We will read novels like the stunning The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye, and many more! We will explore powerful memoirs like The Diary of Anne Frank and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and we will read powerful short stories and poetry by authors like Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Todd Strasser, and others.
Our guiding framework for the way we work with one another and engage with the texts we read and the projects we create is the following mantra: BE KIND. BE BOLD. BE HONEST. Every day that you walk into Rm. 340, I want you to be ready to see yourself, your peers, and the world around you in new ways. So, every day in our classroom we will read, write, move, and speak! I want you to leave our classroom each day knowing that your presence matters--to me and to your peers.
Let's begin with boldness, kindness, and honesty. Let's create a year together that grows, challenges, and energizes us.
Monday, August 25th 2014.
ReplyDeleteIt is now
Tuesday, August 23rd 2016.
Could one believe that it has been two years? 728 days?
I am going into 9th grade.
I have chosen to leave our school for a new one,
but i will keep Bromfield close to my heart.
Mr. Reynolds,
You showed me the stars, even when they were covered by clouds, and for that, I thank you.
Thank you for making my year in your class one of the best years in my life.
You guided me through my problems,
You listened when no one else could,
You helped me rise as high as I could
And you helped me exceed at everything I had put limits on.
The books we read, even though not always the most interesting in the beginning, are some of the most important books I have read so far.
Equality. Empathy. Insight. Beauty. Importance. Strength.
Those are just a few of the things I learned from you.
While others teach the importance of grammar and cursive, you take it farther. You show us what our words can do and why we use them. How, "Why?" could save a life and "How?" could change the world.
I will always remember you Mr. R and how you paid for the items you and your friends stole when you were younger and your piles of journals from 'Free Write.' I will always remember how you opened my eyes and stood up for me when i was bullied.
Since 7th grade I have come out to my friends and family, stood up to my bullies and inner demons, advanced in culinary and have joined a school to teach me more, I have earned 3 first places at dance and have made tons of friends in the grade lower, and I can proudly say that I have a piece in a published book.
Your class means so much to me.
The late-night emails we would exchange meant everything to me and the days I would come to your class after school to help clean and talk about our lives were the best days of my year.
Thank you.
~Brianna Schmoyer