Fairy Tale Games

We have completed our study of original fairy tales in literature class, and it was a very enjoyable experience. Together we read The Little Mermaid and The Nightingale by Hans Christian Anderson, Rapunzel, The Frog Prince, and Rumplestiltskin by the Grimms brothers, and Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard, and Little Red Riding Hood from Andrew Lang's The Blue Fairy Book.

The students completed weekly written and illustrated narrations of our reading, and to cap off the unit we played a fairy tale themed game of Who Am I?

I wrote the names of characters from the stories that we've read onto name tags, then stuck the name tags on the students' backs. They had to ask their classmates yes or no questions to find out what character they were, which ended up being a lot of fun. Not only did we enjoy the game, but it was an excellent test of everyone's understanding and knowledge of the stories!

Art Elective

For our Art elective this year we are studying the life and works of John James Audubon. We started out by reading The Boy Who Drew Birds by Jacqueline Davies and discussed the value and lasting impact of Audubon's work. We have done picture studies of several Audubon prints, once studying a print and then turning it over and writing a detailed description of the print, and once studying a print and then sketching the print as accurately as possible from memory. We have also gone outside to look for birds in nature, and sketched a single feather in detail.

Currently we are studying and drawing a stuffed bluejay on loan from the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. This is very similar to the way that Audubon created his artwork, and we are gaining a new found appreciation for how detailed and perfectly executed his paintings are!

After we have completed these drawings, we plan to learn some basic watercolor techniques and then create replicas of different Audubon prints.

Fairy Tales

Our reading list for the coming school year includes the following books: The Tempest by William Shakespeare, The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. But before we read any of these wonderful books, the students in the Upper School will spend the month of September reading fairy tales. 

Many high school students are unfamiliar with traditional fairy tales, which is unfortunate. Fairy tales connect us to our common culture, inspire the imagination, and explore important and sometimes frightening topics in a comforting manner.While fairy tales are generally associated with early childhood, older students are able to delve into the deeper meaning of these stories and get quite a lot out of them.

I can't wait to see the responses our students have as we rediscover these stories. As we read and discuss, we will be looking not only for the differences between the original story and its more widely known versions, but also for deeper meaning and timeless truths that are contained within the pages of these stories.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

As we complete our study of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, the students are writing essays comparing how the main character Hank Morgan fared in the 6th century with how they think they themselves would fare. I was very pleased with the hard work that Ron Ryason put into his essay, especially since he is becoming so much more comfortable with the writing process than he was when he first came to Flint! Here is Ron's essay for your enjoyment!

Connecticut Yankee Essay

                 Toba Beta once said, “Time travel will never be impossible forever” My paper I’m writing is about a man from the 1800’s who went back to the 6^th century A.D. This is how he went back to the middle ages. He was bashed on the head with a hammer, by a man named Hercules. When the man woke up he saw he was in the Middle Ages.

                Hank brought many things back in time, because he was an inventor. He brought stuff back like guns, gun powder, knights on bicycles and lightning explosives. The reason why he brought all that stuff to the 6^th century is because he wanted to help the people.

                I know one of the characteristics about Hank. He was being bossy by telling people what to do. For example he was bossing the king, his knights, and the people.

                Hank believes that things should be decided based on what is right, not who just has power. He believes everyone should have enough money, not just the king and his nobles. I believe Hank says there should not be a lot of war. Hank wanted the people to decide things, not just the king.

                I would bring stuff back to the 6^th century, like reading and writing, because they didn't know how to do it back then. I would bring Jesus and life everlasting, because when people were talking about Jesus, they spoke Latin and people didn't understand that language. I’d bring back democracy so I could let people vote and share power. I would also bring God and the Ten Commandments to teach them about God’s law.

                I am a faithful person. I have faith because I believe in God and Jesus. Another reason I have faith is because I give offerings to help care for the poor. I ‘m very kind to other people. For example I volunteer to help people when needed. I also say kind things to help people feel good. I also have a good scene of humor. For example I make people laugh. When people tell jokes I laugh at them.

                I believe people should get along well. All people should have a good share of wealth. I believe I should tell people about Jesus. I would abolish slavery, because it is wrong.

                I would be better off in the 6^th century than Hank. One reason why I would be better in the 6^th century is because I have a lot of faith. Because of my faith God will protect and help me no matter what happens. Being helpful is another reason why I would be better in the 6^th century. The Yankee was helpful with his inventions for war, but I would be helpful for faith and kindness.

