A message for parents

Greetings, Parents! As syllabi are passed out, I imagine that many parents and guardians are joining my site, learning about their student's class. Please know that if you have any questions or concerns, I am always available. My email address is linked to the right. If you do not email, please just call the school (number to the right) and they will leave a message for me. I do have a few questions already from parents that I want to answer:

1) a parent asked "What if my child does not understand the homework once they get home? I want to help them but they say they don't understand."

I give homework almost every day. We introduce the idea of the homework at the beginning of the class and they write it in their agenda. At the end of the class, I show them whatever it is they need to do in more detail (which may include copying a graphic organizer, writing down a journal prompt, or some other instructions). Aside from AP, we do not have textbooks. Your student will not be answering questions from the back of the book. Instead, the assignments usually involve reviewing the ideas of the day's lesson, doing something creative with the material, writing a response or reflection, or summarizing. I always ask the students if there are any questions. If your student ever does not understand, I am always available after class for individual questions or even after school, as I stay every day. If your student does not ask, I do not know that they don't understand and cannot help them. If your student gets home and doesn't understand, I suggest calling a peer from the class.

2) after looking at my syllabus, a few parents asked about the types of movie clips we'd watch that included violence. I'd like to address that, because I do know it is a concern for some families. 

I show clips or pieces of movies to supplement the curriculum in a visual manner. Most times, these are documentaries and National Geographic clips. Yet, sometimes there are major motion pictures that do an excellent job at explaining a topic we explore. One such example is Hotel Rwanda. We will watch this towards the end of the year, when learning about genocide. Some of the scenes are graphic and violent. If that is a concern for your family, please let me know and your student will be given an alternative assignment. 

For my AP class, we will not be watching any full length films due to time constraints. There will be times we watch clips from documentaries like King Corn. There will not be rated R movies shown in my AP class.