About Mr. Kutsmeda's Classes
"There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book."
Hello! My name is Mr. Kutsmeda. I graduated from Penn State University where I earned a B.S. in Secondary Education - English. I have been teaching English here at Minersville since 2007. Throughout that time, I have taught ninth and tenth grade college prep and applied English classes. I have also taught literature prep, writing prep and Classics. For three years, I was in charge of producing the school's yearbook, The Eleusinia.
Those two lovely ladies to the left are my beautiful wife, Nikki and our adorable daughter, Olivia. We also have a pug named Stella. Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my family and playing volleyball during the summer. I try to read as often as I can. My favorite books are the Harry Potter series and Of Mice and Men. Truthfully though, there aren't many books I haven't liked.
What is to be expected?
/ Homework
01
There will be plenty of homework assignments throughout the year. When I assign homework, I try to give a couple of minutes at the end of class to get it started. On the day it is due, I will walk around and check for completion. We will then go over the homework to make sure you have the correct answer. If you do your homework, it will help your grade. If you don't do your homework, it will hurt your grade. It's that simple!
/ Quizzes
02
Throughout the course of any unit, there will be several short quizzes. These are usually multiple choice, true/false, or matching. There will also often be a short essay.
03
/ Tests
At the end of each unit, there will be a comprehensive test on all the material covered during that unit. These are usually worth at least 100 points. College Prep classes will also have a Midterm and Final exam. These exams will be cumulative.
What can you do?
01
/ Come prepared
You have a responsibility as a student to come to class prepared for the day's lesson. This means that you should have your homework with you as well as any materials that you need for class. Do not ask to go back to your locker to get your homework.
/ Do your work
02
I expect you to give your best effort. It says a lot about the type of person that you are. Why would you want to put your name on something that isn't your very best? Make sure that you have all of your homework completed. Take your time on tests and quizzes. Look back over them before you hand them in to me. You'd be surprised how often people forget to answer a question. Do the assigned reading.
/ Participate
03
It's boring when you all just sit there staring at me. Why not raise your hand and throw out an answer? Get the ball rolling. Try it. You might like it. You'd be surprised how much more enjoyable class is and how much more you will learn when you become an active participant. This is, after all, your education. You might as well take control of it!