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I would first like to start of by saying congrats on being in Duke’s English class. She is amazing. And yes you are probably reading this thinking “Has Alex Baker lost his mind” and the answer to that is NO I HAVE NOT. I went into this class thinking that Mrs. Duke was going to be like the devil. Boyyyyyyy was i wrong. Once you get to know her and stop listening to what kids say about her out of class she is actually a cool, understanding, down to earth country gal. there are a few things you should know and prepare for!!!

1) Duke’s class is like no other. She truly has a unique teaching style. Her projects and assignments are different and challenging. But the thing is you have to remember they are designed to teach you the most they can. Often you will get an assignment and freak out as soon as you read the directions. The thing you have to remember is that along with every project Duke assigns, there is also a time line that goes along with that. The #1 piece of advise i can give is to do the things she assigns on time! By doing that it makes life soooo much easier!! I am telling you, this class is challenging, and assignments are long, but if you break them up into mini assignments it makes things a lot more manageable. I will tell you this, if you dont put in the time, organization, and creativity you WILL fail this class. Let this be your warning…

2) Enter every project/assignment with a positive attitude. Many of her assessments are creative based. Many of you will say “well i am just not the creative type” well guess what… life’s not fair and you have to deal with it! you have to force yourself to think outside the box. the more creative, unique, and crazy your thoughts are the more she will like them. Step outside the box and push the limit on things, Duke’s class is a safe zone and little is prohibited (now if your going to push the limit it was to be within reason and relevant!) 

3) So now that we have discussed doing your work on time and being efficient, lets discuss blogging. You will have to blog every week for the whole year. this is a very very easy way to bring up your great. Now with that being said, it can also bring you down faster that gravity. You MUST blog. If you dont then you will be in hot water. Duke assigns blogs that are relevant to what you are learning in class that week. So by blogging on time, you are also helping yourself study and learn the subject even more. Every blog is due Monday, that DOES NOT mean do them Sunday night. That just adds stress to your weekend. Get them done during the week so you dont have to worry about them. Once you get the hang of it, its easy. 

4) Vocab: Those of you know that Mrs. Duke doesnt do anything the typical/traditional way. Vocabulary is the same way. For every vocab section will be an assignment (might be flash cards one week and pictures the next, who knows). The tecnique she choose is different every section and is designed to cater to all different learning typed. DO THE ASSIGNMENTS! It helps you learn the words…. and then her vocab tests are also not typical. She never does the same kind of vocab test more than once. so get ready! you better know the words. Vocab quizzes are easy points, all you have to do is learn a few words, whats so hard about that?

5) Participate in class! Her class is hands on, so that means engage yourself in the lesson, speak your thoughts, and voice your opinions!!!!

6) The readings are challenging. You read a lot of novels that you have heard of, but probably don’t know the whole story, The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein, Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, and Hamlet are just a few we read. We focus a lot on the elements of drama, quest, how the culture is represented in the novel, and heroes. Some of these texts are short, but dont kid yourself, the shorter they are the more underline meaning there is and the more complex it is. It is amazing how much one can get out of a 70 page book. so get ready its gunna be crazy!

So guys if you put in the time, you will get the results, you can slack off! And the fasted way to get to Duke’s heart is by showing that you are interested in what your learning and that you care.