Well, this issue will be Swanson' s swan song. I have enjoyed my last fifteen
years or so as editor and co-editor of English Notes. It has been a pleasure to be associated with some
of the best English teachers in the state. It has also given me a definite advantage in teaching
my methods courses. I have had the opportunity of being apprised of what has been going on
in the English classrooms of South Dakota. I know I have been the better teacher for this
experience.
Speaking of English
News, I think it's time to change the name of the newsletter. We can do far better than this.
How about it? If you have a suggestion for a new name, send it to me here at Dakota State
University. I can forward it to the new editor for consideration. I am confident that somewhere in the fertile minds of our cadre of English
teachers is an immortal name waiting to be born.
The winners of the NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing have been
announced for 1999. They are Andrea Oliver and Sarah Pieplow, both of Lincoln High School in Sioux
Falls. Some of their winning material will be published next fall in the newsletter.
This year's submissions have been sent in for judging, and the results will be announced next fall.
I was happy to see that we had more participation this year. I certainly hope
that more South Dakota teachers take advantage of this opportunity to celebrate their excellent writers.
For more information, write to me here at DSU. There are no monetary awards for the two state
winners, but winning this competition is sure-fire recommendation for scholarships.
The names are published in a special brochure each year and sent to colleges allover the country.
The result is often a very fine scholarship.
Although I am retiring this year from full-time teaching, I plan to retain
some connection with SDCTE. One project I would like to initiate is a thorough survey of South
Dakota English teachers to determine the state of English teaching (and learning) in South
Dakota. I have seen several such surveys from others, and what they indicate is very
interesting. I would like to establish a committee to construct and test such a survey.
But more about this next year.
I will be curious to see what the outcome of the hue and cry about the
national writing test scores will be. I would like to examine the test myself to check its validity.
How was it administered? I would also want to know how South Dakota students compared with
students from surrounding states. It is hard to reconcile our poor performance on the
writing tests with our more competitive scores on other national standardized tests, the ACT for
example. But, if this outcry focuses more attention on writing in our schools, perhaps it is a
boon. (see story)
If you haven't bought your SD Literary Map, order one now.
There is an order form in the issue. They make great gifts. My daughters have
theirs on their walls. I think I will get mine laminated and framed.
It will look great in my study.
So, I shall end on that note.
I bid you farewell but not goodbye. Oh, yes, one final note--please do some recruiting.
Get your colleagues to join SDCTE. The more we grow, the better we shall become.
Make that a goal for the next year--get at least one more English teacher to join SDCTE.
They won't regret it--and neither will you!