Main Page

English I

Journalism

Contemporary Literature

Welcome

Hi! My name is Cindy Heckenlaible, and I teach freshman English at Vermillion High School. I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to my  web site. This is work in progress. As part of my studies for my Master's Program in Interdisciplinary Studies, I designed this web page to support both students and parents for freshman English.

English I is a rigorous, year-long course where students have one final exposure to all genres of the English curriculum. One can think of it as a survey class. The honors course will cover  the same objectives and often the same material but at an accelerated pace and/or with increased coursework to prepare students for the upper level college prep classes. After their freshman year, students will take specialized, semester-long class where they will focus on a specific genre in order to master that skill. These classes involve a concentrated focus in writing, speech, literature, drama, and journalism.

Classroom Policies

Like most educators, I do have specific policies in place in my classroom. Students receive an overview/syllabus of these on the first day of class sharing important information about these policies and other pertinent information. I guess my classroom philosophy was established even before I became a teacher. I was a business owner for twenty-three years; during that time I learned a lot about what it takes to be an productive member of the work force and what I, as well as other employers, expect from employees. I also know that these skills do not materialize overnight but must be developed and put into practice in order to learn the good habits that employers look for when they hire their workers. Because I want my students to be successful, I set high standards for them that I believe guide them in that direction. The transition to become a responsible young adult often begins at this critical time in a teen's life. Some will struggle while others will easily adjust, but my intention is for all of my students to learn to believe in themselves and know that they can step up to the plate and meet difficult challenges as they arise.