NAME:
Mrs. Kathie Mace
SCHOOL:
John Jay High School
CLASS:
English 9 Regents and 9 Honors
SCHOOL PHONE/E-Mail:
(845) 897-6700 ext. 181 E-mail: kathleen.mace@wappingersschools.org
Hey y'all!! A little about me and my kin here, then on to my teaching
credentials. We are of Irish, French, British, and Welsh descent, and have
lived primarily in Pennsylvania since my family came here from
Ireland, Germany, and Wales in the late 1800's. (I did some geneological
research on my family a few years ago, and discovered that we are NOT German
at all, which we used to believe wholeheartedly!! We are French and
Scottish instead (With a fair amount of Irish and Welsh, too!) I was able
to trace my family back to the 1500's in Eastern France, and to the 1300's
in Scotland -- to Urquart! BIG surprise! If you've never tried geneology -
you should; it's very interesting. But be sure you have time... it's very
addicting and time consuming!)
Obviously we've all moved around quite a bit, and my family settled
here in the Hudson Valley when I was about 8. I am a product of the
WCSD!!
Right now we live in the Red Oaks Mill area. I have tried to make the area
around our house look like an English country cottage with perennial gardens
and roses in the front, but the deer love perennials, and our weather is not
like England's, so it's not quite the same. But I do love my flowers!
We, my 20-year old daughter and I, live here with our standard poodle (the
BIG sort of poodle), Bella Luna, three cats: Salem, Marco, and "Little Miss"
(who wandered into our garage last December -- we fell in love with her, and
she stayed!), and a guinea pig named Stella. (Alas, Stella is no longer with
us...) Actually, though this is my daughter's home address -- she is now in
her junior year at a liberal arts college in PA - she is studying Theatre and
English! HUZZAH!!
We love to travel and we love to read and we love to swim. Thank goodness for
the pool in our back yard!! Our favorite place to travel is the West Country
in England (where King Arthur was born). And we are both avid readers
and writers. My favorite writer is C.S. Lewis, and my daughter
loves the Harry Potter books, fantasy, Jane Austen, and mythology. I am
also passionate about anything ENGLISH -- an anglophile of the first
degree. You will no doubt notice this in class... (Aye, that you will :) )
Two of my favorite poems follow:
Caedmon's Hymn
Nu we sculan herigan heofonrices Weard,
Meotoed meahte and his modgethanc,
weorc Wuldorfaeder swe he wundra gehwaes,
ece Dryhten, ord onstealde.
He aerest gesceop eorthan bearnum
heofon to hrofe, halig Scyppend;
Tha middengeard, moncynnes Weard,
ece Dryhten, aefter teode
firum foldan, Frea aelmihtig.
Piano
SOFTLY, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she
sings.
In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song
Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong
To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside
And hymns in the cozy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide.
So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour
With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour
Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast
Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past.
D.H. Lawrence. 1885–1930
Presently, my favorite author is Bill Bryson -- who writes travel and
personal memoirs. He is a HOOT! (Try reading THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE
THUNDERBOLT KID! You will LAUGH OUT LOUD!!)
And now for my credentials...
Education and Professional Experience
Education
High School - Roy C. Ketcham, Wappingers Falls, New York 1975
B.A. English and Psychology - State University of New York at Albany
1980
M.A. Secondary English Education - S.U.N.Y. at Albany 1982
Professional Experience
2008 - 09 John Jay High School
9th grade Regents English, 9th Grade Honors English
DETENTION QUEEN!
JJHS Young Democrats Club (We met Hillary! AND BARACK!!)
Spring Theatre trip to London
Summer Trip to Italy and Greece
2007-08 John Jay High School
9th grade Regents English, 9th Grade Honors English
DETENTION QUEEN!
JJHS Young Democrats Club (We met Hillary! AND BARACK!!)
Spring Theatre trip to London
Summer School 2008
2006-2007 John Jay High School
9th grade Regents English, 9th Grade Honors English
DETENTION QUEEN!
Yearbook advisor until January - HUZZAH!
JJHS Young Democrats Club (We met Hillary!)
Spring Theatre trips to London
2005-2006 John Jay High School
9th grade Regents English, 9th Grade Honors English
Interact Club Advisor, DETENTION QUEEN!
Spring Theatre trip to London
2003-2005 John Jay High School
9th grade Regents English, 9th Grade Honors English
Summer trips to the UK and Italy and Greece
Spring Theatre trips to London
2002-2005 John Jay High School
9th grade Regents English, 9th Grade Honors English, DETENTION QUEEN!
(I took care of after school detention. This means you should BEWARE of
not doing your homework. If you are missing work, you will be spending
your afternoons with me!!)
2001-2002 John Jay High School
9th grade Regents English, 9th Grade Honors English, Interact Club Advisor,
Summer travel in Paris
2000-2001 John Jay High School
9th grade Regents English, Interact Club Advisor, Summer travel in
Ireland
1999-2000 John Jay High School
9th grade Regents English, Sophomore class advisor, Interact Club
advisor
1998-1999 John Jay High School
9th grade Regents English
Summer travel in England, Sophomore class advisor, Interact Club
advisor
1997-1998 Roy C. Ketcham Senior High School
John Jay Senior High School
9th grade Regents English
1996-1997 Roy C. Ketcham Senior High School
9th and 10th grade Regents English
1993-1996 Faith Christian Academy
7th and 8th grade English
Course I Mathematics, 7th and 8th grade math
American and World History
Earth Science, Life Science
Yearbook Advisor, NJHS Advisor, Student Council Advisor
Junior High Curriculum coordinator
1989-1991 Mount Aloysius College/Saint Francis College
Continuing Education Instructor: Introduction to Literature, Short
Story
1985-1989 Bishop McCort High School
AP English, Academic English 12, Honors English 12
Honors English 11, Essay Writing
Public Speaking and Forensics, Advanced Forensics
Forensics Coach, Director of Drama Productions
Student Activities Coordinator, Coordinator for Summer travel in
England (Three trips to England!)
1983-1984 Grace Christian School
7th and 8th grade English/Language Arts
Pre-Calculus Analysis, Algebra I, II
Yearbook Advisor, Student Council Advisor, Cheerleading Coach
1982-1983 Pineview Christian Academy
English/Language Arts grades 7 - 12, Mass Media and Communications
Psychology, Sociology, Social Studies 11
Math 7, Bible 11,12
Student Council Advisor, English Curriculum Coordinator
1981-1982 Loudonville Christian School
English/Language Arts 7 and 8
My goal for this class is to instill in students a love of language
and literature, and to provide them with the skills necessary to be
effective communicators -- both in written and spoken language.
Obviously, I intend to prepare them for the upcoming AP and Regents Exams,
so analytical and expository writing, based on selected readings, will
be a major focus in class.
My hope is that in my class students will flourish in an environment
that is structured, but fun, and one that I strive to make safe, non-
threatening, and nurturing, so that they will continue to mature, and
become THINKING, KIND, and compassionate human beings.
