Welcome to 8^th Grade Language Arts.  My name is Darren Seely and I will be your child’s teacher on the 8 White Team.  This is my fourteenth year teaching English Language Arts at  the Grafton Middle School.  Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked in advertising and film production in Boston and New York City.  I have a B.A. in English from Hartwick College and my Masters in middle level education from Worcester State University.  

Middle school aged students are at a crucial point in their education and lives.  I have a very good understanding for this very energetic and influential age.  The students can either become engaged in furthering their reading, writing, and speaking skills or begin to lose interest in communicating effectively.  I feel it is important to be a positive role model to the students now, before they move on to high school where the demands and expectations will be that much greater.  Not only will my curriculum and teaching style build on the foundations of communicating clearly and effectively, I will also teach them basic values such as integrity, courtesy, respect, hard work, and perseverance. 

This year my students will be exposed to a wide range of literature and will enhance their reading ability, writing skills, vocabulary, and grammar.  Classroom instruction time will be guided through exercises from our current readings and group activities.  Students will share ideas and critique each other’s work while learning to work well together.  Outside of the classroom, students will have assignments reinforcing what is learned during the period.  Papers will be assigned based on the four major writing styles:  descriptive, narrative, persuasive, and expository – as well as several creative writing pieces.  Assignments and class work will meet requirements in accordance with the Common Core Curriculum and the Grafton Middle School Language Arts Curriculum. 

My expectation is for students to try their best at all times.  They are to be respectful towards each other, punctual and have a positive attitude.  In return, I will give students mutual respect and I will ensure that they will have a productive and fun year in Language Arts.  I look forward to meeting you all.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at: seelyd@grafton.k12.ma.us or at 508-839-5420.  

Sincerely,

Darren C. Seely