At GA, English teachers are not only inspiring students with their passion for literature in the classroom, but also making their own mark in the literary world through their own projects that extend far beyond our schools walls.
One example is Mr. Daniel Keefe. When he has free time, Mr. Keefe writes poetry. He has written a plethora of poems and even published a piece about a friend who retired. During the summer, he spent his free time on a longer-term project, a novel.
“I think it is important to keep making art. I often find that in my classes, especially during the school year, I focus on other people’s writing, and that is important and I enjoy doing it with students, “ Mr. Keefe said. “But I think creation and making my own art is good for my soul. I am not writing in order to publish but I write because it makes me feel good.”
Due to his writing, Mr. Keefe has been encouraged to introduce creative writing into his classroom, rather than just analytical or argumentative essays. One way he does this is through a poetry unit with his 10 grade English class.
Additionally, Mr. Keefe thinks that it is important for English teachers to share their work with their students.
“Sharing that shows trust with your classes in which you are like, ‘Yes, I am Mr. Keefe, your English teacher, but I am also an aspiring poet’,” Mr. Keefe said. “If you are not playing that game, then how can you expect your students to trust and try to extend themselves.”
Dr. Claire Barwise has also created and published her own literature, ranging from creative writing, such as poems, fiction, and her favorite flash fiction, to more academic works while getting her PhD.
For example, she has published a short story called “The Springs” in The Minnesota Review, and more recently she has published academic journals like “A Girl Like We: Narrative Doubling and the Politics of Femininity in Anita Loos’ Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “‘You Make Everything in a Joke’: The Forward-Looking Feminism of Elaine Dundy and Barbara Pym.”
“Writing makes me see the world in a new way and it makes me pay attention to things that I might not have paid attention to,” Dr. Barwise said. “I think that writing is incredibly powerful because as you shape the piece that you are writing, you are creating something new.”
Similarly to Mr. Keefe, Dr. Barwise likes to use creative exercises in the classroom so students can have fun while learning what writers of literature are actually doing.
Another teacher, Mrs. Roynne Graffam, writes fiction outside of school. Due to her keen interest in theater, Mrs. Graham started in 2015 by writing theater plays.
For example, Love for Sale, a play Mr. Graffam was produced by the ETC Theatre Company and she also wrote a full length play called “Reunion”. On top of this she has written a short story called “Hunger” which was published in the Missouri Review and a few other stories published in the New Purlieu review and Painted Bride Quarterly.
“All of the writing I do on my own influences my teaching. I am always thinking about the writing process and the various components that go into that, and different strategies to try and make that more successful.”
An example of this is when she taught Hamlet; she used to make her student perform a short, 15 minute, version of the five acts in the story.
All in all, the English department of Germantown Academy are involved in the literature world past just the classroom. They are creators of their own literature, and their creations inspire and motivate their teaching to be more unique and impactful.