Sunday, September 28, 2008

First Post, Back Home in Tennessee

My first official post will be for some of the educators I meet in Asia.

To begin with, my name is Chuck Newell and I am an English teacher at Notre Dame High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Currently, I teach junior Advanced Placement English Language and Composition and senior Dual Enrollment English. In the first course, students take a very challenging curriculum that prepares them for an exam at the end of the school year. If they are successful on this exam they could earn college credit. The second course I teach is in conjunction with our local community college, Chattanooga State. These students are actually taking three college level courses their senior year in high school. As long as they maintain good grades, they will earn college credit that is accepted by most colleges in the United States.

Here are a few photos of my school, Notre Dame. We have just over 500 students and are the only Catholic high school in Chattanooga.


































Here is one of my junior classes:


















Here is one of my senior classes:


















From our school, we have a great view of Lookout Mountain, one of Chattanooga's famous landmarks:



















As for my personal life, I am married and have three children. We live in brick ranch house built in the 1960's. It is modest but sturdy. My youngest daughter, Zoe, is playing on the porch in the picture below:

















Here is my family, wife, Jen, oldest daughter Ellie, son Evan, and the before-mentioned Zoe: