James Lavalette
High School
English Language Arts
". . . besides love, independence of thought is the greatest gift an adult can give a child."
Bryce Courtenay, The Power of One
This quote from my favorite novel of all time sums up how I try to approach my teaching philosophy. It is important to challenge students and surround them with care, but the greatest gift is to teach them how to be a free, creative thinker. Fortunately, a powerful way to do that is through the exploration of literature, media, art, poetry, and philosophy. These are the exact phenomena we will be exploring in my class!
It is really exciting to be entering my 8th year teaching English (4th year at Renaissance), and I am grateful for the opportunity every day. Outside of teaching, I spend most of my time with my wife, Essance, and two sons, Cylus and Kyhmari. When I do get some free time, I usually spend it playing basketball, mountain biking, reading, or listening to sports talk radio.
As far as literature goes, I am a big fan of contemporary literature. I have respect for the classics, but I am really fascinated with anything contemporary. A few of my favorite genres are magic realism, high fantasy, and historical fiction. Manga also holds a special place in my heart, and I usually try to offer a manga/anime/comic X-Block. Philosophy also is an important pillar in my life. I enjoy studying and practicing different Eastern philosophies. In the realm of Western philosophy, I have a keen and growing interest in Stoicism—specifically the writings of Marcus Aurelius.