Mark Braam » Greetings from Mr. Braam!

Greetings from Mr. Braam!

Hi, I am Mark Braam.
I am an English teacher at Fairfield High School. During the 2022-23 school year, I am teaching five bells of sophomores in College/Career-Ready English 10 and one bell of a fifth-year Journalism/Media course.
In addition to being an English teacher, I have been a journalist for the better part of a quarter century, working both in Washington, D.C., as a sports and political reporter and editor, and here as a news editor and designer at The Cincinnati Post and The Cincinnati Enquirer. You might see me at many school events with a camera in my hands and journalism students at my side!
I hope to meet you all, in the classroom, at parent-teacher conferences, or via Zoom, phone or email; meanwhile, here is my own webpage on the district website.
I have this page for a number of reasons:
1. So I can send home news (and sometimes share photos!) of what we are doing or will be doing;
2. So I can post reminders and class-specific files
3. So I can post some educational videos that I make from time to time;
4. So I can post some links to some great educational resources;
5. So I can permanently post some files, such as the class syllabus and class policies, and update them as needed; and
6. So parents and students can get an easy notification each time that I post something new.

How does this work? On the right side of this page, there is a "SUBSCRIBE" button. If you click on the subscribe button, and register, you will get an email notification every time that I post something new to the page. Please note that there is a separate page for class files, which is actually where most new things will get posted. That means you need to subscribe to both pages, please!

Now, not everything that I post will be earth-shaking(!!!), but at least you will know when and if I do.

This is a good and fast way to pass on news, get copies of homework assignments, and to permanently post some items (such as the class syllabus).

Take a look and see how it works! Please feel free to contact me at [email protected].

Mr. Braam
P.S. Many things are still different this year due to the COVID-19. THINGS WILL CONTINUE TO CHANGE!!!! That means there will also be many messages that will go back and forth, and sometimes from different platforms. PLEASE ... be patient as we all (teachers, students, parents and administrators) continue to adjust, sometimes on the fly.
 

Posts

No School Tuesday, Nov. 4 (and Voting!)

Just a reminder ... there is no school Tuesday, Nov. 4. Students are off, while teachers have an in-service day to discuss teacher methods.
 
One suggestion: Since your child is out of school, take him or her to the polls with you. No matter who or what you vote for, it is good for students to see democracy in action.
 
HAVE A NICE DAY ... AND VOTE!

Taxi by Amy Lowell and LEST intro

The following attached file is a poem named "The Taxi" by Amy Lowell.
Students are to read it several times, then mark it up and take notes using LEST analysis (Literal, Emotional, Stylistic, Thematic).
Students are to be ready to discuss this poem at the start of class on Wednesday.

Substitute Teachers Needed

Need a job? Have a bachelor's degree?
There is a dire need for substitute teachers in Fairfield and in Butler County.

Here is the info posted on the Fairfield website:

"Fairfield needs subs! Earn while students learn! Do you have a bachelor's degree and some free time to earn while students learn? If so, you can obtain a substitute teaching license! Visit the Butler County Educational Service Center's website at www.bcesc.org. Select 'Substitute Teaching' under the 'Educators' tab. It's an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in working with FCSD student. You can also contact the Butler County ESC at 887-3710."

Another option is to directly contact Fairfield's personnel manager, Lisa McCune, at 858-7107 for more information.

FYI: If you sub, you choose what days you work, plus you choose what schools and ages you are willing to sub for.
Believe me, Fairfield teachers would LOVE to have more subs in the system. We are having to cover other teachers during our plan periods.

Why We Proofread ... an ongoing series

The following link takes you to a USA Today story about how a statue of  famous journalist Ernie Pyle has proofreading issues:

"From afar, the piece is immaculate, but if you look closely at the press patch on Pyle's left arm, you'll notice "correspondent" is spelled "corespondent."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/10/16/ernie-pyle-statue-correspondent-misspelling/17344723/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories

Upcoming Days

I have been absent the last two days, and will be again on Friday.  
Some notes about the upcoming days:
* Do not hand in any late assignments to a sub; wait until the day I return to the classroom. I will not accept a "The sub must have lost my paper" excuse.

* On Friday, students will be reading chapters 5-6 and working on the reading guide. They will also have a copy of a sample response from me to the Chap. 4  extended response question so that they can compare their responses to mine. NOTE: My model response is for ALL four characters mentioned; students were required to bring up at least ONE character in their responses (so judge your response accordingly!).

* On Monday, we will still have the Chap. 4 quiz (along with anyone who missed the quizzes for Chapters 1-3).


* Tuesday, the Chap. 5-6 Reading Guide is due.

* Wed., the Chap. 5-6 quiz.

Why We Proofread ... A Continuing Series

Another student found this GRREAT (poor) example of spelling in a bin at the grocery.

Writing Clinics A Success

Three days of writing clinics after school are over. I am fairly happy with the number of students who showed up from my classes for either help with their personal narratives or for extra time to use the computers and printers. It was enough of a success that I plan to offer additional dates in the future. 
Note: I am always available to students who make appointments to see me after school if they need advice or help with writing.

To a Mouse, old and new English

This poem, "To a Mouse," was read and discussed in class on Friday, Oct. 3. The poem, by Robert Burns in 1785, is the source for the title of "Of Mice and Men." (This file includes both the old and the modern English.)

Focus mainly on the last two stanzas, where the narrator discusses how plans tend to go wrong for both mice AND men; however, mice only worry about the present, while men stress out about the present, past and future.