Seminars

Philosophy

"Jeff House provides a wealth of useful material that explores the thinking student's need to employ for success.  His activities leading students through inductive thinking approaches are among the most dynamic I have seen, and they have made dramatic changes in my students as they approach the critical reading in both my Advanced Placement and regular English classes.  Jeff is a master and, as such, he provides the opportunity to all of us to improve what we do in our classes."

Thom Wade, Arroyo Grande High School, Arroyo Grande, California

"Because of Jeff House’s superb AP English Literature Institute (Stanford, Summer 2005). I began my English course this fall continuing the wonderful conversation with literature that Jeff inspires in all his students. Jeff led discussions about literature from textual, mythological, psychological, sociological, and deconstructionist perspectives that continue to 'inform' my sensitivity and sensibility as an English teacher--indeed, I have already had my students combing literature with a variety of critical 'teeth.' The ease with which Jeff drew all of the seminar participants into our ‘conversation’ provided me with a model of what great teaching is: a dialogue with literature can become a deeper dialogue with oneself and with the universe. The experience of the workshop was a gift for me."

Barbara Simmons, English Faculty, Bellarmine College Preparatory, San Jose, California

 

"Thank you for breathing life right back into our staff. You were funny, knowledgeable, and a real teacher. I can't wait to have you back."

Jodi Edwards-Wright, Vice Principal, Leigh High School, San Jose, California

 

"As a teacher on special assignment, I am working on a district project to train secondary teachers in effective instructional strategies to maximize student learning.  My team has been fortunate enough to secure Jeff as a presenter for various workshops. It is hard to sum up the power of Jeff's presentation; however, if I were to choose one word, it would be INCOMPARABLE.  Jeff is such a popular presenter in our large district that our teachers are begging to know the next time Jeff is in da House!  Below are some of the comments made by our teachers:

• Wow!  Wow!  Wow!
• I was treated like a whole person!
• Most presenters only talk about good teaching techniques.  Jeff uses them, for which I am thankful.
• I was impressed with the multiple ways Jeff was able to extract ideas from ALL individuals.
• The presenter was engaging, the attendees were focused and the materials are relevant and useful.
• This dude is SMART!
• Jeff is a well-organized, eloquent speaker who presents practical information.
• Jeff is a great storyteller combining intelligence with intelligibility.
• The materials used in the seminar draw a wide array of experiences, viewpoints and purposes into a nicely connected whole.
• Lots of connections between the humanities and visual arts.
• Induction--I got a lot out of the critical thinking skills.
• I would like the opportunity to workshop with Jeff for a second, third, fourth....time!
• A workshop where I left feeling energized and wanting to learn more!"

  Anne M. Evans, Teacher on Special Assignment, Secondary Reform Department for Learning and Educational Achievement, Jefferson County School District, Colorado

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"Jeff House’s Pre-AP English course was nothing short of amazing. I have long been a proponent of clustering ideas and information for students in order to teach toward meaning-making, rather than mere data acquisition. Students learn better when it makes sense to them. But what, in reality, does that look like for a classroom teacher? How do I teach my students to take seemingly infinite and oftentimes disparate information, and organize it in a way that has relevance for them? Jeff’s class gave me just the tools I need to be able to teach meaning-making to a wide variety of students.

Jeff’s presentation resonated with me for its intuitive practicality. He spoke of things I’ve long believed, but haven’t necessarily been able to articulate. Now, after this week, I’m going back to my students with a method—a plan. I can share his presentation with my colleagues and we will all be better serving our students this year. Jeff reminded me that I’m teaching students, not content. That I’m here to hopefully get my students to the place where I am no longer needed. That teaching isn’t about what I do with my students five days a week, but rather about what they do with their own learning every day of their lives."

  Gail Greaney, Sisters High School, Sisters, Oregon

 

"All I have left to say is 'Thank you.'  I went into the week with no expectations and came out feeling like I might actually know how to teach.  I won't hesitate to say that, in terms of being at the front of a classroom, your seminar was more valuable than my entire credential program.  You engaged us from the very start.  We were not shown the theory behind the techniques.  We experienced the techniques and that is what made the time spent so valuable.  If I can use the information I gathered half as well as it was presented to me, I know my students will feel the same sense of success and ability as I did."

Aidan Thiele, Edison High School, Stockton, California

 

"On behalf of the entire faculty, we want to thank you for a dynamic and engaging reading inservice. We greatly appreciated your stepping in on short notice with competence, grace, and a sense of humor. You clearly exemplify the joy of teaching, and it is contagious."

Principal Linda Ambrosini and English instructor Liz McAninch, Mercy High School, San Francisco, California

 

"The presentation by Jeff House on Pre-AP Training that I attended was amazing.  It was by far the best district-sponsored training I've attended since being hired here.  He was entertaining, engaging, thought provoking, and he just sent each of us the attached documents that tell about his American Lit themes and an amazing website that last year's American Lit students built as their culminating project. I know we all benefit from different types of presentation and learning, but for those of you who get the chance I highly encourage you to attend his presentation."

Carrie Bisantz, Bear Creek High School, Lakewood, Colorado

 

"As a newer teacher, I have been frustrated trying to figure out how to teach writing skills to my students. After taking the training from Jeff, I realize that if I want to create strong writers, I need to encourage my students to develop their critical thinking skills. I wish I could have taken this class before I ever started teaching. After five days of classes with Jeff, I feel like I will be a totally different and much better teacher!"

