Keith Pond

Contact

kpond@madisonprep.org
480-345-2306 ext 211

Office Hours

Monday 7:30am-8:00am
Tuesday 7:30am-8:00am
Thursday 7:30am-8:00am

Classes/Duties

HS Literature
HS Composition
​Self-Reliance

Extracurriculars

Assistant Basketball Coach

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Assignments

WEEK Of: august 19

Advanced Composition: 
Monday:​ Work on prewriting for the essay contest.
Tuesday: Short essay is due on August 27th. Additional assistance during office hours is available.
Wednesday: Students need to bring the prewriting they have been working on to class tomorrow. Thursday will be a work day to allow for any questions that may have come up in regards to the essay due on the 27th.
Thursday: In class work day for the essay due on Tuesday.
Friday: ​Literary terms for vocabulary test has been handed out. The test over these terms will be on September 25.

​Classic Literature: 
Monday: Read Chapter 5. Work on prewriting for essay.
Tuesday: Read Chapter 6. Short essay is due on August 28th.
Wednesday: Read the Benjamin Foster essay for tomorrow's class discussion.
Thursday: Read "The Origins of Writing."
Friday:  Finish Gilgamesh. 

Shakespeare: 
Monday:  Read Act III, i.
Tuesday:  Read Act III, scenes ii and iii. Essay for the contest is due on August 28.
Wednesday: Finish Act III.
Thursday: Finish Act IV.
Friday: Finish Much Ado About Nothing. The Whedon version is scheduled to start on Tuesday. Test over the play early the week after next.

Class Information

Advanced Composition: Use your
Writer's Notebooks!
Remember to use your Writer's Notebooks!  These should be used to store your observations about the world around you, and to write down ideas that you can utilize for inspiration.
"You only fail if you stop writing."-Ray Bradbury

Movie List for Shakespeare:

Much Ado About Nothing. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. MGM. 1993. Film.

Much Ado About Nothing. Dir. Joss Whedon. Lionsgate. 2013. Film.

Othello. Dir. Trevor Nunn. Image. 1990. Film

Shakespeare in Our Time. National Endowment for the Arts Presents Shakespeare in Our Communities, 2011. Film.

Why Shakespeare? National Endowment for the Arts, 2011. Film.

Hello to everyone. My name is Keith Pond, and I am the Composition and Literature teacher here at James Madison Preparatory School. I feel extremely fortunate to be a member of the team here, and look forward to bringing my love of reading and writing to the students.

I was born to a small family of traveling performing elves and was handed off to a band of assorted woodland creatures when I inexplicably outgrew my family's caravan of ferret-powered wagons. I was home schooled deep in the enchanted forest and spent my time much like other children climbing trees and racing unicorns.

After an unfortunate incident involving a neighboring tribe of goatherds and a 1967 Chevy Nova, I was forced to find employment writing ads for shady furniture stores and ghost-writing personal ads in free newspapers. Here, I found my calling.  Even though I am quite old, I only age in years that are prime numbers, therefore I am technically considered orange.

Pardon me? Uh...okay...yes, sorry about that. I am being told that the purpose of this bio is to give real information. Who knew? So.. .

I have lived in Arizona for most of my life, graduating from Dobson High School in Mesa and receiving my BA in Literature from Arizona State University.

Like many, my path out of college consisted of some twists and turns. I was involved in bicycle racing and the outdoor industry through college and into the first phase of my professional life. In that environment, I have worked every conceivable position from floor sweeper to mechanic to shop owner.

After deciding to move on, I became involved in the retail cellular phone business. For ten years I worked in a variety of positions, finally culminating in regional management responsibilities.

In my spare time I enjoy mountain biking, reading, writing and basketball, among other things. And, of course, I love being with my family as much as possible.

I have seen how important it is for young people entering college and professional life to be able to present their thoughts and ideas in a cogent and readable fashion. I hope to bring excitement to this process, and look forward to the school year ahead.

Thank you.

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