Welcome!  My name is Sonia Jolliffe, and I am excited to work with you this semester in Literary Perspectives.  This year I am also teaching ninth grade Humanities.  I majored in English Literature and minored in French at DePauw University, and I did some early graduate work in California before my children were born.  I began my teaching career in 1999 (yikes!) teaching eighth grade English in Santa Clarita, California.  This was followed by two years teaching ninth grade French and English in the same district in California before taking time off to stay at home with my first two children, Emerson and Siri, after my family relocated to Wheeling, West Virginia.  During my years at home, I maintained a parenting blog and taught Freshman Composition three days a week at Wheeling Jesuit University.  Our family moved to Vermont in 2008, so that my husband and I could teach at St. Johnsbury Academy.  The next year, our third child, Henry, was born.  I was able to stay home with Henry for a year, and then began teaching fifth and sixth grade Humanities at the Catholic school that our daughters attended.  Three years ago, I realized that I missed teaching high school (and that I was tired of settling playground disputes!).  I made the return to the high school world, and have been extremely happy in my role as teacher, gymnastics coach and advisor at the Academy.  

I have always loved literature and creative writing.  I enjoy taking stories and novels apart to examine the ways in which author’s craft a text to achieve their purposes.  While I was obsessed with the poetry of writers like John Donne and John Keats in high school, my preferences over the years have shifted to more concrete works by poets like Oliver de la Paz.  I value the art of writing, and one of my favorite indulgences is taking time to work on short stories and poems.  Putting together a well-turned phrase gives me an endorphin rush!  Confession: spelling is my weakness!  Spell check is one of my best friends.

In my spare time, I run and hike with my family, indulge in writing projects and spend a great deal of time transporting one daughter to the barn where she rides and the other to the gym!