By: Kat Littfin

Editorial Editor 

Last year, the Los Gatos High School English Department decided to remove English 9 Honors as a course option for incoming freshmen. In August, the first set of students for whom this change affected began their freshman year of high school, and LGHS is optimistic about the results.

Historically, ninth-graders could pick two Honors-level classes: Honors Biology and Honors English. Previously, students had to test into these courses, but in recent years, LGHS has been more flexible about prerequisites for ninth-grade accelerated courses. Part of the objective of eliminating English 9 Honors was to lessen the competitive and stressful nature of taking Honors courses freshman year. Teachers and administrators worried that parents were having too much of a say in their student’s schedules, encouraging them to take courses solely for the grade boost, rather than because of their student’s ability or interest. By removing English Honors, LGHS hoped to create a common ground for all incoming freshmen through a class that all must take.

To accommodate the change in the English department, freshman English teachers Kathleen Wehr, Zachary Davison-Wilson, Mollie Hicok-Parker, and Anne Martyn had to make some adjustments. “It has made us collaborate a lot more,” Wehr stated, describing the shifts in the English department’s effect on teachers. “Ms. Martyn joined the fold, and Mr. DW has come in, so the four of us [including Hicok Parker] have been working very closely together to make sure that the standards are high for all students.” Most importantly, the teachers had to rework their lesson plans to find a medium between the curriculum of regular freshman English and English 9 Honors. Wehr explained, “We have put together a whole first unit of Breaking Through that combined what we did with [English] 9 Honors with regular, and it’s working really well.” On Sept.17, as a part of the curriculum, LGHS welcomed the author of Breaking Through, Francisco Jimenez, to speak with all freshmen about his memoir.

 Since the school year started, freshmen have overcome the daunting task of acclimating to a new school with new classes. Wehr is excited about the way that the change to the English department has impacted the freshmen’s first few months of school. Regarding the shift, Wehr said: “It has actually been very positive…Kids who are struggling have the models of the kids who are really proficient, and I’m trying to keep it at that level to where the kids who are proficient can still push themselves.” The dynamic that Wehr describes allows students to build on each other and collaborate in ways that are conducive to learning while building connections with each other.

Although eliminating Honors English once seemed like a drastic change to the LGHS community, the observable impact on students has been overwhelmingly positive. It has encouraged them to motivate themselves and seek help and inspiration from each other, achieving LGHS’s goal to build a stronger community.