Courtney Bowman, Evergreen High School, Vancouver, Washington

"The institute was terrific--very helpful--and I plan on attending again next year. Jeff House is a treasure!"       

"Jeff House is a miracle worker! After five years of writing combat with eighth graders, I finally see the light! Through his seminar and book, Writing is Dialogue, Jeff’s strategies make the whole thinking/writing process actually work for my students. They LOVE the activities. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard, 'This is SO much fun!' My bulletproof vest is off for good. Many thanks to you, Jeff."

Jana Richards, Rigby Jr. High School, Rigby, Idaho

"Jeff House's seminar on writing helped me to establish a scope and sequence for my language arts class as well as vertically align my curriculum with other grade levels. He focused on the importance of inductive reasoning and provided many helpful hints on different types of analysis, structure, and peer editing strategies. It was definitely time and money well spent."

Kat Broome, Fort Lupton Middle School, Denver, Colorado

 

"I did the week-long AP Vertical Training with Jeff House this past summer. While I tend to dread these workshops, and feel like they offer little if any benefit, Mr. House's session was exceptional. In just one week's time, he had created a sense of community that was palpable. He offered his own expertise, and encouraged others to share their own ideas as well. His instruction had the perfect balance of give and take, allowing us to learn from everyone in the room. I was sad to see the end of our session; in just one week's time, I felt I had accumulated years' worth of knowledge, and the people in my session felt like old friends. If you ever have the opportunity to take a class from him, you should not hesitiate to do so. Your teaching will benefit from it immensely."

Axel Schwarz, Invention and Design Educational Academy, San Diego, California

 

Helen Popravak, 8th grade Language Arts/U.S. History, Evergreen School, Vancouver, Washington

 

Diane Green, Teton High School, Driggs, Idaho

"It has been two weeks since I attended the AP English Vertical Alignment Seminar led by Jeff House.  In these two weeks I have not stopped thinking about the information presented - from the hero archetypes and the stages of the journey to the Museum Research Project and vertical teaming.  I am so excited to start the new school year and implement these ideas and more with my eighth grade students.  Mr. House's ideas, insights, and philosophies have re-energized my thinking about the teaching of writing, reading skills, inductive thinking, and vertical alignment. His enthusiasm for teaching and teaming, creative and engaging lessons, and a fantastically witty sense of humor make for one truly outstanding seminar!"

Cindi Thompson, Cherry Creek High School, Denver, Colorado 

 

"I hope to incorporate many of the new things that I learned at the workshop this next school year.  
I think that we can all benefit from vertical teams discussions. Thanks again for your great ideas 
and motivation to involve and challenge our students."

Debra Stephenson, Edison High School, Stockton, California

"Since the presentation, I've seen several colleagues applying techniques from the seminar in their classrooms. My colleagues and I didn't just enjoy the seminar; we've found powerful ideas worthy of immediate application."

"In June 2004 I attended an AP Institute by presenter Jeff House, which turned out to be a very useful four days. Jeff packed every day full of detailed information on approaches to literature, approaches to writing, and even approaches to motivation both of students and of fellow faculty. While he provided enough material to keep me busy revamping my courses this summer, Jeff still maintained a comfortable and collegial atmosphere in the class, all the while facilitating the sharing of ideas from the vast experiences represented by the fourteen participants. All in all, Jeff House provided for a useful, memorable experience well worth the time and money to attend."  

"I attended the Pre-AP training with Jeff House on Friday. It was wonderful! We ran a little short for time because of the snow, but it was much appreciated that he gave us a few extra minutes to get there and not feel late. I would love to have more workshops with him, even if I have to pay for the training and/or use one of my own sick/personal leave days. This training is by far the best I have attended in the district! Can you please let me know of additional workshops he will be having this summer, especially if he does a part 2 or follow up to Friday's session. I want more strategies, more examples that directly apply to my teaching, etc. I was inspired and renewed by his time with us on Friday. I also very much appreciate that it was a small group as we got to know each other and participate/interact. Thank you!"

"Twenty-five teachers from East Side Union High School District attended AP Literature and AP Language training offered by Jeff House. Teachers were excited by the knowledge and experience offered by Jeff and left the training feeling well prepared to meet the rigorous challenge of teaching an AP course. The course materials were valuable and the expertise even more so. It was a great experience for our teachers."

Nancy Kennett, Subject Area Coordinator, East Side Union High School District, San Jose, California

 

"Jeff, your presentations at Tucson's Classic AP Institute were enlightening and entertaining!   Your perspectives on the writing process and the methods you recommend to engage students will be valuable not only to me, but also to our entire department. The critical thinking skills you focused on are important for all students to learn and use.   I have already begun revising my initial rhetorical analysis and writing unit to include your information on the mythologic approach (The Journey).  In fact, as I reviewed the information you presented, I found my theme for the year:  'The whole is greater than the sum of its parts'--each experience we have shapes us into the person we become in our journey(s) through life.  In addition, I do appreciate your position on the importance of vertical teams; if we as teachers are to truly serve our students, we must work together to formulate the kinds of structures you recommend. Again, thank you."