Debbie Gascon and Jessica Thur Have Article Published in South Carolina Council of Teachers of English Journal

English Teachers Debbie Gascon and Jessica Thur have entered the realm of professional writing to enhance and extend their commitment to continuous professional learning and collaboration. In the Fall 2011 Journal of the South Carolina Council of Teachers of English, they have an article entitled, It's Not About the Book: Finding Ways to Make Canonical Literature Approachable. It is a phenomenal article that speaks to the manner in which a teacher can find many strategies or methods to reach all learners. An excerpt from the article epitomizes this very notion:

"It's not about picking a perfect novel or choosing the right excerpts from the textbook; it's about teaching strategies that will allow students to feel successful when they approach any text."

Mrs. Gascon is a National Board Certified teacher who has taught middle and high school English for 16 years. She also teaches journalism, is a Master Journalism Educator, and advises the yearbook. She has earned several Fulbright and National Endowment for the Humanities' grants that have taken her all of the world, including a year-long Fulbright grant in Aiud, Romania to teach English.

Mrs. Thur is a National Board Certified teacher who has been teaching for thirteen years. She also has worked with the University of South Carolina's Professional Development School and has been an instructor for South Carolina's Program of Alternative Certification for Educators (P.A.C.E.). Between 2003-2005, Jessica has worked with South Carolina's Department of Education and Dr. Janet Allen to pilot a revised curriculum for tenth grade English and continues to be a Senior Developer for Dr. Allen's Plugged in to Reading.

We are so proud of these awesome teachers!

By: Robert S. Jackson, Ed.S., Assistant Principal for Instruction