Alex Simard
English 9
Honors English 9
Hi there! My name is Alex Simard and I'm thrilled to be going into my second year as New West's ninth grade English teacher. Central to my pedagogy is a belief in challenging texts and challenging ideas. Students in English 9 can expect to encounter the work of Mary Shelley, Ernest Hemingway, Langston Hughes, Lorraine Hansberry, Joan Didion, William Shakespeare, and countless others. Students will emerge from the course with an attentive, critical eye, ready to write eloquently about the humanities and their complex selves.
Growing up just north of San Francisco, I spent my "salad days" hiking and biking through the Bay Area's gorgeous natural settings. After high school, I studied history at Pomona College in Claremont, where I deepened my love for the humanities, studied under incredible professors, and edited/contributed to numerous student publications. My senior year of college, I received a wonderful opportunity to earn a teaching credential with the Marshall Teaching Residency, an opportunity that brought me to Los Angeles proper and to New West. It's been a joy to join this community of students and educators and I look forward to fostering a rigorous, safe, and inclusive classroom.