Justin Melville
Email: [email protected]
Hello. My name is Mr. Melville. This is my seventh year teaching English at Arroyo High School, making this my twelfth year overall in the San Lorenzo School District (thank you for the first five years, Edendale).
Having graduated from San Lorenzo High School in 2004 (geez, 20 years flew by), I'm grateful to be teaching in the same district that educated me. After graduation, I went to Chabot for way too long and then transferred to Cal State East Bay. I earned my BA in Creative Writing and a teaching credential in 2011.
This school year ('23-'24), I'll be teaching ELA 11 and Film & Literature. In my classroom I put a heavy emphasis on students selecting their own books for independent reading. As for the books we read as a class, I've gathered readings from Stephen King to Batman comics to even the classics of Shakespeare, Albert Camus, Poe, and Viktor Frankl. We'll discuss manga and video game plots. We'll analyze stories of old and how they connect to us now. My goal is to make reading relevant/interesting and not just a chore.
As cliché as it will sound, I'll end this by saying I'm blessed. There were bumps in my path that could have ended everything. A combination of luck, second chances, and perseverance got me to this moment in my life. Thank you to the teachers, community members, and mentors who gave me this opportunity to give back. Oh, and a special thanks to my mom. She put up with me and my theatrics for a long time. Love you, Mom!
Wait... I'll end this after this short paragraph. Promise:
My wife and I have three little ones. We have our two year old, and we recently welcomed twins into the world. They are all beautiful, and I am one lucky dude to have them. Jade, James, and Jazlene: Daddy loves his little J's and his wifey (whose name starts with a J, too!) so much.
I lied about ending with the previous paragraph. Sorry. Here's the true ending: take care of yourself, reader. Looking forward to the new school year. :)
-Mr. Melville
