Sunday, November 4, 2007

High School English Department Meeting

Meeting with the Hoboken High School English Department at their semi weekly department meeting. In part to see what types of discussions they are having around the curriculum. The meeting was well organized and on topic. The English department seems to be made up of a number of young and dynamic faculty members who seem very engaged in their content area. It is clear the faculty are excited by the books, stories, and poems students are asked to read and discuss. There is concern however over the students abilities to write. This seems to be a very key issue and one that clearly needs to be revisited. I'm hoping we can tap some of this expertise for the curriculum committee. One thing that really needs to be addressed is the expectations of what an incoming 9th grader needs to know and how k-8 and secondary can be comfortable with the outcome of that discussion.