Jamie Nicholas

Nicholas’ innovative teaching idea, “Modern Literature Project,” is focused on updating and modernizing the literature in her eighth grade, sophomore and senior English classes. Nicholas says that students today can often become bored, disillusioned and even frustrated with literature if they are only exposed to the classics.  These novels typically contain difficult wording or antiquated plots that not all students are able to fully appreciate and comprehend. Her objective is to update class sets with new, appealing modern novels to which children can relate and that are recognized for their literary value. The goals for the program are to help students at all levels find a renewed interest in literature, prepare them well for college level course work, and enable them to make more meaningful connections to the various social issues they may encounter in life.