About.

Hello and welcome to the 7th grade. My name is Devon Deery, and I’ll be your English teacher this year. We have the next 10 months to get to know each other better, but since you went through all the effort to visit my website, let me tell you a little about myself.

I met my wife Jen while going to college at SUNY New Paltz. Like many New Paltz alum, we fell in love with the Hudson Valley and never left. We live in Kington and now have two kids. I've been teaching in Saugerties for about 15 years. As I gain experience and continue to learn about this profession, I'm once again rethinking my approach and philosophy. I'm excited to try some new things this year.

My birthday is in December. I enjoy reading and listening to music. I really love cooking and going to see live music. Hockey and soccer are my favorite sports. I coach my sons' soccer teams and occasionally still play men's league hockey at Kiwanis Ice Arena. I enjoy taking my boys outdoors to go hiking and swimming. It's a great way for all of us to unplug from technology and appreciate nature.

Winter2024

Oh yeah! We also rescued Sahski 5 years ago. He is our Covid pup and has become an essential part of our family. He is named after Satsuki from one of our favorite movies, My Neighbor Totoro. He is a red heeler mix. Heelers are herding dogs and his instincts present themselves regularly. He's smart, loyal, protective, obsessed with my wife, and gentle with our boys.

I have a master's degree in literacy education. Getting this degree took a lot of time and energy but was well worth it. It has definitely made me a better teacher. The professors in the program were a wonderful, warm, and brilliant group of women. One professor in particular, who we referred to as Dr. Hop, truly inspired me and has completely altered my approach. Reading is my focus and I try to lead by example. But more on that later.

Probably around 1993-94

When I was in 7th grade, I was tall, skinny, awkward, kind of nerdy, and apparently I wore matching sweatsuits (see pic). I was the farthest thing from “cool” and sometimes I was even picked on. I wanted to tell you all of this because I think that it’s important for you to know. Educatiion is an essential and valuable part of your life and school can be both fun and difficult. You will laugh and you might even cry, but it’s important to work hard, try your best, learn from your mistakes, and get through it. I may have not been cool, but I definitely worked hard, got good grades, and had a lot of fun with a small but tight group of friends. Thirty-something years later, through some ups and downs, I think I turned out alright.

Now that I have your attention, allow me to give you one little piece of advice. READ! Reading is the most important thing you can do for yourself. I’m sure you’re sick of hearing this, but it’s true. I know what many of you are thinking. “Books are boring,” or “I’m not a good reader.” The first excuse is just not true. There are millions of books in the world and there are certainly a few that you will find interesting. You just have to find them. The second excuse may be true for some of you, but the reason you may not read well is because you are not reading enough. You can’t get better if you don’t practice. Practice is how we improve at anything and everything.

If you want to be successful in school and in life, the key is to read. It doesn’t matter what you are reading as long as you’re reading something. It is scientifically proven that the more you read, the smarter you get. So do yourself a favor and read. And just so you know, this is definitely not the last time I’m going to mention this. My goal is to turn you into a proud reader. I may not be able to transform you all, but if I can get through to a few of you, I’ll consider that a victory.

This is the beginning of a major part of your young lives. As long as you respect others, respect yourself, and participate in your education, I promise that you will have a successful high school experience.

There is always some uncertainty as far as what this year has in store. The one thing that I know for sure is that in order to have a successful year, you need to put in some effort. I like my job and I do my best to challenge my students while also making learning interesting and fun. I have realistic expectations for my students and EFFORT goes a long way. Communication is also extremely important. Ask questions. Make comments. Communicate openly with me. I'm here for you and ready and willing to work with you.

Let’s have a good year.

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