Guest Speakers Bring First-Person Experiences to Student Discussion
January 11, 2021
Emily Bernard, UVM professor and author of Black is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother’s Time, My Mother’s, and Mine visited Ms. Silver’s two English 10 classes on Wednesday, December 9th. After having read Bernard’s 2019 collection of essays, students crafted questions in preparation for the author’s visit and got to listen to her thoughtful answers about writing, living Black in Vermont, and being interested in rather than blind to “difference.” The students’ work continues as they craft their own essays on what this book has helped them to understand more deeply about their own lives or about the world around them.
On Wednesday, December 9th, John Morton, former trustee, designer of the Dan Grossman Woods Trail, TA Trail Committee member, two-time biathlon Olympian, and a Vietnam Veteran “visited” Mr. Deffner’s Honors American English class. Ever since Mr. Deffner started teaching Redeployment by Phil Klay (National Book Award Winner in 2014), John has been a regular guest in his classes. In addition to being a great storyteller John helps make connections between the Vietnam War and the war in Iraq, drawing parallels that resonate with the students (and their teacher).