Keith Pond

Contact

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kpond@madisonprep.org
480-345-2306 ext 211 (Not currently available; please utilize email.)

Hello to all of my classes. I hope that you are all staying healthy and safe during this very strange time in our history. I miss having everyone in class and hope that we can all return to normal very soon. 

Office Hours

If students have questions, please email me and I will respond as quickly as possible. A live or recorded Zoom chat may be introduced if there are many issues with a particular section.

Classes/Duties

HS Literature
HS Composition
​Shakespeare

Extracurriculars

Assistant Basketball Coach

Assignments

upcoming trimester:



The Google Classroom environment will be the hub for all assignments and class information. Please email me with any questions you might have. Thank you!
Classroom expectations

Advanced Composition: 


Some older lectures from the end of last year. Newer ones are in the Google Classroom.
Advanced Comp. Audio Lecture (about 75 minutes)
Adv. Comp. Lecture 3 (18 minutes; points of interest in Chapters 2 and 3) 
Advanced Comp. Lecture 2. (50 minutes)
Advanced Composition Lecture 1. (20 minutes)

Archived Advanced Composition information.
​
Classic Literature: 

Here are some older lectures.
Classic Lit. Lecture 3 (64 minutes)
Classic Lit Lecture 2. (58 minutes)
Classic Literature: Lecture 1. (26 minutes)

Archived Classic Literature information.

Shakespeare: 

​
Here are some older lectures and information.

Shakespeare Lecture 2 (39 minutes)
Shakespeare's Money.
Shakespeare Lecture 1. (38 minutes)

​Archived Shakespeare information.

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 attended school deep in an 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.