Teaching Career
LITERATURE APPRECIATION
Chris has a genuine love for literature. His students will tell you that his appreciation for the written word is evident in each one of his daily lessons. While using the works of American authors such as Steinbeck, Twain, Poe, Fitzgerald, Miller, Frost, and Lee, Chris has created engaging and challenging lessons for his students to help them improve their reading comprehension, analytical thinking, writing skills, and literature appreciation. From Romeo and Juliet to Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Hamlet, Chris has mastered the art of making Shakespeare accessible to adolescent audiences of today. By incorporating student-read performances, modern translations, audio presentations, and feature-film productions of Shakespeare’s plays, Chris has helped countless students grow in their understanding and appreciation for the plays created by the greatest writer of all time. Writing workshops are conducted as well to help students meet the demands of the Common Core Learning Standards and develop their own original creative works.
ENGLISH EDUCATION
Chris has taught English in grades 9 through 12 as well as remediation courses in a variety of settings, ranging from students from the inclusive education department or students at-risk to students of advanced placement. He has had a great deal of success, year after year, preparing students to meet the demands of the New York State English Common Core Learning Standards. Chris utilizes technology on a regular basis by relying on his Smartboard for daily agendas and vocabulary enrichment. Chris also uses Google Classroom for written assignments along with remind.com—a website that allows teachers to communicate with their students via texting, and cram.com—a website that allows students to independently work on vocabulary development. As a lifelong learner, Chris is a teacher who keeps an open mind when considering new approaches to education and works to provide his students with a classroom environment that is welcoming, enthusiastic, challenging, and well-prepared to meet the needs of all students.
COMMENCEMENT KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Chris Merante has been an English teacher in the Greece Central School District for over twenty years. In 2008 he was chosen by the senior class to be the keynote speaker at commencement. The ceremony was held at the historic Eastman Theater in Rochester, New York, in front of a standing-room audience of three thousand people. Chris focused on five life lessons he wanted the students to understand: 1 - It’s important to feel special. 2 - Be ready to do it alone. 3 - Shortcuts don’t pay off. 4 - Find a way to recognize your individuality. 5 - Remember each one of you has something to offer society. While drawing on personal anecdotes and humorous life experiences, Chris's speech was inspirational, creative, and funny.
View the video below from YouTube.