English Journal - Volume 49, Issue 8, 1960

Mr. Person is not only a distinguished writer of fiction for young people but also a successful teacher of creative writing at the Bay High School, Panama City, Florida. Here he discusses his work, offering much interesting advice on writing as well as on teaching writing. Among his well-known books are The Land and the Water, Bar-Face, and Trouble on the Trace.

In developing his two major points, Dr. Tovatt deals directly with the question: What should literature do for young people? A high school teacher and at the same time a full professor of English, Dr. Tovatt teaches at the Burris School, laboratory school for the Ball State Teachers College, Muncie, Indiana. He is also chairman of the NCTE Committee on Senior High School Booklist, and since 1955 has been one of the co-editors of the department, “This World of English,” in The English Journal.

Mr. Hach here proposes a specific program in writing which he feels is needed for average and above-average students in grades seven to twelve, and indicates the type of evaluation of student writing he thinks essential. Mr. Hach is chairman of the English Department in the Evanston Township High School, Evanston, Illinois.

The area of grammar and usage has been a tempestuous one in the last few decades. This discussion provides remarkable perspective on the problem. Mr. Corbin has been widely associated with the study of language because of his co-authorship of the popular Guide to Modem English (Scott, Foresman, 1955) and his authorship of other books and articles. For some years head of the English Department in the Peekskill, New York, High School, Mr. Corbin is now chairman of English in the Hunter College High School, New York City. In November he completes a term as chairman of the Secondary Section of the NCTE.

A great majority of English teachers have accepted the responsibility for providing training in oral communication. Here, Miss French outlines some rich possibilities for incorporating such training in the regular English program. For some years Miss French has directed speech and drama work at the Atlantic City, New Jersey, High School. She is now, in additiona, chairman of the English Department and the instructor of the accelerated senior English class.

What is creativity and how can it be promoted? The author answers this question by defining a challenging approach to creativity in the study of English. Dr. Sheridan, a past president of the NCTE, is chairman of the English Department in the Hillhouse High School, New Haven, Connecticut.

Growing realization of the English teacher’s role in dealing with the mass media of communication is one of the most important of recent trends. This article traces English teachers’ attitudes toward the mass media as reflected in The English Journal, and sets forth some recommendations for effective approaches to mass media. Mr. Maloney, who is a candidate for the Ph.D. degree at Columbia University, teaches at the Southeastern High School in Detroit.

As a salute to the Golden Anniversary Convention, the editors have prepared a unique feature. Dr. Tovatt reports on some of the pronouncements on high school English appearing in the major educational journals of fifty years ago. Finding remarkable relevance to the current scene, Dr. Jewett reviews significant articles from the Journal’s first dozen years.