Houghton Academy

Ann McNeill

English (2010)

Allow me to share a favorite quote with you…

“You have yet to understand that the shortest distance between a human being and Truth is a story.” — Anthony de Mello

Such understanding drives my teaching. John Eldredge, author of Epic, writes that we love stories because we are in fact characters in a great epic tale — that of the creation of man, the rescue from sin, and the co-creation of God’s Kingdom. In our hearts we identify with the longings, struggles, and triumphs of characters through hearing their tales. Stories allow us to wrestle with the conflicts of life, to share in the human experience, and to move closer toward Truth and wholeness. As a teacher, Jesus Christ, the author of authors, told the world’s greatest tales, and He invites us to collaborate as His co-authors in the greatest story ever told.

As a teacher, I share the excitement of story-telling with young people in the hopes that they too might become story-tellers. Together we study drama, fiction, poetry, and non-fiction to become more aware of our worlds and our selves. I teach students to analyze the artistry of writers, encouraging their appreciation for the craft of literature. I give them opportunities to write reader responses and to invent their own tales & poetry so that they can share in the creative process. There is hard work, too, in writing prose and developing speaking skills, but we press on in these areas as well so that we might better please and serve others in the future.

I am thankful that God has led me to minister to your children as a teacher at Houghton Academy. I hope that their time spent with me will contribute greatly toward their development as people and as Christians. Thank you for your encouraging support at home. Look forward to your child’s great accomplishments in language arts, and revel in the joy of sharing in his perceptions, hopes, and dreams.

“The universe is made up of stories, not atoms. ” — Muriel Rukeyser