Bio:

Hello! My name is Phyllis George, and I've been teaching for over 25 years. I have a BA in English from Pacific Union College in Northern California, a Master's Degree in English Literature from University of

California at San Francisco, and a Reading Specialist Endorsement from University of North Carolina at Asheville, with additional work at Southern Adventist University at Collegedale, Tennessee.

I began my career (I won't say how many years ago) by teaching reading and language arts to grades 6-8 in Deer Park, California, and then while raising my children did a bit of teaching for Pacific Union

College and Napa College. After moving to North Carolina, I taught reading, language arts, and drama for grades seven and eight at Pisgah Elementary school and took care of their remedial reading needs in grades 1-8. A couple of the fun things I did there were to direct a

two-hour-long multi-media drama production, which we took on the road through three states; and to oversee a yearlong inquiry into the drug problem in Buncombe County, North Carolina, which my students researched, wrote up, published, and placed in the County Library and County Drug Center Library.

After 12 years there I moved to Denver, Colorado, where I taught all the English courses from remedial to College Writing. The most enjoyable thing I did while there was to take a group of students to the Bahamas, where we reclaimed a building from the jungle and turned it into a trade school for inhabitants of the largest and most underdeveloped island. I also enjoyed teaching adult education courses through Arapahoe State College, for parents of struggling readers, while in Denver.

After six years there it was time to come home, which is Tennessee, since that's where three of my four children and all seven of my grandbabies live. I've been here ever since and really love it. I enjoy being at Vine very much, and am committed to being the best teacher I can be.

Welcome

I teach Reading A, Reading A-, and Accelerated Reading. All courses are designed to help each student to develop reading fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and other basic thinking skills as a preparation for both high school and life. Accelerated Reading accepts

students whose TCAP scores, grades, and willingness to work demonstrate that they can handle advanced amounts and levels of work.

Goals

Students will fluently read and comprehend a wide range of fiction and nonfiction material, will form an awareness of a variety of strategies for making sense of written material, and will learn to self-select reading materials that they can read for enjoyment. Though students will function at various levels, each student is expected to make the

maximum progress of which he or she is capable.

Grading

Normally, Independent Reading, including Accelerated Reader, forms one-third of the grade with the rest of the work forming the other two-thirds. Grade updates are generally issued on a weekly basis, either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the weekly rotation, so that

students can see exactly where they stand and take care of any problems right away. An assignment may not be made up once graded papers for

that assignment have been handed back to the class. The grading scale is as follows:

100-93=A

92-85=B

84-75=C

74-70=D

69-0=U

Absences

Work missed due to excused absences may be made up for full credit within two class periods. It is the student's responsibility to check with the teacher for missing assignments.

Classroom Guidelines

We have agreed upon the following guidelines:

1. Be respectful of all those about you al all times.

2. Talk only at appropriate times.

3. Keep hands and feet to yourself.

4. Do not throw things in the classroom.

5. No put-downs based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or anything else.

Among my own policies are:

Covered water is allowed in the classroom but not food.

Students should not bring electronic devices into the classroom if they want to keep them.

Students are never to use my computer without my permission.

Students who need to communicate with me about non-academic items while class is in session may do so in writing, by handing me a note.

Consequences:

The consequences for not following the course guidelines are as follows:

Up to three warnings (for minor infractions), alternative seating, call home/removal from classroom/office referral in any combination depending upon severity of offense and student's level of cooperation.

For more major infractions, such as disrespect, fighting, or insubordination, no warnings are necessary.

Contact Information:

You can call the school at 594-4461 to set up an appointment to see me to discuss any concerns you might have.