosophy and visual symbolism study. We will work with screenplays as well as original texts and films, all while doing visual "close reading." Participants will gain considerable insight into the cinematic arts and have immoderate amounts of fun. Minimum: three students; maximum: 10 students. Film selections will be influenced by the wishes and input of participants, but will likely include one or more of the following films (or segments from them): Apocalypse Now, Ran, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Donnie Darko, Memento, Spirited Away, Run Lola, Run, Lawrence of Arabia. Length of course: five sessions. Length per session: 90 minutes.