If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors
to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success
unexpected in common hours.
~~Henry David Thoreau, fromWalden
to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success
unexpected in common hours.
~~Henry David Thoreau, fromWalden
My name is Jill Magnante. I am married and have two sons who are both graduates of Newbury Park High School. I was born and raised in Missouri, also the birthplace of Walt Disney and two of my favorite authors, Mark Twain and Langston Hughes. I have a BA in English and Secondary Education from William Jewell College, a small, liberal arts college that was founded in 1849 and is located in my hometown of Liberty, Missouri. I have my M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. I have also completed extensive work in curriculum development through the University of San Diego.
After spending nine years teaching at the middle school level, I appreciate the different challenges of older grade levels and the opportunity to work more closely with students as they prepare for the college and career paths they will be taking in the next few years, if not months. My comprehensive experiences across grades 7-12, as well as with all levels of instruction has broadened my perspective as a teacher and a parent, as has my experience watching my own two boys progress through their years as students in the CVUSD. My teaching style lends itself to a variety of flexible groupings, and so students will participate frequently in collaborative tasks and discussions. And although reading, writing, and oral communication are foundational skills for a vast array of career paths, the critical thinking and creativity skills that students develop in English classes are just as relevant in science and industry as they are in the humanities and social sciences. Thus, the study of unfamiliar and intellectually challenging texts of all genres helps students to stretch their minds and prepare for the academic rigor and challenges posed by both college and career paths.
My perspective on classroom environment and community has evolved from my study of the Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework. Their research and resources on critical thinking and creativity has been transformative in how I communicate the importance of community in learning. I tell my students that I arrive each day with an attitude of academic humility--I believe that I can learn something new each day, especially from my own students. I want students to embrace this attitude of humility, as well, for it establishes a climate of respect and support for one another in the classroom. This environment will help students be more courageous, take risks, persevere through their struggles, and have empathy when others struggle, too. They will develop leadership skills and realize that in leading, sometimes they will follow others and allow them to take the lead. They will develop integrity and responsibility for their roles as both learners and teachers.
I find great joy and challenge in teaching English, and one of the biggest compliments a student has ever given me was that it was "totally obvious" how much I love my job. Of course exposing students to literary pieces that can show them something about themselves or the world around them is exciting to me. Yet, I also love the logical (and NOT so logical) parts of the structure of our language and the opportunity that writing gives students to find their ability to express themselves, as a creative person and a scholar. In an era where differentiation is a popular buzz-word, teaching writing truly is differentiation in its highest form. No student is at the same place, and the opportunity to help a student focus on individual needs and goals in writing has been one of the most challenging aspects of my job. Whether students ultimately remember a particular text or writing assignment is not my main goal; I truly hope that in the course of my interactions with students they will embrace, or reaffirm, a love for learning that does not cease with the completion of one course, one year, or even graduation. Above all, each day I want to challenge my students to think, learn, and grow to become the best version of themselves...so far. In essence, in the classroom as in life, we are each ultimately responsible for our own learning, and it is our choice of attitude and acceptance of that responsibility that are the keys to learning and personal growth. We are all a work in progress, but each day each of us has the opportunity to realize our own potential for greatness.
After spending nine years teaching at the middle school level, I appreciate the different challenges of older grade levels and the opportunity to work more closely with students as they prepare for the college and career paths they will be taking in the next few years, if not months. My comprehensive experiences across grades 7-12, as well as with all levels of instruction has broadened my perspective as a teacher and a parent, as has my experience watching my own two boys progress through their years as students in the CVUSD. My teaching style lends itself to a variety of flexible groupings, and so students will participate frequently in collaborative tasks and discussions. And although reading, writing, and oral communication are foundational skills for a vast array of career paths, the critical thinking and creativity skills that students develop in English classes are just as relevant in science and industry as they are in the humanities and social sciences. Thus, the study of unfamiliar and intellectually challenging texts of all genres helps students to stretch their minds and prepare for the academic rigor and challenges posed by both college and career paths.
My perspective on classroom environment and community has evolved from my study of the Paul-Elder Critical Thinking Framework. Their research and resources on critical thinking and creativity has been transformative in how I communicate the importance of community in learning. I tell my students that I arrive each day with an attitude of academic humility--I believe that I can learn something new each day, especially from my own students. I want students to embrace this attitude of humility, as well, for it establishes a climate of respect and support for one another in the classroom. This environment will help students be more courageous, take risks, persevere through their struggles, and have empathy when others struggle, too. They will develop leadership skills and realize that in leading, sometimes they will follow others and allow them to take the lead. They will develop integrity and responsibility for their roles as both learners and teachers.
I find great joy and challenge in teaching English, and one of the biggest compliments a student has ever given me was that it was "totally obvious" how much I love my job. Of course exposing students to literary pieces that can show them something about themselves or the world around them is exciting to me. Yet, I also love the logical (and NOT so logical) parts of the structure of our language and the opportunity that writing gives students to find their ability to express themselves, as a creative person and a scholar. In an era where differentiation is a popular buzz-word, teaching writing truly is differentiation in its highest form. No student is at the same place, and the opportunity to help a student focus on individual needs and goals in writing has been one of the most challenging aspects of my job. Whether students ultimately remember a particular text or writing assignment is not my main goal; I truly hope that in the course of my interactions with students they will embrace, or reaffirm, a love for learning that does not cease with the completion of one course, one year, or even graduation. Above all, each day I want to challenge my students to think, learn, and grow to become the best version of themselves...so far. In essence, in the classroom as in life, we are each ultimately responsible for our own learning, and it is our choice of attitude and acceptance of that responsibility that are the keys to learning and personal growth. We are all a work in progress, but each day each of us has the opportunity to realize our own potential for greatness.