Anna Freundt, English Department Chair afreundt@jacksonprep.net 769-257-4340

Subjects taught/Activities Sponsored: Currently, I teach three classes of 11AP Language and Composition, and one 11th grade College Prep English class; I am a co-sponsor of the 12th grade class, chair of the English department, and a mock trial helper. In the past at Jackson Prep, I have taught: 11 Honors, 11 College Prep, 12 College Prep, 10 Resource English, Drama I and II. In the past, I sponsored the yearbook and Precis pageant, was the drama director of A Mississippi Midsummer Night’s Dream and sponsor of the Italian Exchange Program.

Children: Zac - a 2006 graduate of Prep and a USM student, Emma – a 2009 graduate of Prep and a USM student, and twins Zoe and Cassie, 2011 graduates of Prep. Zoe is a Millsaps student and Cassie is a student at MSU.

Total Years of Teaching Experience: 16

Total Years at Prep: 2011-12 will be my 12th year at Jackson Prep

Colleges Attended/Degrees Earned: University of Southern Mississippi - B.A., University of New Orleans - M.A.

Hobbies/Interests: walking, reading, traveling, consuming chocolate, conversing, playing with my dog, Olivia, and avoiding being killed on my stairs by my cat KK.
The perfect day: A beach, a book, and Van Morrison on the i-pod.

Why I teach:
My friends who work outside education often ask me why I teach. It is a fact that I love language and literature; I love words. Who but an English teacher gets to read poetry for pay or is given a red pen and a pile of essays to read and accepts them with enthusiasm? Besides, I love teenagers--which may seem odd because my own children might suggest to you that that fact isn't always evident. Teenagers are funny and spontaneous, poignant and charming, complex and frustrating.

But beside those reasons, I teach because I love the variety that this job offers. Everyday, every student, every lesson is different, and the challenges inherent in this job force me to grow as a teacher and as an individual. I work with amazing, dedicated teachers and administrators who love what they do, who make me want to be a better teacher, who inspire and support me, who make me laugh, and who make me think. The opportunity to work at Prep has made me, as a parent, realize the reason I chose this educational experience for my own children--an experience in which a child truly has the opportunity to expand his or her world from the inside out. I want my children and my students to learn to succeed by learning to rely on themselves, by taking responsibility for their choices and for themselves, by learning that mastering something that is difficult is so much more rewarding that simply repeating a pattern. I want them to learn that taking risks forces them to grow and that showing respect for others and for themselves will make them into the kind of people they like seeing in their mirrors. English may not be your child's favorite subject, but I sincerely hope and pray that somehow I will reach every student I teach in a significant and positive way. Who knows, maybe by the end of the school year your child will like to write or will have claimed one novel or poem or short story as a favorite.