                In conclusion this essay was about time travel, if it is possible, what Hank did and what I would do. In my research I learned that time travel will never be possible with the technology that we have today. Hank brought some inventions like gunpowder, bicycles and explosives to help the king win wars. He wanted society to be different, for example he wanted people to be safe, he wanted people to be free and live a better life. What I would do in the 6^th century is teach people about Jesus. I would also teach them about democracy. I would also give people help when needed. I liked the book a lot because it was funny, exciting and interesting. 

October 8th

The first book we are studying in Literature this year is King Arthur and his Knights by Sir James Knowles. This is a 1920's adaptation of Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory in the 1400's, and is much more accessible while still using wonderful old-fashioned language. The students are having a great time getting into the spirit of the book, which is filled with action and adventures.

We've finished reading about the adventures of Sir Lancelot and the adventures of Sir Gareth, and this week we'll begin the story of Tristan and Isolde. These stories are all great examples of the chivalry and knighthood that we are learning about this year in our study of the Middle Ages.

We're very fortunate in the set of books that we get to use in class - they are gorgeous, illustrated, hard-cover editions and the illustrations are absolutely beautiful. They really capture the imagination!

A Day in Pictures

 Here is a typical day of teaching English at Flint Academy, in pictures!

 9:00 Arrive at Flint.

9:05 Look over the goals for the day.

9:10 Put copy work from Proverbs and poetry selections for memorization up on the board.

9:20 Call students in for homeroom Christian Studies. They copy verses from Proverbs in cursive, list things they are thankful for in their gratitude journals, discuss the verses, and never act silly!

9:40 Dismiss homeroom and prepare to read David Copperfield aloud to five classes in a row!

 9:45 My senior class!

10:35 Coach Hallford interrupts my third period class for a few minutes to make everyone laugh.

10:39 We try very hard to get back to work and be serious.

11:25 Fourth period class recites O Captain! My Captain! with great feeling before we settle in to read.

12:10 A mass exodus to lunch!

12:15 I enjoy a few minutes at my desk in solitude.

12:20 They enjoy a battle of checkers. Ever since we read The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allen Poe, which claims that skill at checkers is a better test of intellect than skill at chess, the checkers competitions here have been fierce.

1:05 Back to David Copperfield! Over five hundred pages in and we really will finish it before the school year is over, I promise!

1:55 My last English class of the day recites poetry with no enthusiasm whatsoever. They must be tired.

2:45 It's theater season at Flint! My costume crew has already accomplished a lot.

3:30 Time for chores.

3:45 Already prepared for a fresh day tomorrow.

January Newsletter

In literature class we remain thoroughly engaged in our reading of David Copperfield. We are nearly halfway finished and practically every student has become deeply interested in the unfolding events of the book. There is nothing so gratifying to a teacher as to stop reading at the end of a class period and be met with protests and pleas to keep reading! This is especially wonderful because David Copperfield is written with very complex, rich language and we are reading the unabridged version. The style and vocabulary of the book posed a challenge for many students at the beginning of the school year, and I am very pleased with how they have adapted!


The majority of our writing assignments are drawn from our reading. Currently the students are writing essays entitled Good and Bad Angels, which is the name of a chapter in David Copperfield where David, as a young adult, struggles with the conflicting influences of his peers. In their essays the students are exploring how people in their lives influence them both positively and negatively. When we finish these essays we will have a lesson on common verb errors and then identify and correct any verb errors in the rough drafts.


The students have previously learned to add exordium to the beginning of their essays as a way to create interest. The five types of exordia are challenge, question, quotation, statistic, and anecdote. The most popular choice is usually quotation and we have had a lot of fun finding relevant quotes and making sure that those quotes are connected and referenced later in the essays. Some of my favorite quotations that the students have found for the Good and Bad Angels assignment so far include:

"There is no such thing as a good influence. Because to influence someone is to give him one's own soul. He does not think his natural thoughts, or burn with his natural passions. His virtues are not real to him. His sins, if there are such things as sins, are borrowed. He becomes an echo of someone else's music, an actor of a part that has not been written for him." 

~Oscar Wilde

"A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."

~Niccolo Machiavelli

"One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray."

~Proverbs 12:26