So I've been a little busy lately

January 22, 2007

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Welcome to the third quarter at Franklin High School!

I am Ms. M---, and I will be the teacher for your son or daughter's first period English class this term. I am a graduate student in the School of Education's Teaching Credential and Master's in Education program at UC Davis. My background includes a variety of teaching experiences, and I am eager to begin teaching at FHS.

I am a relatively new transplant to Sacramento. I grew up and attended college in western Maryland and lived in Boston, MA for a few years, completing an MA in Literature. And then, in the fall of 2005, I moved here with my husband so he could begin a Ph.D. program at UC Davis.

Your child's coursework this quarter covers a substantial amount of American literature. We will begin with the American Romantic period (Longfellow, Emerson, Thoreau, Poe, and Hawthorne) and continue to the present—or as close as we can get in a nine-week period! The core novel for this quarter is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Published in 1937, this novel provides a unique and important reflection on the life of African Americans in this country. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a challenging text to read because it is composed in a dialect that requires careful reading to understand. Our class will spend the last three or four weeks of the quarter reading this novel; also, students will write a critical essay about this text.

On the reverse side of this letter, you will find a list of expectations and policies for the course. Please take a few moments to familiarize yourself with them. I reviewed these during class today as well. Your child received two copies of this letter and list of expectations and policies. One copy is for you to keep at home. The second copy is to be signed by you and returned to me tomorrow. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

During this term, I will be on the FHS campus every day between 7:45 A.M.- 12 P.M. I can be reached in the mornings at school by telephone (916-xxx-xxxx). While I will make every effort to respond to your calls in a timely manner, please feel free to email me at any time at xxx or xxx. Because my time is split between Franklin and UC Davis, email will be the most effective way to reach me.

I look forward to teaching your children during this quarter!

Best wishes,
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