NAME:
Mrs. Donna Hennessey
SCHOOL:
St. Aloysius School
CLASS:
7th and 8th Grade English; 8-1 Reading /Vocabulary; 7-A Religion
SCHOOL PHONE:
610-326-6167 Ext.212
I am blessed with a full and wonderful life. My husband Kevin and I have two
children, Jonathan and Dori who attended St. Aloysius many years ago, and who
are the love of my life. My dear elderly Mom also lives with us, along with
our Golden Retriever Mollie.
Believe-it-or-not, my favorite "hobby" is mowing the grass on my John Deere,
gardening, and raising orchids; however, I love teaching seventh and eighth
grades, as well. I firmly believe that teenagers have a depth of goodness and
thoughtfulness.
St. Aloysius School has been part of my life for many years, and the students
and teachers make coming to school each day a joy. They have touched my heart
and soul. I feel honored to be part of this 95 year old school and its
legacy, and I will forever hold dear the memories of wonderful students who
have enriched my life.
English has so many facets and I love them all, but then again, I'm an
English teacher! My job is to keep my students energized without them
realizing that this may not be their favorite subject. Strategy: be creative
enough to maintain order, teach students to work to potential or above, and
have fun doing it. The first three days of each week are spent on grammar
skills. I use a traditional approach, teaching the parts of speech and
analyzing sentence structure, always stressing that grammar skills are
necessary for intelligent written and oral communication.
Literature is covered the last two days. We devote one semester to poetry and
one to the short story. After learning a vast amount of literary terms, we
read and then share in small groups followed by a class discussion. I
encourage the students to vocalize their insights, always reminding them that
their opinions count, and we respect everyone's contribution.
The SMART board has become a valuable resource. In addition to teaching from
the internet, I engage the students in oral work by having them come to the
SMART board and teach their classmates a skill I have covered.
My goal is simply to give the students the grammar tools to write and speak
well and to expose them to numerous famous authors and their modes
of expression. Likewise,I work toward maintaining a classroom atmosphere of
order, respect, and enthusiasm. Learning CAN be fun!
