My Teaching Philosophy

My name is Amber Couch. I have been working in education for almost two decades as a homeschool English teacher, a middle and high school librarian, and an elementary teacher. I am a graduate of Nevada State College with a Bachelor's of Science in Elementary Education and a Masters of Science in Library Science from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 

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It was my love of books that first had me leave the classroom and go back to college for my library degree. It brings me great joy to talk about books with kids, teachers, or parents. I can talk magic schools, dragons, space odysseys, love triangles, and tragic teenage angst all day. However, as my career as a librarian progressed, I saw the way English Language Arts was being taught in Public School and it broke my heart. Common Core and state standards have taken the joy of reading out of the English curriculum. That's when I started teaching ELA to homeschool students. 

All my English lessons start with a novel, and are supported with articles, websites, virtual field trips, and cross-curricular classes that delve into history, science, anthropology, and even astronomy. Each class is rich with vocabulary, grammar, lessons in annotation, citations, research skills, and writing. Writing should be incorporated into every lesson rather than a standalone subject. This gives it relevancy both in everyday use and for the student's understanding.

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By choosing novels that are modern, with characters and storylines that are interesting to today's preteens and teenagers, my curriculum creates an engaging program students are eager to participate in and learn from. 

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