Menlo Teachers Create Electives Inspired by Their Expertises

by SONIA DHOLAKIA

Menlo offers diverse electives in almost every department with the hope that students will select classes that they are truly interested in. “The goal of the electives is to offer dynamic, exciting, kind of boutique-type classes that students want to take,” Upper School Director John Schafer said.

Each year, teachers propose new electives, typically in their respective departments. If a teacher has a unique understanding of a particular topic, they are encouraged to offer a class on it. “The teacher has an interest, a background, a knowledge and a talent and offers [a class on that subject],” Schafer said.

English teacher Whitney Newton has taught the Gothic South elective for four years now, which is a course that explores the American South and the nation’s understanding of it. Prior to Gothic South, Newton taught Literature of the American Wilderness, which was inspired by a class she was a TA for as a graduate student at the University of Michigan.

According to Newton, after teaching the American Wilderness course for four years, she was ready to explore a different subject. “I had expended my own curiosity on the topic,” Newton said.

Newton proposed multiple courses, including Gothic South, to the English department. “We have to think about how the course fits within the framework of the rest of the department because we want to have a balanced set of offerings,” Newton said. As most departments have a set number of teachers, an elective usually needs to be discontinued before a new one can be taught.

While both the English and history departments have a large number of electives offered,, the skills taught across them are the same according to Newton and Schafer. For example, while juniors take varying history electives, they all write a lengthy research paper in the spring. “The products [students] will produce might vary, and the content they’re covering might vary, but the skills are always the same,” Newton said.

Vocal music teacher Phillip Harris currently teaches a creative arts elective focused on American popular music called Ragtime to Rap. The class explores the history of American pop music and the intersection between music and American culture. Harris has an extensive background in music and was inspired to teach the class after hearing of other high schools and colleges offering similar courses.

Harris proposed the concept to the Creative Arts department and began researching possible topics to focus on. According to Harris, he is constantly updating the class to suit his current students’ interests. “I hope that [my students] have a better understanding of music as a whole, and are able to articulate musical nuances within the context of American culture,” Harris said.

Schafer believes that the electives created are a combination of teachers’ experience and student interest. “It’s a combination of what teachers want to offer, what the school and department feel we should offer and what students want to take,” he said.

The elective program is also an opportunity for teachers to create classes they are passionate about which energizes them, according to Schafer. Newton agrees with this sentiment. “It’s just super fun to have the freedom to intellectually explore something with a bunch of really smart kids,” Newton said.

According to Newton, when a teacher has a real excitement for a topic, it often carries to their students. “Being exposed to a topic in depth by someone who has enough background experience and context to make that topic come alive for you can make that super empowering,” she said.