1. Welcome!

A Little About Myself

My name is Jamie Keenan, and I have taught at Taconic Hills Junior-Senior High School for the past twenty-three years. I am currently the English Language Arts teacher for our wonderful seventh grade. (Read on, Team 7!) I earned a BS in writing from SUNY Potsdam, certification in English 7-12 from Siena College, and an MA in Reading Education from the University at Albany. Before I became a teacher, I worked as a journalist and as a graphic artist.

MY HOBBIES AND INTERESTS: I love reading, especially Young Adult (YA) literature. I also enjoy spending time with my husband and my twins, Meg and Dylan. I would definitely describe myself as an animal lover. My pampered kitty Owen lives fairly harmoniously with Finn, the world’s cutest pup. In my spare time I also love to teach my dog cool tricks and play the piano and ukulele. Seventh-grade students will also tell you that I have a deep fondness for M&Ms. Over the years, my students have turned my classroom into an unofficial shrine to the tasty treat.

FAVORITE YOUNG ADULT AUTHORS: Jane Yolen, Karen Hesse, Laurie Halse Anderson, Cynthia Rylant, Carol Matas, J.K. Rowling, Daniel Hayes, Gary Paulsen, Walter Dean Myers, S.E. Hinton, Gail Carson Levine, M.E. Kerr, Suzanne Collins, Neal Shusterman, Jason Reynolds, and Margaret Peterson Haddix.