14901 South Inglewood Avenue
Lawndale, CA 90260
September 1, 2010
Your Name
Number and Street
City, State Zip code
Dear Students:
I would like to begin by welcoming you to Lawndale High School. I know that your first week of school is both exciting and a bit nerve-wracking, but I am very excited to be working with all of you this semester and look forward to seeing you grow and develop as readers, writers, and as people. This semester we will be reading a variety of texts that focus on important social issues. As a class we will be analyzing these issues from both academic and personal perspectives. I want all of you to be able to look at issues surrounding identity, literacy, and media critically so that you may begin to discover how individual persons can bring out change in our society.
We will also be working very hard to meet the state reading and writing standards. I understand how important it is for you to master all the necessary skills so that you can be successful in school and achieve your goals for the future. I have high expectations for all of you and I promise that I will do everything I can to help you reach those expectations. If you are willing to consistently make an effort, I will not let you fail.
Before we start, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself personally. I have been teaching in the district since 2008. This is my third year at Lawndale High School. I majored in Communication Studies with a track in Broadcasting at SUNY Oswego, New York, and received my Master’s in English Education and teaching credential at the University at Buffalo. My love for reading has inspired me to teach, but it is my students and the ideas that are brought to class that make my job so interesting. Throughout the years, I have worked as a Resident Advisor in college dorms, a Resident Hall Director, a publicist at a high-end Beverly Hills PR firm, and a special events assistant. When I am not grading papers, I love watching movies, hiking, traveling, reading and listening to music. I really enjoy reading books from genres including paranormal haunting, comedy, biographies and especially books from author Miguel Ruiz.
Sincerely,
Mr. Rusert
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In order for me to get to know you better, your first assignment is to write me a 4-paragraph business letter and turn in a typed final.
In your first paragraph, please briefly introduce yourself. You may want to discuss your family, hobbies, your favorite authors and/or musicians, or your culture.
In your second paragraph, explain your goals for this class. What strengths do you have that will help you in an English class? What skills would you like to develop (reading, writing, speaking, etc) and how? Is there anything in particular that what you would like to learn in English this year and if so why?
In your third paragraph, explain your goals for high school and the life beyond high school. What activities or clubs would you like to join? What classes do you hope to take? Discuss what you want to accomplish in the next four years. This might include meeting new people, developing your ball skills, and /or getting a certain grade point average. After you graduate what kind of job would you like to have? What kind of lifestyle would you like to live? Write about the college you would like to attend or places you dream of traveling to. I firmly believe that everyone is college-bound; but perhaps the military is your step post-high school.
Finally, in the fourth paragraph explain what steps you need to take in order to reach these goals. Be as specific as possible. If you plan to be a rich doctor or a professional soccer player, explain what skills you might need to strengthen now, what classes will be important to you, what colleges you might be looking at, etc. I know your future may seem far away, but don’t forget that each step toward your goals is equally important and that colleges look at your freshman year grades! So set your goals high. You have nothing to lose!
Make sure you sign it with ‘Sincerely’ much you see in my example (above).